The missing link

[John_Slate@adobeforums.com]

Another thread has got me wondering, so I thought I would break this out as a separate topic.

Let's say you place a Photoshop file (linked, not embedded), into Illustrator, and save as a native.ai file.

Then let's say you inadvertantly delete the Photoshop file that you had linked to the .ai file.

Now, when you go to open up the .ai file, you get this message:

Could not find the linked file "<insert filename here>". Replace with
another file?




....and you are given 3 options: Yes/No/Cancel

As Yes is not an option, you have No and Cancel which both do the same thing (even though cancel should logically not even open the file).

And what happens is: the file opens up and in the spot where your linked file was, there is only the bounds of the file visible in outline mode with absolutely no screen image, unlike the same scenario in ID or QXP.

This happens in Illy v8 and CS and, I assume, in 9 and 10 as well.

The implications are the Illustrator does not store screen images of linked files, and that if you are looking at a placed raster image it must be one of two things:

Embedded or Actively linked.

Is this true? Or is there a preference, either general, or in saving, that needs to checked on or off in order to store screen images of links?

The reason I ask is that the user in the recent "Regarding linked images..." thread claims to be seeing the placed image, even though he has followed the steps outlined above, and I would like to know how this could be.

Signed Curious in Colorado

[Doug_Katz@adobeforums.com]

Dear Curious in Colorado,

I don't know how it's possible to see an image in AI (screen or otherwise) of a linked image file that can't be found by AI.

[John_Slate@adobeforums.com]

So then, what in the heck is this guy <http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?128@@.3bb3ab7c> doing?

He must have embedded the image he sees, and the error relates to some other image that he doesn't see.

He IS new to AI so he says.

Color us both curious.

[jonf@adobeforums.com]

Good question. I wasn't thinking about that difference between AI and QXP or ID.

If he rasterized the image after placing/linking it, it would rasterize the preview, right? Not the full resolution linked image? This then makes the link unnecessary, so it wouldn't warn him about broken links any more. But his images would still print like crap, I think.