So I'm giving CS3 a try and as I've been told it opens FHMX documents. I've
downloaded the trial, went to "file""open" and selected from the list "enable"
"fh (Fh9 FH10 FH11)ETC and none of my FH documents show up in the list of
documents. So I cannot open them. Nor can I drag and drop them into the AI
icon. Is this because it is the 30 day trial version that it does not work? is
there a way of enabling AI to see the fh documents? I checked all the
"migrating to Illustrator help documents" and it only helps when you have the
ability to see and open the fh documents from inside AI, I cannot see the fh
documents....
Any suggestions....
thanks
dg

Now that's interesting. I assume you're on a Mac.

The FH documents don't show up in CS3's Open dialog when using the Adobe
dialog>FH documents or Adobe dialog> 'All readable documents', but they do
show when using 'All documents' or when using the 'OS dialog'.

I suggest you ask this over on the Illustrator Mac forum and find out if
others are seeing the same thing. (The Adobe forums appear to be down at the
moment, so I can't do a forum search there.)

The FH files do open in CS3, although, like me, you may not be very happy
about all that gets lost in translation.

Judy Arndt

Thanks Judy!
I had to use " OS Dialog" and it then worked.
I knew it had to be something simple....
But then it took about 10 minutes to open the document that in FH takes 3
seconds to open.
then my tiffs were no longer in color, even when I know AI colorizes
tiffs.....( CS2 finally did)
the art still looks ridiculously different when opened in AIcs3. Honestly I
still don't think Adobe is doing a sufficient job in trying to lure FH users to
aiCS3.... maybe they don't have to "lure" us... but switching to AI is going to
be a nightmare for me.
I cannot and will not be able to do the complex artworks I have been doing in
FH, thanks to paste inside and many other easy features.
thanks again, and nice hearing from you again,
dg

Judy is correct you might not like what gets lost in the translastion. Only the
most basic FH file will convert over almost exact. Only linear and radial
gradients translate over and not much else effects wise..lol. When you open the
FH doc's I love how AI gives you a whole list of things that won't import befor
you say ok.

That really sucks.... again.... it will be a nightmare converting over to AICS3.
the complexity and speed of my FH work cannot be matched....

I just discovered that if a FH file has a file extension (.fh9, .fh11,
etc.), then AI CS3's Adobe dialog for FreeHand files will list the files.

I haven't been in the habit of using FH file extensions.

Judy Arndt

Also, if you hold down "option-command" when dragging over the Illustrator icon, it will open FH documents.

-Chuck

in article f9b1eh$ps7$1@forums.macromedia.com, chuckrock at
webforumsuser@macromedia.com wrote on 8/7/07 7:06 PM:

> Also, if you hold down "option-command" when dragging over the Illustrator
> icon, it will open FH documents.

That's nice to know. Thanks for the tip.