6 replies to this topic

[frax]

Hi, when looking at an illustrator file, is there some easy way one can determine what version it was saved for? I am on CS5 nowadays, and I need to deliver files for an older version, but things are getting mixed up...

Is there some way one can see this in Bridge?

[Jason]

If you open the file in a text editor not too far from the top it will have a section that says "<xap: CreatorTool>" this should show you what version created the file. I am still using CS3 so I hope it hasn't changed.

[mlbostwick]

If you are on a Mac, right-click the filename and Get Info. It will tell the version it was created in and saved as.

[Matthew Hampton]

Similarly, if you are on a PC, right-click and look a Properties. It will tell you the 'Type of file:'

[frax]

@Jason - I don't want to know which version create the file (I know that already!) - I want know what backwards compatibility level it was saved for!

@Matt - It tells me "Adobe Illustrator 15" regardless of what file it is. The Windows properties dialog does not look into the file in any way, it looks at the file system metadata and the file extension... (I think!)

To me - the craziest thing is that you can't see this in Adobe Bridge!

[Jason]

Sorry, let me try again. The only way I have been able to find this is in the actual file using a text editor. Open it then search for "%%Creator". That will tell you the version it was saved for. Right below that is "%%AI8_CreatorVersion", this is the version that created the file. Here are two samples from a CS file and a CS3 file.

Files saved for CS:

%!PS-Adobe-3.0
%%Creator: Adobe Illustrator® 11.0
%%AI8_CreatorVersion: 13.0.2
%%For: (Jason Clark) ()
%%Title: (Untitled-1.ai)
%%CreationDate: 11/11/10 7:14 AM
%%BoundingBox: 277 498 1159 1154
...

Files saved for CS3:


%!PS-Adobe-3.0
%%Creator: Adobe Illustrator® 13.0
%%AI8_CreatorVersion: 13.0.2
%%For: (Jason Clark) ()
%%Title: (Untitled-1)
%%CreationDate: 11/11/10 7:14 AM
%%BoundingBox: 277 498 1159 1154
...

[frax]

Thanks Jason, that solves it. Not the most easy way, but it would work!