Linked Objects / Images
Option to link objects (or generate smart objects) when pasted from a PSD or AI source to maintain a reference.
This would provide a simple method for single or multiple object updates (beyond the CC Design Libraries integration)—saving time and ensuring all objects are the most current.
Example: Revision to a microphone icon via Illustrator, which is used across 20 artboards
Peter DiBartolo
shared this idea
71 comments
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monaim mclay
commented
i can't drag and drop images into a rectangle or anything at all ... please i need a fix ASAP
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Jack
commented
Here's a practical scenario for this feature: I have a number of standard components containing placeholder images that I created for a webpage. Throughout the site the same images are used for various purposes: thumbnails, hero graphics, responsive breakpoints, etc.. I can drop an image into each of the components and set a crop, but what if I decide to make color corrections on the image? I need to re-drag the updated photo to all the locations it is used in the project and redo the crop. It's a lot of work to make a minor change. With a linked image you could make the update on the image file itself and it would update everywhere that image is used.
IMO this is one of the most critical features missing in XD.
Note: Making the image a component doesn't work in this scenario because if you change the crop on the instances XD counts this as an override and it no longer updates the photo when you update the master.
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Anna
commented
Such a basic workflow tool. Please fix!
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Marvin
commented
The big plus of XD is, that you really have to try hard doing design that is not able to be coded. XD works like the design-tool version of a CMS. if you have an image, drag and drop it and it works. including PSDs or ai/eps files into XD would mean that we have ppl designing websites in a way the person who has to code this gets a heart attack. so please - don't integrate this. there's no need for this feature.
if you want updates from vector stuff, just copy+paste it into XD and make a component out of it. -
Jerry Cooley
commented
Please do not support this workflow only via CC Libraries. That's an unnecessary hassle for people that simply want to be able to edit a layered image a week later.
Indesign does this. Illustrator does this. After Effects does this. Heck, even Photoshop does this now.
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Miguel Nunes
commented
I usually have to create an image in PS, export it to png or jpg and then import it to xd. If I need to make any changes to the image I would have to make all the process again and it feel kinda unnecesary. Importing psds to xd like as smart object would pretty much fix this issue, the idea is that everytime you edit the psd and save it, it would autoupdate in XD.
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Kux
commented
How do we make sure the assets from Sketch are currently updated (synchronized) in Adobe XD?
For instance, an image/vector asset has been initially imported into Adobe XD. Now that asset is further manipulated in Sketch (e.g. adjust the transparency and color contrast in Sketch). Since the asset has already been imported into Adobe XD, does this asset get updated automatically in XD (synchronize)?
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Chris
commented
Adobe, please incorporate this feature. I'm currently scoping out a plan to move my team's core workflow to predominantly XD but, this one major drawback which is stopping us.
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Freelance 1
commented
Another feature in the backlog since 2016 ? Wow Adobe, did you rush this to meet your competitors ? Ignoring common sense to meet the market with an incomplete product coupled with tonnes of propaganda on youtube telling us how simple and intuitive it is ? I think I'll look into your competitors...
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Anonymous
commented
If this could work similarly or exactly like smart objects in photoshop or linked images in indesign, this would be awesome! Sometimes I even like to create my boards in photoshop with linked smartobjencts, export to xd but whenever an asset changes in the project files its super time consuming to update my prototype in xd.
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Anonymous
commented
This is especially unhelpful when you have a massive repeat grid of image assets and you'd like to reuse some of those images for a different set of assets... nevermind the linking issue, even the image filenames are wrong!
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Edu Couchez
commented
by the way, "feature in the backlog" since 2016... suppose that it's not a user experience priority.
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Edu Couchez
commented
Still waiting this basic feature... I can't understand it is not yet there. Simply I can't move to Illustrator to XD to create complex user interfaces. I've been working on AI for more than a decade and now I can't afford a learning curve in a new tool that can't do what I daily use. So the only way is to create png's and imoport it right to XD.
This week, three days of stress and errors just to change a menu item name in a 50 screen view.
In Illustrator or Indesign it should be a matter of seconds...
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Lauren
commented
This really needs to be implemented! Re-importing images is a time suck.
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Haris Sohail
commented
Is this still not a thing?
Source: http://www.baseplan.pk/en
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Tony
commented
I'm being yelled at by my boss to switch to Sketch because Adobe XD is not capable of competing with them. I don't really want to because I have been with Adobe for over 15 years, so I'm hoping they pull through for all of our sake.
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Sir Blirmp
commented
I'd like to add my voice to the crowd. I'm new to XD and was getting pretty stoked until I found out that linking files and live-updating images was not a thing in XD. I figured linking files was the standard as it has so many obvious benefits.
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Cubelodyte
commented
Forgive me if I'm over-simplifying the greater request here, but I have a workaround for updating multiple objects (the reason I found this post). This, of course, does not solve the requested parameter of linking to objects from Photoshop or Illustrator, but it does provide a way to update the same object across multiple artboards.
Workaround -
If you turn the object into a symbol and then place it on all the appropriate artboards, you can update them all at once or bring in a new object and replace the existing one with it.
This latter procedure is done by making the new object a symbol as well and then dragging it into one of the existing symbol positions. -
Jakub
commented
As others siad already – I'd love to work in PS with some advanced composition and link it to Xd. It can only render the preview file in 72ppi or something like that not to heat the hardware and give an opportunity to export as asset like in sketch <3 So it should be integrated with psd file itself to export in jpg/png etc.
Cheers!
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Jack Ridley
commented
Is this still not a thing? Would love this, a lot like how indesign etc work with the links panel!