"Include Linked Files"

[srk1401]

How can set "Include Linked Files" as default when I save a Illustrator Document? I use Illustrator cs4.

[Larry G. Schneider]

Are you really sure you want to? Cut/Paste will do what you want as will Link panel>Embed Image from the flyout.

[Jesseham-jc1rvC]

Also, a little trick - when Dragging and dropping files in, hold shift or have caps lock on to embed rather than link.

[srk1401]

What is actually the different between embed and linked files?

[Jesseham-jc1rvC]

Embedded means that the file is actually saved within the Illustrator file.

Linked means that you are referencing a file that exists outside of your Illustrator file.

Typically, you would leave your files linked as you are working on the file to ease any changes to them, possibly embedding them when you send your file off to the printer. 

(Note that if you do not embed your links before sending off your file, you will need to include any linked files as well. 3rd party apps "Scoop" or "ArtFiles" can help with that.)

[srk1401]

Waw, that's helping me a lot. Thank you!

[Scott Falkner]

The only advantage to embedding files is to make it easier to transfer the artwork to someone else, like a printer, since you don’t need to hunt down all the linked artwork and Illustrator, despite over 20 years of development and 15 versions, still has no package or collect feature. That’s right, Adobe has put zero effort into adding this necessary feature. Really.

However, the disadvantages are worse. If an embedded image needs to be edited there are limits to what can be extracted for editing in an external application like Photoshop. Even if it can be done, very few people know the never-officially-documented tricks needed to get the image data out into an external file. Interapplication cooperation between Adobe programs is primarily a big fat joke. The only thing “suite” about the Creative Suite is Adobe’s profits.

In short, it is almost always a mistake to embed files rather than link.

[Wade_Zimmerman1 · Accepted solution]

to add to the well thought out and informative replies above, there is an established work low many users prefer whenusing images in Illustrotr.

They generally link the files to save size of the ai File. When they are ready to send the file to the print they use the option in the Illustrator save as option panel they chose to included linked files. This embeds those lined file in the ai file.

So they need only do this one time with one command.

They usually make a copy for output for this purpose which they can delete from their harddrive later.

[PrepressPro1]

Don't mean to hijack the thread but I often wonder why when files are embedded into an illustrator sometimes the name for the file will show in the links panel and sometimes it won't. There seems to be no rhyme or reason why the names show up for some and others don't. And thanks for the tip on cap lock embedding when dragged in. I wondered why at times I was getting this behavior, now I know the cap lock was on.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

My only explanation for this is the one you are hinting at a bug. But without knowing or figuring out the trigger Adobe may never themselves see the issue first hand.

Still I think it is a bug.

[Jesseham-jc1rvC]

If you have embedded images within a symbol, they won't show up in the links panel until you expand the symbol.

[PrepressPro1]

yeah, I'm only talking about the linked file name after it is embedded.If the name won't show up and I need to relink to orignal art…

[PrepressPro1]

AAWK!

Looks like I've truly hijacked the thread now…

[RussMonsta]

This is not a helpful answer. what does this mean?

"""So they need only do this one time with one command.

They usually make a copy for output for this purpose which they can delete from their harddrive later."""

[RussMonsta]

This is an ask from the customers of illustrator.   If the customers want this then Adobe should ficus to satisfy them.

[Monika Gause]

  schrieb

This is an ask from the customers of illustrator.   If the customers want this then Adobe should ficus to satisfy them.

Please direct feature requests over there: http://illustrator.uservoice.com