Inspiring

Answered

Placed PNGs difficult to select/move

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
July 17, 2021
4 replies
5931 views

Using Illustrator 25.3.1 on MacOS Big Sur 11.4. I am placing linked PNG illustrations on an artboard. At first, I can click anywhere on the PNG image to select or drag it . After some time the image will only be selectable by clicking on the border. I haven't been able to pinpoint a particular cause for the change, but it makes moving the placed PNG very difficult. I generally have to switch to outline mode to find the border. I've attached a screen recording of this anomoly.

cherry_png.zip

Correct answer Ugo3366889252hr

A little late but i also have this problem, it happens when I directly place a image in the document, so it comes as a link. Opening the image in another file directly inside Illustrator and ctrl+c/ctrl+v in other project will fix this.

marcg68495176Author

Inspiring

I'm back a couple years later. This is still an issue. Now the linked file is a TIFF with a transparent background. Most of the TIFFs in my file are still working as expected. One TIFF initially let me grab and move it normally, but after some time of placing it, moving and rotating it, it becomes selectable by only the edge which I must locate in outline mode. I cannot share this file as it is client sensitive, but I am noting that the problem still exists and it isn't just with PNGs.

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Hi @marcg68495176,

Thank you for the update, and I'm sorry to hear the issue persists. To help us investigate further, could you please provide the following details?

Could you share the specifications of your Mac (model, year, RAM, GPU)?
What versions of macOS and Illustrator are you currently using?
Have you tried resetting Illustrator preferences?
Could you try pressing Cmd + E (to switch to CPU Preview) and see if that makes any difference?

These details will help us understand the context better and find a potential solution. Thank you!

Best,

Anshul Saini

marcg68495176Author

Inspiring

Could you share the specifications of your Mac (model, year, RAM, GPU)?
16-inch 2021, apple m1 max, 32 gb ram, sonoma 14.5
What versions of macOS and Illustrator are you currently using?
Illustrator 28.5
Have you tried resetting Illustrator preferences?
Yes, no effect.
Could you try pressing Cmd + E (to switch to CPU Preview) and see if that makes any difference?
I will try this next time it happens, but in my experience it has no effect.

M

Melinda3400367763zr

Participant

I;m also having this issue, and it has been like this since the new update. The PNG i'm having trouble with are those with transparent background. ;__;

Anubhav M

Community Manager

Hello @Melinda3400367763zr,

Sorry to hear about this experience. Would you mind trying to run Illustrator under Safe Mode (Windows / macOS) and checking if it helps?

If the problem persists, kindly share more details, like the exact version of the OS/Illustrator, system config (CPU/GPU/Memory), a sample file (https://adobe.ly/3Rt4wIj), and a screen recording of the problem (https://adobe.ly/46Jv2l9), so we can investigate this further?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

Anna Lander

Inspiring

Does it happen only with PNG files or any placed images?
Did you check if View > Show Edges is turned On?

Can you select the images using the Layers panel?

marcg68495176Author

Inspiring

I haven't experienced it with other file formats. I have used placed PNGs for a long time with no trouble and this is a recent occurance, so there is a chance it happens with other formats and I just haven't experienced it yet.

Edges are visible, but only when something is selected, so if it isn't selected and I am only able to select via the edge, then finding the edge is still a matter of clicking around or switching to outline mode.

Yes, I can select via layers panel, but in a situation with hundreds of layers, it makes more sense to select the image directly.

marcg68495176Author

Inspiring

Well, I still don't see what happens here, but I'd check 2 options in the View menu:

1) Show/hide Edges (Ctrl/Cmd+H)

2) Smart Guides On/Off (Ctrl/Cmd+U)

Especially the second one. When it's turned On, the edges become highlighted on rollover:

So, you will at least be able to see the image edges without jumping to the Outline mode.

Thanks! While having smart guides on does help find the edge, the actual glitch is that the PNG randomly becomes selectable by only the edge whereas normal behavior is to click anywhere on the image to select it.