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Hello all,
I am very disappointed with Adobe Support as they couldn't help me at all.
I have received client's artworks in AI that when I open with Illustrator 2024 it shows me that these files have missing links, and it doesn't show anything.
What's curious is that when I open with Acrobat, there's no such a thing! I can see all the images.
If I open on a very olv AI version, like 2015, it also shows everything! IN FULL QUALITY!!!!
But the "specialists" on Adobe support insists I am so f***ng ret**ed that I am not aware that these images I've never seen before are somehow in my computer, which wouldn't explain why they're missing on newer version anyways.
For clarification, I HAVE NO IMAGES FOR THESE LINKS ANYWHERE in my computer, how the **** can I open in two adobe softwares but not on the newer version of Illustrator? I granted access to my computer for the "specialist" that managed to make me waste one hour of my day and not bring any solutions.
So if there's any real specialist here that could help me I really appreciate.
Thanks,
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Illustrator files saved with PDF compatibility have two parts: an AI part and a PDF part. Software that can't open AI files, but can open PDFs (like Acrobat) will open the PDF part, where images are embedded. When you open a file made in a current version of AI, Illustrator opens the AI part, which may have linked file references (in this case).
If you attempt to open a newer file in an older version of AI, it may not be able to read the AI part, but it can read and open the PDF part.
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Hey @Doug A Roberts thanks for your answer.
Still doesn't make sense to me, taking your explanation as example, how can an image be embeded just on the pdf part and not on AI part? I mean, since AI opens PDF files why it doesn't show it? Does it mean the older version is better or the newer versions are getting worse in therms of compatibility?
Sometimes we get the files in PDF and same thing happens, but if I export it in eps and then import in AI then the problem is gone...
Anyway is there a workaround this other then what I said there?
Thanks,
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Images are always embedded in the PDF part, even when they are linked in the Illustrator part.
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Still doesn't make sense to me, taking your explanation as example, how can an image be embeded just on the pdf part and not on AI part? I mean, since AI opens PDF files why it doesn't show it?
By @victor_3425
Think of it as two separate files. Images can be embedded in one file but not in another (images are always embedded in PDFs). The fact that there are two files is hidden from you as a user, but software can choose which to open depending on its compatibility.
The older Illustrator version is not able to open the newer Illustrator file, so it opens the PDF file instead. The newer Illustrator version is able to open the Illustrator file, so it opens that rather than the PDF.
What do you need to be able to do with this file?
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Right. That makes sense now.
We need to get the client's artworks and add to our template in AI. Generally we have no problems but sometimes we receive files like that from clients and it's quicker to deal with this sort of issue here other than waiting for the client to fix and send it back.
But now I get it. Thanks for the help.
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As a workaround, you can open the file in Photoshop, extract the images, save them and relink them in Illustrator.
You can also check in your 2015 version where they are located on your system.