Illustrator CS5 - Export to PSD merges layers that shouldn't be merged!

I've been fiddling with settings and layer orders for a while now, but I still get issues!
Everytime I export a PSD from my Illustrator CS5 file, it wants to merge the last few layers together! If you look at the pics, there is nothing special, or different about the layers that get merged (the last 3 in the layer order on the pics). I've tried even putting a blank layer in between to see if it would just merge that, but then it'll merge the last 3 layers, along with any blank spacers I've put in!
Does anyone have a clue why this might happen?
Thanks all!

I can tell you exactly why it happens - because Adobe is a publicly traded company and so are focused on profits instead of quality. Bug updates don't sell product - new features do. For instance, how basic is it for a program to remember to keep the "Preview" box checked when you do a Blend, or to have a default pen setting (help me if I've missed this one as I'm also new to illustrator). Coming from using a 1999 version of Coreldraw that I bought on a deal for $99, this upgrade to the "industry standard" is disappointing so far.
And I don't necessarily blame the programmers - I'm sure there just doing what they're told. l'll end this rant here.
Here's a workaround for this bug that they may never address because it won't sell product:
>When you first export your file, take note of what layers are being merged.
>Go back in Illustrator and create a dummy layer between each of the those layers. Ex: create a text layer titled "Dummy Layer" and just copy/ move it between the layers that are merging in Photoshop.
>Export file and open in Photoshop. The layers should be separated. Just delete the dummies.

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How can illustrator cs5 export a file with layers intact?

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You have choose a lower dpi, or remove any stray elements outside your artwork that make your bitmapped canvas size larger.
You have to also export to CMYK .psd for layers, as RGB Export does not allow layers to be written.
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I've been plowing through erroneous solutions for months now and I found a workaround, albeit a very limited one: If you happen to own Fireworks, this may do the trick:
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Please let me know if this works for you, and tell others if it does. For your amusement, here are some things that baffle me everyday:
*Illustrator and Photoshop have been in the same suite for years, yet exporting any slightly complex file as an editable vector file is virtually impossible. In effect, you can work with illustrator for your amusement, just don't expect to be able to deliver the file every client will ask you for.
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8 GB ram is not enough for Illustrator to export a PSD file?

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I'm using Vista ulitmate 64 bit SP2.
edit:
I just realized that Illustator exports each path as a layer with makes the layers much more than 10. How can I prevent this?

My computer has only 8 GB of ram.
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There have been reports of a problem that's sort of the opposite of yours -- the inability to place PSD images into AI 13/14 documents when running under a 64-bit OS. See, for example, this discussion: http://forums.adobe.com/message/1267833#1267833. There are other topics here along those lines that you should be able to find (even though the search feature here is pathetic).
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Bonjour,
Dans mon illustration j'ai quelques éléments qui excèdent le plan de travail. Lors de l'exportation pour obtenir un fichier jpg, j'ai 2 bandes blanches à gauche et en haut qui correspondent aux éléments excédentaires. Par contre, si j'utilise l'option "enregistrer pour le web et périphériques", j'ai aucun problème. J'ai l'illustration au format jpg sans les éléments exécendaires et sans les bandes blanches. Cependant, la résolution est trop petite pour obtenir une impression papier de qualité.
Comment fait-on pour que l'exportation se crée uniquement avec les éléments du plan de travail?
Bien à vous!

Bonjour,
s'il vous plaît envoyez une capture d'écran pour que je puisse imaginer mieux. Peut-être il est également préférable si vous contactez le forum illustrator CS5, parce que je travaille avec illustrator CS4. Employés Adobe collaborent régulièrement à ce forum, et ils devraient être en mesure de vous aider à comprendre les capacités de illustrator CS5 de manière plus approfondie, notamment en ce qui concerne les choses que vous voulez.
http://www.adobe.com/fr/support/illustrator/
http://forums.adobe.com/community/illustrator
http://forums.adobe.com/community/illustrator/illustrator_general
Cordialement
Hans-G.

