Objects from CC library placed in document, then embedded, do not respond logically to alignment commands.
I've encountered this on three different apple machines over 2 years. Currently:
1. macOS Monterey 12.7.5
2. Illustrator 28.5
3. Create graphic (ex. a logo) and add it to a CC Library. Place the Object in a new document. Embed it. Use direct select tool to select bounding box and delete it (so logo can be selected to change fill color, for example). Try to align object to either key object or artboard. It's likely the logo will move errantly left or right.
4. I expect align to work as with a normal (non library) object.
5. Video attached.
Mitch Torbert
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I can confirm that.
But this happens not because of this is a library item specifically, but because of the way you get rid of the 'bounding box', as you wrote it
It’s not a bounding box — it’s a clipping path. When you delete it the way you did in the video, you get a clip group without a clipping path, and Ai goes mad working with this construct!Take a look in the Layers panel.
An embedded item from the library gets not a one, but TWO clipping paths, wrapped into each other (there is a dedicated request about not adding these: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/32168584).
This happens because Illustrator uses the PDF copy of the original placed artwork when importing an asset, and these clips get created (as funny as it sounds within the context) to maintain positioning and dimensions... and PDF format is used to allow assets to be readable across all Adobe applications that have access to libraries.Typically, if someone tries to align a clipping group with no clipping path, Illustrator will fix it, converting to a simple legal group (but not immediately — the first try will be off, just like in your video).
But in your case you have not one, but two groups nested!
So Ai never fixes the broken clipping, because the second clipping obscures the first flawed one.This is a mess, and it should be definitely fixed.
The workaround I can advise you for now to avoid this behavior is to stop deleting the clips like you do, and use these steps:
1. Object > Clipping Mask > Release command, as a hotkey (typically Cmd/Ctrl + Opt/Alt + 7), several times,
2. then Shift-click the actual artwork with Selection tool to remove it form the selection,
3. then Delete the clipping fluff.VectorFirstAid panel from Astute Graphics plugin bundle has a dedicated Remove Unnecessary Clip Groups, for this and similar cases, and I bet there were some free scripts for that as well...
By the way, native Select > Object > Clipping Masks command, followed by Delete, will not make clip groups into groups automatically. But again, unless you have to many of them nested, Ai will try to covert them the first time you do anything with them.
Finally, take a look at a short GIF attached for clarification.
