Artboards Shift Automatically, Cause Export Issues

[Juniperf]

Anyone who uses this software professionally definitely understands the importance of resolution. It's intuitive that the size of the artboard should directly reflect the resolution of the export. However, I'm finding that is consistently not the case in Illustrator, partircularly with smaller artboards. Worse still, any attempt I make to correct the issue is, without fail, always undone with every reopening of the file. It's infuriating!

I use illustrator to layout hundreds of ads of various sizes. These images need to meet the display ad specifications listed by Google Ads. If an artboard's position coordinates are a fraction off a whole number, the exported image will almost always not match the artboard size. A 300x600 artboard will export as 301x600, or 300x601. 

In response to this issue, I've taken steps to make sure all artboards positions are on whole numbers. But on reopening on the file, or duplication, the artboards needlessy shift, requiring a re-shifting of the hundreds of artboards scattered across dozens of files. To me it's insane this quirk hasn't bugged anyone else so I'm either missing a key feature the always snaps artboards to a whole number, exports artboards correctly, or this bug should be addressed immediately.

[Monika Gause]

Is this perhaps a Large Canvas file?

[Juniperf]

The canvas is quite large. The template file is compatible with After Effects in the sense artwork outside the Artboard can still be used in animation. This is more of an edge case, the canvas could generally be much smaller

[Juniperf]

Taking a cursory look, I'm unaware of any way to change the canvas size. Presets seem to have the same canvas, there's no settings for canvas size in document set up. 

[Met1]

Are you exporting at 72dpi?

Are you sure you do not have a 1pt stroke on items touching the artboard edges?

The default max canvas size in Illustrator is 227 x 227 inches, or 16,383 pixels. You cannot extend the canvas in an existing file, but you can maximize the canvas size by creating a new file with artboard dimensions up to the max size. (Type in higher number it will default to the max permissible).

[Juniperf]

I use "Export For Screens", the JPG 100 preset. Document Raster Effects are at 300dpi since we tend to use Photos in the ads. 

The canvas is definitely at max size. Generally, there is no artboard at max size, with the exception of those files we'd like to be more compatible with After Effects. 

Nothing has a stroke.

[Met1]

If you are exporting at 300dpi, what size is your document?

When I export a 300px x 600px file with Export for screens JPG 100 at 72dpi, I get exactly sized 300px x 600px jpg files, but when I export at 300dpi I get 1251px x 2501px jpg files...

(Also, I've closed and quite Illy several times, reopened docs several times and all my 300px x 600px files are in exactly the same place.)

[Ton Frederiks]

Do you use Global Rulers or Artboard rulers? And are you measuring the artboards coordinates from the upper left corner?

If artboard don't align to the pixel grid, you may want to try the rearrange artboards button in the Artboards panel.

[Juniperf]

Artboard Rulers, and the origins are at the center. Changing the origin to the upper left does not resolve the export issue if the coordinates are offset from a whole number, however. Nor does it address the mysterious shifting that can occur after re-opening or duplicating the file.

Rearranging does seem like a quick fix, but there are some other undesirable effects, particularly destroying the custom condensed layout of artboards with various sizing - which is preferable in situations where you're screen sharing or need to see many things at once. 

Regardless, I see no case for the user expecting the export size to not match the artboard size. Seems like a bug to me. 

[Ton Frederiks]

Artboard rulers can give the false impression that the artboard is aligned to the pixel grid.

Always use Global rulers and measure from the upper left corner to avoid additional pixels.

I am puzzled by the shifting after opening. Maybe you could share a simple Illustrator sample file?

[Tara242928221uja]

I'm infuriated with you. Why hasn't Adobe fixed this glitch? This is something major that I spend HOURS trying to adjust when exporting artboards. This was a year ago that you posted this topic! Adobe are you reading????

[Monika Gause]

Did you read the answers in this thread?

Can you share a file that has issues?

