Asset Organization and Document Workflow
Naming, structure, and links
Professional workflows separate source assets from working documents and exports. Understand linked versus embedded images: links keep file size down and allow updates but break if moved; embedding makes the document self-contained but larger. Know what 'missing link' and 'modified link' mean and how to relink or update.
Layers, groups, and libraries
Layer organization (naming, ordering, locking, visibility) supports collaboration and output control. Groups and nested groups affect selection and transformation. Shared libraries and reusable symbols or components keep repeated elements consistent; editing the source updates instances.
Versions and handoff
Know the value of versioned filenames, incremental saves, and keeping an unflattened master. Packaging collects links and fonts for handoff. Templates standardize starting documents. Expect questions on recovering from a moved asset folder, or on which file to send a printer versus a colleague who must edit.
Worked example
A colleague moves the images folder and the layout shows broken previews. Rule of thumb: the document still holds low-resolution previews and link paths; relink one image and let the application resolve the rest, or use the package/collect function before moving files next time. Re-importing each image is unnecessary work.
Traps
Assuming embedding is always better, confusing 'save as copy' with version control, and forgetting that fonts must be licensed or outlined for handoff.