I am running illustrator CS6 16.0.4 on an iMac (new). I get the following error when trying to open some EPS files "can't open this illustrator file. the file was generated with a newer version of illustrator and cannot be opened. Please resave in a format compatible with your version of illustrator". As far as I can see I am running the latest version of illustrator and have updated everything that is available. I am having to get the files resaved in older versions to open
Alright lets try editing this. With the file open In the Text Editing app, delete everything in the first line up to the % sign and then save the file as plain text but with the eps extension. Then try opening in AI.
EPS files do still have transparency with CC, there is an option to have it active still.
EPS had never transparency, will never have.
Transparency and PostScript are not compatible.
STOP USING EPS. USE PDF INSTEAD.
See also:
I want to clarify the reasons for the several mentioned problems:
Illustrator saves every Illustrator EPS together with the Illustrator fork of the selected or current version.
EPS flattens transparency. When you place an EPS in any application including Illustrator you get a flattened version of that file without transparency.
When you open an EPS which is saved from Illustrator in the same version or a newer version of Illustrator you get the transparency back, not because it is an EPS as EPS does not support transparency but because the Illustrator fork is included in that file which is used by Illustrator.
You can open an Illustrator EPS and resave as PDF/AI. This will create a file with transparency. This transparency is also alive when you place this file in applications which support transparency, like InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
When an EPS is saved in a newer AI version either the EPS part is used or it is not possible to open. You get a flattened artwork without transparency.
Illustrator is not a common PDF editor. The same is valid for EPS too. You will encounter the same problems you encounter when you open an non-Illustrator-PDF as you do with a non-Illustrator-EPS.
You can convert any EPS in Adobe Distiller to a PDF. But be aware, even if the EPS has transparency information included in its AI fork, this information is lost by converting via Distiller. A Distiller PDF can not include any form of transparency.
If you choose to convert an EPS in Distiller and you are aware about the transparency issues (as it is not a problem with older EPS or Freehand EPS or Corel EPS) use a setting which include all used fonts (they need to be available), turn off any image compression and image resampling and fit size to EPS content, and avoid any conversion of colors.
We've been using EMF in our (pure Microsoft Windows) office environment with success. It creates a clean-lean workflow and for the outside world creates awesome PDFs
I want to clarify the reasons for the several mentioned problems:
Illustrator saves every Illustrator EPS together with the Illustrator fork of the selected or current version.
EPS flattens transparency. When you place an EPS in any application including Illustrator you get a flattened version of that file without transparency.
When you open an EPS which is saved from Illustrator in the same version or a newer version of Illustrator you get the transparency back, not because it is an EPS as EPS does not support transparency but because the Illustrator fork is included in that file which is used by Illustrator.
You can open an Illustrator EPS and resave as PDF/AI. This will create a file with transparency. This transparency is also alive when you place this file in applications which support transparency, like InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
When an EPS is saved in a newer AI version either the EPS part is used or it is not possible to open. You get a flattened artwork without transparency.
Illustrator is not a common PDF editor. The same is valid for EPS too. You will encounter the same problems you encounter when you open an non-Illustrator-PDF as you do with a non-Illustrator-EPS.
You can convert any EPS in Adobe Distiller to a PDF. But be aware, even if the EPS has transparency information included in its AI fork, this information is lost by converting via Distiller. A Distiller PDF can not include any form of transparency.
If you choose to convert an EPS in Distiller and you are aware about the transparency issues (as it is not a problem with older EPS or Freehand EPS or Corel EPS) use a setting which include all used fonts (they need to be available), turn off any image compression and image resampling and fit size to EPS content, and avoid any conversion of colors.
Or stop using EPS, like all have said here, and step in here and now:=)
You mentioned that you even ask your suppliers to give you EPS, just change your deliverable spec and you wil have less work to solve all problems later.
I encountered this issue today when another designer sent us an EPS file from a newer version of AI. We use CS5 and are perfectly happy with the functionality - just because Adobe decides to update their software does not mean the additions they've made have value to us, so we rarely upgrade unless absolutely necessary. The plugins for our equipment aren't always readily compatible with newest version of Adobe products, so sometimes we have to skip a version entirely to avoid shutting the whole shop down. Also, FWIW we don't always get a say in how files are sent to us. We own a commercial sign shop, and sometimes we have to work with completely mangled files. "Just don't use EPS" isn't always a realistic option when the customer hired a hack to design their logo.
Anyway, here's how we solved this version compatibility problem: Please note we are on a Mac platform. Open the newer EPS files in Preview and then Save As a PDF. Preview will save to a clean version of PDF that is compatible with earlier versions of AI, at least it did for us. I did not test for transparency, but it did a good job of preserving the original file's colors, line weights, and gradients.
For those who might question our logic about upgrades, think about this: Software updates are effectively legalized extortion. If Ticonderoga makes a new updated pencil, that doesn't give them the right to break into your office and snap all your existing pencils in half, but the software industry gets away with this (along with making crazy profits), because "licensing." I flat out refuse to downgrade to a software that requires a monthly tithe to the software gods. Until some feature comes out that we absolutely must have, we'll keep our older machines with CS5 going as long as they run.
That video just shows you to File > Place the EPS and embed it (as has been mentioned in this thread a couple of times already). And then it shows you a couple of steps that are irrelevant and just way too complicated und completely unneeded.
This method will work. If it doesn't work, there's something wrong with the file anyway.
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