How to create a new 'saved' document preset in Illustrator CC 2017

[#1]

When I create a new document in Illustrator, the 'New Document' panel pops up. There is a tab at the top called 'Saved'. I'd like to be able to create a preset and save it so that it appears under this tab. In Photoshop, a 'Save Preset' button appears in the 'Preset Details' panel next to the document title, but this does not appear in Illustrator.

How do I get a preset to appear under the 'Saved' tab? I've tried creating a blank document and then clicking 'Save As Template', but it does not then appear in the 'Saved' tab when I create a new document.

There MUST be an easy way to do this that I'm missing...I've searched Google but no dice.

[#2]

When I create a new document in Illustrator, the 'New Document' panel pops up. There is a tab at the top called 'Saved'. I'd like to be able to create a preset and save it so that it appears under this tab. In Photoshop, a 'Save Preset' button appears in the 'Preset Details' panel next to the document title, but this does not appear in Illustrator.

How do I get a preset to appear under the 'Saved' tab? I've tried creating a blank document and then clicking 'Save As Template', but it does not then appear in the 'Saved' tab when I create a new document.

There MUST be an easy way to do this that I'm missing...I've searched Google but no dice.

[#3]

There MUST be an easy way to do this that I'm missing...

yeah you'd think so wouldn't you... but that 'saved' tab is currently only for templates downloaded from Adobe stock. document profiles you make yourself (by placing them in 'New Document Profiles' in your user folder) appear under the same tab as the original profile they were created from (so if you edit an 'Art & Illustration' document to create your custom doc profile, that's where it'll appear). I think.

there's a dodgy bug with this though that I believe is still extant: if you create a new doc profile and open it from the 'new' new doc window, its original artboard size in points will be converted to mm. so for example I have a profile that was 107 mm wide, or 303 points. in the 'new' window, its size is listed as 303 mm!

short story. I don't use the 'new' new document window at all. see this checkbox in prefs:

[#4]

Thanks very much Doug. That's a very convoluted way to do something that seems like it should be intuitive - especially since Photoshop offers the option to create new presets with one click. I hope this is something Adobe are looking at streamlining in the future.

I might take your suggestion and just use the old interface.

Thanks again!

[#5]

yeah the new window will really only be usable to me if it eventually ends up working like PS. right now it just seems half assed

[#6]

Well, I just created a new document under the 'Print' tab and saved it as a template in the 'New Document Profiles' folder, and there was no sign of it in the New Document window when I reopened. I definitely won't be using the new interface to manage my presets. This should be way easier.

[#7]

by template do you mean .ait file? document profiles aren't templates, they're regular AI files. try saving as one of those.

[#8]

Thanks - I tried saving as an .ai file in New Document Profiles (and then restarted Illustrator), but it's still not showing up anywhere in the New Document interface.

I found Adobe's support tutorial on document profiles, but it doesn't say how to actually access and make use of the profiles once they're created:

Create a custom new document profile (Illustrator CS3)

Less than helpful.

[#9]

in the old style interface, they should just show up in the 'profile' drop down list.

in the new interface, they should appear under the same tab as the doc they're based on (i can see mine under Art & Illustration as my profiles are mainly based on Basic RGB, right at the bottom after clicking on 'view all presets').

to be sure we're talking about the right location, they're saved here on Windows 7. I don't know the Mac file path off the top of my head:

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 21 Settings\en_Lang\x64\New Document Profiles

[#10]

I'm using Illustrator 2019. Still can't access your own saved profiles from the Saved tab (which is totally stupid).

Rather than Use Legacy "File New" Interface (which is equally stupid, get it together Adobe!), you can access the saved document/template from the More Settings button found below Advanced Options, and then select it from the Profile dropdown.

This is basic workflow, and it seriously needs some TLC.

[#11]

  schrieb

I'm using Illustrator 2019. Still can't access your own saved profiles from the Saved tab (which is totally stupid).

Rather than Use Legacy "File New" Interface (which is equally stupid, get it together Adobe!), you can access the saved document/template from the More Settings button found below Advanced Options, and then select it from the Profile dropdown.

This is basic workflow, and it seriously needs some TLC.

Please post to http://illustrator.uservoice.com

On the forum we are 95% not staff. We can't change anything in the app.