Illustrator CS5 - Export to PDF no longer uses Artboard as page boundary

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Thanks

Thanks for the replies guys. I have been able to reproduce the behavior using a new, basic file.
My test system is running 10.6.8 with Illustrator 15.0.2 and Adobe Reader 10.1.0.
This is the original file which was saved out of Illustrator as a PDF.
https://files.me.com/ttubbiola/9c4kpi
Same file after opening in Illustrator, moving one object one pixel and saving.
https://files.me.com/ttubbiola/qjpwc4
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Thanks for your help.

Hi , I have just started using adobe illustrator cs5 and I get a warning that I do not have enough ram to complete the task. How do i solve this?

The System overview shows I have 4gb of ram but in the L2 cache 3mb are used. ??
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Thanks

Hello,
I find 4GB barely enough for the OS itself, you can upgrade to as much as 16 GB of RAM...
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?sort=pop&model=385&type=Memory
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_late_2009_mem/

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Quick question, I have a layout in AI that I need to convert to PSD.
Did the File > Export > Photoshop .psd > Retain layers.
Then AI tells me that "some containers/layers are reduced", and the PSD I get has simply 3 layers out of 12. The rest are rasterized into a graphic.
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I was fighting with this same problem, and the case is to remove all dynamic filters like: drop shadow, round corners, inner glow, all of those (effects from apperance panel) must be rasterized or you can use an "expand apperance" option.
For "drop shadow" for example "expand apperance" is no enough, because after this illustrator makes transparency mask, so rasterization is the only way. After removing all this stuff, export to psd is quite clear with editable text and all elements keeps separated layers.
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How exactly are you determining the file is a .pdf? What platform/OS version are you on? What file extension (letters after period) is on your files, what format does your save as show?
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To anyone who can help:
I have created a logo using Illustrator CS5 and need to import it into a video sequence in Final Cut Pro 6. The logo has a transparent background. It seems FCP 6 will import both native .ai files as well as .tiff files, but when I open them in FCP 6, the alpha channel (transparent background) is no longer there; there is just the logo over a white background. Is there a setting or step I am missing?
Shaun MacLellan

I have to insert AI images into Final Cut Pro and Motion quite frequently.
The most effective way I've found to get an AI image into Final Cut is to:
1. Select/copy all the objects in the AI doc.
2. Create a new file with a transparent background in Photoshop and paste.
3. Merge the layers and make sure the mode is RGB.
4. Save out as a .PNG or .PSD.
5. Drag the result into Final Cut (or Motion).
6. Resize and position the result to taste.
Attempting to export directly from AI to .PSD or .PNG is a wasted effort and the results may not even be recognized by Final Cut.
Yes, it requires Photoshop and it is a few extra steps...but it works like a charm.
Additionally, when creating a new file in Photoshop, you may want to initially set its size to match the aspect ratio of your video. For example, if you're making an HD video, you might set the size to 1280x720 and position the AI elements where they are supposed to be in frame. You can set the AI elements in accurately by cutting and pasting a frame from your video into Photoshop and positioning the AI elements in place on another layer above the video layer. Delete the video layer before saving out as a .PNG or .PSD and it will appear in Final Cut exactly where it should be.

How Can You Bring Illustrator Cs5 Layers into Photoshop Cs5?

Hi everyone, Is it possible to bring Illustrator artwork into Photoshop so that the layers in Illustrator are layers in Photoshop, and so that all the content is arranged as it was in Illustrator.
What I have been doing is bringing in a shape or a group of shapes into Photoshop by pasting them into a layer in PS then bringing in some more stuff from another layer in Illustrator and pasting that into another layer in PS but obviously it's a mission to line up the contents again so it is arranged like it was in Illustrator in the first place.
Any help appreciated
thanks Gareth

