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number8838
Participant
December 8, 2018
Answered

A new layer for each page in a PDF

  • December 8, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 552 views

I have a PDF with over 300 pages that I would like to have as sequential layers on the same artboard in Illustrator.

I can easily open all 300+ pages in the same Illustrator document as 300+ artboards, but they are all on Layer 1.

How can I get an AI file with one artboard and 300+ layers (in sequential order) without selecting each aboard, creating a new layer and paste-in-place-ing on "artboard one" three hundred times?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Mohammad.Harb

    once you open the 300 artboards in the same document,

    first, make sure that all objects on each artboard are grouped together, then click on the layer’s name,

    and from the fly out menu of the layer’s panel select

    this command : release to layers sequence.

    then, click on all released layers (they will be shown in colors) and drag them on top of the previous layer

    Jane, we use this command alot when placing  illustrator file as layers in adobe after effects.

    2 replies

    Mohammad.Harb
    Community Expert
    Mohammad.HarbCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    December 8, 2018

    once you open the 300 artboards in the same document,

    first, make sure that all objects on each artboard are grouped together, then click on the layer’s name,

    and from the fly out menu of the layer’s panel select

    this command : release to layers sequence.

    then, click on all released layers (they will be shown in colors) and drag them on top of the previous layer

    Jane, we use this command alot when placing  illustrator file as layers in adobe after effects.

    jane-e
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    December 8, 2018

    Good to know,

    Mohammad.Harb
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    December 8, 2018

    As far as i can remember, when we palce a multiple pdf file in illustrator, each artboard will be placed as a clipping group.

    jane-e
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    December 8, 2018

    Hi

    First, Illustrator has never had pages. What you are working with is Artboards.

    From the beginning through CS3, there was one Artboard per file — multiple artboards were introduced in CS4.

    What you are asking for cannot be done, at least not out of the box. There are scripters who make Illustrator do all kinds of things. You can ask in the scripting forum. This is a user-to-user forum, and there is a second forum for reporting bugs and for feature requests that is monitored by the engineers. You can post here:

    Adobe Illustrator Feedback

    I have to add that I when I have documents that are 300 (and more) pages, I would never use Illustrator. When it gets past two pages, I’m using InDesign which has margins and columns, headers and footers, tables, and so much more.

    ~ Jane