Large file won't place as link in Illustrator – "Try Replacing this with another valid link"

[hannad3722757]

I am trying to place a linked file onto my Illustrator artboard and everytime that I try to place it I get the following pop up after it tries to place. I've dragged the file from my desktop onto the page and it allows me to embed the file, but when I try to "unembed" and link the file, I get the same message that "illustrator cannot read the file. Try to replacing this with another valid link"

I have resaved the file as a different color format in PSD to see if that would help, it didn't. I also tried restarting. Uninstalling illustrator and reinstalling it. 

Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

[Mylenium]

And what are the actual specs of the file? Just from the info in the warning message it seems to me that you are simply breaking all limits in terms of dimensions. If that's indeed the case, this will never work and you have to slice up the image into separate segments.

Mylenium

[SiDobe11]

Having the exact same error message and issue. Is there a file size limitation for placing images in Illustrator? Weird thing is I can save this image with LZW compression and it brings it down to 115mb, so it isn't absurdly large. It is large, but very confusing why it won't place. The physical size of the image 44" x 57" so certainly within the limitations of Illustrator's workspace. Any thoughts?

[williamv90414626]

Have same issue dont matter if I split the image, illustrator keep saying the same error they are 56mb big dont know why never have this issue before with big doc

[chanaart]

could not open your screenshot.

[Manonono_]

I also keep getting the same error, it doesn't matter what kind op jpg/jpeg file it is, it's almost like Illustrator isn't able to read jpg/jpeg files anymore since I updated to the 2020/2021 version...

So at the moment I'll just take a screenshot (png file) of the image and place it, then Illustrator does accept it. This isn't ideal of course and I'm hoping that Adobe will solve this problem soon!

[Danielle5FAE]

I am having this same issue. It seems to be a 2021 Illustrator glitch/ issue. I cannot open PNG files that I made in Illustrator, it is absurd. I have tried the Full Disk access suggestion and quiting and re-opening. 

[Ray Lambert]

I make a LOT of murals that I lay out in Illustrator.  This has got to be a bug because, you can't "place" a very large .tiff file, but you can "open" it into Illustrator.  Then you can copy it into whatever you want to use it for.

Thats how I get around this weird bug.  Open, then copy and paste(embedded) into your document.

[Met0D4D]

I've been getting this with converted PSB (Photoshop Big) files.

Whether I save out of PS as jpg or tif, Illy will not import, says invalid file format.

Solution has been to open converted file in Preview and do a new SaveAs. (I'm redrawing everything so the quality is not an issue. It's a pain though!)

[SiDobe11]

@Met0D4D  What do you mean by "open converted file in Preview and do a new SaveAs"? What is the converted file and where do you get it from? Thank you.

[Met0D4D]

@SiDobe11 I was talking about my particular situation when I receive PSB files.

I open them in PS do as SaveAs to jpg (this is the converted file) but then Illy says it can't read the file.

My solution is to open the jpg (the converted file) and do a SaveAs out of Preview to jpg (the converted converted file). For some reason Illy - that's ADOBE Illustrator - can open this but not the jpg saved directly out of PS- that's ADOBE Photoshop... I don't like PSB it just encourages bad bloated design and poor file etiquette.

[Dark_lace]

I'm having this issue as well since the last update, it doen't have anything to do with file size as the file i'm trying to place is only 35kb & the other is only 94kb. 

So frustraing as I have customers that need this job completed. 

[SiDobe11]

So it appears this is still an issue. I'm surprised they haven't addressed this yet. Luckily for me, I haven't encountered it again, but man, what a pain. You can't just use an embedded image by opening it in illustrator and copying and pasting, it will make your .ai file enormous. 

I hope Adobe gets this one figured out. Is there a way to tag them in here somehow so they start becoming aware of the issue, or my guess is they are, but they just have bigger fish to fry.

[Ton Frederiks]

You can report it here:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com

[Ray Lambert]

This is a work around to the problem.  There is definitely a bug in the import feature of Illustrator, but you can "OPEN" the .tif, or .jpg or whatever, just like you were opening any other file.  When the file is opened into Illustrator, you may copy and paste it into the document you like.

Inconvenient, I know, but whatchagonnado until they fix this annoying bug?