Due to differences in the approach of how a document is created in Adobe Illustrator, some restrictions might apply.
One way only
Due to differences in document setup, the conversion from CHILI publisher (back) to AI is not supported.
A CHILI publisher document is usually created at the end of the process, to enable end-user access (B2B, B2C).
Supported document properties
Artboard measurements
Multiple pages; only when all artboards have the same size
Bleed
Locked Objects, flattening engine, effects
Many Illustrator effects and functionalities can’t be reproduced using native CHILI object model.
In order to preserve the visual aspect, complex items are converted to a PDF and placed inside a CHILI document as regular images. This process is called flattening. Flattened items are called “Locked objects”.
A converted document in CHILI editor would be a mix of editable items and locked objects.
The following items are always locked objects:
Groups
Clipped groups
Text on paths
Linked images whose format is not supported by the editor
Embedded images
Items that contains HSB colors
Objects managed by third party plugins
Illustrator documents can contain items managed by third party plug-ins, for example barcodes, variable data, custom marks. The CHILI AI converter has no access to these objects. They will be ignored during conversion.
In some rare cases, third party managed object could make Illustrator crash during the conversion process. If you use plug-ins from other vendors and detect crashes, please contact support.
Supported object properties
Rotation
Opacity
Blend mode
Stroke width
Stroke color
Stroke overprint
Fill color
Fill overprint
Supported blend modes
Normal
Multiply
Darken
Difference
Hard light
Lighten
Overlay
Screen
Other blend modes are converted to Normal
Rotation
Background
Adobe Illustrator relies on two different ways to track rotation of page items: rotation matrix and rotation property. Both can be modified independently either by Illustrator or by third parties plug-ins. Both can potentially contains values that does not reflect the real state of the page item.
Long story short: conversion of rotations may be defective, especially when third parties plug-ins were used to design the Illustrator document.
For the following objects, the rotation matrix is used:
Placed images
Rectangle-shaped text frames
In such cases, rotation value in CHILI editor may be different from the rotation value in Illustrator, even if the visual aspect of the object is correct.
In all the other cases, rotation property is used.
Images
Placed images are converted to image frames.
Clipped images are converted to image frames; frame will have the shape of the clipping path.
Embedded images are converted as locked objects.
Placed vector images (EPS, PDF) are always saved as AI to guarantee full compatibility with CHILI publisher.
Supported formats for placed images are:
JPEG
TIFF
PSD
JP2
EPS
PNG
GIF
PDF
AI
Colors
Illustrator can define swatches which are not global colors, while in CHILI publisher (like in Adobe InDesign) all defined colors are global.
Here is a comparison of the terms used by the two systems:
Illustrator | CHILI publisher |
Color | Custom color |
Swatch (without Global option) | Custom color when used on page items, otherwise ignored *** |
Swatch (with Global option) | Color |
Spot color | Spot |
Process color | CMYK, RGB, Lab |
The options “Import all swatches” will force the Global option on every swatch
Locked layers
To reduce the complexity of CHILI documents, you can use the Locked layers function.
This will improve the Editor speed. You might not need all vector elements, to be editable.
A Locked layer is an Illustrator layer that is converted to a single PDF during the conversion process. This PDF is then placed as an asset in CHILI publisher.
This has some advantages:
Faster conversion process
Faster upload to CHILI publisher
Visual aspect is always preserved
The CHILI document will be light and simple to use
Straightforward editing experience
Locked layer functionality is typically used on background layers, and on layers out of the editing scope.
To create a Locked layer, simply activate the lock icon in the Adobe Illustrator’s Layer panel.
