: What is the recommended way to export a logo from Sketch to Illustrator? I've always been intimidated by Illustrator and it's pen tool to the point that I void using it. I usually do everything

@Yeniel278

The preferred file format is EPS which has been an Adobe pre-requisite for 20 years back to the early postscript printers and Adobe Type Manager on Mac OS 6. Illustrator's vector pre-decessor, Freehand (formerly by Macromedia) also worked best with EPS files. It might not like everything you produce in Sketch though which is down to that programme. I believe that Sketch is primarily aimed at vector to font / web applications rather than serious vector design (like say biscuit packaging).

In terms of SVG as a vector format, I only use this to deliver transparent icons to my web author team mates so that they are easily edited in code and download quickly - we convert them into a font. Otherwise I stick with EPS or the originating AI file.

Speaking of Illustrator, if you can get access to a copy I would persevere with learning it as it is an industry standard, assuming you will move on to some more complex vector work in time. I understand your feelings totally and as a former Freehand user I resisted the move until my Mac would no longer install Freehand (I keep a 2006 Mac with 10.6 so that I can still use it).

Illustrator on first use, is overly complex as it adopts wider Adobe software palettes and shortcuts, great if you know Indesign, odd otherwise. For example, in Freehand you can colour a stroke within the stroke tool palette (logical) whereas in Illustrator (CS6) you have to go to another vertical Photoshop like palette and select fill or stroke first. I appreciate there will be a key shortcut before anyone jumps on me - my point here is as a new adopter it isn't the easiest software to work with. Another example; the way transparency works with the expand control and the canvas being white by default (even when its actually transparent) is real confusing when you first start (I had to Google that one). Easy in Freehand.

However, once you get into it and have followed a couple of tutorials it is flexible, resilient and fast... I can create a simple transparent icon now and export to SVG in minutes. Here is an example I made on my second look at the programme - no scan or font in this.



Best wishes and happy learning

P

Vote Up Vote Down

@Si6392903

Ah, yes, PDF... lovely support for transparent gradients, which I'm assuming is what happened to your file.

From the Sketch Documentation on File Formats for Export:



PDF or EPS: Preserve vector objects. Note that transparent gradients are not supported in the PDF standard.



In your case, exporting an SVG might yield the result closest to what you're looking for: preserving your gradients and maintaining editable text layers.

I nearly always find myself exporting SVGs when I want to move from Sketch into another program (even Photoshop). But there's a bit of a caveat in that same document from above:



SVG: SVG support is quite good on shapes and text support, however, shadows are not supported.

Vote Up Vote Down