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paper1246
Known Participant
April 21, 2011
Question

why is Illustrator flattening my export to photoshop?

  • April 21, 2011
  • 21 replies
  • 67218 views

I have an index page, which I created in Illustrator that I am attempting to export to photoshop.  The problem is that when I open the Photoshop file, it has all been flattened into a single layer.  I made sure "flat image" is not selected in the export options.  Furthermore, I always get a pop up message that says "Some containers in the AI document have been flattened," every time I export.  The document is a single artboard with 9 layers (each layer representing a different element on the index page).

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

    21 replies

    sbn85
    sbn85
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2025

    Im having the same problem and nothing works! Ungrouping doesnt work, latest version of illustrator 29.3.1

    Not only it works sluggish, but also features that works perfectly fine years ago no doesnt work, it's rediculus and sad what devlopers did with this software!

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 19, 2025
    @sbn85  schrieb:

    Im having the same problem and nothing works! Ungrouping doesnt work, latest version of illustrator 29.3.1

    Not only it works sluggish, but also features that works perfectly fine years ago no doesnt work, it's rediculus and sad what devlopers did with this software!

     

    So the same file that used to work previously doesn't work with the latest version?

    sbn85
    sbn85
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2025

    no, I dont know about that, Im reffering to the bigger problem, I dont understand why software is degrading over time with each new version.

    Years ago I was working in Illustrator 2018 having no issues with exporting to PSD with all layers I needed, workflow was smooth. Recently when I had occasion to jump back in to illustrator do some design work, I updated illustrator to new version (which btw suddenly deleted my old illustrator version) and now exporting to PSD file flattens everything and I have to waste half of the day moving obejcts from Illustrator to photshop manually instead of do some actual work. Im super frustrated using Adobe products recent years. I'm working with Adobe software 20 years now and I dont remember having any of this problem decades ago!

    F
    Fatemeh254107769aqy
    Participant
    February 19, 2024

    I have the same problem

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 19, 2024

      Is there any transparency in the file?

      Overprinting?

      T
      TorQueMoD2
      Inspiring
      December 6, 2022

      I made a quick tutorial showing an updated way to get an Illustrator file over to Photoshop with all of your layers and groups intact: https://youtu.be/H3YemgRW0cQ

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      December 6, 2022

      The issue you have in your video is that you did not fully analyze the content of that file. It has a clipping mask. And that is what you originally didn't release. So starting from 3:56 you select the content of the clipping mask. But I don't understand why you copy and paste at all and don't do it in the original file.

      T
      TorQueMoD2
      Inspiring
      December 6, 2022

      Yeah, I realized after that I didn't need to copy and paste to a new file, but I didn't want to re-record the video 😛

      I've literally never used Illustrator before today, and this was all from a bunch of research I did online through various videos. 

      Mohit Goyal
      Community Manager
      Mohit GoyalCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      May 27, 2022

      Hi all,

       

      Take a look at the following article to move designs between Photoshop and Illustrator for a different workflow that suits your design objectives: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/move-designs-between-photoshop-illustrator.html

       

      Also, if you are looking to work with Illustrator design in Photoshop? See this: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/use-illustrator-artwork-in-photoshop.html

       

      Hope it helps.

      Thanks,

      Mohit

      G
      Gagan Parida
      Participant
      July 24, 2021

       

      •  this is why the 1st image. All layers are children to its parent LAYER 4 . But in 2nd image i recordered the Layers and here all layers are individual. So problem solved while exporting PSD. ❤️ From india . 
      G
      Gagan Parida
      Participant
      July 24, 2021

      Reordered the layer * solved the problem. 

      D
      Danielle Langston
      Participant
      January 12, 2021

      I tried outlining all text, outlining strokes, ungrouping everything, making sure there were no clipping masks or transparency settings and nothing worked for me. BUT....I then took my offending layer in AI (the layer that everything was flattening into in PS) which was the top dieline layer in my file, and moved it to the bottom of the layer order. I then tried exporting with layers to Photoshop and it worked! I then opened the file in Photoshop and reordered my layers accordingly, and everything worked perfectly. I don't know exactly what is wrong with the dieline layer...but I've at least got a work around.  

      Thank you everyone for the suggestions, and maybe give this a try if needed. 

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      January 12, 2021

      This thread is from 2011.

      Please create a new one and tell us what exactly is happening step by step.

       

      Also: system, version and file size/dimensions/number of layers.

      J
      Jonya5DDA
      Participant
      October 28, 2020

      In my case , in Illustrator I made each layer as a group and only after that it exported perfectly.

      3
      3jeeb
      Participant
      July 1, 2020

      another solve that might fix the issue.. Overprint Fill button is checked. While it is checked, it kept giving me the flattening message So, head to Windows - Attributes - and Uncheck the Overprint Fill. And save to photoshop as usual.

       

      Hope it helps.

      S
      Stazzyboo17
      Participant
      March 10, 2020

      Guys I figured it out after months!! I took the problem file and kept eliminating objects until the file exported as layered. It's the gradients or specifically gradients with transparancy. All you need to do is select the gradient and go to Objects > Flatten Transparancy, make sure to select "Preserve Alpha Transparancy" to preserve the transperent effect and set it to resolution that fits your needs!

      TommmR
      TommmR
      Participating Frequently
      November 23, 2018

      Please see rickburress​’ comment in Export to Photoshop flattening layers​ and show him your love if it works!

      I had the same problem with Adobe Illustrator CC 2019 and a document with

      • simple shapes,
      • no contours,
      • all filled K100,
      • each on a layer of itself.

      Tried so many things, still got one layer only in the exported PSD.

      Rick’s FIX worked for me.

      Not quoting his fix here b/c he deserves your “helpful” click if it helps

      Cheers,

      Tom in Germany

      The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad.– Salvador Dalí
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