Export Layers to PShop

[Aj13@adobeforums.com]

This discussion is exactly the same problem I had before and still have when exporting from Ai10 to Ps7. When I export, I get all of the options to "Write to Layers" (except nested layers and compound shapes) but when I open the resulting PSD in Ps, some of the layers are separated and then there is one layer that reads something like...

Ai Layer 1 + Ai Layer 2 + Ai Layer 3, etc...

(substitute real layers names for "Ai Layer X")

At first I thought this was because the layers were nested in Ai and the "write nested layers" is always greyed out, BUT some the the seperated layers in Ps were also nested in Ai. It seems to somewhat randomly pick which layers to combine and which to keep seperate during export. I say "somewhat" randomly, because the layers that survive seperated into Ps are always the top most layers. Usually the export will keep seperated about 2-3 nested layers before it combines.

I haven't tested this thoroughly to see if the same thing occurs if all the layers are un-nested and other variables. I may end up doing that. Just checking to see if anyone else has had similar problems and a solution.

BTW, I tried the "Isolate Blending" trick of Doug, but it had no effect. I think that was a somewhat different issue though?

thanks
--
Aj

[craigmurray@adobeforums.com]

absoluetly,

a huge pain in my book. I use Illustrator 10.0.3 to design my structures and then export them as layesr (usually) to phtshop 7 for effects and such. However, not able to do this now! Very frsutrating. after several explorations as to what was the issue and reason for this, i too have encountered these bugs with the tools. I am sometimes able to select export to .psd with layers and sub-layers, and other times they are greyed out. even such, when I can select the write layers option in export, I open the file in phtshop 7 and find it to be one flatened image without layers. Ahhhh.

Anybody have a clue whats going on here-I'm loosing my head here.

[Scott_Weichert@adobeforums.com]

Transparency seems to cause Illustrator layers to flatten when exported to Photoshop. Don't use transparency in illustrator and it seems to ecxport just fine. At least it does here. With AICS nad PSCS.

[craigmurray@adobeforums.com]

Must just be a CS thing, cuz it still isn't work'n in Il 10.0.3 and Phtshp 7. Thanks anyway for the advice, I appreciate it =)

[Aj13@adobeforums.com]

I agree with Craig, maybe CS has it fixed, but Ai10/Ps7 does not share that experience. I export from Ai with no transparency applied to anything and it still flattens most of the layers. I even tried Doug's trick of selecting each layer (the circle behind the layer name) and going to the Transparency palette and clicking <Isolate Blending> - even though I was not using blend layers OR transparency - it unfortunately had no effect, most layers were still flattened. So, I decided to do some testing to know what my limitations are and here is what I found out...

MAGIC NUMBER 3
It appears that the magic number for correct export from Ai10 to Ps7, with layers intact, is 3. If you have any combination of nested layers (which I should really be calling "nested objects") greater than (3), the export will flatten some/most layers. I ran through a number of tests with text, fills, gradient fills, many different transparency blends, etc. If I kept the nested object count to 3 or less, it always worked - as soon as I added another nested object, the flattening occured.

CLARIFICATION
What I mean by "any combo of nested objects greater than 3" is this...
1 Layer > 3 Objects = INTACT
You open a new Ai file with its default single layer. You place/create three objects (text, path, fill, whatever) onto your page. In the Layer palette, you will see the single layer with three nested objects. If you export this to PSD, it will work with all layers and nested objects intact.

1 Layer > 4 Objects = FLATTENED
Now, if you add another object to the page, there will be four nested objects under the existing single layer - in this case the export will flatten.

2 Layers > 4 Objects = FLATTENED
If you create a new layer and move one, two or three objects to that new layer, the export will still flatten.

3 Layers > 4 Objects = FLATTENED
If you create a third new layer and distribute the four objects among those three layers, the export will still flatten.

4 Layers > 4 Objects = INTACT
But, if you create a new fourth layer and distribute the objects so that there is one object per layer - the export will go perfectly with all layers intact AND editable.

THE GOOD NEWS
Well even though this is not optimal, there still is a positive side. If you do keep your nested objects to 3 or less OR you create seperate layer for each object, everything that I've tried remains totally seperated AND editable in Pshop. This means editable transparency blends, text, etc. all remain editable in Pshop without having to do anything more then place each object on its own layer.

