Duplicate Artboard and Layers

[bowen192]

Is this possible?

I can only seem to duplicate the artboard with copied objects remaining in the current layers.

I'm sure AI used to have an option, but I'm coming back to it after about 12 months.

[Mike_Gondek]

1. Layers Flyout >> turn paste remembers layers pff
2. Select and copy all
3. Make new dartboard, same size as existing
4. select layer you want to drop everything into
5. Paste in front

[bowen192]

That places the objects in the correct place, but they are still in the same layer.

[Ton Frederiks]

Layers are document wide.

Every artboard contains all layers.

[bowen192]

I don't want to delete any layers, just separate them so I can work across different artboards.

[Ton Frederiks]

You want to automatically create new layers?

[bowen192]

Ideally I would like to duplicate an artboard with duplicate, separate layers.

[Ton Frederiks]

An artboard cannot have separate layers.

All layers are shared by all artboards.

[bowen192]

Yes, that's fine, but there must be someway to duplicate the layer as well, surely?

You've duplicated 3 artboards, so how do I duplicate 3 layers at the same time so I can work on them separately?

[Ton Frederiks]

I am not sure I understand.

You want every artboard to have their own separate layers?

That is not possible.

Maybe a script can duplicate an artboard and create new layers from existing ones, but the existing and new layers would be visible and editable on all artboards.

[bowen192]

For instance, on your example you cannot select just Layer 2 on Artboard 3 without selecting everything.

How do I separate these layers into 4?

[Ton Frederiks]

You cannot have exclusive layers for an artboard.

[bowen192]

So if I have 10 artboards I cannot have 10 layers?

Just one big layer?

[Ton Frederiks]

Yes you can have 10 layers on 10 artboards, but they will be on every artboard.

A document has layers, an artboard has all the document layers and they are indeed as big as the document.

[bowen192]

I don't know.

I just want to separate the layers.

All other graphic programs can do it, I don't know why it's so hard.

Thanks for your help anyway, Ton, I appreciate the time.

[Ton Frederiks]

I understand what you want and I would like to have artboards to have their own layers too.

But currenlly artboards are like windows that show you a specific part of layers that are as large as the document.

[Mike_Gondek · Accepted solution]

1. highlight all layers >> layers flout >> duplicate selection
2. cut
3. make new artboard
4. paste in front with paste remembers layers on

If I may offer a tidbit of wisdom from experience, I  do not recommend lots of layers, as that breeds mistakes. There are many tools in Illustrator to select exactly what you need from locking down layers then dragging a frame to select.