Vector EPS Validations - Troubleshooting – Eezy Contributors

As our collection of vectors grows, Vecteezy wants to be sure that our customers always have the ability to use our resources broadly, regardless of the vector editing software they might have. To be sure all vector submissions meet this requirement, Vecteezy has modified the upload process and built a number of EPS validations to inspect the EPS file(s) you have uploaded and validate for various vector requirements.

If you’ve uploaded content recently you may have noticed one or two of these error messages. Below is a complete list of the EPS validation errors contributors may encounter, in addition to tips and tricks to assist you in fixing or correcting your file before re-submitting.

Error details and tips to help you avoid them.

The resource you uploaded is empty or corrupted. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

If a resource is empty when it reaches our system, it may be a result of an interruption to the upload process. Our system cannot validate a file when the upload process is interrupted or the file is corrupted. Here are some scenarios that can cause interruptions to the file upload process:

File Location	Reason	Resolution
Removable devices (USB stick, external drive, pen drive, and so on)	Device is not removed or ejected safely from the computer	Ensure that you safely remove the device after a read/write operation.
Network location	Network connectivity is lost	Check your network connection.
Shared location	Shared file is no longer available	Ensure that the shared location is accessible.

The resource you uploaded is corrupt. Please resave your file in EPS 10 format and retry the upload.

If you’re convinced the upload process was NOT interrupted, then your file may be corrupted, in which case, you can try to re-save the EPS 10 version of the file in Adobe Illustrator, then re-submit the file.

The resource you uploaded is too large. The maximum size for EPS files is 50 megabytes. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

The resource you uploaded cannot be more than 25 megapixels. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

The two EPS validations above - related to size and resolution - don’t occur too often, however, if you happen to find yourself struggling to reduce the size of your EPS file, be sure to read our helpful article on best practices for saving EPS files. In this support article we outline a number of potential solutions to reduce your file before uploading again, such as:

limiting the amount of gradients and transparencies;
limiting the amount of points and paths;
reducing the size of your vector (scaling down your artboard / preview).

We ask that files you submit be under 50MB, mainly for ease of use. Our customers don’t always have the fastest internet connection or may not have a lot of storage space on their device so it’s important to make it simple for them to work with our files. Also, our Reviewers may need to download your EPS file during inspection so the more manageable your file size is, the better.

The resource you uploaded must be at least 4 megapixels. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

The first thing to note about this error message is that there is a distinct difference between megapixels (MP) and megabytes (MB). This particular error is not about the size (MB) of the file (displayed in File Properties on your computer), but instead about the dimensions (MP) of the artwork. Four megapixels (4 MP) is referring to the width and height of your artwork, which should be 2,000 px (pixels) by 2,000 px or any combination of pixels that when multiplied together is more than 4,000,000 square pixels.

For example: 1,500px x 2,700px = 4,050,000px or, 1,200px x 3,400px = 4,080,000px

If you are using Adobe Illustrator, you can modify the dimensions of your artwork in File>Document Setup and then the General tab, choosing Pixels under the Units dropdown. Make sure to set Units to Pixels and width and height to pixel dimensions that yield you a minimum 4,000,000 square pixels when multiplied together.

Other ways to view artwork dimensions:

Window > Document Info
Window > Properties (select all to view)

Document Info Panel

Properties Panel

EPS error: Your resource must not include glow, blur, or drop shadow effects. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

When exporting to EPS 10, bitmapping will still occur with Drop Shadow and Gaussian or Radial Blur effects. For these effects, you have to find alternate methods that will produce the same effect (such as Blend Mode to replace Drop Shadow).

We suggest when saving your artwork to EPS 10 that you always check the Transparency setting in the EPS Options. Go to EPS Options > Transparency box, click Custom, and the Custom Transparency Flattener Options box will appear. There’s a Raster/Vector Balance slider in this box that you’ll want set to 0 for the purpose of submitting to Vecteezy.

Custom Saving EPS

If you happen to use blur effects in your artwork, be aware that these effects will bitmap in the artwork without creating embedded or linked images in your palettes. You can review these by zooming in on the blurred area to display the pixelation, which will look like blocky areas of color, rather than smooth areas like the blur is supposed to display.

