Fresco sending vector drawing to Illustrator iPad or Desktop crops the drawing to artboard

[Medea Yankova]

Hi,

I remember until August 2024 Fresco on my iPad Pro was my fav. app for drawing vector drawings, which I easily was sending to Illustrator Desktop.

Now all this is really sketchy. Only Regular Desktop Illustrator directly opens my vector file sent from Fresco. The Beta Version can only open it from Creative Cloud if I first sent the vector file to Illustrator iPad. Anyway.

I somehow managed to find this out and I can now preserve the vector nature of my drawings when sending them to Illustrator iPad and Desktop, because otherwise it was sending them as rasters. Yay.

BUT, my drawing gets cropped when it's beyond the artboard of Fresco and sent to desktop or iPad Illustrator, or when I try to export it as PDF or any other file format really. I tried everything! And I don't remember Fresco having such issue in August 2024 or before. One of the features Fresco has is to draw beyond the artboard with vector brushes.

I can't at all send my vector drawing which is drawn beyond the artboard on Fresco to Illustrator, without being cropped to artboard! Is there any sollution to this?

Why Fresco is so horrible all of a sudden?!

Thanks in advance!

Medea. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Medea Yankova,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Would you mind sharing more details, like the exact version of Fresco/Illustrator installed on your devices, a link to the Fresco cloud document (https://adobe.ly/3AxIhLO), and a screenshots of your artwork in Fresco and Illustrator, so I can better assist you?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[Medea Yankova]

Thank you for coming back to me Anubhav,


Fresco iPad: 6.1.0

Illustrator iPad: 3.0.7

iPad: 18.1

Macbook Pro Lap Top: MacOS Sequoia 15.1

Illustrator Beta Desktop: 29.2.22

Illustrator Regular Desktop: 29.0.1


Yesterday with Adobe Agent specialist in Fresco and Illustrator uninstalled
and installed again all these programs.

All my devices are up to date as of yesterday, but this issue with the
cropping remains the same.


Link to Fresco PSDC File (The way Fresco saves it on Creative Cloud if just
closed on Fresco or sent to Desktop Illustrator)

https://alpha.photoshop.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:5c5a82fa-ceaa-45e1-aef6-992b219e5c4f


Link to Fresco AIC File ( The way Frasco saves it on Creative Cloud if sent
to Illustrator on iPad)

https://assets.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:f9d107b7-fcc2-4374-87bb-36e7041c13c2?view=difile


Screenshots Link:

https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0649UNF6Am3Uda30KQbf-_NFQ#Fresco_Illustrator_problem

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Medea Yankova,

Thanks for sharing the files and screenshots. Kindly allow me some time to check this with the team.

Anubhav

[laurashallcrass]

I'm having the same problem. Even when I alter the vector which was beyond the artbaord border so that it doesn't overlap it doesn't help the issue. If it open the file as a pdsc in photoshop all the elements show up but if I then save that as a psd and open it in illustrator they disappear again.  

[Medea Yankova]

Adobe just ruined this App for unknown reasons to me. They never explained,
although I asked them many times.

It was so much better before, when you could actually draw vectors on
Fresco and open them on Illustrator desktop as vectors. And also draw
beyond the borders of the canvas on Fresco and actually these shapes to be
also transferred on the desktop Illustrator.

Now none of this is possible. The App became more of a raster program than
vector. And I lost desire to use it.

[ameilyiua87]

It seems like a recent change in Fresco is forcing vector artwork to stay within the artboard when exporting or sending to Illustrator. As a workaround, try expanding the artboard in Fresco before exporting, or check if there’s an option to "Include content beyond artboard" in Illustrator. If that doesn’t work, exporting as SVG might help preserve vectors without cropping. Hopefully, Adobe fixes this soon!

[Medea Yankova]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

I will check the suggestions you gave. But I’m not very hopeful, as when I
encountered this problem I literary was fighting with it for at least 2
weeks full day every day and tried everything I could find on the Internet
as options or through my own creativity.

The only thing which kind of worked is if you send the Fresco so called
vector file to Illustrator App on the iPad. Then you still have to
vectorize the file and just then it will appear as Illustrator/ Vector on
Desktop Illustrator.

This though comes with several disadvantages.
The quality of vectorization on Illustrator App is low. So you have a lot
of artifacts and defects appearing.

Once you open this file on Illustrator, you can’t have enough control over
the layers, as everything is a separate path. So to align layers the way
you do on Fresco is impossible on Illustrator Desktop.

I had to give multiple versions of an artwork to a client and every time I
was creating a version, I had to adjust everything from scratch. It was
nightmare.

No idea if Adobe will ever fix Fresco. I think since they made it free they
just abandoned it with just basic functions and be mainly raster app.

I will try to see if what you are suggesting exists, although Fresco is
very limited with options. I tried to play with art board options on both
Illustrator Desktop and Fresco, but yeah.

Why they had to ruin this App! It was perfect before. Just exactly what I
needed. Now it just doesn’t work.

And seems they just don’t really care to even listen the feedback.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hey Medea,

I completely understand how frustrating this must be, especially when Fresco used to work perfectly for your workflow. I tried replicating the issue on my end, but I wasn’t able to reproduce the exact same problem.

