Creative Cloud Library Graphics now have a white background

[gb36822909]

I had set up various continuous project libraries and they always worked great. I have assets (logos in ai format) that were always transparent backgrounds. Today for some reason, all the assets have a white background (think jpeg), when I open the graphic files in illustrator, there's no background color. This is particularly more annoying that InDesign is the primary culprit. 

Has anyone had anything like this happen and if so how did you correct it?

[Jeff A Wright]

Moving this discussion to the File Hosting, Syncing, and Collaboration forum.

[David__B]

Hi Gb,

I'm neither an InDesign or an Illustrator expert so I could be completely wrong but could you try this.

I'm wondering if dragging an InDesign file from the Libraries panel is essentially the same thing as using the place command. If so, it may be remembering the last settings used for the place command.

Please try this and see if it makes any difference.

1) Save one of your .ai files with a transparent background to the desktop

2) In InDesign use the place command File > Place

3) In the which file to place dialogue, select the .ai file you saved to the desktop, ALSO check the option "Show Import Options", click Open

4) In the Place window showing the import options ensure the transparency option is checked

5) See if this placed .ai has transparency in InDesign (hopefully yes)

6) Now test other .ai files from the Libraries panel to see if they do too

Hope that helps?

Best,

- Dave

[Steve Werner · Accepted solution]

One of the limitations of using transparent Illustrator files in the CC Library is that there is no setting when placing from CC Library into InDesign that automatically retains the transparency. InDesign uses the current status of the Place command.

I just did a test. I placed the same transparent AI file into InDesign using the File > Place command. When I placed it, I checked Show Import Options. The first time, I checked Transparent and it appeared as transparent in InDesign. If I then placed the same graphic from CC libraries by right-clicking and choosing Place Linked or Place Copy, it honored that transparent setting.

Then I repeated the test using File > Place. This time I unchecked Transparent. It appeared with an opaque white background. When I placed the same transparent AI file from CC Libraries, it used the File > Place setting and came in with an opaque background.

[caitlinpupich]

Thank you so much! I've been having this issue, too. I would have never thought of this as a solution. Y'all rock!!!

[mylandscapeshots]

Yours is actually the correct solution to the problem. Thank you for this. This happened to me all of a sudden so I can't figure out WHY it happened but the How-To-Fix solution you provided worked!

[LindaFazili]

Thank you! I have been using Adobe CC forever and suddenly the same issue happened. Makes no sense but it worked:-))))

[jesse_mellon]

Thank you so much, Steve — was wondering why my new install of InDesign wasn't honoring image transparency like on my previous installs. I have a vector icon library containing hundreds of files, each with a consistent holding shape (just an unfilled box around all of the images to ensure line-weight is consistent between placed icons, even when the aspect ratios differ). Filling that box with white causes other problems (mainly, it renders the images useless when they're placed on any color other than white). Such a weird oversight on Adobe's part. You're a lifesaver.

[gb36822909]

Thank you so much for your help David!

The odd thing about all this is that the assets that I have in my libraries worked for almost a year, flawlessly. The libraries allowed a repeated set to assets to be readily available on any CC software which was amazing. I do know about placing with transparency options as a backup and that works for me. It's just such a shame and a puzzle to have these assets all of a sudden stop working as they have for a long time.

Regardless, your help is incredibly appreciated and I am so grateful you took the time to help!! I will resort to your solution until this gets sorted out. I will post if I figure anything else out.

[reinoudklaasse]

It's a little strange work-around but it works. Thank you!

[ESJonas]

Thank you thank you THANK YOU — this worked for me 🙂

It's been sooo frustrating. Cheers 🙂

[designbyoomph]

David's solution above worked for me.

I just placed a random illustrator file into my InDesign document (remember to tick show "Show Import Options") and I noticed then that transparent background was unchecked. I ticked it then imported the random file. I then replaced (dragged out) my illustrator cloud file again from the library palette and voila, transparent background! This I think started to happen after I upgraded to InDesign 2023. Previously there was no issue.

[gb36822909 · Accepted solution]

Thanks everyone! So just an update... the assets that were housed in the Creative Cloud Library work properly all of a sudden. No real solution to be offered on this. I don't believe there were any updates made during that time to the software. The files don't have a white background on them. I had been using the libraries for months, I knew there was nothing wrong with the files so I was incredibly perplexed and frustrated with the issues, and while I'm glad they're resolved I would love to know what happened.

I guess we may never know... *sigh*

[Steve Werner]

Did you read my post #3? If you placed an Illustrator file and checked Transparent, then all the CC Library AI files which had a transparent background would then show a transparent background when dragged into InDesign.

[Diane5fcc]

Is there a way to set this as a default setting so you don't have to do this every time?

[Gauthier Basse]

Or adding the feature to the CC library directly.

Maybe add a CC libray setting modal. 

[Krista51]

Hi Steve, I understand your solution for placing vector objects in InDesign with transparent background. Have you encountered adding white vectors to a CC library that aren't previewing with a transparent background? When I add a vector to the library, the background previews transparent, but if another team member adds one, the background isn't transparent. Vice versa too!  

[dougalb3724748]

Thank you so much for this solution. It was driving me insane! Phew

[R-Mark]

Same problem was here. Solved. Thank you very much!

[cesqo]

Thank you @Steve Werner 

It's incredible how many little bugs there are on cloud and library.... It could be a great tool to sharing files and collaborate with team, but things like this are very frustrating...