[#12]

Very good. Thanks (:

[#13]

If there is a preset you want to stick up there permanently,  you can create a new .ai file in the folder location below. You will need to choose that name under profiles (using the legacy interface as Doug shows in his initial reply).

NEW DOCUMENT PROFILES

HD\Users\(user name)\Library\Application Support\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS#\en_US\New Document Profiles

You can  save one page size though profile, so this is the best I have found unless anyone else has any ideas.

[#14]

Here's where I'm saving on my Mac:

I've tried saving the new profile (yh background.ai) directly in the New Document Profiles folder and in the en_GB subfolder, but no luck. Any Mac users out there who can tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Sounds like using the legacy interface is the best solution.

[#15 · Accepted solution]

Sorry forgot mention apple hides that folder. The folder you chose is not inside your username >> Library

Finder >> Go >> (hold down option) >> Library

[#16]

Thanks for the tip. I put my template file ('yhbackground.ai') in this folder:

The template is now visible under the 'Print' tab of the New Document interface (after clicking 'View All Presets').

Thanks everyone for their help!

[#17]

cool. glad we got there.

[#18]

For my part you are welcome, thanks for using the forums.

[#19]

Not to be a negative nelly Mike but shouldn't it be a little easier than this?
I feel another feature request coming on.

[#20]

Just wanted to chime in and say: 2020 and there still isn't a streamline/efficient way to save presets in the new document interface(s)

...on to tacking my folder to "quick access" I suppose (upside down smile emote)

[#21]

Having worked my way through this thread, and finally managing to save a preset that appears under the expanded Print tab in the New dialogue box - I've found that when it opens, the dimensions of the file have been increased by 2.83464646464. If I open the same file from where it is saved, it opens with the correct dimensions.

Any ideas?

Also, I'm on Windows.

[#22]

How strange. I've just checked to see if this is happening on my Mac, and it isn't - the document is the same size as when I created it.

Anyone?

[#23]

I've just checked to see if this is happening on my Mac, and it isn't - the document is the same size as when I created it.

did you use pixels as your unit? this doesn't seem to be a problem in that case. since they're equivalent to points already, i guess.

[#24]

just checked using inches as my unit - created a 10 x 10 in doc -- or 720 x 720 points. this results in a profile with a size of 720 x 720 inches! larger than its possible to create in AI!

[#25]

Yes, I was using pixels, and the dimensions stayed the same.

I created a test document of 100mm x 100mm, and when I reopen it as a template it measures 283.46mm x 283.46mm. That's a massive difference!

I guess I won't be using the templates feature much...

[#26]

if you have the time, submit a bug report here:

Feature Request/Bug Report Form

i've been meaning to for a long time but only just got around to it.

[#27]

I have submitted a bug request. Hopefully enough other people have reported the same issue for Adobe to actually pay attention to it.

[#28]

I have also submitted a bug request. In the meantime, I created the presets I needed in mm, changed the unit to points and then saved in New Document Profiles, then when opening from the New Document dialogue box, select the preset and change the unit before opening. A bit of a faff, but less number typing for now.

[#29]

I've found that when it opens, the dimensions of the file have been increased by 2.83464646464. If I open the same file from where it is saved, it opens with the correct dimensions.

i see this bug consistently. i think i mentioned it in a post above.

as far as i can tell my docs' size in points becomes the size in mm. So i create a 100 mm doc profile for example. that's 283 points. when i try to open it from the new document window, it becomes 283 mm.

[#30]

Yes! That is it! You did indeed already say that above, I just didn't quite link it together.

Thank you!

[#31]

I kind of liked how the new interface would retain variations of the new document specs as a history. But at some point, I lost the original profile. Even when opening those variations, it would have mostly default parameters. I couldn't find my added profiles anywhere in that interface. Switching to the old interface gave me back access to the profiles I use regularly, so I'll have to live with the fact that I don't have access to the variations anymore.

[#32]

It'd be great if the preset system actually saved things in a usable fashion, or offered any insight into where things will show up when you actually save them in hidden away Library folder. Every Adobe program saves it's presets in like 5 places and they're all different from each other. Here's a fun one, After Effects 2017 keeps trying to save animation presets in the 2015 directory, and it has tried that for two versions now.

I decided to start going around it. I've been copying their presets to my own folders in Dropbox and symlinked them back. That way I can always figure out where the hell to save them.