# Adobe Illustrator -- File Problem!



## andrewk (Nov 23, 2005)

I operate Adobe Illustrator CS1 on OSX 10.39, etc -- mac mini.

I'm working on a drawing for a client with frequent (very frequent) saves because in the past my illustrator has been prone to glitches or fits for whatever reason. who really knows why a computer program does what it sometimes does? Well i went to save my progress with the Command+S Option and accidentally hit Q after. I wasn't worried because i save at least every minute or so. I went to go and open my .AI file up and it gave me the following message:

"Can't open illustration. The illustration contains an incomplete or garbled object description.

Offending operator: 'Bg'

Bb
0 0 0 Bh
1 (Unnamed gradient 1) 0 0 0 1 1.7392 0 0 0.8162
-6621.0034 1619.2339 Bg"

I became worried so i tried opening it up into Apples 'Preview' program. Opened it, it was all there. all of it. I could zoom in and see everything exactly as it had been in Illustrator. All the vectors were fine and in place, including the "Unnamed Gradient" shadow i had worked into the Illustration. I imported the .AI file into Flash just for the heck of it to see if it would work and even Flash imported it properly, opening it in vector form with all of it's layers and shadows, and Gradient features. All were separable and for the most part, editable because of the user interface. Things were a bit different. The drawing even imports to photoshop as a 'Placed' item onto the canvas. It can be enlarged and edited in size or DPI. I'm not too worried because i was nearly finished but i would like to go in and add a few tweaked changes, maybe play around with my background a bit more.

So i can't open up my drawing into my Illustrator for the life of me. I don't know what's wrong. From the error message, i obviously thought it had something to do with the Gradient i added but it just doesn't seem to make sense. Though on the other hand, i never ever use Gradients in Illustrator so I'm not at all familiar with the methods of employing them in my work. Not much..

Also, when i click the 'OKAY' button to get rid of the error message, it *does* take me to the next window which reads:

"Convert Color Mode:

This document contains objects using both CMYK and RGB color modes. Illustrator allows only one color mode per document. Which color mode would you like to use?"

And then it gives me the option of converting the entire .AI file over to RGB or CMYK. Pretty self explanatory. Picking either and then clicking okay, it also calls up my illustration file but only a few items are there while the rest of the canvas is left Blank and white with no vector points, layers, or hardly any color fills. Most of the items are gone or missing from view and they aren't hidden or just screened and outlined without color. Can't figure that one out either.

Does anyone know what i could do to fix or solve the problem? Am i missing a gradient patch or something for my copy of Illustrator, could that be it?

- Andrew


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## patrean (Nov 23, 2005)

Sounds an odd problem. 
Try opening the file in Acrobat, resave it under a different name and try again with illustrator.
Maybe it's Illustrator that has broken and not the file...I'm quite happy to have a go and open it with my copy if you get really stuck.
I know it's not much help now but personally I would never overwrite a file, I always save incremental numbered versions.


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## Natobasso (Nov 24, 2005)

I always save an entirely different file in a folder called BUJIC (back up just in case) so if the original file gets corrupted (As illustrator is prone to do) then I have a new file I can open.

In your case I think doing Andew's suggestion is a wise choice. Using different color modes as well as blends can really screw an illustrator file up, not to mention when you go to print it. 

Let us know what happens. Have you repaired permissions yet or moved your illustrator preference file? If you move the pref file out of system/library then illustrator is forced to create a new pref file, and this sometimes fixes problems.


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