The Designer’s Guide to Image-to-AI Conversion: Bridging Raster and Vector Worlds
So, you need to get an image into Adobe Illustrator and you’ve heard that “AI” is the file format used by the application. You’re already facing the age-old problem of trying to get from A to B when it comes to getting images into Adobe Illustrator.
This is what an “Image to AI Converter” tool promises to help with. It’s a phrase that is thrown around in countless online resources and tutorials, but what exactly does it mean?
In this guide, we’ll uncover everything there is to know about the mysterious-sounding process of converting an image to an Adobe Illustrator file. We’ll learn what an AI file really is, the reasons why someone would want to do such a thing, what to realistically expect from the process, and how to do it ourselves.
Chapter 1: Decoding the Alphabet Soup – What Is an AI File, Really?
First things first – we need to understand what an “AI file” actually is before we can understand what an “Image to AI Converter” is.
In short, an AI file is simply a file extension used by Adobe Illustrator – a vector graphics design application. Adobe Illustrator is part of the Adobe Creative Suite – a group of graphic design applications that dominate the design industry. It’s the preferred design software for developing logos, illustrations and icons, and other graphics that need to be easily scalable. The file format is often used for print production as well, as Illustrator allows for high-quality output for any print medium.
To give some context to what the AI file is, let’s contrast it with other graphics file formats that are common in the design world, like JPG or PNG. These file formats store raster graphics, which are made up of tiny squares of color called pixels. In contrast, Adobe Illustrator files store vector graphics, which are mathematical representations of lines, points, and curves.
The reason why vector graphics are so useful is that unlike pixels, which can become distorted and blurry when scaled, mathematical formulas can be easily manipulated to represent sharp lines and curves at any scale.
When it comes to vector graphics, Adobe Illustrator is the gold standard. This is why files in the Adobe Illustrator file format (.ai) are ubiquitous among graphic designers. The file type can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:
Logo design and branding development – A vector-based logo can be scaled to any size. It won’t pixelate when viewed on a website or printed on a business card or a billboard. Illustrations and artwork – Vector graphics can be used to represent complex artwork using clean lines and shapes. Typography and font design – Many custom typefaces are designed as vector graphics. Print production – Vector graphics can have crisp, sharp edges when printed. Icons and UI design – Most icons used in web and app design are based on vectors. Now, when it comes to the conversion process itself, it boils down to “packaging” a raster graphic (a JPG, for instance) into a file that Adobe Illustrator can open (.ai file). That’s why most online “Image to AI Converter” tools will actually do one of two things:
Embed a raster graphic within Adobe Illustrator (which is essentially just placing a JPG image inside an .ai file)
Perform a process called “image tracing” to vectorize a raster graphic (converting it into vectors) and then saving the resulting artwork as an .ai file.
In case you’re wondering what “image tracing” is – that’s exactly what we’ll discuss in the next section.
Chapter 2: Core Reasons for Converting an Image to AI
Now that we know what an Adobe Illustrator file is and what it takes to get an image there, let’s talk about why on earth someone would want to do this.
If you’ve been using the graphic design tools for a while and you need to import your image graphics into Adobe Illustrator, the main reason for doing so is clear. An Adobe Illustrator file (.ai file) essentially represents a vector graphic. This means that you get the advantages of working with vector graphics, which include:
- Ability to scale at any size without loss of quality
- Edit individual components of the graphic
- Apply effects and manipulation using vector tools
Having all design elements fully editable in a design software that is native to the industry and has a rich set of tools for graphic design
Of course, in order to work with a vector graphic, you need to have it represented as such, which is why you might want something that converts an image file to an Adobe Illustrator file (.ai file). Now, there could be other reasons that you want or need to convert an image to Adobe Illustrator’s native file format.
Here are several common reasons that prompt graphic designers to make such a conversion:
- The need to edit an image graphic in Adobe Illustrator
- The need to vectorize a graphic so that it can be easily edited and scaled
- The need to prepare the graphic for professional print production or publication
The need to have artwork in Adobe Illustrator format for further editing and design work
As you can see, there are several reasons why one might want to convert an image file to Adobe Illustrator. Now, the next major question deals with what exactly this process entails and what to expect.
Chapter 3: The Big Reality Check – Raster vs. Vector Conversion
At this point, it’s crucial that we revisit an important topic that is often misunderstood when it comes to AI file conversion. When we speak of an “image to AI converter,” one of the biggest misconceptions is that such a tool will somehow magically convert a photo (a raster graphic) into a beautifully drawn vector graphic (such as an illustration).
In reality, that would require an immensely complex algorithm. In fact, we already have such algorithms – they’re called “image tracing,” and they’re available inside Adobe Illustrator as well as other graphic design tools.
