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Dave Z
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 69
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 Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 5:57 am Post subject: Illustrator to PC and back to Illustrator. |
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What is the best method for bringing an Illustrator 10 file into PC6, adding to it, and then getting it back into Illustrator?
Sys X
PC6
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ms
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 613
Location: Naples, Florida
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 4:58 am Post subject: |
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Just curious...what are you doing in PowerCadd that you can't do in Illustrator?
And more to the point, I suppose: what does Illustrator give you that PC does not? Transparancy is an obvious answer, but even that can be simulated, or replaced with a different technique, most of the time.
I use Photoshop quite a bit do do the bitmap stuff that PC won't do, then bring the result back to PC.
So, I'm crious about your workflow. We can all learn something.
ms |
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Dave Z
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 69
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 8:25 am Post subject: |
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My wife does freelance work for a games and puzzles and brain teasers magazine publisher. She receives Illustrator .eps files of various puzzles, etc that sometimes have to be changed or redone completely. They vary widely but are along the lines of pattern recognition, number sequence and the like. Very often it is a grid of squares with numbers or different graphics inside. Accurate snapping is essential for a good looking printout. PowerCADD is superior in every way from snapping to resizing to the specific tools such as the semi-circle tool which I just made good use of. I can do this work much faster in PowerCADD than I can in Illustrator. This used to be simple for me with PowerDraw6 and WildTools2. I would open the .eps file in PowerDraw, make my changes, and use LaserPrint to save as an .eps file that I could reopen in Illustrator. I'm trying to make the switch to PowerCADD6 but it's fighting me. It won't open the .eps file, and there is no method of saving as or exporting as an .eps file.
So-
How does one take an .eps file, open it and work on it in PowerCADD6, and then return it to it's original state, ie: an Illustrator 10 .eps file for using with Quark Express? We do have the full version of Acrobat if pdf conversions are involved.
Surely something that was simple to do 10 years ago can still be done today. I need somebody to help me move into the new millennium.
DZ |
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ms
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 613
Location: Naples, Florida
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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I tried a few things. Drag and drop won't work. Many of the graphic exports from Powercadd will work, though [TIFF, JPEG, etc; and with some experimentation, you can export an image with an appropriate resolution]. These don't give editable results, though.
Most interesting, perhaps, is 'Save As Pict Vectors'. I was able to open a very large site plan and move it to illustrator. This plan was all line work. Scale was goofy but that's easily repaired.
Then, I opened a PC file that is farily heavily rendered, all native to PC, and had similar results; graduated fills, lots of solid fills,and all of the other features were handled without error. And, all of the line work was present. I suppose that you could maintain a desired layer setup with creative saving from PC but I didn't try it.
I wonder if this would work for you? Try it out and let us know.
ms |
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ms
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 613
Location: Naples, Florida
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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As to moving from Ill to PC, I wasn't that lucky. You can use copy and paste, but for one object at a time, and you get a PICT, not including the vectors.
I suppose the usefulness of this depends on your art. Maybe it will work.
You can use DWG, but this is going to give you line work only. Perhaps this is sufficient.
I didn't try using Acrobat, though; and I don't know if you can make an editable PDF.
ms |
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Dave Z
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 69
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| ms wrote: | | These don't give editable results, though. |
Yes- that is no good. I need to end up in Illustrator right back where I started- with an eps file. In Quark, for the publication, the picture might need to be resized. Circles and arcs seem to get rather flatsided when you give up the vector information.
| ms wrote: | | Most interesting, perhaps, is 'Save As Pict Vectors'. I was able to open a very large site plan and move it to illustrator. This plan was all line work. Scale was goofy but that's easily repaired. |
I never pursued that one after I got the warning that it was a low level format.
| ms wrote: | Then, I opened a PC file that is farily heavily rendered, all native to PC, and had similar results; graduated fills, lots of solid fills,and all of the other features were handled without error. And, all of the line work was present. I suppose that you could maintain a desired layer setup with creative saving from PC but I didn't try it.
I wonder if this would work for you? Try it out and let us know.
ms |
Getting PC files to open in Illustrator is less of a problem than getting PC to open Illustrator files. In some of the things I try, I get a box with an "X" thru it. What is that?
Thanks for the reply.
dz |
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ms
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 613
Location: Naples, Florida
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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Dave,
I never used PS or EPS at all, so at this point someone else needs to take over. Once it's in PC, you have a solution for getting it back out, though.
Have you experimented with Acrobat? According to the Adobe page, it supports layers. I don't know what that means in terms of your project but it seems worthy of exploration. If yours is not the latest version download the 30 day tryout.
I have a sense that someone is going to fit the final piece in this puzzle.
Michael |
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Funkboat
Joined: 08 Jun 2004
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| I end up doing a fair amount of this sort of thing as well. The probelm is that I haven't found a foolproof method yet. The best results i have found is to export the file out of illustrator at the lowest version number it can give. For me that's a illustrator 3 eps file. This I am able to open in PC and edit and then export as an EPS again, and reopen in Illustrator. Give that a shot, as it's been my method. |
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Dave Z
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 69
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| Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 10:51 am Post subject: |
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How do you export as an eps?
I don't see a way to do that in PC6. I tried every way available and I can't get back to an editable file in Illustrator. |
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GaryV
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 216
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:09 am Post subject: eps |
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You cannot export as an eps fle out of PCadd. You used to be able to do it with LaserPrint but not anymore. There may be some other path that works involving extra steps but you cannot get an eps directly out of PCadd.
G |
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Funkboat
Joined: 08 Jun 2004
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:19 am Post subject: |
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| sorry, i output it as a simple ps file out of powercadd using the print to file option from the print dialogue box, and then back into illustrator. |
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Dave Z
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 69
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| Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:45 am Post subject: |
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| Funkboat wrote: | | sorry, i output it as a simple ps file out of powercadd using the print to file option from the print dialogue box, and then back into illustrator. |
Thanks!
Man- talk about burying a feature.
This is what I was looking for. The tip on saving back to Illustrator 3 is a valuable one. It would be nice if ES would change it so that was not necessary.
Thanks again
dz |
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