Is this a pain? You bet, but at least it is a workaround that maybe less painful than flattened layers. Prior to discovering this, I had an Ai "Save to Web > PNG" workaround that was definitely more painful.

Hopefully this will prove useful information to someone. I won't hold my breath that Adobe will fix it, though that would be nice. If somebody finds any other info that contradicts what I presented, or an easier workaround, please post it.

thanks
--
Aj

[Aj13@adobeforums.com]

Here's a followup as I've been using this new workaround...

Overlapping text, even on separate layers with the PSD export option set to "editable text", will NOT be editable in Pshop. If you move the text so that they do not overlap, they come through as editable.

Unfortunately, it seems that there may be many exceptions to keep track of with this PSD export in Ai10/Ps7.

--
Aj

[Dan_Finney@adobeforums.com]

I just want to say that this is NOT fixed in CS. This is possibly the most annoying problem I have ever seen in Illustrator and I have been using it since 5.5. This bug has reduced Illustrator's effectiveness to 0 for me as I do all of my Web design comp work in Illustrator before exporting it as a layered PS file.

Adobe, if you can hear me, this is almost enough to make me want to switch to Macromedia Freehand. You must provide a CS fix for this issue and I want my money back until you do.

[Thomas_Bricker@adobeforums.com]

Hi Aj13,

Thanks for the exhaustive work around exploration!
Im going to try it. Hope it works.
I too would LOVE to see this work.

And I like Dan Finney would like a little money back from Adobe for all the time I need to spend while Illustrator does saves. Slow slow slow!
InDesign saves 10 times faster.
Adobe, what is the deal?!
(And I use Dual Processor G5s)

[Thomas_Bricker@adobeforums.com]

Aj,

I did it!

I went through a seperated out my overly built up nested layers and it worked.
My 8 layered exported successfully.
Problem solved!
Thanks!

[Thomas_Bricker@adobeforums.com]

Ok I take that back.

Illustrator said it was exporting layers but it didnt really do it.
It seperated a couple ot the type layers but flattened the rest.

This blows, Adobe.

Can this be fixed?

[Larry_G._Schneider@adobeforums.com]

Thomas,

Did you try an Isolate Blending (from the Transparency palette flyout) for each of the layers before Exporting?

Larry

[Thomas_Bricker@adobeforums.com]

no not yet. I'll try it.

What I did try was copying and pasting my entire very multi-layered Illustrator file into a new Photoshop file one element at a time. This took less time than hunting around for a work around solution to get Illustrator to do what it says it can do.

[Dan_Finney@adobeforums.com]

Is there any way to flag this message thread or send it to an Adobe support person for review? Adobe needs to know how pissed Dan Finney is about this problem.

[Steve_Werner@adobeforums.com]

Read the header at the top of this web page: User to User Forum.

No Adobe support people here, just us users.

[Dan_Finney@adobeforums.com]

I feel so used.

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

Dan you can try this page

<http://www.adobe.com/support/feature.html>

[kayla_stickel@adobeforums.com]

I'm having a similar issue. I want to export an Illustrator CS document in PSD format and it doesn't even give me the option to write layers because it's greyed out. I'm even trying to export to Photoshop CS. Shouldn't this work somehow? If anyone has some kind of help it would be greatly appreciated.

[Scott_Weichert@adobeforums.com]

Kayla, try reading this thread. Click the "show All Messages" link at the bottom of the first post you see.

[Dan_Finney@adobeforums.com]

My suggestion is to call Adobe and complain. It should not be this hard, it wasn't before the CS upgrade.

[Alex]

I had the following issue: Exporting Illustrator (CS5, 15.0.0) document w. layers to photoshop (CS5, 12,0 x64).

All my illustrator layers were flattened and transformed into one single layer in photoshop.
I tried exporting in different formats but nothing helped.

After some research, I fund that the issue was coming from transparents layers. From illustrator I then saved a copy of the document : MyDocument_without_transparency.ai .
In this new copy of the original document, I deleted all graphical objects which might have some semi-transparent layers and exported to PSD. format: MyDocument_without_transparency.psd . I made sure the export setting would keep all layers like explained above.

Photoshop opened the document with all editable layers but missing the few graphical objects I had to delete before.

Went back to illustrator and copy (command-c) and pasted those missing layers in photoshop one by one, and moved them to the correct positon on my page.

That did the trick for me in few minutes.