No, it doesn't say how to do it there
Well, then you probably haven't read carefully enough about what can be set up when exporting as .psd in Illustrator.
When you export as .psd there are several export options about preserving layers. As mentioned, there are some restrictions.
But tell me, what is unclear about the following quote?
Write Layers
Exports groups, compound shapes, nested layers, and slices as separate, editable Photoshop layers. Nested layers that are more than five levels deep are merged into a single Photoshop layer. Select Maximum Editability to export transparent objects (that is, objects with an opacity mask, a constant opacity less than 100%, or a blending mode other than Normal) as live, editable Photoshop layers.
Preserve Text Editability
Exports horizontal and vertical point type in layers (including nested layers up to five levels deep) to editable Photoshop type. If doing so compromises the appearance of the artwork, you can deselect this option to rasterize the text instead.
Maximum Editability
Writes each top-level sublayer to a separate Photoshop layer if doing so doesn’t compromise the appearance of the artwork. Top-level layers become Photoshop layer sets. Transparent objects remain editable transparent objects. Also creates a Photoshop shape layer for each compound shape in a top‑level layer if doing so doesn’t compromise the appearance of the artwork. To write compound shapes with solid strokes, change the Join type to Round. Whether or not you select this option, all layers over 5 levels deep are merged into a single Photoshop layer.

Can't export an EPS file from Photoshop CS5 and open in Illustrator CS5.

I'm on Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5
I am making DVD covers for print. The barcodes for the DVD covers have to be done in Illustrator. But the original designs are done in photoshop including the text. For years this hasn't been a problem. Right before adding the barcodes I create an EPS file from photoshop, open that file in Illustrator and all my text is automatically coverted to perfect crisp clean vectors, viola! I add the barcodes and export the PDF for the printers.
But now I can't open my EPS files in Illustrator CS5 even though I'm exporting them the same way I always have from Photoshop CS5. Illustrator says... "The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error." --> Note it does not give an error number after this warning like I see it does for so many other people.
I have been trying to fix this for over 10 HOURS spanning 2 days! I'm infuriated I can't get help from Adobe on this and have read all the forums and don't see my problem listed anywhere.
I've tried:
- Deleting the .plist file and the Settings folder & resetting my permissions
- Uninstalling and Reinstalling Illustrator
- Turning off all other applications
- Creating more disk space on my hard drive (even though I have 200gb available)
- Restarting the computer
- Disabling my Font book and still I can't open the EPS file
I thought maybe it's possible it's the font I'm using Fontesque OT so I even tried converting text to objects prior to exporting the EPS file from photoshop to illustrator and turning off my font book, but still it won't open. And if I open the PSD directly in Illustrator, text comes out a bit fuzzy in the PDF I export.
If anyone can provide any solutions I would be so grateful! I'm at my wits end here, this should have taken under an hour to do and now it's ruining my entire weekend. I'm completely panicked because I was suppose to have these to my client over the weekend so they could turn them in for Print frist thing on Monday morning and of course Adobe provides no chat support or phone support after 7pm on weekday or on the weekend which is when this all started.

I never even thought of reinstalling photoshop, but I think this was a font issue. I'd never saved an EPS with Fontesque OT Regular enabled, only Fontesque OT Bold. Somehow I think the font was causing the problem because ridding the font from the equation allowed me to open the EPS file.
After 12 HOURS of trying different things I found a WORK AROUND...
I had to:
- Select the Text in Photoshop (with Fontesque OT enabled) --> Select Create Work Path --> Covert to Shape on each of the text items
- Save EPS file out of Photoshop
- Disable Fontesque OT font in Font Book
- Then open EPS in Illustrator add in my Barcodes and export the PDF
(the barcodes have to be added in Illustrator because they need to be pure 100% black with no CMYK color in them. You can't save them out of Photoshop that way, only Illustrator, otherwise I would have made my pdf straight out of photoshop like any other normal human
This work around is the only way I could get the EPS files to open in Illustrator and still have the text remain super crisp like a vector.
NOTE to others in the future about crisp text from Photoshop to Illustrator:
- Simply "converting to shape" did not preserve the vector. You have to Select Create Work Path --> then Covert to Shape on each of the text items (with the font enabled) for this to work and preserve the crispness of the text. Even creating "smart object" did not truly preserve my vectors or the text crispness in the EPS file once I imported it into Illustrator.
DrStrik9 thank you SO MUCH for trying to help me. You did give me ideas that helped me figure out the workaround and also helped me feel not so alone as I struggled through this. I'm going to follow up with your other suggestions about reinstalling photoshop and also checking my RAM, etc. But I just want to that you so so so SOOOO much for all your time and consideration in this matter. I hope you have a wonderful amazing week ahead and that someone does something very nice and thoughtful for you too