Would you be able to record your screen while sending a Fresco file to Illustrator on your iPad and show us the difference? This could help us pinpoint what’s going wrong and find a possible solution.

Looking forward to your update!

Best,

Anshul Saini

[laurashallcrass]

Here is what happens to me. 

[laurashallcrass]

I send file to desktop. It looks like this (above).

And then what opens on desktop is this (below, note the missing green and purple vector element under the white flowers etc).

[Anshul_Saini]

I appreciate you taking the time to share all the details. To help us investigate further, could you share the original file that is causing this issue?

Also, could you confirm where this file was initially created—was it drawn entirely in Fresco, or was it originally created in Photoshop (PS) and then brought into Fresco? This will help us determine if the issue is related to how Fresco handles imported files versus native ones.

Looking forward to your response so we can get to the root of this!

Best,

Anshul

[laurashallcrass]

Here is a link to the original file: https://photoshop.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:cc53f62d-2480-4e45-9a84-8196089d129c

The file is entirely created in Fresco. This is not the only time I've encountered this issue though. It happens with every vector file I create in Fresco where any vector elements have left the pastebaord at any time. As you can see with this file I've removed any elements outside the pasteboard now but I'm still encountering the issue, I suspect becasue there were elements outside the artboard at one time.

[Anshul_Saini]

Thank you for sharing the details of your issue. We want to investigate this thoroughly, so I’d appreciate your help with the following:

1. Please Update the File’s Sharing Settings

The file link you provided appears to be restricted. To allow us to access and analyze it, please update the sharing settings as follows:

a. Go to Adobe Cloud Documents.

b. Find your file and click the three dots (ellipsis) next to it.

c. Select “Share” from the dropdown menu.

d. Click the gear icon in the top corner.

e. Toggle “Save a Copy” on.

f. Under “Who can access,” select “Anyone with the link can comment.”

g. Copy and share the updated link here.

2. Confirm the Reported Issues

To ensure I escalate everything accurately to the product team, could you confirm if these are the exact issues you are experiencing?

• Cropping of Vector Elements Beyond Artboard

• Any vector elements drawn beyond the Fresco artboard get cropped when sent to Illustrator Desktop/iPad.

• Even after adjusting vectors inside the artboard, the cropping persists.

• If the file is opened as a PSDC in Photoshop, all elements appear. However, when saved as a PSD and opened in Illustrator, some elements disappear.

• Vector Elements Missing After Sending to Illustrator Desktop. Certain vector elements (e.g., green and purple vectors under white flowers) do not appear after transferring from Fresco.

• Issue Persists Even After Removing Elements Outside the Artboard

• Even if previously out-of-bounds elements are deleted, the cropping issue remains.

We appreciate your patience as we work on this. Looking forward to your updated file link and confirmation of the issues.

Best,
Anshul Saini

[laurashallcrass]

Thanks I've done that. Here is the updated link: https://alpha.photoshop.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:cc53f62d-2480-4e45-9a84-8196089d129c

And yes. Issues above are what I'm experiencing. The only note I'd make is that for me the cropping issue doesn't result in cropped element as much as an entire vector element missing when I open the file in Illustrator.

Thanks for your help.

[Anshul_Saini]

Thanks so much for confirming and sharing the updated link!

I was able to replicate the issue where vector elements go missing when the file is sent to Illustrator—that part is now clear.

However, I wasn’t able to reproduce the other issues you’ve mentioned (like elements being cropped or continuing to disappear even after they’re adjusted inside the artboard). To help us dig deeper, it would be super helpful if you could create a side-by-side screenshot comparison showing and highlighting or marking which elements are missing or affected.

Once we have that, I’ll log a detailed ticket with the product team so they can investigate further.

Thanks again for your patience and cooperation—I really appreciate it!

Best,

Anshul Saini

[Medea Yankova]

I think I explained at least 100 times as clear as I can what is happening in Fresco since now few months. 

When you draw vectors outside the artboard on Fresco. Not inside, but OUTSIDE THE ARTBOARD- they get cropped when exported. This is the main issue.

Meaning, I am a sketching artist and I do quick sketches using Fresco Vector Brushes, so I don't and can't comply with artboard so many times. This is why my sketch gets out of the artboard many times and I like to adjust this further on Illustrator Desctop!

At this point, this is impossible!

This is why after drawing my vector drawings on Fresco I found myself forced to send the vector file from Fresco to Illustrator App and from there save it as Illustrator File for desctop.

This transition- Fresco- Illustrator App causes many or some vector layers from Fresco to Illustrator App to shift and some to rasterize for absolutely no reason! 

Then it is very hard on Illustrator Desctop to work with them. 

Before you could send vector drawings straight to Fresco to Illustrator Desctop via iCloud.

This is impossible at this point!

Fresco doesn't even have anymore option to save files as Illustrator Files or Vectors on first place too! 

I can't provide screenshots for all this!

I in fact called Adobe, I lost the count how many times. Spoke with so many Fresco, Photoshop and Illustrator specialists there, no one helped! Lost entire month in this nightmare in November, 2024 as I had to work on a project and was relying on Fresco!

