Path with Gradient Stroke Pastes as Outlined Path

[S_Gans]

Hi guys. Here's a new one to me, and I've been using this app forever.

I'm working on a logo, and stroking my path with a gradient. Nice, and normal. But, when I use copy/paste for that path, it invariably pastes as an outlined path! Doesn't happen with Option dragging, just pasting. To get a path into another document, I have to arrange the pages and option drag! Wild!

This seems like a new thing. Is it just MY bug, or is anyone else experiencing this?
Yes - btw, I work around it by either option dragging or pasting a solid stroked path and applying the gradient afterwards. And this happens with no width tool applied. Any feedback'll be appreciated.

PS - Mac OS 10.13.6 (I know, old) and newest Illustrator

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Is there any extension in your system that enhances the clipboard?

There are other apps that are known to mess with the clipboard, such as antivirus or screensharing or the like. What's running?

[S_Gans]

I do. I wonder if that's it... weird, though!

[Myra Ferguson]

It's been reported on Uservoice. It might be a bug on the Mac version. I can copy/paste a gradient stroke without it getting expanded on Windows.

[Monika Gause]

I can do it on the Mac without problems.

It's an issue with certain tools that mess with the clipboard.

[m1b]

Hi @Monika Gause, just wanted to set the record straight here. I read your answer (which is absolutely correct!) but by the time I got around to actually testing out all my third party extensions to see what it was I forgot who got me started down that road. It was you! I edited my other post to reflect this. Thanks very much.

- Mark

[S_Gans]

Upvoted - just in case...

[m1b]

This bug is still around in 2023. I'm using AI 27.1.1 on MacOS 13.1. I've upvoted on uservoice (4 votes!). See attached sample file if anyone else on Mac wants to test. - Mark

[Monika Gause]

Just tried it on the Mac with version 27.1.1. No problems. https://shared-assets.adobe.com/link/f7e69a89-ee06-4390-694a-b88e8e69aab8 

[m1b]

Thanks Monika. It's intriguing. Did you try copy/pasting my sample file above?

[Kurt Gold]

Mark, for me the stroked circle in your sample file doesn't get converted to a gradient mesh when copying and pasting it into the same document or into a different file.

Illustrator 27.1.1 on Mac OS 12.5

[m1b]

Thanks for testing Kurt. It's very weird behaviour. Here's a video I just recorded. I copy-paste several times and occasionally it works as it should! It seems to be the copy that is corrupting rather than the paste, because when I do a single copy and many pastes, when it fails once it fails every time thereafter. I wonder if I am using a third-party extension that might be interfering. I will test that when I get a chance.

- Mark

[Monika Gause]

Just by the way: my system is 12.5 as well.

So maybe it's the system.

[m1b · Accepted solution]

PROBLEM SOLVED: I can confirm in my case that the contributing factor was third party app Launchbar—specifically LaunchBar's "clipboard history" functionality. When I disable clipboard history in LaunchBar's preferences (or, even better, add Adobe Illustrator to the "Ignore apps" list) this problem goes away. @S_Gans were you using Launchbar, or maybe another app that intercepted calls to the clipboard?

Thanks all for your testing and thanks @Monika Gause for point me to the problem, and to @Egor Chistyakov for asking me the leading question on uservoice!

- Mark

[Kurt Gold]

Just to confirm your findings, Mark: With LaunchBar and the clipboard history option turned on I can reproduce the copy and paste issue as well.

[m1b]

Thanks Kurt. Nice to have that confirmed. The devs must have known it was potentially disruptive and hence why they have added the ability to ignore applications.

[S_Gans]

Woah - this thread's been going a while! @m1b , I haven't used Launchbar in years, but I DO run a few apps that do things to the clipboard (most are disabled, but I use iClip ALL the time... 
I never did find any of my plugins or extensions to fix this - and I haven't attempted it again in ages, but I will now - and then see how it works if I disable iClip (if necessary). Thanks.

EDIT!!! SO, I see why I haven't worked on it again. I'd forgotten about it being a problem! I can see that, because it works perfectly well now. 
It may be about having upgraded. I don't think I have any different plugins or clipboard apps running, from when I first posted... 
Anyway - it really is working exactly as it should be, now... Thanks!!!

[m1b]

Nice to hear! If nothing else, there is closure on this old thread. 🙂