[Juniperf]

Monika, there is no "answer" in this thread. There's exhausting workarounds to a meaningless bug. The fundamentals of the issue have not been addressed, in this thread or otherwise, by high level community members or adobe employees. It's reasonably frustrating.

[Doug A Roberts]

If you artboards are literally shifting coordinates, that may well be a bug.

If the problem is that your exports don't match your artboards for one or more of various reasons (artboard position not aligned to pixel grid, exporting with a PPI that results in fractional pixels etc.), that's currently expected behaviour. Whether or not it's something Illustrator could or should solve for users is up for discussion, but it's not something anyone here can solve. But we can provide instructions for how to avoid the situation occurring.

[Juniperf]

I disagree that a mismatch between export and artboard is "expected behavior" in any circumstance. Illustrator is a commonly used tool for both Vector and Rasterized artwork.

For what reason should an artboard even possess fractional dimensions or a fractional position on a pixel grid? Defending this as a "feature" is strange to me. 

[Doug A Roberts]

I'm not sure how you interpret my response as defending it. It's just a fact of how Illustrator works. How I feel about it is irrelevant.

[Juniperf]

I say "defend" because I, and the user above Tara, have called this a "bug" while you describe it as "expected behaviour." I think the categorical disagreement is kind of important because suddenly the conversation changes from "this is wrong and should be fixed" to (in nicer words) "suck it up"

[Doug A Roberts]

When people post topics on this board, I approach them with the intent of helping them work with the software as it is now. If I want to discuss Illustrator as it could be, I join the prerelease forum or Uservoice.

This subject is a perfectly valid topic of improvement, but I don't think the developers would see it as a bug, as it is completely explicable within the paradigm that the software has currently established. Whether this paradigm should change or not is a discussion for those other arenas.

[Monika Gause]

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@Juniperf  schrieb:

Monika, there is no "answer" in this thread. 

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There are 2 correct answers.

If you want to make a feature request, I would suggest posting it over there: https://illustrator.uservoice.com

Only the engineers can make Illustrator behave in a different way. We can't. 

[Juniperf]

Very funny to mark answers as correct yourself. I'm afraid I disagree, while those posts discuss pixel grids, they do not provide answers for illustrator's export bug.

[Monika Gause]

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@Juniperf  schrieb:

Very funny to mark answers as correct yourself. I'm afraid I disagree, while those posts discuss pixel grids, they do not provide answers for illustrator's export bug.

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Because they are correct and just needed to be marked.

If you disagree with Illustrator's behaviour, make a feature request. In the forum we can only explain what is there. We cannot change it.

[Juniperf]

Neither are correct. OP is about an overlapping issue between the pixel grid / fractional position bug and another bug where illustrator was "literally shifting coordinates", as put by another user. The shifting exacerbated an already confusing bug — the one you are happy to call a feature / behaviour.

The shifting has seemed to have been fixed in an update since, but the export bug has not, which has been discussed more in this other thread

[Monika Gause]

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@Juniperf  schrieb:

which has been discussed more in this other thread

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That is not a discussion. That is you misinterpreting everyones' responses.

[Juniperf]

How so? I strongly believe in improving things I see wrong with the software I use daily, and sought to talk about it. Other posts had some sense of hostility or a conservative "this is the way things have always been," I met that with questions or points of my own. 

[Tara242928221uja]

Wow I was not expecting any responses on this! I would share the file, but I can't due to regulations on what I am working on. Inititally, I was just taking the Artboard and copying it by pressing Option/Shift and dragging it to the right. I would think this would make my second Artboard exactly like my first. But that didn't happen and when I exported it there was some odd shifting going on. It took me hours to figure out. I found this online that super helpful:

 Also, I went into my sidebar, opened up my Artboards panel, and clicked on the bottom left that looks like a zig-zag icon 'Rearrange All Artboards'. This helped make the spacing between boards exact. As for Adobe, I do think they need to make the whole experience of exporting Artboards much more intuitive, way easier for exporting for Web. I just feel like I had to go through many hoops just figure out something so basic.