Once you locate your bitmapping area, you can change the transparency, expand the effect, or change your technique, and resave the artwork as an EPS 10 file. Close and open the EPS 10 file again and check the Links and Document Info palettes to see if your bitmapping issue has been resolved.

EPS error: Your resource must not include embedded fonts. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

Font embedding is the inclusion of font files inside an electronic document -- in this case the EPS file you’ve uploaded to Vecteezy. Font embedding is often problematic for our customers, especially if they don’t have the embedded fonts installed on their device. Adobe Illustrator will substitute the embedded font and likely alter the original look and feel of the design, which is why we ask all contributors to avoid embedding fonts into their EPS files.

Tips to avoid font and text errors:

Right click or control click on text to create outlines
Select text, go to Object > Expand > check object and fill > click OK
EPS saving options, uncheck Embed Fonts (for other applications) click OK

Create Outlines

Expand

Uncheck Embed Fonts

EPS error: Your resource must not include embedded patterns. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

All elements in your vector file must be expanded into objects and paths. Please make sure that all objects in your vector file have been expanded into objects and paths to ensure that all elements of the artwork are accessible to a customer.

This is important because when a file has unexpanded objects and elements it can make it difficult for a customer to edit the artwork, as they expect all elements within the file to be fully accessible when they open it. Having access to all elements creates a better user experience for customers.

How to Expand Pattern Fills in Adobe Illustrator:

Select the object with the pattern fill, go to Object > Expand > check Fill > click OK

Expand

EPS error: Your vector must not include embedded raster objects. Please modify the original file and retry the upload.

This is also known as a bit mapping issue. Consider the following fixes:

check your file after saving to EPS 10 for any bitmapping or rasterized objects;
when using transparent elements, always save as EPS 10;
remove any images in the tracing layers;
remove any raster based vector effects such as gaussian blur or inner glow.

Tips to find rasters or linked objects:

Go to Window > Links, to open the Links panel

EPS error: The resource you uploaded is not saved in EPS 10 format. Please resave the file in EPS 10 format and retry the upload.

EPS error: The resource you uploaded is not compatible with EPS format. Please resave your file as an EPS 10 format and retry the upload.

For both EPS error messages, here are the steps to resolve the issue before you re-submit. In Adobe Illustrator, go to the File menu, choose Save As, change the Format to Illustrator EPS (eps), and click Save. In the EPS Options dialog box, under the Version drop down menu, choose Illustrator 10 EPS.

As we mentioned at the top of this article, Vecteezy wants to be sure that our customers always have the ability to use our resources broadly, regardless of the vector editing software they might have. For this reason, Vecteezy continues to require Adobe Illustrator format EPS 10 for all vector submissions.

EPS error: The resource you uploaded has locked layers. Please unlock the layers in the original file and retry the upload.

While Adobe Illustrator does allow you to lock layers fully or partially to protect their contents, the locked layer state is not optimal for Vecteezy customers. Vecteezy requires that all layers of a vector file are unlocked at the time of submission to save our customers time and energy. If you’re not sure if your layers are locked, review the Layers panel in Adobe Illustrator. When a layer is locked, a lock icon appears to the right of the layer name. The lock icon appears solid when the layer is fully locked and hollow when the layer is partially locked.

Choose Unlock All Layers from the Layers panel menu in Adobe Illustrator to unlock them before submitting or re-submitting your files.

Unlock All Layers

EPS error: The resource you uploaded contains multiple artboards. Please remove additional artboard(s) and retry the upload.

Adobe Illustrator allows you to have up to 1,000 artboards in a single document. For the purposes of submitting content to Vecteezy though, we ask that you only include a single artboard with your file. In the Artboards panel you can view each of your artboards and can select and delete artboards from this view.

Before submitting or re-submitting your file, delete all additional artboards from the Artboards panel in Adobe Illustrator, leaving the main artboard intact.

EPS error: The resource you uploaded has objects outside the artboard. Please clean up or delete the objects and retry the upload.

In the latest version of Adobe Illustrator CC (Creative Cloud), the View menu has a Trim View option that allows a user to hide everything outside the artboard. For those contributors using an older version of Adobe Illustrator, you may want to use a feature like the Clipping Mask to hide objects outside the artboard.

Objects outside the artboard