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Hobbes0022
Known Participant
Mar 16, 2020 10:59 AM UTC
Question

SVG: need an option to allow absolute sizes

When I create an image and save it as an SVG, its size is specified in px. Illustrator uses a conversion factor of 72 dpi to convert the artboard and artwork sizes. If I create an artboard that's 100x100 mm, the SVG will render its size as: width="283.46px" height="283.46px"

 

This creates problems, because other programs use a different assumption for dpi (often 96 instead of 72), so when I import an SVG, it will be rendered a factor of 72/96 too small. This conversion factor cannot be changed in Illustrator.

In the Save options dialog, when I check the 'Responsive' check box, the units are removed from the viewport size.

 

In other programs, I can export SVG files with absolute units (viewport set to mm instead of px), which avoids this issue.

 

There are 2 ways to solve this:

1. add an option to specify SVG sizes in absolute units.

2 .allow us to change the dpi setting.

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    6 replies

    Merche36928273sp2u
    Participant
    Jul 14, 2024 11:48 AM UTC

    As of 2024, this feature is still missing. It reflects poorly on Adobe that users have to rely on free software like Inkscape to get the correct dimensions while paying a monthly subscription for Adobe Illustrator. This functionality is essential for laser cutting software and should be a priority for future updates.

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    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Jul 14, 2024 1:20 PM UTC

    If you want to have that I would suggest you post it there: https://illustrator.uservoice.com

     

    The engineers do not read this community.

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    Test Screen Name
    Legend
    Mar 16, 2020 11:19 AM UTC

    Illustrator doesn't work in pixels at all. If you select pixels in any dialog Illustrator simply translates this as "points". This is unlikely to change. So work to scale.

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    Hobbes0022Author
    Known Participant
    Mar 16, 2020 11:36 AM UTC

    I'm not working in pixels, I do all my artwork in mm.

     

    The point is that no matter what units I specify in my document, Illustrator creates an SVG that uses px.

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    Mylenium
    Mylenium
    Legend
    Mar 16, 2020 3:14 PM UTC

    Yupp, AI sucks at creating SVGs, despite Adobe once having invented the format. Not much more to say about it. I'm just not clear what you would do by modifying the DPI. After all, you'd still need to change the document DPI and raster effects DPI beforehand to get sufficiently high resolution on pixel elements in the SVG.

     

    Mylenium

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