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fixit [2026/10/25 02:27] – Markup fix for the DokuWiki upgrade (spaces inside bold/italic) 0.0.0.0fixit [2026/10/25 02:53] (current) – Help pages updated for PowerScripts 3.8 (help pages session) remoteuser
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-====== FixIT ======+====== VectorDoc ======
  
-===== Tools Tab ===== +VectorDoc (formerly FixIt) heals the files customers send you. Tick the fixes you want, select the artwork, and "let the doctor fix it": open paths joined and closed, stray points and empty text gone, duplicate and hidden objects removed, pointless clipping masks cleared, all without changing how the artwork looks.
-{{::fitit-1.5.0-tab1.png|}} \\+
  
-  * **Remove Unused Colors** Removes all unused colours in the Swatches panel, also removes empty color groups. +[[https://o2creative.co.nz/shop/FixIt_PowerScript_for_Adobe_Illustrator|See it in the shop]] · Version 2.0.2 · Needs PowerScripts 3.8.42 or later
-  * **Close open filled paths** Closes all open paths which are filled in the selection +
-  * **Close all open paths** Closes all open paths in the selection +
-  * **Restore Image Size** Attempts to guess the original image size, may help in fixing images which are not scaled proportionally.+
  
 +If you own FixIt, you have VectorDoc: same script, new name.
  
-===== Clipping Paths Tab ===== +===== Where to find it =====
-{{::fitit-1.5.0-tab2.png|}} \\ +
-  * **Remove Hidden Clip Contents** - Searches through shapes inside the clipping masks and deletes them if not visible. Reduce file size and speed up drawing by deleting these invisible objects +
-  * **Remove Unnecessary Clipping Masks** - Perfect for fixing imported and embedded files, Searches through the selection and finds clipping marks which are Unnecessary because everything inside the clipping mask is visible and nothing is hidden. +
-    * **Ungroup unnecessary clipping masks** By default clipping masks are converted to groups, ticking this option ungroups the contents of the clipping mask +
-    * **Ungroup All** When the ungroup option above is ticked, all other groups are also ungrouped. +
-    * **Only remove square clipping masks** when ticked only remove square/non-rotated clipping masks, such as those automatically added to exported/imported documents. +
-    * **Tolerance** Set the tolerance (in points) for checking if a shape is fully visible. Setting a small value like 0.01 stops shapes which are touching the edge of the clipping from being detected as partially hidden, Increase this value if there are still unnecessary clipping masks left over after running.+
  
 +Open the PowerScripts panel (**Window > Extensions > PowerScripts**) and choose **VectorDoc** from the **Tools** scripts. The script has six tabs: **Check-up**, **Images**, **Color**, **Clipping Paths**, **Straighten** and **Rasterize**.
  
-===== Straighten Tab ===== +===== Quick start =====
-{{::fitit-1.5.0-tab3.png|}} \\+
  
-This tool is designed to straighten shapes which are on an angle.+  - Open the supplied file and select the artwork. 
 +  - On **Check-up**, leave the ticked fixes as they are (or tick the ones you want). 
 +  - Press **Let the doctor fix it**.
  
-  * **Calculate Angle Button** +A summary tells you what was fixed. Undo puts it all back.
-    * Select two angle points in the shape and then click the calculate button to determine the angle +
-    * If you need to straighten text and shapes without anchor points, just draw a single line then click the calculate button  +
-  * **Rotate Button** Click to rotate the shape be the determined angle+
  
-===== Rasterize Tab ===== +===== Options =====
-{{::fitit-1.5.0-tab4.png|}} \\+
  
-  * **Resolution** Enter in the desired resolution +==== Check-up ====
-  * **Color** Choose Color //(RGB or CMYK depending on document mode),// BITMAP or Greyscale. +
-  * **Anti Aliasing** +
-  * **Background Colour** Select the background colour for transparent areas +
-  * **Expand/Contract** Entering a positive number will expand the rasterised area, Negative numbers will crop the image area +
-  * **Options** +
-    * **Transparency** Allow Transparency +
-    * **Preserve Spot Colors** +
-    * **Convert text out outline before rasterization** +
-    * **Include layer attributes like opacity and blend mode** +
-    * **Raster each shape individually** When checked, each separate shape/group will be rasterised separately. Useful when you need to rasterize many shapes +
-    * **Rasterize Clipping Mask Contents and Preserve Mask** When a shape is a clipping mask, it will rasterise the contents only, and preserve the mask to give a clean edge. Use the Expand/Contract option to expand the rasterised items slighter larger than the clipping mask to hide any anti-aliased edges +
-  * **Rasterize** Rasterize selected shapes based on the options above.+
  
