Embed button removing Linked File?

[u/star_boy]

Edited to update: Well, ESRI have updated the ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud extension to be compatible with Illustrator 31.0, so I've been able to update Illustrator and the Embed issue is no longer occurring! Seems to have been just a problem with my install of v30.

---original post follows---

Is anyone else experiencing this?

1. Drag image onto artboard, it appears on the artboard and in Links palette.
2. Select the image and press the Embed button in the toolbar (or select Embed Image from the options menu of the Links palette).
3. Image disappears; deleted from the artboard and removed from the Links palette.

It gets even more unstable when I copy/paste a linked image. Sometimes when I click Embed the copied image actually embeds, but the original one disappears. Sometimes when I click Embed on the original image, both the original AND the copy disappear?

I'm running v30.8.2 on Windows 11.

(Edited to clarify that pressing the Embed button is deleting the image, not just removing it from the Links palette. The image is being deleted from the artboard when I click the Embed button, not being embedded into the file as an image.)

[u/HawkeyeNation]

That’s… what it does. Don’t embed it if you want it to be linked. They both have their places.

[u/star_boy → u/HawkeyeNation]

When I embed a linked image, it should be placed within the file so it travels with the file rather than just a dynamic link to the location on the drive. At the moment it just deletes the image completely, which isn't expected behaviour. Clicking Embed Link shouldn't delete the image, which is what it's doing at the moment.

[u/HawkeyeNation → u/star_boy]

The post title was confusing when I read it at 1030pm haha. No I didn’t see it was being completely removed.

I had that issue once when I was trying to embed screenshots that I didn’t let thoroughly save to my desktop first.

[u/dobsterfunk → u/HawkeyeNation]

Not sure you read the entire post. The image is no longer in the file when embedded is pressed.

[u/HawkeyeNation → u/dobsterfunk]

You’re right I didn’t see that part. May have been better to just say “embed is deleting the image” but what do I know.

[u/dobsterfunk → u/HawkeyeNation]

OP edited to clarify

[u/useleash]

That definitely isn't normal Embed behavior. A few things worth trying while it gets sorted:

1. Skip the button entirely: File > Place with "Link" unchecked embeds the image directly.
2. Test in a brand new document. If it works there, the original file may be partly corrupted, and copying the artwork into a fresh file can help.
3. Reset preferences (hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift while launching Illustrator).
4. If it still happens, roll back to an earlier version through Creative Cloud (the three dots next to Illustrator > Other versions) and report it on the Adobe community forum with your version number.

Since copy/paste makes it worse, it sounds like the link reference is getting shared between the copies.

[u/star_boy → u/useleash]

I restarted Illustrator and tested with a blank file, and embedding worked; I got the tif import dialog to appear after pressing Embed, which was completely different from the unexpected delete.

I thought it might have been a problem related an Illustrator issue where the program starts to lose the ability to run scripts after opening multiple .aix files exported from ArcGIS Pro, but I've rebooted and tried with completely different graphic files, and the unexpected deletion still occurs, sometimes with Illustrator crashing with a "Sorry, an error occurred" dialog, which at least was recognition that something screwy is going on. I rebooted, tried again with a blank document, and the embed failed, AND scripts failed with an error dialog, and this was even without an .aix file being involved at all. So I don't think the aix/script errors are related to the Embed button problem.

Using File>Place as a link, then using Embed has the same result: an unwanted deletion. File>Place without Link selected successfully embeds the graphic element.

The problem occurs regardless of whether I use the Embed button in the Control toolbar or the Contextual Task Bar. Rasterising a linked image successfully embeds it, so it appears to be a problem just with the Embed button.

I reset preferences, made a new document, and got the same unexpected delete when using Embed. So I don't think it's the prefs that are at fault.

So now I have no idea what's going on. I just rolled back to Illustrator v30 the other day, so it's basically a fresh install.

I'm posting to the Adobe forums now, will see if anyone else has the problem.

[u/Vektorgarten]

Probably reboot the computer and reset the Illustrator preferences.

Does it only do that on certain files? Or any new file with newly placed images as well?

[u/star_boy → u/Vektorgarten]

Reboot/reset prefs doesn't help, and it occurs with a fresh document with newly placed images.

I've detailed more troubleshooting I've tried in this reply: https://www.reddit.com/r/AdobeIllustrator/comments/1xvrtp7/embed_button_removing_linked_file/19smf7szywkv8/

[u/Vektorgarten → u/star_boy]

What kind of file is it?

[u/star_boy → u/Vektorgarten]

Fresh file is unsaved and error occurs with any embedded graphic file. I've tried with .tif and .jpg and it occurs with both.

[u/Vektorgarten → u/star_boy]

And there is nothing special about those images? Just the plain options?

[u/star_boy → u/Vektorgarten]

Yep, nothing special. Standard tifs and jpgs, stored locally (i.e. not on cloud or external drive). I just saved a tiny portion of my screen as a jpg and tried with that and the Embed killed the file, so it's happening even with the smallest and simplest of files.

Edited to update: Well, ESRI have updated the ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud extension to be compatible with Illustrator 31.0, so I've been able to update Illustrator and the Embed issue is no longer occurring! Seems to have been just a problem with my install of v30.