Opacity masks from Illustrator

[Macmann]

I am having a problem editing the attached file. I believe the opacity masks from Illustrator are the cause of my headache.
I would like to edit the white, silver and black independently of one another, but when I release the compound paths in PackEdge the wheels fall off. I must add that my Esko skills are not up to par with what I can do in Illustrator, but this file was provided by a client so I'm forced to do some forensic editing. I was hoping I was missing something in Esko that would make this easier to accomplish.

 

[Simon Ivarsson]

Packedge is much like Illustrator.
1st, dont ungroup!
2nd copy everything to a new layer and start removing what you don't want until you end up with exactly what you need. At the end compare the original with what you have created to ensure you didn't miss anything. Took me 5-10 min.View attachment simon-1CUF178130 test.pdf

 

[Dersu]

As Simon said, you don't need to ungroup or release compound to edit things in PE. Use preset level to control selections.Use dual windows to control vector objects easier. PE has lots of selection tools.

 

[Macmann]

Simon,
Thanks for the reply. I like what you said about no ungrouping and copying to a new layer but I still have a couple questions. When I select the white layer for example, as I click on the associated opacity gradient in the colors palette to edit the gradient, the silver is still being affected as well. How can I just affect the color I want without the other coming along for the ride. And secondly, do I have to be concerned about the process black that is in the inks palette which is associated with the opacity mask?

 

[Simon Ivarsson]

Macmann
Did you have a look at the file I attached?
Check the layer structure. I have split every colour into different layers.
So then you know you won't accidentally change any other colour.
Regarding the opacity mask, If the file looks ok in PE, then the outcome should be ok as well.
If its not, for some reason, then it's a clear bug that should be reported to Esko for evaluation.
To be on the safe side, check your ripped files before platemaking / delivery.

 

[Macmann]

Simon-Thanks for kicking me back in the water, I was flopping around like a fish on shore. I spent a great deal of time with a very patient tech from Esko and he concluded there was no real "fix" to the situation but more of a work around as you had suggested. I had gotten so focused on finding the correct dialog box or correct procedure I lost sight of the fact that sometimes you have to settle for a work around to move the project forward.That being said Esko admittedly has an issue with opacity masks. On a side note I found it interesting that the tech I dealt with was always sending me screen grabs of Illustrator's interface. Things that make you go Hmmm...

 

[Simon Ivarsson]

Unfortunately Esko had / have a strong focus on Illustrator with DeskPack plugins for a long time and I'm not sure how many experienced PE people they have left. And since the "merge" with ArtworkSystems in 2007, Artpro has defiantly been the preferred standalone editor. So I'm not surprised that you get AI screen shots from customer support.
I started working with PE when it was called "LW Brix" on my SG workstation in -99. But now I don't have PE anymore, and I'm missing it every day. Sorry, that was a bit of topic.

With this file I would actually get rid of the opacity mask. It just makes the file more complex than it has to be.