Creating new document Templates in CC2017

[Auzprint]

I can't seem to find out how to save a document as a template to open in the new document screen panel that shows print, web etc templates. There is an option for 'saved' templates but I can't seem to work out how to actually SAVE a template?

When I go File > Save as template it saves to the blank templates folder, not the new document profiles. Is Adobe working on this or am I missing something?

[Doug A Roberts]

i'd assume that (hopefully) it works the same as in previous versions: create an AI file, save it to:

C:\Users\User.Name\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator XX Settings\en_US\x64\New Document Profiles

[Nitish Agarwal · Accepted solution]

Hi Auzprint Design,

To achieve this you can do the following steps :

1. Save the blank document as ai file for which you want to create the template

2. In new document dialog

3. Click on More Settings button in New document dialog

4. Click on the drop down in Profile

5. Select browse

6. Go to above created file and create new document

After doing this you will be able to find this listed in Recent tab in New Document Dialog

Thanks & Regards

Nitish Agarwal

[Doug A Roberts]

hi Nitish,

Having just updated to 2017 today I see what the TC means. how does one save profiles to the "Saved" tab in the New Document window? Ref: this button in Photoshop's equivalent window:

is this something not implemented in illustrator yet? is it better to keep using the legacy new doc window?

[Doug A Roberts]

Alright I found my custom doc profiles under the 'Art & Illustration' tab. but I have no idea why:

[shaLtai]

Hi, dougofakkad!

How did you get your profile there? I mean 'New document' window. Did you find how to get profile in the tab you need?

[Doug A Roberts]

no, i can't see the logic in the categories.

[shaLtai]

And may be you know how to get something in the 'Saved' tab?

[Monika Gause]

The "Saved" tab unfortuntely is only for the stuff you download from Adobe Stock.

Please report this as a feature request:

Feature Request/Bug Report Form

Please do 🙂

[MusicMaxEbb]

"Saved" should be renamed "Stock" if that's what it actually is.  I spent the last half hour trying to figure out how to save a document setting to the Saved tab!  Obviously everyone thinks that's what that tab is for.

[gregl17660213]

This problem appears to have just emerged following the most recent update to Ai CC 2017, because I was previously using this very same feature and was able to save my custom named document presets in the "Saved" area and it used to work flawlessly. Now, however, there no longer appears to be any method of saving anything. What's going on Adobe? Did this somehow get overlooked, because it was working just fine before the last update....

[carved151]

Very weird that "Saved" would only be for "stuff you download from Adobe Stock."  That's not the case in Photoshop for the exact same functionality.  Thanks for the bug link, I will report it.

[carved151]

I'm not even referring to saved templates... just saving a "preset" to the "Saved" tab. Feature present in Photoshop. Some have noted that it dropped off in the last upgrade but honestly, I can't remember since i hadn't save any presets in Illustrator at that point, just in Photoshop.  I reported as both a feature and bug since I have no idea what's going on.  Hopefully, it was just an oversight and might make it back into the next pass.

[Doug A Roberts]

something else odd and worth remembering: when i open one of my document profiles (which all started out with units in mm) from the 2017 'New Document' window, it converts their previous size in pixels into a size in mm. So my A4 artboard ends up 841.89 mm wide instead of 297. when i use the doc profile using the 'legacy' new document window, it opens normally.

i'm not sure i have the energy for a bug report today but i really should do one eventually.

[Monika Gause]

This "Art & Illustration" document profile is a new one. It has not been there in older versions of Illustrator and to me it is highly irritating. It looks like a screen design profile, since it's an RGB profile. But maybe it's also meant for works that get printed on inkjets. Looks like it replaced the "Simple RGB".

Your custom document profiles get collected in this profile, so I would guess that the conversion is just done wrong based on assumptions that are wrong as well.

Which document profile had originally been assigned to your custom ones?

[Doug A Roberts]

they've been around too long for me to be sure, but if they were based on 'Basic RGB', which is quite likely, i guess that would explain that.

edit: looking at 'Art & Illustration' & 'Basic RGB', they are identical, so i think that is a safe conclusion.

[iconify]

You can change the preset category your Document Profile appears in by editing the XMP data. To do this, open the file and go to File > File Info... and click the very last item "Raw Data". Look at the bottom of the dialog for "Templates..." and click Export. You can then edit the XMP file with a regular text editor (Make sure it is not a Rich Text editor).

In the XMP file, look for the line ```<illustrator:StartupProfile>Basic RGB</illustrator:StartupProfile>```

"Basic RGB" is "Art & Illustration". I believe the other groups are the same as the labels (Web, Mobile, etc).

Save the XMP file then go back through File > File Info > Raw Data > Templates > Import

Restart Illustrator and you should see your Document Profile in the group you want it in.

[Doug A Roberts]

that's great information right there, thanks iconify​

[iconify]

Thanks, Doug. This thread solved the bigger problem for me so I'm happy to contribute. It does not appear that Document Profiles will let you have predefined guides, though, which is disappointing. That's really what I need most. Any idea if that is possible?

[Doug A Roberts]

no, you'd have to create a template file (.ait) rather than a doc profile.

[iconify]

I tried saving an AIT file to the New Document Profiles directory. It shows up as a profile but still does not create the guides. I guess I will just have to use a template instead of a profile. Not the end of the world, I guess. Thanks anyway.

[Doug A Roberts]

it'll show up as a profile with its base attributes same as any AI file would, but you need to open it from either the 'templates' button in the new doc window or File > New from Template

[iconify]

Thanks. That works. A Doc profile is a bit more convenient but that will do just fine. Cheers.

[iD3Z1GN]

Your solution only helps to provides a BLANK DOCUMENT VERSION of a custom template, any design elements that were part of the document are not visible therefore the document is useless as a template.

[iconify]

I don't know how helpful this will be but I did find it interesting. There is a JSON file saved in the Adobe Illustrator preferences folder in /Users/your-user-name/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator 22 Settings/en_US/PresetDocumentProfileData.json that has all of the settings for the document profiles that appear in the New Document dialog. I played around with the data in the JSON file and, sure enough, you can customize what appears in each of the sections - Mobile, Print, Art & illustration, etc. - by editing the file.

A word of caution, however, - ok two words of caution - First, editing the preferences file may have unexpected consequences so do so at your own risk. Second, any changes are probably only temporary as the next time you update Illustrator the file will likely be over-written.

If you edit the file you need to restart Illustrator to see the changes take effect. I created a Gist of the file for folks to have a look at it: Adobe Illustrator Document Profiles Preferences · GitHub

Cheers.