-  * **Reduce Clipped Contents** This is a special tool to clean up imported CorelDraw files with incorrect clipping paths +{{:fixit:check_up_tab.png?380|The Check-up tab}}
-    * If the clipping path is not closed, then the clipping path is deleted +
-    * If the clipping path is closed,  any raster contents are resampled at the set resolution +
  
 +Tick the fixes, select the artwork, press **Let the doctor fix it**. Hover over any option in the panel for a short explanation.
  
-===== Release Notes =====+=== Remove ===
  
-  * **1.5.0** 2 June 2018 +  * **Hidden objects**: objects hidden with **Object > Hide** or the eye in the Layers panel, inside the selected groups. 
-    * Added **Straighten** tool to straighten rotated objects+  * **Invisible paths**: paths with no fill and no stroke. Clipping paths are always kept. 
 +  * **Stray points and empty text**: single-point paths, and text frames with no text. 
 +  * **Duplicate paths stacked on top of each other**: the same shape with the same fill and stroke, in the same layer or group. The top one stays. No more doubled cuts on a cutter.
  
-  * **1.4.0**  +=== Paths ===
-    * Added Rasterize tool+
  
 +  * **Merge doubled points**: points on (almost) the same spot become one.
 +  * **Join open paths whose ends touch**: open paths in the same layer or group whose ends meet become one path.
 +  * **Join Reasonably: join ends closer than**: join the nearest free ends up to this distance apart, with a straight line.
 +  * **Close open paths**: close **Filled paths only**, or **All open paths**.
 +  * **Recombine fills and outlines**: a fill-only shape with an outline-only copy right above it becomes one shape with both. Left alone if the outline is under its fill, so the artwork still looks the same.
 +  * **Points count as the same within**: how close points or ends must be to count as touching.
  
-  * **1.3.1** 25 November 2017 +=== Clipping masks ===
-    * Added 'Remove Unnecessary Clipping Masks'+
  
 +  * **Remove artwork hidden outside its clipping mask**: artwork completely outside its mask can never show, so it's deleted.
 +  * **Remove page-size clipping masks (PDF imports)**: the page-size masks PDF imports add, removed when nothing sticks out of them.
 +  * **Remove unnecessary clipping masks**: a mask with nothing sticking out of it changes nothing, so it's removed. **Quick** checks one level; **Deep** looks inside groups too.
 +    * **Only rectangular masks**: only remove rectangular masks, like the ones exports and imports add.
 +    * **Ungroup what was inside**: ungroup the contents once the mask is gone.
 +    * **Ungroup all groups inside**: ungroup everything inside too.
 +    * **Tolerance**: how close to the mask's edge a shape can be and still count as fully inside. Raise it a little if some unnecessary masks are left.
  
 +On a big selection a **Stop** button shows. Stopping tells you what was done so far.
  
