Question about layers and groups behavior in Adobe Illustrator

[CristoGabb]

Hello everyone,

I would like to ask if anyone could help me with a question about layers in Illustrator. I’m exporting vectors using save as, with a single layer for the project and sublayers for parts of my artwork. When I use  save as, the layers remain, but when I reopen the file and use the standard save on an existing project, the layers become groups inside that layer. Also, when I upload the file to some websites, my layers disappear and all the paths become one big list inside a single layer, causing me to lose all my organization. Would anyone know why this happens? 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Bobby Henderson]

If you're exporting the artwork what kind of file format are you using? Saving artwork in the current version Illustrator file format should preserve layers. Saving PDF files with Illustrator editing capability preserved will also keep layers intact.

[CristoGabb]

Good night man, I am exporting as SVG. When I upload and Pixabay for exemplo as a test, I lose all my groups and layers. So, could it be because I am saving as SVG? I can still edit, though

[Monika Gause]

The SVG file format does not know the concept of layers.

[Bobby Henderson · Accepted solution]

SVG has a lot of limitations. It's really only good as an "export-only" format. It is best to keep a copy of the original artwork as an Illustrator .AI file just in case it needs to be edited further or re-use elements in other projects. SVG is not good for that. Inkscape saves its files in SVG format, but Inkscape adds its own flavoring to the files.

Technically PDF falls into the same camp; PDF files are meant only to be viewed and printed, not edited further. Illustrator gets around that by appending Illustrator data to the file. If the PDF is re-opened in Illustrator it behaves like a normal Illustrator file. When PDF files made by other applications are opened in Illustrator they're often a terrible mess.

[CristoGabb]

Thank you so much, man. I started my journey in Illustrator after coming from Photoshop, so I have always seen SVG format as a workspace as it's PSD for Photoshop and AI for Illustrator, because I could always edit my SVG.

Considering I could upload SVG at Adobe Stock and Pixabay, I made a (mistaken) logical connection. 

Just one more question: one comrade wrote above that SVG files don't know the concept of layers. I can understand now I should work with AI files, but what I do when I need exort svgs? My files are losing groups too. 

Thank you again in advance

[Bobby Henderson]

You can still export SVG files for specific uses, but use it for only for exported copies of artwork, not for keeping originals. SVG works as a web graphics format since every leading web browser finally supports it. Our shop uses a large format printing RIP application which requires SVG files for cut-only operations out of a vinyl plotter/cutter. SVG has its place. But it's just not good as a "master" file format for storing original artwork. The Illustrator .AI format is a far better choice. The current version of Illustrator can open .AI or .EPS files that were saved in the first version of Illustrator released way back in the 1980's. The .AI format has big advantages over .EPS, such as being able to support transparency effects and many other modern features from the past several releases of Illustrator.