How to prevent: "Place" Illustrator file immediately becomes group

[Jean-Louis Blackburn]

When I place an Illustrator file, it immediately becomes a group. This happened without warning, and I have no idea what I did to cause it.

If I copy a link that is placed in another file and paste into the new one, it copies as a link, but when I go to it in the links dialog box, it becomes a group.

I need them all to remain links.

[Moved from the non-support, general, all-of-Adobe forums Lounge to a product-specific support forum - moderator]

[Sheena Kaul]

Moving to Illustrator​

[Monika Gause]

When placing the file in the Place dialog box, check "Link"

[Ares Hovhannesyan]

Does placed Illustrator file include layers or not?

[Monika Gause]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Ares+Hovhannesyan  schrieb

Does placed Illustrator file include layers or not?

No it won't.

When you place an AI file you actually place the PDF part of the file. This doesn't have the original layers.

[Mike_Gondek]

Why don't you copy from your target illustrator file and paste into another. Placing also requires you to turn on pdf compatible which is a much slower way to work with larger feel sizes.

[chanaart]

You can also copy from the original document and paste it in the target document but make sure you turn on "PLACE REMEMBERS LAYES" in the Layers Panel.

[chanaart]

Keep in mind another behavior: you can relink the file. this will keep it as a link. If you want to adjust the shapes you linked you will need to embed it.  Illustrator sees a linked file as an image...you can only modify it if you embed it.  You can make it bigger or smaller but if you need to modify the vector or anchor points you need to embed it.

Chana

[Jean-Louis Blackburn]

First, I'll show what's happening, then take the suggestions.

The thumbnail didn't show up, but there are no dialog boxes to select how to place it.

You can see that even though the file was placed as normal, the links box is empty.

You can see the file is placed as a vector image, not link.

[Jean-Louis Blackburn]

I have to keep it as a link so I can edit the original and have it update in the documents that use it.

[Jean-Louis Blackburn]

OK, I got it. There's a new feature that never happened before the latest update, as far as I can tell.

Since Illustrator has always linked automatically, rather than imbed, it was never an issue, so it took some searching.

When you first select "Place" you get this dialogue box, with the "Options" button.

When you first open the Options dialog, all the boxes are subdued by default. This has never been the case before, so I never noticed it.

Even if you select the option to "Relink" from the "Links" dialog box, if you don't open the option button and check "Link" your new attempt to link will result in imbedding.

So, you have to select something. Then the "Link" option will activate.

You have to check it every single time, because it is now always unchecked by default after each link.

So, there you go. Back to work...

[Jean-Louis Blackburn]

Here's the result of a copy and paste of a link that worked correctly in another file and relink to desired file.

First, this is the original file that I want to link. You can see the it is an AI, not PDF.

Here, I open a file with a working link, and choose one to copy.

I paste it into the target document, and you can see the link is working correctly. So then I try to relink it to the desired file.

Again, you can see the desired file is an AI, not PDF.

Now you can see the program wants to place a pdf, and I have no option to change it.

So I complete the relink. The link disappears in the Links panel, and I have a layered object instead.

[Monika Gause]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Jean-Louis+Blackburn  schrieb

Now you can see the program wants to place a pdf, and I have no option to change it.

This is just the way things work.

Whenever you place an AI file inside and outside the Adobe universe, you will place the PDF part of that file. You can't change that. Even when you Place and embed, you will not place AI content, but PDF content.

Please watch this:

Mysterious things Illustrator does - Saving files on Vimeo

[Jean-Louis Blackburn]

Thank you, but this is terrible. It means I can no longer edit originals AI files and have them update in the various documents I wanted to place them in. Time to start shopping around.

[Monika Gause]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Jean-Louis+Blackburn  schrieb

Thank you, but this is terrible. It means I can no longer edit originals AI files and have them update in the various documents I wanted to place them in.

What?

You maybe want to check your workflow first.

First of all: if you need to work on different systems then make sure you use the same version of Illustrator on all of them. You would BTW face the same issue with any other app when you have different versions hanging around. Especially with Affinity Designer if that's what you're hinting at.

And then just save AI files (with PDF compatibility). You can place it in your layouts and edit it in Illustrator. I have been doing that same thing for years and never had an issue with it. In fact I'm just editing some InDesign files that have AI files ranging from version CS2 to CC placed in them and it's not an issue at all.

[Ares Hovhannesyan]

I haven't any problem with AI files (with PDF compatibility. That works for me..

[Jean-Louis Blackburn]

I'm not having a compatibility issue; I'm trying to find out with Illustrator has -since a few days ago- started converting all my linked AI files to imbedded groups. Photoshop still places them as links, and so does InDesign. Only Illustrator has stopped actually linking and now only imbeds, and there seems to be no explanation for this sudden bizarre twist.

Now I have to use Photoshop and InDesign, which uses 10x more storage, just to have links.

I need links so I can edit originals and have them update wherever they are in various documents. Is this programmed into Illustrator to force us to imbed, and use other programs for links?

[Monika Gause]

When placing a file, just check that checkbox that is labelled with "Link".