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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.
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.
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Make sure "Object Selection by Path Only" is unchecked.
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Thank you. That option is unchecked, but the problem persists.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Yes, I got it, but I still can't say anything about this strange AI behavior.
I would suggest spending 10 minutes to check other mainly used formats (JPG, TIF, PSD) and then describe the problem in the bug report on illustrator.uservoice.com.
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Thank you, I'll try that. I should also mention that even with smart guides on, PNGs affected by this issue do not show their borders on hover.
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This might be a strange question but:
What kind of PNG these images are? PNG8 or PNG24? What color modes, Index or RGB? In principle, these things mustn't affect the visibility and selection, but check them, for any case 🙂
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Here's the metadata from one of the PNGs.
File Size: 3.3 MiB
File Type: PNG
File Type Extension: png
Mime Type: image/png
Image Width: 3016
Image Height: 2512
Bit Depth: 8
Color Type: RGB with Alpha
Compression: Deflate/Inflate
Filter: Adaptive
Interlace: Noninterlaced
Pixels Per Unit X: 2835
Pixels Per Unit Y: 2835
Pixel Units: meters
Xmp Toolkit: Adobe XMP Core 6.0-c006 79.dabacbb, 2021/04/14-00:39:44
Creator Tool: Adobe Photoshop 22.4 (Macintosh)
Format: image/png
Color Mode: RGB
Icc Profile Name: sRGB IEC61966-2.1
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Thanks.
And, for some more experiments, share please 1-2 of these PNGs, I would also try to look at them.
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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. ;__;
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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
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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.
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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?
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
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- 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.
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Hey Marc,
Not able to replicate your issues, but, I did a quick video...with a bunch of copies of transparent tiffs as well. I have shown my selection prefernces and view settings as well. I am running on Big Sur as well with Illustrator 28.5. (you must be running a late Intel version like me...trying to get the most before we move to the Silicon chips, huh!?!)
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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.
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This works. Thank you