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Illustrator cloud documents | Common questions

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Illustrator

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  1. Illustrator User Guide
  2. Get to know Illustrator
    1. Introduction to Illustrator
      1. What's new in Illustrator
      2. Latest performance enhancements
      3. Illustrator release notes
      4. Common questions
      5. Illustrator system requirements
      6. Illustrator for Apple silicon
      7. GPU performance
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Create documents
      3. Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
      4. Accelerate workflows using the Contextual Task Bar
      5. Toolbar
      6. Default keyboard shortcuts
      7. Customize keyboard shortcuts
      8. Introduction to artboards
      9. Manage artboards
      10. Customize the workspace
      11. Properties panel
      12. Set preferences
      13. Touch Workspace
      14. Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
      15. Undo edits and manage design history
      16. Rotate view
      17. Rulers, grids, and guides
      18. Accessibility in Illustrator
      19. View artwork
      20. Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
      21. Files and templates
    3. Tools in Illustrator
      1. Tools at a glance
      2. Select tools
        1. Selection
        2. Direct Selection
        3. Group Selection
        4. Magic Wand
        5. Lasso
        6. Artboard
      3. Navigate tools
        1. Hand
        2. Rotate View
        3. Zoom
      4. Paint tools
        1. Gradient
        2. Mesh
        3. Shape Builder
      5. Text tools
        1. Type
        2. Type on a Path
        3. Vertical Type
      6. Draw tools
        1. Pen
        2. Add Anchor Point
        3. Delete Anchor Point
        4. Anchor Point
        5. Curvature
        6. Line Segment
        7. Rectangle
        8. Rounded Rectangle
        9. Ellipse
        10. Polygon
        11. Star
        12. Paintbrush
        13. Blob Brush
        14. Pencil
        15. Shaper
        16. Slice
      7. Modify tools
        1. Rotate
        2. Reflect
        3. Scale
        4. Shear
        5. Width
        6. Free Transform
        7. Eyedropper
        8. Blend
        9. Eraser
        10. Scissors
        11. Dimension
    4. Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
      1. Illustrator generative AI FAQs
      2. Generate scenes, subjects, and icons using text prompts
      3. Generate vector patterns using text prompts
      4. Generate vector shape fills using text prompts
      5. Recolor your artwork using text prompts
    5. Quick actions
      1. Retro text
      2. Neon glow text
      3. Old school text
      4. Recolor
      5. Convert sketch to vector
  3. Illustrator on the iPad
    1. Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
      1. Illustrator on the iPad overview
      2. Illustrator on the iPad FAQs
      3. System requirements | Illustrator on the iPad
      4. What you can or cannot do on Illustrator on the iPad
    2. Workspace
      1. Illustrator on the iPad workspace
      2. Touch shortcuts and gestures
      3. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the iPad
      4. Manage your app settings
    3. Documents
      1. Work with documents in Illustrator on the iPad
      2. Import Photoshop and Fresco documents
    4. Select and arrange objects
      1. Create repeat objects
      2. Blend objects
    5. Drawing
      1. Draw and edit paths
      2. Draw and edit shapes
    6. Type
      1. Work with type and fonts
      2. Create text designs along a path
      3. Add your own fonts
    7. Work with images
      1. Vectorize raster images
    8. Color
      1. Apply colors and gradients
  4. Cloud documents
    1. Basics
      1. Work with Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Share and collaborate on Illustrator cloud documents
      3. Share documents for review
      4. Upgrade cloud storage for Adobe Illustrator
      5. Illustrator cloud documents | Common questions
    2. Troubleshooting
      1. Troubleshoot create or save issues for Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Troubleshoot Illustrator cloud documents issues
  5. Add and edit content
    1. Drawing
      1. Drawing basics
      2. Edit paths
      3. Draw pixel-perfect art
      4. Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
      5. Draw simple lines and shapes
      6. Draw rectangular and polar grids
      7. Draw and edit flares
      8. Trace images
      9. Simplify a path
      10. Symbolism tools and symbol sets
      11. Adjust path segments
      12. Design a flower in 5 easy steps
      13. Create and edit a perspective grid
      14. Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
      15. Use objects as symbols for repeat use
      16. Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
    2. Measurement
      1. Measure distance and area