None of the specialists ever worked on Fresco it seems to know what is the issue! 

Ask average drawing artist who uses the app since few years and they will explain to you the same issue I am talking about. 

I have been using Fresco since it's appearance after it replaced Adobe Draw App, and I got used to it. It was a nice functional App.

Now is rubbish since few months!

[Medea Yankova]

P.S.

Correcting my typo:

"Before you could send vector drawings straight FROM Fresco to Illustrator Desctop via iCloud."

[laurashallcrass]

Thanks Anshul that's great. The other issues mentioned were things I've ocasionally experienced but not regularly, and not ones I could replicate I don't think. They were raised in this thread by Medea Yankova Maybe best to ask them about it as they seem more familiar with those particular issues.

From my perspective even just a resolution on the disappearing elements would be a huge improvement. Thanks again for investigating this,

Laura

Laura

[Medea Yankova]

Hi Laura,

May I ask, does this mean that when you draw on Fresco with the vector brushes together- inside and outside the artboard, after saving, it will then automatically export to Illustrator Desctop, without cropping the shapes which are outside the artboard? 

Can you export/ save the vector drawing created on Fresco as Illustrator or SVG file, which will appear as such on Creative Cloud and yherefore open as such on Illustrator desctop?

Kind Regards,

Medea.

[Medea Yankova]

P.S. (therefore)* Sorry for the typo again! Need to type slower! Haha.

[laurashallcrass]

I'm using the Open a Copy in Illustrator Desktop option to export. And what I get is unpredictable. Sometimes it takes all the vector elements inside and outside the artboard and sometimes it doesn't. I find that if I can confine my drawing to within the artboard it's more likely to send all of the elements, but that isn't gusranteed.

When I open the pdsc CC file in either Ai or Ps the vector elements have been rasterised.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Medea Yankova, @laurashallcrass,

First of all, thank you for your detailed feedback, persistence, and patience throughout this very frustrating experience. I completely understand how disruptive this has been to your workflows, especially when you rely on Fresco’s vector functionality for professional projects. Your insights are incredibly valuable, and we genuinely appreciate the time you’ve spent documenting everything so thoroughly.

I've compiled all the key issues mentioned so far to ensure we don’t miss anything when raising this with the product team. Please review the list below and let us know if I've missed anything at all. I want to ensure every concern is properly represented in the internal ticket.

Issues listed by Medea:

1. Cropping Issue:

• Vector elements drawn outside the Fresco artboard are cropped or removed when sent to Illustrator (both Desktop and iPad).

• This was not happening before August 2024 — Fresco previously preserved vector data beyond the artboard.

2. File Export Limitations:

• Fresco does not allow vector artwork to be saved directly as Illustrator or SVG files. 

• Current exports often convert artwork to raster or limited vector with artifacts.

3. Broken Workflow:

• Workflow used to be: Fresco → Illustrator Desktop via iCloud. Now that is no longer possible.

• The new workaround (Fresco → Illustrator iPad → Save As Illustrator → Open in Desktop) is unreliable and causes:

a. Loss of layer structure.

b. Elements rasterized.

c. Shifting/misaligned layers.

d. Degraded vector quality.

4. Lost Efficiency & Quality:

• Vectorization on Illustrator iPad is of low quality with visible artifacts.

• Time-consuming to edit in Illustrator Desktop due to all layers breaking into separate paths.

• No longer possible to align elements or layers easily like before.

Issues listed by Laura:

1. Missing Vector Elements:

• Elements drawn beyond the artboard in Fresco sometimes completely disappear in Illustrator Desktop.

• Even after trimming artwork back inside the artboard, missing vectors persist.

2. Unpredictable Export Behavior:

• Using “Open a Copy in Illustrator Desktop” sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

• Even when everything is within the artboard, some vectors still go missing.

3. Rasterization in PSDC/PSD Workflow:

• When opening PSDC files from Fresco in Photoshop, everything appears fine.

• But saving as PSD and opening in Illustrator causes vector elements to rasterize or vanish.

I’m preparing a detailed ticket to share with the product and engineering team. Before I finalize it, please confirm if everything above matches your experience, or feel free to add anything I’ve missed.

Thank you again for your time and commitment to improving Fresco. We hear you, and we’re working to get answers and solutions as quickly as possible.

Best regards,
Anshul Saini

[laura_4573]

Yes that acurately summarises all of my issues. Thanks Anshul

[Medea Yankova]

Hi Anshul Saini,

Yes, what you summarized as the issue I have is detailed and precise. 

Maybe not only that Fresco when sends vector files to iPad Illustrator the drawing outside the art board gets cropped.

At this point I can't remember if it did this too. Probably not, as this is the new let's say successful work flow I was trying to use to get my work done. 

But if you tried the same thing and it crops the drawings outside the board, then please, leave this explanation as you wrote it.

It seems you perfectly understood my issues. I hope they can be resolved by the right Adobe Team, as I do miss my work flow as it was before- Fresco- Illustrator Desktop. It was very efficient. 

Kindest Regards,

Medea.