This is a useful way of creating presentations, as you can add different files such as co-ordinating designs, company logos and room sets.
When you embed one document into another, it forms a bond between the two files. The embedded document does not actually exist in the destination document, it merely forms a link to the original. This saves space, because no copies are made.
There are several ways to embed documents into Layout, so choose whichever is the most appropriate for you from the following:
- use the Embed command to embed documents which are not currently open
- use the Embed from open documents command to embed open documents
- drag documents directly from a Finder Window
- drag the documents proxy icons from open documents. This is the small thumbnail which appears beside document name along the top of the window
All embedded documents are automatically minimised into your dock, which helps you to maintain a clean working environment within the AVA software.
Embedding designs directly from a Finder Window
- Open a design in AVA and go to Window Menu > Layout.
- Go to Layout Menu > Embed, or click on the Embed File button in the toolbar. A window will open.
- Locate the file(s) you wish to embed, select them and click Open. The design(s) will open and minimise into the dock, allowing the Layout Window to be visible at all times. The first colourway from each design will appear on the Layout Window.
- Arrange the designs on the page. The Nesting feature works brilliantly for this. Repeat as necessary for more designs, logos or documents.
Any partial images which have been saved as .ava4 files (by dragging them directly from the Layers Palette to the Finder) can be embedded directly into the Layout Window by dragging them directly from the Finder Window onto the page. Because Partial Images contain masks, they can create stunning presentations.
Embedding designs which are open in AVA
- Open a design in AVA and go to Window Menu > Layout.
- Open a second design and click back on to the Layout window of the first design.
- Go to Layout Menu > Embed from open document, or use the toolbar icon. If you only have your original and new design open, the new design will automatically be embedded on the Layout Window. If you have three or more designs open at once, a window will open allowing you to choose which of the open documents to embed.
- Move the embedded design on the page and recolour it as required. Repeat as necessary for other design
Embedding by dragging a file or proxy icon
In addition to the methods described above, it is also possible to embed designs by dragging and dropping. This way, it can be faster and more convenient to drag and drop logos and associated designs that you are already working with.
Files which are not currently open can be selected and dragged from the Finder Window directly into the Layout Window. Once the file is dropped in place, it will open in AVA and a colourway of it will appear on the page.
Open designs can also be added to a Layout Window, simply by dragging and dropping their Proxy Icon. The proxy icon is the small thumbnail picture of the file that you see next to the file name in the title bar. If the design has been modified however, the proxy icon will appear grey and it will only be possible to drag it to the Layout Window in this way if you first save the file.
Saving and opening Layout Windows which have embedded designs
When saving the main document, information about the embedded document is also saved. The main file will remember which file was embedded, where it was positioned on the page, which colourway was showing, and the scale it was viewed at.
When a Layout Window with embedded designs is saved and reopened, all embedded files will automatically reopen with it and will appear on the page just as they were when the file was saved, as long as you have set up your Layout Settings appropriately.
Open the AVA Settings pane and click on the Layout icon.
Owning documents folder
This is the folder in which the embedded files belonged at the time the Layout Window was saved. If this option is ticked, this will be the first location AVA searches upon opening a Layout Window which contains embedded files. The owning documents folder can be on your local hard drive, or on a server. If your embedded designs are saved in separate folders, all folders will be searched as each of them are owning documents folders. This will only happen if you are connected to the relevant server. Once located, the embedded files will be loaded into the Layout Window.
In folder
If embedded designs have been moved from their original folder, or you cannot connect to the folder containing the owning documents folder, a secondary search will take place in the folder the user specifies here. To specify a folder, simply drag the folder from the Finder window, to this location and tick the option.
This means the user can have copies of the embedded files saved locally on their hard drive and these will be embedded automatically.
Note: It is recommended both options are ticked in this preference. If the software cannot locate the embedded files when the design is opened, for example, they are not in the owning documents folder, then it will perform a secondary search in the folder specified by the user. For example, this may be a folder containing logos.
Rather than duplicating logo files, each user could set a folder containing all logos as the ‘In folder” location. This prevents the need to place a copy of that logo into the ‘owning documents folder’ before passing that folder to a colleague.
The check boxes enable the user to add a border to the Layout Window when using the Set Page function. If these are set to 0, the page will wrap perfectly to the colourway objects on the page and no border will be applied. In the snapshot above, a 0.5 cm border will be applied to all sides of the Layout Window.
Closing embedded designs
When the design window of an embedded design is closed, a bright yellow box will be displayed in Layout in the position where the design was previously shown. This yellow box is designed as a reminder that something is missing and also acts as a place holder to allow the missing document to be retrieved. As long as nothing has changed, it is possible to retrieve the missing design simply by double clicking the yellow box. The design will reopen and the colourway will reappear in the Layout Window.
If the missing file has been moved and therefore double clicking the yellow box doesn’t retrieve it, a warning message will appear telling you that it can’t be found. The message will include the last known location of the file and the file name, allowing you to search for it.
Note: Spaces in the file name are displayed in the message as %20.
If you are able to retrieve the file yourself, it is possible to relink it to the Layout Window by doing the following:
- locate the missing file and open it in AVA
- go back to the Layout Window which contains the empty yellow box
- hold down ^ (control key) on the keyboard and click inside the box. A list of all open designs will be displayed
- select the name of the missing file that you have located and it will automatically insert it in the yellow box. The link to this file is now restored
Linking to different documents
The method described above can also be used to change the design that is being viewed in a colourway box. If a colourway or embedded design is no longer needed on your layout, but a different design is, you can simply hold down the Control key and click in the colourway object to be replaced, then as long as the new file is open, its name will appear in the list of designs that pops up. Select the file required and it will replace the previous one. The currently selected design will appear in the list with a tick next to its name.
Set to master document
When using a linked Layout Window, it is possible to quickly change an embedded design back to the original design by using the function Set to master document.
- Open a linked Layout Window which contains at least one embedded file.
- Hold down ^ (control key), click on an embedded object and choose Set to master document from the contextual menu. The design being displayed will change to the original linked design that the Layout Window belongs to.
- If you want to set the object back to the previously embedded file, just repeat Step 2 but select the relevant file instead of the master document option.
Embedding PDF files
PDF files and PDF compatible files can be embedded directly into the Layout Window without the need to rasterise or open them in AVA first. Logos and other graphics created in specialist vector applications, such as Adobe® Illustrator®™️ can be overlaid on your layout using cut out and transparency effects. Their original form, such as vector shapes and transparency of clear areas around the design information, is maintained in the Layout Window. Also, the embedded PDF need not be open for the graphic to remain in the layout.
Adobe® Illustrator® (ai) files can also be embedded with the same effect, as long as they have been saved with PDF compatibility.
Simply drag the PDF from the Finder Window and drop it on to the layout or use the Embed File button in the toolbar to load the file on to the page.
When embedding multi-page PDF’s, each page of the document will embed as a separate colourway, therefore you can either lay out several colourways to see several pages at once, or just select the page you need by scrolling through the colourway numbers on the selected colourway.