@Rick: My comment about larger file sizes simply meant that with PDF compatibility selected, your AI file will be larger than if saved without. In my experience the files size does increase, not always much but sometimes substantially, when saved with PDF compatibility. Your experience may be different.

It also always takes much longer to save the file with than without. I imagine that's highly dependent on the art you're working with though among other things I don't have a complete understanding of.

As for InDesign: Jeremy's original post mentioned it as the reason for saving with PDF compatibility in the first place. Why else would you save an AI file with PDF compatibility? The only reason to do so is to make the file readable in other Adobe CC applications without native support for the illustrator file format. If you don't need that feature then it's easy enough to turn off and save the HDD space and save time.

I completely agree with the request though, if the option is provided why isn't the option given to set which PDF standard/other settings to use for that portion of the file? It does make sense to include it for those users who regularly need to work with AI files as linked assets in InDesign or other CC applications.

Just looking for the ability to control the setting for the embedded PDF portion. I know we can save as a PDF with an embedded AI file but that will cause some problems with our workflow. File size will be reduced if we don't embed linked content and can also specify that the embedded PDF down-samples images to a DPI of our choosing.

Try this: Save an AI file with a linked 600 DPI image (full-tabloid-page) with PDF compatibility off and another with PDF compatibility on. Make sure the embed linked option is OFF on both. Compare file size. We want the ability to adjust the DPI of the embedded PDF elements to reduce the file size. Settings control identical to that when saving as a PDF would be preferred. Thanks.

Lance is 50% correct so please keep that mind. The files WILL NOT be larger. No file will ever be as large using the current default. We want to save using the better formats like PDF/X4:2008. And I have no idea why he's fixated on InDesign.. this has NOTHING to do with it.

For anyone who comes here and is not familiar with the concept:

When you save/create an AI file with Illustrator and have "PDF Compatible" setting ON, you're saving an AI file that contains a PDF as embedded data. When you place this file into inDesign, you're seeing the PDF data *not* the illustrator data.

Similarly, when you save/create a PDF with Illustrator and have "illustrator edting" setting ON, you're saving a PDF file that contains the original illustrator file as "private data" within the PDF. When you place this file into inDesign, you're seeing the PDF data *not* the illustrator data.

What's being requested is the ability to select a PDF joboptions (or PDF options preset) for the embedded PDF in the illustrator file so that you get exactly what you want in InDesign or similar.

The only real downside to all of this is massively increased file sizes. Better bet would be to just export or save a PDF from illustrator as a finished artwork and place that into InDesign.

When saving an AI file, in order to ,make compatable with other adobe products that don't support native AI format (INDD, etc), we have to save with "Create PDF Compatable File" checked. However, there is so way to adjust the PDF/compression settings. Everything gets embedded at full resolution/quality. This negates using linked assets to conserve file space.

Please add the ability to change the PDF quality settings of the "Create PDF Compatable File" options when saving in AI format.