screwed up illustrator file
January 19, 2011 12:34 PM Subscribe
IllustratorFilter: I inherited in an .ai file that has no "tipping arrow" on it's layers in the layers window -- so i can't view the items in the layer window like normal. is the file corrupted or is this some setting i don't know about?
i can't figure out the "official" name of the little arrows, so i can't google a good answer.
usually, you can click the arrow in the layers palette, it tips downward, and you can see everything in the layer. in my file, the little arrows will show up if i create a layer with sub-layers, but otherwise, no arrow. when i try to copy and paste everything out of the file, the problem persists.
any idea how to fix this??
thanks!
i can't figure out the "official" name of the little arrows, so i can't google a good answer.
usually, you can click the arrow in the layers palette, it tips downward, and you can see everything in the layer. in my file, the little arrows will show up if i create a layer with sub-layers, but otherwise, no arrow. when i try to copy and paste everything out of the file, the problem persists.
any idea how to fix this??
thanks!
I believe b33j is correct- you're looking for sublayers. Is it possible this wasn't originally an .ai file? If you import from .psd there's an option that can essentially make everything into one object.
posted by dadici at 12:41 PM on January 19, 2011
posted by dadici at 12:41 PM on January 19, 2011
If you use the white arrow to select a sub-element, do you get the small colored box at the right (i.e. indicating that a sub-element of that layer group is selected)?
(Can you select sub-elements? It's not rasterized, right?)
posted by misterbrandt at 12:43 PM on January 19, 2011
(Can you select sub-elements? It's not rasterized, right?)
posted by misterbrandt at 12:43 PM on January 19, 2011
What version of Illustrator are you using and on what platform? Where did the original file come from, i.e. what version of Illustrator or did it come from another program?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:45 PM on January 19, 2011
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:45 PM on January 19, 2011
Oh, look in the Layer palette options and see if "Show Layers Only" is checked. If so, uncheck it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:47 PM on January 19, 2011
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:47 PM on January 19, 2011
Oh yeah, what Brandon Blatcher says. I can replicate the behavior you are describing (I think) with that checkbox.
posted by misterbrandt at 1:00 PM on January 19, 2011
posted by misterbrandt at 1:00 PM on January 19, 2011
Response by poster: i have no idea what version the file was first created in -- but i'm guessing not in CS3 which i'm working in now. it's a PC.
sub-layers don't seem to be the problem -- i can create them and view them normally. i can also select each item on the file itself -- i just can't see where it sits in the layer.
the file is at work, but i made a screen shot of what happens with a normal file here
so in layer 3, i placed a green square and a blue square. with the layer 3 arrow tipped down, i can view both squares in the layer window and see that i have the blue square selected.
in the file i'm having problems with, i can see that i have something selected in the layer, but there isn't an arrow to tip down in order to view what's in the layer.
in my problem view, i would be able to tip down layer 2, see that i have a sublayer called layer 1, but i wouldn't be able to see the black square.
gah, this is hard without the original file. when i'm back at work i'll try the "show layers only" option. i think i tried that with no luck already, but i'm not %100 sure.
thanks for the help so far!
posted by nanhey at 1:20 PM on January 19, 2011
sub-layers don't seem to be the problem -- i can create them and view them normally. i can also select each item on the file itself -- i just can't see where it sits in the layer.
the file is at work, but i made a screen shot of what happens with a normal file here
so in layer 3, i placed a green square and a blue square. with the layer 3 arrow tipped down, i can view both squares in the layer window and see that i have the blue square selected.
in the file i'm having problems with, i can see that i have something selected in the layer, but there isn't an arrow to tip down in order to view what's in the layer.
in my problem view, i would be able to tip down layer 2, see that i have a sublayer called layer 1, but i wouldn't be able to see the black square.
gah, this is hard without the original file. when i'm back at work i'll try the "show layers only" option. i think i tried that with no luck already, but i'm not %100 sure.
thanks for the help so far!
posted by nanhey at 1:20 PM on January 19, 2011
Oh, it's probably not a "tipping arrow", but a toggle arrow. You toggle between a flat and expanded view of a layer.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:22 PM on January 19, 2011
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:22 PM on January 19, 2011
Response by poster: i'm pretty sure i tried that last week (and it didn't work) -- but i'm not 100% sure. i only work at this job part time, so i'm going to have to wait until next week to look at the file again.
but since that setting doesn't stay on when you create a new file and copy/paste items into it (which i tried with my problem file) i don't think it's my problem.
posted by nanhey at 2:26 PM on January 19, 2011
but since that setting doesn't stay on when you create a new file and copy/paste items into it (which i tried with my problem file) i don't think it's my problem.
posted by nanhey at 2:26 PM on January 19, 2011
If you look in the layer panel options, there's a setting, Show Layers Only. This hides sublayers.
posted by doctor_negative at 3:10 PM on January 19, 2011
posted by doctor_negative at 3:10 PM on January 19, 2011
The technical term for those arrows are "flippy triangles". I kid not.
posted by tmt at 4:11 PM on January 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by tmt at 4:11 PM on January 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by b33j at 12:40 PM on January 19, 2011