The same can be said for other features and extensions within Illustrator that aren’t present in Inkscape. This is the unfortunate nature of working cross-platform, and it extends far beyond Inkscape and Illustrator.įor example, text objects that weren’t converted to curves before saving the AI file likely won’t translate well once you open them with Inkscape. Regardless of what kind of AI format you’re working with, it’s possible that you simply won’t be able to open the file because it contains the proprietary code for Adobe Illustrator. In this instance you won’t be able to open the file with anything other than Illustrator, whether it’s modeled after the PostScript or the PDF format.Īnother thing to take into consideration is that whenever you open a file with an application other than that in which it was created, there’s likely going to be properties that get lost in translation.

pdf by renaming it, then try it again.Ĭheck out my post on making Inkscape’s interface dark if you’d like to do so yourself. If for whatever reason that doesn’t work, simply change the file’s extension from. In most cases, you can simply open up a new document and click and drag the AI file directly onto the canvas and it will import the same way a traditional PDF file would. ai extension.) These formats include versions 9, 10, and CS through CS6.Īs we all know by now, Inkscape handles PDF files without a hitch, therefore newer AI files should work just as well. That’s because newer versions of Illustrator have abandoned the outdated PostScript format and instead use PDF (even though the file still ends with the. Most newer AI formats open just fine with Inkscape. Here’s the link to download Ghostscript as referenced: Adobe Illustrator 9.0 Format and Above Once you’ve done that, watch the following video for step-by-step instructions on how to install Ghostscript and configure it to work with Inkscape.Ī special thanks to Open Source Bug on Youtube for making this helpful video. Ghostscript is what’s needed for Inkscape to open those older AI files, and you’ll need to install it if you’d like to do so.īefore you install Ghostscript, be sure to change the extension of the AI file you’re trying to open from. Unfortunately, Inkscape isn’t capable of opening PostScript formats when you’re running the application on Windows or Mac because the installation packages for those environments do not have Ghostscript included.

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