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Illustrator 29.8.2 saved .ai-file containing outdated pdf-version

We have a user that several times has encountered a serious bug with saving documents. Currently on version 29.8.2 (the latest available for us in the CC desktop app as of today). Windows 11.

Attached is an AI file showing the bug. Try opening it in e.g. Photoshop and Illustrator. You get very different versions.

It is a "PDF compatible file" saved from Illustrator, so it contains a PDF version for other apps to use, but this embedded PDF version shows an older version of the illustrator file (so opening it in Illustrator looks fine, but when using it in e.g. InDesign, you get an old version)!

Steps (as far as I can gather):

  1. An Illustrator file has been opened in Illustrator 29.8.2.
  2. The illustrator file has been saved (File > Save) - likely a couple of times - then closed.

Result: AI file with outdated version in the embedded PDF. All other apps show the wrong version.

To fix it, all we have to do is re-save the file, and then it works. So it's not consistent, and hard to reproduce.

At least during this last occurence, the user was working from home via VPN, so the network connection was a bit slower than usual if that matters. The Illustrator preferences for saving should be the default settings (attached screenshot). I believe the setting for "slow networks" does so that Illustrator saves the file locally before transferring it, so network speed shouldn't affect the result?

Since it has happened at least a few times, we now have to manually check every time we save a file if it is actually properly saved (by checking it in InDesign/FrameMaker/etc. to verify the latest changes are included). Not good.

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  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    @Egor Chistyakov; I have disabled background save on our computers. But the two sample files I provided with the bug were created prior to this.

    Since it happens so rarely, and when it happens we might not always even notice, it is not yet possible to know if it has had any effect. We will simply have to wait a month and then if the issue has not reappeared by then, then it is likely disabling background save helped. :(

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    Here's another file from last week showing the bug: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X2D695VgrQBh4jFbcBqubhudMPiy8mFs/view?usp=sharing

    The gray square bottom left is in the PDF version but not in the AI version. Re-saving fixes it. Annoying. We have hundreds of illustrator files, and no way of knowing if any of them are bugged at any point without visually comparing the file in AI and another app. :grimacing_face:

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    Encountered it personally on v30 recently. So latest update does not change the behaviour.

    Windows 11, file is on a network drive, background save on (but have not yet verified if related).

  • monokano commented  ·   ·  Report

    Since the background function was introduced in 2020 (24), PDF compatibility issues have started occurring. This is a bug that has persisted for 5 years now. The characteristic of this bug is that it occurs randomly and is impossible to reproduce.
    The only workaround is to disable the background function.

    ---
    バックグラウンド機能が搭載された2020 (24) 以降、互換PDF不良が発生するようになりました。5年も続いているバグです。このバグの特徴は、発生がランダムであり、再現が不可能なことです。
    唯一の回避策はバックグラウンド機能を無効にすることです。

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    The problem you linked is different than the bug we are seeing.

    Unfortunately, we are unable to recreate it on purpose, it only happens rarely, and simply doing another save fixes it, so really hard to verify if «save in background» is causing it (but worth a try). :(

    Hopefully Adobe can determine more by inspecting the bugged file example.

  • AdminEgor Chistyakov (Admin, Adobe Illustrator) commented  ·   ·  Report

    Jonas, please try to disable Save in Background option and resave the file.
    It seems to be buggy, as reported here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/50611952
    Comment back if it makes a difference.

    I’ve also requested the access for the file you shared.
    UserVoice seems to have problems with attaching .ai-files now... I reported this.
    For now zipping it seems a viable workaround.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    It kept blocking the file. Attempting to attach the .ai again here.

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