      2. Measure and plot dimensions
    3. 3D objects and materials
      1. About 3D effects in Illustrator
      2. Create 3D graphics
      3. Map artwork over 3D objects
      4. Create 3D Text
      5. Create 3D objects
    4. Color
      1. About color
      2. Select colors
      3. Use and create swatches
      4. Adjust colors
      5. Use the Adobe Color Themes panel
      6. Color groups (harmonies)
      7. Color Themes panel
      8. Recolor your artwork
    5. Painting
      1. About painting
      2. Paint with fills and strokes
      3. Live Paint groups
      4. Gradients
      5. Brushes
      6. Transparency and blending modes
      7. Apply stroke on an object
      8. Create and edit patterns
      9. Meshes
      10. Patterns
    6. Select and arrange objects
      1. Select objects
      2. Layers
      3. Expand, group, and ungroup objects
      4. Move, align, and distribute objects
      5. Align, arrange, and move objects on a path
      6. Snap objects to glyph
      7. Snap objects to Japanese glyph
      8. Stack objects    
      9. Lock, hide, and delete objects
      10. Copy and duplicate objects
      11. Rotate and reflect objects
      12. Intertwine objects
      13. Create realistic mockups
    7. Reshape objects
      1. Crop images
      2. Transform objects
      3. Combine objects
      4. Cut, divide, and trim objects
      5. Puppet Warp
      6. Scale, shear, and distort objects
      7. Blend objects
      8. Reshape using envelopes
      9. Reshape objects with effects
      10. Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
      11. Work with Live Corners
      12. Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
      13. Edit clipping masks
      14. Live shapes
      15. Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
      16. Global editing
    8. Type
      1. Add text and work with type objects
      2. Reflow Viewer
      3. Create bulleted and numbered lists
      4. Manage text area
      5. Fonts and typography
      6. Identify the fonts used in images and outlined text
      7. Add basic formatting to text
      8. Add advanced formatting to text
      9. Import and export text
      10. Format paragraphs
      11. Special characters
      12. Create type on a path
      13. Character and paragraph styles
      14. Tabs
      15. Preview, add, or replace missing fonts
      16. Arabic and Hebrew type
      17. Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
      18. Creative typography designs
      19. Scale and rotate type
      20. Line and character spacing
      21. Hyphenation and line breaks
      22. Spelling and language dictionaries
      23. Format Asian characters
      24. Composers for Asian scripts
      25. Create text designs with blend objects
      26. Create a text poster using Image Trace
    9. Create special effects
      1. Work with effects
      2. Graphic styles
      3. Appearance attributes
      4. Create sketches and mosaics
      5. Drop shadows, glows, and feathering
      6. Summary of effects
    10. Web graphics
      1. Best practices for creating web graphics
      2. Graphs
      3. SVG
      4. Slices and image maps
  6. Import, export, and save
    1. Import
      1. Place multiple files
      2. Manage linked and embedded files
      3. Links information
      4. Unembed images
      5. Import artwork from Photoshop
      6. Import bitmap images
      7. Import Adobe PDF files
      8. Import EPS, DCS, and AutoCAD files
    2. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator 
      1. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
    3. Save and export
      1. Save artwork
      2. Export artwork
      3. Create Adobe PDF files
      4. Adobe PDF options
      5. Use Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
      6. Collect assets and export in batches
      7. Package files
      8. Extract CSS | Illustrator CC
      9. Document info panel
  7. Printing
    1. Prepare for printing
      1. Set up documents for printing
      2. Change the page size and orientation
      3. Specify crop marks for trimming or aligning
      4. Get started with large canvas
    2. Printing
      1. Overprint
      2. Print with color management
      3. PostScript printing
      4. Print presets
      5. Printer's marks and bleeds
      6. Print and save transparent artwork
      7. Trapping
      8. Print color separations
      9. Print gradients, meshes, and color blends
      10. White Overprint
  8. Automate tasks
    1. Data merge using the Variables panel
    2. Automation with scripts
    3. Automation with actions
  9. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash issues
    4. Recover files after crash
    5. Safe mode
    6. File issues
    7. Supported file formats
    8. GPU device driver issues
    9. Wacom device issues
    10. DLL file issues
    11. Memory issues
    12. Preferences file issues
    13. Font issues
    14. Printer issues
    15. Share crash report with Adobe
    16. Improve Illustrator performance

