No more support for eps or ai files?

[MatthewMessmer]

Hello,

I've been using iView up until now but I thought I would check out the trial of the new Expression Media 2 due to the positive feedback I read on this forum. However, I was surprised to find out that it seems they have removed support for eps and ai vector files. They no longer appear in the "illustration" list in Catalog Importers. Actually, it seems that most vector based files have been removed from the catalog importers. When I try to import the files by dragging them into the catalog nothing happens. Can anyone else confirm these findings or shed some light on this situation? I'm a bit puzzled as to why they would remove support for files that was already present in previous versions... 
I was rather looking forward to having the light table on a separate monitor 

Thanks,


- Matt Messmer
www.matthewmessmer.com

[johnbeardy]

Can't you add them via the custom text file - Custom.txt - in the program folder?

Then again, it only took me 5 minutes this morning and I found a serious bug (failure to import metadata from xmp sidecar files)....

John

[rcannonp]

If it helps to know, it's all there for me, and the EM2 trial has no problems importing eps or ai files.


–Cannon

[johnbeardy]

It might be a Windows/Mac thing. As I understand it, the Mac version still depends on QuickTime, but reliance on it is greatly reduced on Windows.

John

[rcannonp]

As I understand it, the Mac version still depends on QuickTime, but reliance on it is greatly reduced on Windows.

Quicktime doesn't seem to open EPS files. I think that postscript and PDF technologies are built into OSX. All of my Illustrator vector files have PDF listed as the file type. I figured that is where the support is coming from. Back in college they told us that graphic pros used Macs because Windows didn't support postscript fonts. I can't believe that would still be the case this day in age.

You might wait to see if any other Windows Illlustrator users chime in(if that's what you’re into).  In the meantime, I would try reinstalling the demo.

–Cannon

[MatthewMessmer]

I'm using windows so that might be part of the problem.
In iView eps and ai files would import but iView would only display the built in thumbnails saved with the file and wouldn't make new thumbs. I was hoping that the newer expression media might add this support, but that doesn't seem to the case.
I tried to add eps and ai files in the list in the custom.txt file, but it doesn't seem to work. Is there another option I need to check to force expression media to use the custom.txt file?
It does seem that quicktime reliance has been changed, but I'm not sure to what extent. With my Nvidia graphics card, iView would crash unless I switched quick time into safe mode and turned off Direct X support. Expression Media seems to run just file with Direct X controls enabled.

Thanks for the input. I look forward to seeing what experiences others may have had.


- Matt

[Dierk]

There's some file formats missing [on the Windows platform], even PSD. The problem, in my view, is the reliance on WIC and codecs - if there's no codec there's no import. I just saw the very reduced lists for non-image files today when I thought of importing AI, IDD and PDF files ...

[MatthewMessmer]

Dierk - Thank you for confirming the problem on your end. Do you know if this is something that is expected to be addressed in the future or has support been dropped for vector and other non image files?
I guess I'll be sticking with iView for the foreseeable future, at least for my vector files.

Thanks,


- Matt Messmer

[Dierk]

No idea what Microsoft plans on the Expression Media front. The best I can say right now is that the team behind it is very responsive even if developmental cycles are drawn out a bit [particularly compared to the minor release versions we have come to expect with iView].

Currently a number of [highly] annoying, sometimes crippling, bugs still need to be fixed. Curiously the ones most irritating to me seem to have been reported only by me, showing that conversion of images with xMedia ranks very low on most people's priorities. Another strange phenomenon is the half-hearted implementation of Virtual Earth, which has been developed for the free Pro Photo Tools in parallel, only much better. As if internal communication is hindered somehow by Seaattle's weather ...

As long as MediaPro v3.x works for you, you may stick with it. Be aware that it is not supported anymore, and that you have to stick with older [pre 7.4] versions of Apple Quicktime, making your machine vulnerable to exploits.

[billseymour]

Does anyone know whether iDimager can handle Ai vector files? Full support of PSD files? Perhaps Hert might drop by and shed some light.

Still looking for my 'Plan B' whenever I have to stop using iView- so far, EM still seems 'iffy' to me.

--Bill (PC, Vista)