Can't Open Mac EPS files in Windows Illustrator - No Preview

[Richard_Fenner@adobeforums.com]

Just switched from Mac to Windows. I have A LOT of Mac/Illustrator eps files that I cannot open in Windows because they have a Mac preview. Any way around this - other than going back and resaving all of them w/Windows previews?

[Harron_K._Appleman@adobeforums.com]

Richard,

I have A LOT of Mac/Illustrator eps files that I cannot open in Windows
because they have a Mac preview.




Illustrator EPS files created on the Mac should open fine in Windows Illustrator. The preview is not an issue if you're working in Illustrator and not using the resultant EPS files in another application.

If you're talking about EPS image files saved in Photoshop Mac with PICT previews and placed in an Illustrator document, that's another story. Those image previews won't show in Illustrator Windows. In that case, the answer to your question...

Any way around this - other than going back and resaving all of them w/Windows
previews?




.... is 'not really.' There might be a way to do this batch-style in Photoshop using an action. And, by the way, that can be in Photoshop Win -- you don't have to go back to the Mac to do this.

If you can get back to the Mac, there is a utility that can save you some time if you're talking about a lot of linked EPS files:

<http://www.imagemontage.com/Docs/EPS_PreviewConverter.html>

=-= Harron =-=

[Richard_Fenner@adobeforums.com]

Harron: Many thanks. I'll try that utility. But to clarify (I think I misspoke): These are EPS files created and saved in Mac Illustrator. This files open with Windows Illustrator (this is the "misspoke" part), but because they have an incompatible preview, I can't see them and, hence, can't work with them.

[Harron_K._Appleman@adobeforums.com]

Richard,

This files open with Windows Illustrator (this is the "misspoke" part),
but because they have an incompatible preview, I can't see them and, hence,
can't work with them.




Let me try to explain again.

The preview in EPS files is a low-resolution proxy that is used to represent the artwork on-screen when it is placed into another application. This was done to speed screen navigation, but it is less of an issue today with the faster CPUs and graphics adapters. The preview affects only what you see on the screen and not what you output via a Postscript device.

Example 1: You place a Photoshop EPS image into an Illustrator document. What you see on the screen is the low-res preview of the image.

Example 2: You place an Illustrator EPS image into a QuarkXpress layout. What you see on the screen is the low-res preview of the Illustrator art.

None of this should have any effect on your situation. If the Illustrator EPS you created on the Mac have no placed EPS images, they should open perfectly in Illustrator Win, assuming no file corruption during transfer and no other obvious things, like version mismatches. (You might run into a type issue if a font you used on the Mac is not available on the Win setup, but you'll get a warning at the time you open such files in Illustrator.)

In other words, I don't know what is preventing you from opening the Mac files on your Win machine, but the EPS preview difference ain't the problem.

We'll need more info. How are you transferring the files? What happens when you save to native Illustrator format (.ai) instead of EPS? What versions of Illustrator are on your machines?

=-= Harron =-=