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_Jenn_Kruk_
Participant
October 8, 2008
Answered

Copy Excel charts into Illustrator?

  • October 8, 2008
  • 39 replies
  • 234312 views
Hi All-

I NEED to get charts that I have created in Excel (Microsoft Excel 2008 for MAC, Version 12.1.1) into Adobe Illustrator (CS2, 12.0.1).

I have hundreds of charts to do this with, so remaking all of the charts in Illustrator isn't really feasible. In addition, I must include error bars which I don't think Illustrator is able to do.

I also need high resolution images (which I why was told I have to use Illustrator in the first place) that are publication quality.

PLEASE HELP - I have been spending hours trying to find a way to do this and have been unsuccessful.

Thanks everyone,
jenn
    Correct answer Extraverage

    Most of the comments are too old to be relevant here, so if anyone still wonders how to solve the same issue (so sad it still exists btw) – the best trick for me was: Right click on the chart and export as SVG. Illustrator opened that successfully.

    39 replies

    Show previous replies
    joziG
    joziG
    Known Participant
    January 15, 2009
    I am busy trying what Ray Craighead has suggested. The graph simply does not paste into Illy not matter which option is selected.

    What might I do wrong?

    OSX 10.5.6 Illy CS3 13.0.2 Excel mac 2008

    Any help would be appreciated.
    D
    David Aldrich
    Participant
    April 15, 2009

    I have discovered, with much frustration, that one cannot copy (as a picture) an Excel (Mac 2008) chart into Illustrator CS3. As folks have experienced, one sees only a blank page in AI. However, one can copy and paste a chart made in the 2004 version of Excel; and it's completely editable, even if onerous in the case of, say, diagonal x-axis labels. I recently upgraded to CS4. Now one can copy a 2008 Excel chart, but only the curves and gridlines paste correctly into AI; the text labels for both axes come out gobbledygook. I don't know if the problem here lies with Adobe or Microsoft.

    S
    suzies74044907
    Participant
    November 30, 2022

    I had this issue too (from Excel v16 into Illustrator 2023). The text looked like swear words ($%*^&). I got the fix from another post - change the font in Excel to Helvetica (not Arial) first, then it pastes normally in AI. The other post suggested it was a MS bug with certain fonts

      rcraighead
      rcraighead
      Legend
      December 30, 2008
      On the Mac, in Excel, select the chart, then Shift-click the Edit menu and choose "Copy Picture". An options dialog will appear, try the default options. Then go to AI and paste. The chart will come in as a vector graphic.
        V
        vinz420
        Participant
        September 16, 2014

        Thanks a million - this did the trick!

        A
        Anonymous
        December 30, 2008
        If it's needed to be made in illustrator, is that because of the export feature? To make it an .eps-file? That can also be done in indesign, and i believe that clears out a lot of trouble...
        And even with a tool from Woodwing (plug-in) that can make upon styles you can easily asign to those hundreds of charts...
        How about them apples!

        It can't be that important for the journal in which app their content is made?
        _
        _adam_fredericks_
        Participant
        December 23, 2008
        This workaround doesn't work for me at all. Upon opening the pdf in Illustrator I get a message ("An unknown shading type was encountered"). Then it opens, but all the info in the legend looks like this: !"#$%$$$&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&'()&

        Any other suggestions?
          Willi Adelberger
          Community Expert
          Willi AdelbergerCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          January 26, 2015

          When you encounter a problem with a font, then it is because you are using Cambria or other MS-Buggy Font.

          Do following:

          1. Change the font in Excel to anything else than any MS Bug Font. You could use Myriad Pro or any non MS font.
          2. Copy it in Excel
          3. Paste it in Illustrator
          4. Adjust your font in Illustrator
            _
            _tmalcom_
            Participating Frequently
            October 8, 2008
            I copy and paste scientific charts and graphs from Excel into Illustrator with no problem. Do you have your File Handling & Clipboard Preferences set to PDF? Yes, there are still extraneous clipping masks and weird groups, but I make sure the chart is formatted correctly in Excel so I don't have to do anything except resize it in Illustrator.
            Kurt Gold
            Community Expert
            Kurt GoldCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            October 8, 2008
            Jenn,

            when converting those Excel charts to .pdf, usually a whole bunch of unnecessary clipping masks are included. That seems to explain your trouble.

            To solve it, in Illustrator go to Select > Object > Clipping Masks. Delete that selection, then do a (multiple) ungroup.
              A
              andrear31404927
              Participant
              January 15, 2019

              Wow this small suggestion saved me! I need to create shaded in graphs (as you can see below). So I copy & pasted my graph from Excel and then removed the unnecessary mask clippings (as you suggested) and used the shape creator tool to create unique shapes for each curve and then just filled them in with desired coloring. Thank you! 

              _
              _Jenn_Kruk_Author
              Participant
              October 8, 2008
              The progress I have made is saving the chart in Excel as a .pdf

              Then opening the .pdf in Illustrator seems ok. I am able to change fonts and edit colors. However, I am still having trouble ungrouping the graph and moving columns (for ex. moving all columns closer together or farther apart). What happens is the inside of the column moves but the outside trace stays behind.

              I'm still trying to find an easier way to work with this. Maybe Illustrator isn't the best program to use, but unfortunately I don't have much of a choice.
                _
                _Jenn_Kruk_Author
                Participant
                October 8, 2008
                The figures will eventually be published in a scientific journal. Apparently a lot of the journals need figures prepared in Illustrator. I have a large number of column charts (with error bars) that were prepared in Excel. In previous versions of both Excel and Illustrator, I was able to copy and paste the graph into Illustrator - where I then could ungroup the graph and work with formatting issues (fonts, size, colors, etc.). I can no longer do this.

                I also do have a number of images/photos which are also supposed to be prepared in Illustrator. These I am not having a problem with. I am able to open the image in Illustrator, add labels and change constrast (if need be) just fine.

                I guess I don't have a clear reason why these need to be in Illustrator, other than that is what I was told and what our group has always done in the past.
                  try67
                  Community Expert
                  try67Community Expert
                  Community Expert
                  October 8, 2008
                  Why do you need to have Excel charts in Illustrator? And when you say "high resolution images", do you mean photos? In that case, Illustrator is not what you should use to edit them.
                  I think you need to better define your workflow in order for anyone to be able to help you out.
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