what do you hate about your software?

[GypsyGraphics]

One issue that irks me in Illustrator is the use oddball names for stuff. WTF is an "artboard" anyway? Do they mean page? And "place"? Just call it import like every other piece of software on the planet. Stupid stuff that serves no purpose.

Place is what it's called in all adobe products and is standard in the design industry -- import implies that the file is being embedded, whereas place implies that it is linked. Place makes a lot of sense and is a throwback term.

great response jesse!

signmeup, a placed file is a beautiful thing!
two examples, not only do you get to place a native PSD file (that is automatically updated) right in illy, but your not bogging down your illy file with images that cause your program to work harder and act sluggish.

unless your sending the files out, there's NO reason i can think of to ever embed a linked file.

think of the word "place" as "placeholder" cuz that's exactly what it is.

kinda curious to know, if people don't understand the concept of a placed file, do they know the term FPO (for placement only)?
not a rhetorical question, i'd really like to know.

 

[GAC05]

Oh no they do not. They always show up like they are raster images when I get them. So either it doesn't export right or Ai isn't able to read it right.

Or the person sending the files does not know what he or she is doing......

I use ai and eps from Draw to talk to Flexi's "genuine Adobe® PostScript® 3 RIP engine" and get the results I expect.
I have more trouble trying to get customers files created with genuine Adobe Illustrator AI, PDF & EPS files to print the way I expect.
Again It think it is a case of the person sending the file not knowing what they are doing.

wayne k
guam usa

ps
One more vote for not liking Illustrator's help "system" at all.

whk

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Or the person sending the files does not know what he or she is doing......

That's possible. I know when I get EPS from either source it's fine on any program I run it on (either embroidery or Ai), but it always seems that Ai file from Draw just doesn't want to show up right on my end.

 

[GAC05]

That's possible. I know when I get EPS from either source it's fine on any program I run it on (either embroidery or Ai), but it always seems that Ai file from Draw just doesn't want to show up right on my end.

Could be a regional thing,
Corel being Canadian and all, might not work that well down in Tennessee.



Works well out here in the Pacific...

wayne k
guam usa

 

[ForgeInc]

Corel exports ai files just fine popcorn boy. How does ai do exporting cdr files?

For my edification... what is the difference between an artboard and a page. (let's see if we can keep this thread educational)

Oh, oh..can I jump in? An artboard is totally different than a page. A "page" implies a single printed page. Be it finished dimensions of a standard letterhead, custom sized catalog or brochure, or even a banner. An "artboard" however is the ENTIRE area you are drawing on. An artboard may have multiple pages on it. It can also have cropmarks, bleed marks, registration marks, color bars etc that aren't necessarily part of a "page."

(I think, anyway)

 

[GAC05]

Now for a different tack -
I really do not like the search function in Windows 7.
I can only assume the person who developed it was a double agent working for Apple and set it up so users would give up on PCs and move to the Mac-verse.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Could be a regional thing,
Corel being Canadian and all, might not work that well down in Tennessee.



Works well out here in the Pacific...

wayne k
guam usa

Damn Kanucks, doing something like that to us.

 

[Custom_Grafx]

"select same color" is a feature of Illustrator but not InDesign, for good reasons (which i totally understand).
i wouldn't mind going into in detail... but i'm thinking it would only interest InDesign users.

simply put, InDesign needs to have a way to show instances of a color used... changing it is no problemo
but finding it amidst many pages and linked or embedded files, to then address the native file... grrrrrrrrr.

It's a work around, but you could export pdf, then find out more in acrobat's preflight tools.

 

[Custom_Grafx]

Oh!

Illustrator could also do well with the Corel feature "ctrl-k". To break lines of text apart, and executed once again, to break characters apart into individual objects, without converting them to curves!

 

[Custom_Grafx]

I also love how corel handles multipage files using the tab system like MS Excel. You can actually create a 50 page doc of laser engraving, and in one print send 50 individual job files (1 for each page) in sequential order to your engraver.

There are ways to do this in Illy, but it's much more user friendly in corel, always has been.

