I believe it has to do with how large the Illustrator file you're working on is, which is affected predominantly by the images you import into it. When I begin a new Ai file, the program works quite seamlessly. When you're working in strictly a vector file, it too runs pretty smoothly. However, when completing bigger projects and importing image files (whether Adobe PDF, JPG, PNG, etc), Illustrator starts to run extremely slow. I am having this problem while working on my portfolio, which includes various file types, including large image files. I don't have a solution at the moment, but I wonder if there's a way to shrink image file sizes that you import into your Illustrator file? Almost like using a 'zipped' version in your document as you work? If anyone knows if this is possible or has additional help, do tell! I too find it very nerve wracking to work when EVERY task/move in the program includes a 5-10+ second spinning pinwheel. Question -- Has anyone actually had these issues while working in a new/small/vector-only file? I haven't. The lag only comes when I'm working on extensive files. Also, specs: MacBook Pro w/ Retina (13 inch) - bought NEW Jan 2015 OS X El Capitan - Version 10.11.5 Processor: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5 Memory: 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3 Startup Disk: Macintosh HD Graphics: Intel Iris 1536 MB Hope my input helps anyone pinpoint the problem!
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