Is there a way (script option, exporter option) to export a .psd/.psb file with nested layersets to another layered .psd file with a flat layer structure for greater compatibility? (i.e. CS6/CC/CC '14 to CS4 or older?)

Just looking for a solution short of having to go in and manually delve through hundreds of layers and reorganize the .psd. There's a lot of vector elements, layer effects and blending modes as well. It'd be nice to see Adobe include an exporter for older Photoshop versions that can take a newer file and regenerate it making whatever necessary changes to maintain compatibility across older Photoshop versions and even for cross-compatibility. I know that's not necessarily in their best interests for additional sales, but it is in the end-user's best interests when they collaborate with others across various file and application formats.

The first problem here is Layer Styles, if I understand what you are trying to do correctly. You can have arbitrarily nested Layer Sets/Groups (each with its own Layer Style) that contain Layers with their own Layer Styles. This means that for a nested layer, you would have to take it's Layer Style and merge it with the containing Group(s) layer styles in the correct order. Then you have to do the same thing with Layer/Vector Masks and whatever else is involved. It's a non-trivial piece of work. It's not intractable, however.
There is also the problem that some parts of the Layer Styles are binary blobs that make merging at the JS level impossible.
If someone has implemented this, I would love to see the implementation.
What you actually need may be a lot less complicated than the general case. If so, you may be able to find someone to help you out.
I wish you luck.

Exporting layout as Photoshop from Illustrator CS6 but some of the layers keep mergering

I have created a layout in Illustrator (CS6) and seperated the individual images I require into named layers. My intention is to export as a Photoshop file (keeping all the layers), then using 'Script' in Photoshop to 'Export layers to files..', so I can get automatically save all the elements in the layout as individual transparent png.
When I export the files as Photoshop a warning comings up saying that 'some layer have been merged' and then when I open this file in Photoshop, all but a couple of text layers have been merged into 1 layer. I think it's something to do with the transparencies set in Illustrator but don't know how to resove this.
If it can't be resolve in the method I am using at present, my only other option is to switch off all but 1 layer in Illustrator and export this layer as a png, but as I have many elements to the layout (including on and off states) and this is just one layout page of many, this manual way of export the files will take me forever!
If nobody know I way I can stop these layers from merger into one layer when exported to Photoshop, then maybe someone can suggest a way I can automatic export the layers I have set up in Illustrator, as transparent pngs in a simular way I can in Photoshop.
Any help anyone can give me would be MUCH appreciated, as I am on a short deadline for this project!
Julie

Layers are often merge becuase you've used transparency, blend modes, or other complex appearance settings in Illustrator. To ensure all layers export individually you should avoid the use of ANY and ALL transparency in AI and always export to the same color mode as your docuemnt.

Illustrator CS4 "out of memory" exporting to PSD

illustrator CS4 "out of memory" exporting to PSD.
settings to write layers at 300 dpi.
worked fine a week ago, suddenly no memory?
even tried with a 3 inch square and it would not export to Photoshop.
Works fine in CS6, but I don't always have access to CS6.
Message was edited by: hmoore234

Impossible to tell without actualyl knowing what your settings are. I stil lthink that this issue could be related to your color management or you inadvertently attaching soemthing odd to your graphics because you may have accidentally defined something as the default appearance and it now messes up the simplest object you draw... Perhaps you can provide soem screenshots....
Mylenium

Illustrator CS5 - Export to PSD merges layers that shouldn't be merged!

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