Transparency files in InDesign

[Alison_G1]

Is It possible to save a file that has a transparent background and place it in Illustrator?

[BobLevine]

Export to PDF, but I’ll bite…why are you doing this?

[Alison_G1]

Thanks for the quick reply.  I had exported it as an .eps and placed it to Illustrator but the background was white. Then I saved it an an .png,but the colour mode is RGB not CMYK.

The reason for this is my colleauge designed the graphics for a packaging in InDesign (arghh). I have recreated it in Illustrator but she had these graphics that was a rectangle box with a colour to transparency gradient, drop shadow and in the effect box had a gradient feather, which is not a feature in Illustrator.

So I thought I thought i would leave it in Indesign and see if I could export it and place it into illustrator.

I have attached some images.

An images sits behind this and you can see the image through the transparancy

This one goes underneathe so an .eps is fine

[Doug A Roberts]

eps files don't have transparency, and PNGs can only be RGB, so yeah, PDF...

[Alison_G1]

Hello Doug, Thanks for that I will export it as a PDF. Do you know if Illustrator can do this gradient feather?

[Doug A Roberts]

as i understand it, that's just a gradient with one or more stops transparent, which illustrator can certainly do.

[Alison_G1]

For instance in Illustrator, I create a retangular box and put a gradient fill in green on one slider its 100% opacity and the other end is 0% opacity.

Then I add a drop shadow underneath, the colour isn't the same and I lose the green transparency, but it doesn't happen in Indesign as you saw from my previous images.

[Doug A Roberts]

i don't know which objects have that applied in your images.

[Alison_G1]

I was to a rectangle, but it could be any shaped object.

[Doug A Roberts]

this is an object in illustrator with a green-green gradient where one end has zero opacity, then a drop shadow applied. is this not what you expect?

[rob day]

Don't use EPS that will flatten the transparency—you can see the stitching artifacts in you captures. Export to PDF/X-4 and place that in AI.

[Alison_G1]

Hi Rob,

I will try that too, thanks.

[JonathanArias]

why not just place the illustrator graphic into the indesign layout you already have. you are working backwards if you want to created in indesign and place into illustrator.

just my two cents.

[Alison_G1]

If you go back to my orginally posting, the graphics were done originally in InDesign and not Illustrator and its an effect in InDesign in the Gradient palette.

My reason for re-creating this in Illustrator is that InDesign itsn't the software to use when creating packaging files with graphics etc, its a multiple page application (like Quark). It just make my life easy for me and others if it need editing in the future. I just hate it when my ex-colleagues designed in InDesign (

I just hate it when my ex-colleagues designed in InDesign (argghhh)!

[Doug A Roberts · Accepted solution]

are you asking if an INDD file can be placed in Illustrator? I don't think so, no.

[Willi Adelberger]

Yes, you can place a file in Illustrator.

Export as PDF/X-4 and in Illustrator File > Place …

Only link the file, never embed or open it.

Another way since CC 2017 is to use CC Libraries. Select all items you want to use in Illustrator and add them to a CC Library. From there you can use it in Illustrator or Photoshop or …

[Alison_G1]

That you Willi,

My original question was about recreating a graphic that was done in InDesign in Illustrator from scratch and not about placing an image from InDesign to Illustrator. But your relpy is noted like the others for future reference, thanks!