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Computers and Software => Raster and Vector Manipulation Programs, and How to Do Stuff in Them. => Topic started by: blue moon on May 07, 2013, 09:55:06 AM

Title: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: blue moon on May 07, 2013, 09:55:06 AM
every now and then, we get files that have the properties set in some other program and when opened in Illy there is no place to reset it. For example, we have a file that prints one part at 50% and looking through the layers, appearance, attributes and anything else I can think of, nothing is showing. There is no indication that the layer will print at 50% until it is sent to the printer. If we are lucky, we will see that the element is printing with halftones rather than solid before it goes to the press. . .

So now that I know there is a problem, I tried to reset the element to normal, but can not find the way to do it. In the end, I went up to styles, selected one and then changed it to proper color. Is there a way to find out if any elements have these properties and is there a better way to remove them?

pierre
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Sbrem on May 07, 2013, 10:07:28 AM
You know, I had a rash of these about a year ago. Now, if I can only remember what I did to fix it since I haven't had one since then. You want to email me a file to check out? Maybe it will jog my memory...

Steve
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Denis Kolar on May 07, 2013, 10:10:09 AM
Sometimes, if the style is applied to a group, when you click only on one part of the group it will not show you the style applied.
When in Appearance pallet, check if the word "Group Appearance" shows up in it (Or something like that). When you click on it, it will select the whole group.

I hope that is an issues you are seeing.
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: JBLUE on May 07, 2013, 10:27:51 AM
How about flattening the transparency and editing it from there with the percentage of color you need?
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: blue moon on May 07, 2013, 10:42:11 AM
OK, just made the file . . . You'll notice there are no settings anywhere and it prints at 50% (or so).

pierre
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Denis Kolar on May 07, 2013, 10:50:49 AM
It has 12% "Spot White"
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Denis Kolar on May 07, 2013, 10:51:55 AM
In the color panel that is
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Denis Kolar on May 07, 2013, 10:52:43 AM
Here is the screen caption
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: JBLUE on May 07, 2013, 10:54:42 AM
I get 100% in CS5. Both elements are at 100%.
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: blue moon on May 07, 2013, 11:02:37 AM
It has 12% "Spot White"

yup, that's it! I had the stroke in the front so I did not see it.

any way to quickly check for this?

pierre
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Denis Kolar on May 07, 2013, 11:11:18 AM
It has 12% "Spot White"

yup, that's it! I had the stroke in the front so I did not see it.

any way to quickly check for this?

pierre

I printed the separations to the PDF printer. Looked at the PDF and there it was :)
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 07, 2013, 11:51:45 AM
Weird.  It's at 12 percent, but why isn't the orange color showing through in illustrator?  Is there some setting on the white object that doesn't render the percent fills as shades on top of the orange?  I'm lost lol.  When I pull the fill slider down on the orange it gets lighter as you would expect.  But on the white, it gets, brighter/same.
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: ZooCity on May 07, 2013, 02:53:05 PM
I preflight check for this, like DK.  Enter your print setting just like you would to the rip but print to a postscript file.  Drag the .ps into distiller and check each plate in greyscale for this.  I think filmmaker has that raster preview though, like was in Fast Rip? 

Second checkpoint is with the newman pin lock, you line each film up on the light table and have that opportunity to catch it.  I put the light table and grid in the office right next to the printer so I can stay on it.

Last check is on the darkroom light table when pinning the films.  Still, this crap gets through!  I swear there's an illustrator gnome that likes to cause mischief like this. 
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: blue moon on May 07, 2013, 04:23:13 PM
I preview in the FIlm Maker and can see it there.  The problem is when there are multiple gradients and some are good and some are bad. Especially when  the art is coming from a customer, it's hard to tell just by looking at it.

My hope was there was a way to find these before they go to the printer. Unfortunately it looks like going to the colors panel will be the only way.

pierre
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Sbrem on May 07, 2013, 04:30:14 PM
Weird.  It's at 12 percent, but why isn't the orange color showing through in illustrator?  Is there some setting on the white object that doesn't render the percent fills as shades on top of the orange?  I'm lost lol.  When I pull the fill slider down on the orange it gets lighter as you would expect.  But on the white, it gets, brighter/same.

click the element, and in the transparency pallet, change the drop down to "Multiply" (I think anyway, no time to check right now)

Steve
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Denis Kolar on May 08, 2013, 07:42:10 AM
Weird.  It's at 12 percent, but why isn't the orange color showing through in illustrator?  Is there some setting on the white object that doesn't render the percent fills as shades on top of the orange?  I'm lost lol.  When I pull the fill slider down on the orange it gets lighter as you would expect.  But on the white, it gets, brighter/same.

click the element, and in the transparency pallet, change the drop down to "Multiply" (I think anyway, no time to check right now)

Steve

That would work for anything but the white. White will disappear over the other color
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Sbrem on May 08, 2013, 08:48:41 AM
Weird.  It's at 12 percent, but why isn't the orange color showing through in illustrator?  Is there some setting on the white object that doesn't render the percent fills as shades on top of the orange?  I'm lost lol.  When I pull the fill slider down on the orange it gets lighter as you would expect.  But on the white, it gets, brighter/same.

click the element, and in the transparency pallet, change the drop down to "Multiply" (I think anyway, no time to check right now)

Steve



That would work for anything but the white. White will disappear over the other color

You are correct, I was thinking of a white gradient, D-oh. Still, how can this be previewed? The problem is in the making, where they should have used the color at 100% with a 12% transparency, then it would be visible...

Steve
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: cvreeland on May 08, 2013, 09:15:52 AM
That's one of the shortcomings of Illustrator - Adobe makes the assumption that everything in the world prints on white paper, so 0% white looks the same as 100% white.

I have a template that I use that I have a "Spot White" swatch in that is actually tinted lt. blue & the first thing I do when I get a new file is to copy everything into that template, add a background layer with a rectangle that's the shirt color, then I select all the white bits & turn them into my "spot white" & problems quickly become apparent.

Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: blue moon on May 08, 2013, 09:46:17 AM
That's one of the shortcomings of Illustrator - Adobe makes the assumption that everything in the world prints on white paper, so 0% white looks the same as 100% white.

I have a template that I use that I have a "Spot White" swatch in that is actually tinted lt. blue & the first thing I do when I get a new file is to copy everything into that template, add a background layer with a rectangle that's the shirt color, then I select all the white bits & turn them into my "spot white" & problems quickly become apparent.

I am stealing that idea! My spot white has been slightly grayish, but that is sometimes hard to see. Adding a little bit of color will make it much better! Thanx for that tip.

pierre
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: Sbrem on May 08, 2013, 04:09:55 PM
I just create spot white, with no tint, and it prints.
Title: Re: help resetting invisible leftover/imported properties in Illustrator. Any ideas?
Post by: cvreeland on May 13, 2013, 11:09:31 AM
I just create spot white, with no tint, and it prints.

Sure  it'll print, but when you've got clients sending you files with white in them, and they've used 0% black for some, 0% cmyk for other bits, 0.5% cyan for yet other bits, and you've got to hunt them all down and turn them in to one color, it really helps to be able to see which ones you've caught & which ones you haven't.

The record so far over here is 8 different colors of "white." Amateur "power users" are dangerous with the cmyk sliders.