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Question

Preserving vector shapes from Illustrator when going to Photoshop

Forum|Forum|12 years ago
August 27, 2013
5 replies
26890 views

Is there a trick to having your vector shapes from illustrator import into Photoshop as (vector) shape layers?

I swear I used to be able to do it, but now it's not working. If I remember correctly, you had to keep your layers very simple (with now special Appearance settings, etc) but you could then Export from inside Illustrator to a PSD file (with Preserve editability checked) and when you opened the file in Photoshop you had all your vector shapes from Illustrator as Photoshop vector shape layers. What I get now is all the shapes on separate layers, but they are all rasterized.

FWIW, I know that I can copy and paste paths via the clipboard into Photoshop and then choose to bring them in as Shape Layers, Smart Objects or raster images -- but I'm looking for something simple where I can convert and entire document at once.

Thanks

This topic has been closed for replies.

S

samsungSW

Participant

I found this very useful

Ilustrator to photshop without rasterizing

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/05/how-to-move-from-illustrator-to-photoshop-without-rasterizing-the-easy-way/

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emil emil

Inspiring

The only way to get a path from Illustrator to Photoshop is copy and paste. And to get it on a shape layer select Shape layer in the Paste options. This will create a new shape layer with the path using the current foreground color. But if when pasting with Path or Shape Layer options, you also have a path selected on a shape layer in Photoshop then the path from Illustrator will be pasted in in the currently selected shape layer making a compound shape with the existing path/s.

Exporting to Photoshop rasterizes the paths with the selected resolution keeping their original appearance and Preserve Text Editability is available as an option if there is a text without appearance attributes.

Kurt Gold

Community Expert

The only way to get a path from Illustrator to Photoshop is copy and paste.

No, there are ways to export to .psd and preserve paths.

Depends on what you have. Therefore a sample .ai file has to be provided.

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emil emil

Inspiring

Kurt, unless there is an external tool like a script or plugin, I don't see a possibility in Illustrator. I just tried a file with nothing else but a box with black fill and no stroke and it exported as raster. And I also tried it even with no fill and no stroke and I got an empty canvas and no path in PS. I can't think of any simpler test files.

Larry G. Schneider

Community Expert

I had no trouble getting both editable text and paths in Photoshop. Just be sure to turn on Write Layers and both checkboxes below that Maximum Editability and Preserve text editability

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elDudereno

Inspiring

Larry, any chance we could get a screen shot?

Larry G. Schneider

Community Expert

Actually when I checked closer, what are listed as <Path> in PS are just the raster lines and you can add effects but not change the basic structure in PS. Sorry for the confusion. Copy/Paste as Smart Object seems the only way.

Kurt Gold

Community Expert

Which version of Illustrator are you using? Which version of Photoshop?

Is a sample .ai file available?

ballyd

Participant

Check out the tutorial by Justin Seeley at link below.

http://www.lynda.com/Illustrator-tutorials/Creative-Quick-Tips/117542-2.html

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ZiplinskiAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thanks, but I was trying to avoid having to copy and paste vectors manually... I was hoping there was a way to just have vectors automagically converted to shape layers in Photoshop when you opened the doc.

(But I was unaware of custom vector shapes in PS, so I did learn something ;-) )

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