View AI image thumbnail in Windows 10

[RayA]

Hi,

Would like to be able to view AI image files in Windows 10 Explorer / Viewer.

Cannot see how without reference to various third party apps which I do not feel like trusting.

Is it possible or do I have to convert each file to a jpg via Photoshop?

Any help or advice appreciated.

Regards,

Ray Atreides

[Mylenium · Accepted solution]

You found al lthe answers already - proprietary formats require dedicated viewers and system extensions and AI falls into that category. Windows itself only previews a bunch of formats that it uses itself or that hook up to it via respective Microsoft APIs.

Mylenium

[RayA]

Thanks for your response.

Just checking in case I missed something.

Ray

[Red Point]

Not sure I understand why Adobe PDF files WILL magically show up as thumbnails under Windows 10 / Windows Explorer, but for any other Adobe app, thumbnails will not show up natively! Is PDF not a proprietary format as well? 

I don't buy the argument, that this is a Microsoft issue! If little companies, like the Sage app developer or other 3rd party apps can do it (without the help of Microsoft), then why on earth can Adobe with 144.000 employees not manage to finally display thumbnails of all its app files natively in Windows 10? It works for PDFs, why not for PSD, AI aso?

This has been the cause of so much frustration, as Windows users are basically navigating their file system blind. This is really unacceptable. This works on Apple systems, why not on Windows? Is the Windows community being discriminated against? Adobe needs to be fair and warrant that their apps work properly under Windows 10, just as they do on Apple ecosystems.  

I can only speculate that this has nothing to do with Adobe not being able to change it. Blaming it on Microsoft is really laughable, considering Adobe's power and say in the industry. If Sage can do it, then surely Adobe can do it as well.  Is Adobe ignoring the issue in order to push Adobe Bridge as an alternative to Windows Explorer?  

This long pending problem has really become an unbearable issue and shows that for certain feature request, Adobe is deaf on all ears and is not willing to improve the Windows / Adobe user experience (for whatever reasons).

I would be so happy if this issue would finally get resolved. Please Adobe, make sure that your own files can be viewed as thumbnails natively in Windows.

It's time.

The time is now.

Please, get it done!

[Monika Gause]

This works on Apple systems, why not on Windows? Is the Windows community being discriminated against? Adobe needs to be fair and warrant that their apps work properly under Windows 10, just as they do on Apple ecosystems.  

By @Red Point

This works on Apple because Mac OS uses the embedded PDF for creating thumbnails. Has got nothing to do with discrimination of Windows users.

[pixelwash]

This answer is a total copout. Adobe has become a typical self-serving bloated bureacracy interested in primary assisting itself rather than the people it was formed to serve.

Blaming Microsoft for not having thumbnails for illustrator is ridiculous. Adobe should simply be thankful Apple does its job for them under MacOS, and not use that as an excuse not to assist its windows customers.

I actually suspect that the real reason is more likely down to legal wrangling about money. Apple probably came to some sort of financial and legal arrangment with Adobe to have postscript and pdf's be incorporated in their OS, and Adobe is continuing to abuse its users' by using them as unwitting hostages to its long running failed attempts with Microsoft to come to an equivalent agreement, with the dispute being about the amount of money and/or intellectual propoerty rights changing hands, with Adobe holding holding out for MORE MORE MORE.

Corporate abuse of customers locked in by circumstances outside their control is business as usual in the culture of corporate greed practised by all big tech companies to a greater and lesser extent.

[pixelwash]

PS It just occurred to me that corporate corruption could lie at the heart of this also. Apple could be paying Adobe to NOT come to some agreement with Microsoft to include Postcript into its OS. These sort of non-compete behavior are illegal under the Sherman Act inthe US, but the federal government seems to have stopped attempting to subject big tech to the rule of law when it comes to monopoly abuse of customers, and suppliers.

[Monika Gause]

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@pixelwash  schrieb:

PS It just occurred to me that corporate corruption could lie at the heart of this also. Apple could be paying Adobe to NOT come to some agreement with Microsoft to include Postcript into its OS. 

---

You might just be interpreting too much into that Microsoft lazyness.

I suppose you can send a feature request to Mcrosoft. But they might be unwilling to do it, because there are third party plugin that can do this. 

[pixelwash]

You Adobe apologists are still blaming Microsoft for a problem in Illustrator's thumbnails, lol.

Please stop blaming Microsoft for shortcoming in Adobe software. The very fact that there is a "third party solution" (quite pricey I might - add $60 a year) highlights the reality that this is a problem Adobe could solve for its Illustrator users if it wanted to, and it has chosen not to - and that''s the bottom line.

Stop blaming everybody else for this annoying blatant longstanding shortcoming of Adobe software, and Adobe's lack of support of its users.