Over the years I've gotten the feeling that corel tends to focus alot (sometimes too much) on user friendliness - and as a result lacks that 'pro' edge that Ai has.

I also have the feeling that Ai's head/ego is too big to accept that it can improve in some areas (as listed in this thread).

For this reason, I run both. Honestly, Ai gets used maybe 85% of the time, but without corel for the other 15%, my life would be hell.

 

[ForgeInc]

Wait, whatever happened to Freehand? Oh...that's right, Adobe bought them out. This thread made me have a flashback of my Old Freehand VS Illustrator arguments I'd have with a good friend....

 

[CES020]

Sorry, duplicated something already answered!

 

[signmeup]

great response jesse!

signmeup, a placed file is a beautiful thing!
two examples, not only do you get to place a native PSD file (that is automatically updated) right in illy, but your not bogging down your illy file with images that cause your program to work harder and act sluggish.

unless your sending the files out, there's NO reason i can think of to ever embed a linked file.

think of the word "place" as "placeholder" cuz that's exactly what it is.

kinda curious to know, if people don't understand the concept of a placed file, do they know the term FPO (for placement only)?
not a rhetorical question, i'd really like to know.

GG,

I always make Illustrator files for the sole purpose of sending them out. I create all "artwork" in Corel and save it as an Illustrator file for my print guy.

Here is a screen capture of what Illustrator help says about "Place". (this is what you get if click "help" and type "place" into the search box.)
"Place" means "import" according to the maker of the software.

The decision to embed or not embed appears to be something that happens after the image is imported (placed).

I have it set now so it defaults to "embed" "placed" images when I click save.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

The decision to embed or not embed appears to be something that happens after the image is imported (placed).

On CS4 and CS5 Ai it actually happens while you are browsing for the file. Before you click OK, there are a couple of check boxes on the bottom left side. One if you want it to be linked or not (embed or not to embed) and one if you want it to be a template (for tracing) or not.

I would say the option to embed or not would be while the image is being placed.

 

[signmeup]

On CS4 and CS5 Ai it actually happens while you are browsing for the file. Before you click OK, there are a couple of check boxes on the bottom left side. One if you want it to be linked or not (embed or not to embed) and one if you want it to be a template (for tracing) or not.

I would say the option to embed or not would be while the image is being placed.

Hey! Right you are. You can also click "include linked files" during save. Learned something else new from this thread.

 

[signmeup]

Oh, oh..can I jump in? An artboard is totally different than a page. A "page" implies a single printed page. Be it finished dimensions of a standard letterhead, custom sized catalog or brochure, or even a banner. An "artboard" however is the ENTIRE area you are drawing on. An artboard may have multiple pages on it. It can also have cropmarks, bleed marks, registration marks, color bars etc that aren't necessarily part of a "page."

(I think, anyway)

I still don't get it. I went to "Help" and saw a video and read the files. I get the consept of the canvas being the area you can draw or store bits of drawings on and the page area for printing what you've draw. I still can't figure out what the artboard does. Does it let you see and work on multiple pages in the same view?

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I still don't get it. I went to "Help" and saw a video and read the files. I get the consept of the canvas being the area you can draw or store bits of drawings on and the page area for printing what you've draw. I still can't figure out what the artboard does. Does it let you see and work on multiple pages in the same view?

In illustrator the artboard is the area which you specify the size when starting a new document. So if you specify 8.5x11 when starting a new document, 8.5x11 is the "artboard". Anything falling outside of the artboard will not print

 

[The Vector Doctor]

Another wish for Illustrator

The contour feature in Corel should be incorporated by Adobe. In corel, you can easily add 2 or more contours to a shape at one time rather than one at a time in Illustrator

I have not used Corel since version 10 so I am sure there are many other features they have added that I could use but despite some shortcomings I am sticking with Illustrator

 

[signmeup]

In illustrator the artboard is the area which you specify the size when starting a new document. So if you specify 8.5x11 when starting a new document, 8.5x11 is the "artboard". Anything falling outside of the artboard will not print

So it's just another word for page?

 

[signmeup]

I wish Illustrator had undo/redo buttons.