Can't use free transform

Forum|Forum|1 month ago
February 13, 2026
2 replies
102 views

Hello,

I am trying to use free transform to fit a screen onto this rectangle. I am not able to move the corners of my linked smart object independently. When I drag one, it causes the others to move.

Correct answer Conrad_C

I can confirm this, it seems to be specific to placed Adobe Illustrator files. If the .ai file is placed (linked or embedded), the commands available on the Edit > Transform submenu are restricted.

But the commands become available if the placed Illustrator layer is either rasterized or converted to a Smart Object. Of course, a placed file is already a Smart Object, so having to apply Convert to Smart Object creates a nested Smart Object that might require more memory and storage to handle.

So it’s a weird situation. The expectation is that Edit > Transform > Distort, Perspective, and Warp should be available right away as they are for placed non-Illustrator files, but for some reason they’re blocked.

Conrad_C

Correct answer

Community Expert

I can confirm this, it seems to be specific to placed Adobe Illustrator files. If the .ai file is placed (linked or embedded), the commands available on the Edit > Transform submenu are restricted.

But the commands become available if the placed Illustrator layer is either rasterized or converted to a Smart Object. Of course, a placed file is already a Smart Object, so having to apply Convert to Smart Object creates a nested Smart Object that might require more memory and storage to handle.

So it’s a weird situation. The expectation is that Edit > Transform > Distort, Perspective, and Warp should be available right away as they are for placed non-Illustrator files, but for some reason they’re blocked.

c.pfaffenbichler

Community Expert

I can confirm this, it seems to be specific to placed Adobe Illustrator files.

That’s been the case since the beginning of Vector Smart Objects – ai, pdf, …

When converting a vector Smart Object to a Smart Object one should keep in mind to do it at a sufficient size to avoid noticeable degradation if the SO is upscaled.

Though one can also simply upsample the SO containing the Vector SO by increasing the Resolution later on if necessary.