 +==== Images ====
  
 +{{:fixit:images_tab.png?380|The Images tab}}
 +
 +  * **Restore image size**: for embedded images, take out rotation and skew (flips are kept), and either go **Back to 100% (the image's own size)** or **Remove distortion, keep the size**.
 +
 +==== Color ====
 +
 +{{:fixit:color_tab.png?380|The Color tab}}
 +
 +  * **Remove unused Colors**: delete swatches nothing uses, and empty colour groups.
 +
 +==== Clipping Paths ====
 +
 +{{:fixit:clipping_paths_tab.png?380|The Clipping Paths tab}}
 +
 +  * **Clip selected Shapes**: clip each selected shape, by an **Offset** round it (a minus number trims into it) or to a **Fixed Size** (**Clip Width** and **Clip Height**).
 +  * **Use visual size including stroke width**: measure shapes including their strokes.
 +
 +==== Straighten ====
 +
 +{{:fixit:straighten_tab.png?380|The Straighten tab}}
 +
 +  - Select two anchor points that should be level (or draw a line along something that should be level).
 +  - Press **Calculate Angle**.
 +  - Select the shape and press **Rotate**.
 +
 +==== Rasterize ====
 +
 +{{:fixit:rasterize_tab.png?380|The Rasterize tab}}
 +
 +Turn tricky artwork (effects, transparency, heavy masks, slow PDF imports) into a clean image right where it is. Illustrator's own Rasterize includes everything hidden inside a clipping mask, giving a big image full of white. VectorDoc can keep the mask and rasterize only what shows.
 +
 +  * **Resolution**, **Color** (**Color**, **Bitmap** or **Grayscale**), **Anti Aliasing**, **Background color**: the image settings.
 +  * **Expand/Contract**: make the image a little bigger than the shape (a minus number crops it). A small expand hides edge pixels under a clipping mask.
 +  * **Transparency**, **Preserve Spot Colors**, **Convert text to outlines before rasterization**, **Include layer attributes like opacity and blend mode**.
 +  * **Raster each shape individually**: one image per selected shape, in place.
 +  * **Rasterize Clipping Mask Contents and Preserve Mask**: rasterize only what's inside the mask, and keep the mask for a clean edge.
 +  * **Rasterize**: does it.
 +  * **Reduce Clipped Contents**: a clean-up for imported CorelDRAW files with broken clipping paths: open clipping paths are removed (the artwork stays), and images inside closed ones are resampled at the set resolution.
 +
 +===== How to... =====
 +
 +==== Get a supplied PDF ready to cut on a vinyl cutter ====
 +
 +  - Open the PDF and select everything.
 +  - On **Check-up**, tick **Duplicate paths**, **Stray points and empty text**, **Join open paths whose ends touch**, **Close open paths: All open paths** and **Remove page-size clipping masks**.
 +  - Press **Let the doctor fix it** and check the summary.
 +
 +===== Tips =====
 +
 +  * Save your favourite set of fixes as a preset (see [[using_presets|Using Presets]]), for example "Cutter clean-up".
 +  * Use [[selector|Selector]] to find what's left: open paths, stray points or tiny shapes.
 +
 +===== Good to know =====
 +
 +  * Every fix is chosen to leave the artwork looking the same. Undo (Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z) puts everything back.
 +  * With nothing selected, the buttons say so.
 +
 +===== What's new =====
 +
 +  * **2.0.2**
 +    * New: a long Clean Up can be stopped: it says what was done before it stopped.
 +    * Improved: Clean Up is about twice as fast on big selections.
 +    * Fixed: Clean Up finds duplicates and fill + outline pairs that sat a hair apart.
 +    * Fixed: Reduce Clipped Contents no longer deletes artwork clipped by an open path.
 +    * Improved: general bug fixes, reliability and speed.
 +  * **2.0.1**: Fixed: the Console window no longer opens while VectorDoc works.
 +  * **2.0.0**
 +    * New: Fixit is now VectorDoc, same script, new name.
 +    * New: Check-up: tick the fixes you want, select your artwork and let the doctor fix it in one go.
 +    * New: join open paths whose ends touch, and Join Reasonably to join ends that are close together.
 +    * New: merge doubled points, remove stray points and empty text, remove hidden objects and invisible paths.
 +    * New: remove duplicate paths stacked on top of each other.
 +    * New: remove page-size clipping masks left by PDF imports.
 +    * Improved: removing unnecessary clipping masks is much faster, with Quick and Deep checks.
 +    * Improved: recombining fills and outlines checks the outline sits right above its fill, so the artwork looks the same.
 +    * New: Restore image size can keep the size and only take out the distortion.
 +    * Fixed: buttons now say when nothing is selected.
 +  * Older changes: [[releasenotes|PowerScripts Release Notes]]
  
fixit.txt · Last modified: by remoteuser