Find answers to some common questions you may have about Illustrator cloud documents.

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FAQs | Cloud documents overview

Illustrator cloud documents are Adobe's cloud-native document file type that can be accessed online or offline directly from within the Illustrator application. These cloud documents can be accessed across devices while your edits are automatically saved on the cloud. To learn more about cloud documents, see What are cloud documents.

Read the following topics to learn more about Illustrator cloud documents:

What are the benefits of cloud documents?

Access files on the go

Autosave

Asset share

Here are some benefits of using Illustrator cloud documents:

  • Access all your work: Save your creative work as a cloud document and access it on all the devices where you have Illustrator installed. It's in the cloud wherever you work.
  • Reliability:  Save your project as a cloud document so that you never have to worry about losing your work as it gets auto-saved on the cloud.
  • Track version history: Easily view any version of your cloud document from within the app. Autosave keeps your document up-to-date and makes past versions available at hand.
  • Quality: Cloud documents store every layer at full fidelity. 

See also: Benefits of cloud documents.

What is the difference between cloud documents and Creative Cloud Files?

Your Creative Cloud plan includes different types of cloud storage—cloud documents, libraries, and Creative Cloud files (synced files). These have different uses and benefits.

  • Cloud documents and Creative Cloud Files are stored in different locations within your Creative Cloud account. 
  • Unlike cloud documents, Illustrator Creative Cloud files are not native to the cloud, and therefore do not have the same capabilities as cloud documents.

For more information, see Difference between cloud documents and Creative Cloud files.

Can I access cloud documents from Creative Cloud Libraries?

Cloud documents can be accessed from within the Illustrator app and from on the web at assets.adobe.com, but not from Creative Cloud Libraries.

Are cloud documents supported on Windows 7?

No, cloud documents are not supported on Windows 7. To find the complete list of supported OS versions, see Minimum system requirements for Illustrator.

FAQs | Cloud document workflows

Access and Save workflows

Other workflows

How do I access Illustrator cloud documents?

You can access your  Illustrator cloud documents from:

  • Illustrator: Cloud documents tab in the Illustrator home screen.
  • assets.adobe.com (web): Navigate to Creative Cloud > Files > Your work > Cloud documents.

To learn more about accessing your cloud documents, see Access Illustrator cloud documents.

Access cloud docs

How do I choose between saving cloud documents and local documents?

You can always choose between saving your Illustrator documents to the cloud or locally. Illustrator remembers how you saved or opened your most recently accessed document and will continue to present you with the same experience until you choose otherwise. 

For more details, see Create or save cloud documents.

How do I save my cloud documents as local files?

Illustrator enables you to save your Illustrator document as a local file. 

To learn more about the saving your documents, see Make cloud documents available offline.

save as local

How do I save my existing .ai documents as cloud documents?

To make your files accessible across your devices, you can convert  your .ai file to a cloud document and save it to the cloud. To do so, open Illustrator and select File  >  Save as  >  Save Adobe Cloud document. 

To learn more about the saving and working with your documents, see Create or save cloud documents.

Across devices

Can I bank upon autosave if my cloud documents are not manually saved for some reason?

Autosave feature is your savior! Even if you close the Illustrator cloud document without saving it manually, the autosave feature makes sure that your latest updates are automatically saved and synced onto the cloud. Similarly, if you work on multiple documents at the same time, all your updates get autosaved when you switch between the documents.

However, autosaving a large-scale document takes time and might have performance trade-offs, so the autosave feature is currently disabled for large-scaled documents.

How do I edit a cloud document on multiple devices?

Access cloud docs

You can open a document simultaneously on multiple devices using the same Adobe ID. However, if you edit and save the document on one device, and then try to edit and save the open document on the second device, there will be a document conflict.

If you have shared your document with a stakeholder, you and your stakeholder cannot open the document simultaneously.

Can I use linked objects in my cloud documents?

Linked objects
Linked objects get unlink on opening the cloud document on another device

Linked objects
Embed the objects in cloud documents to open them across devices

Linked Smart Objects are supported only on the device on which you create the cloud document. If you have used linked objects in cloud documents, then you need to embed the linked objects to avoid missing links warning when the document is opened on other devices. 

How do I work with cloud documents without Internet?

Yes, you can work offline with any cloud document that is currently available in your device cache. To make sure you have access to a cloud document locally, open the cloud document before going offline. You will then be able to find your project under the Recent section on the home screen and can continue to work. Your document changes will be saved to the cloud as soon as your device is reconnected to a network. 

To learn more about working offline with cloud documents, see Prepare to work offline with cloud documents.

Work offline

How do I get back to an older version of a cloud doc?

Go to assets.adobe.com > Files > Your work > Cloud documents. Open a cloud document and click the Timeline icon from the right side of the document preview. In the timeline view, you can find all your document versions listed. 

To view version history from within the app, go to File > Version History or Windows > Version History.

To learn more, see:

Version history

How do I clear my Creative Cloud storage quota?

The assets you delete while working on Illustrator remain in the Deleted section in the app home screen. As a result, these deleted assets will still consume cloud storage space. To clear up your cloud storage, select   for the document in the Deleted section and click Permanently Delete. 

To learn more about deleting your cloud documents permanently, see Delete files permanently from cloud storage.

Delete cloud docs

Related topics

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