For now, it’s important to understand that an image file in a PNG or JPG format is fundamentally different from a vector graphic stored in an Adobe Illustrator (.ai) file. The two file formats store information differently – one stores pixels and the other stores mathematical formulas. When you use an “Image to AI Converter,” what it will actually do is place a raster graphic into an .ai file or trace a raster graphic into a vector graphic and save it as an .ai file. The two actions are fundamentally different, and we’ll examine them in more detail further below. For now, this is the most important knowledge check in regards to image-to-AI conversion:
If you take a raster image graphic (like a JPG or PNG file) and place it in Adobe Illustrator as an embedded graphic, you end up with a vector file containing the pixels of a raster graphic. In essence, the pixels of your image don’t change in any way – you could place the pixels in an .ai file, a JPG file, or a PNG file – they will still be the same pixels. This means that you could scale the graphic down in Illustrator to make it smaller, and it would look just the same – but you won’t be able to scale it up without seeing the pixels.
On the other hand, you can trace a raster graphic into a vector graphic and achieve dramatically different results. Tracing involves using complex algorithms to convert the pixels of a raster graphic into individually defined mathematical strokes and curves that comprise a vector graphic. This is an entirely different process, and we’ll discuss it in the next chapter.
Chapter 4: Step-by-Step Guide for Converting an Image to AI
With the background knowledge out of the way, we’re ready to learn exactly how the process of converting an image to AI works. This can be especially useful if you want to convert images to Adobe Illustrator for further editing or design work.
First things first – you’ll need to find an appropriate online “Image to AI Converter” tool. There are plenty of options to choose from in the design and graphic design space. Some will allow you to simply embed a graphic within Adobe Illustrator, whereas others offer tracing options. In some cases, you may want to use Adobe Illustrator directly instead of using an online tool. Adobe Illustrator has a tracing option built right into the application.
Once you’ve decided on a particular image-to-AI-converter tool, you’ll need to prepare your image before uploading it to the tool.
You should always aim to use the largest file size you can get your hands on.
Next step – the upload. This one is easy – just visit the website of your preferred image-to-AI-converter tool and upload your file. If you’re using Adobe Illustrator directly, you’ll need to place your image inside Illustrator by going to File > Place.
Next, you need to decide whether you want to simply embed your graphic or trace it so that it becomes fully vectors and fully editable. The rest of the steps will depend on your choice.
Option 1: Simply embedding your graphic into Adobe Illustrator (vectorizing is desired)
If you choose to simply place your graphic inside Adobe Illustrator, this is how you do it.
In Adobe Illustrator, go to File > Place. Choose your graphic and make sure that the “Link” option is turned off. Illustrator will place (embed) the graphic inside the active document. You can proceed to Save As > Illustrator (.ai) and save your graphic as an Adobe Illustrator file. You’ve just embedded your graphic inside an Adobe Illustrator file!
Option 2: Tracing a graphic to make it fully editable in Adobe Illustrator
This option is a bit more involved, but the end result is worth it. Assuming that you’ve placed your graphic in Illustrator (as described in the previous option), you can begin tracing.
When you select your graphic in Adobe Illustrator, you can see a button appear in the top menu bar of Illustrator. The button is labeled “Image Trace.” When you click it, Illustrator will perform the image tracing procedure. If you need to go into greater detail, you can right-click on the image trace and select “Image Trace” from the drop-down menu to open the Image Trace panel.
In the Image Trace panel, you’ll notice different options that help specify exactly what you want the tracing algorithm to do. You can choose from numerous “Presets” such as High Fidelity Photo, Low Fidelity Photo, 3 Colors, 6 Colors, Shades of Gray, Black and White Logo, Sketched Art, and more. A great option for tracing logos is the “Black and White Logo” preset. When you trace your image, it will be converted to a vector graphic – the colors of your graphic will depend on the graphic itself and the tracing preset that you selected. If you want to make any changes to the tracing, you can uncheck the box next to “Image Trace” and make any adjustments to the graphic.
After you’ve traced your image in Adobe Illustrator, you’ll be able to see the results. In most cases, there will be some tweaks that you’ll want to make in order to clean up the vector graphic. Once you’ve finished tweaking and tracing, you can click “Expand” to finalize the tracing procedure.
Now you should have a fully editable file in Adobe Illustrator! If your graphic was a logo in black and white, you should be able to easily recolor it to your liking. However, you should note that you may have to make some minor adjustments to the graphic in Illustrator after tracing. This process works best with photographs that have strong colors and good contrast.
If you were using an online image-to-AI-converter tool, the steps will be similar to the procedure described above. First, you’ll have to upload your image to the tool. Second, you’ll have to decide whether you want to simply embed your image or trace it. Some tools offer tracing as an option while others do not provide that option, but most of them do allow you to choose how many colors will be used to trace your graphic. If you decide to trace, you’ll simply have to choose the number of colors and click “Trace” or “Convert.”
Option 3: Use a different tool for the conversion
Some design tools allow you to convert other graphic formats to Adobe Illustrator (.ai), including PNG and JPG. Most of these tools will give you the option to either embed your graphic or trace it, depending on your needs.
Once you select your graphic and click “Convert” or “Trace” (depending on your tool), you’ll be able to see the results. If everything looks good, you can simply download your graphic as an .ai file.
Chapter 5: When Should You Choose AI Over Other Formats?
By now, you should have a thorough understanding of converting an image to Adobe Illustrator. You should have answers to most – if not all – of the following questions:
- What exactly is an AI file?
- What is an “Image to AI Converter” tool?
- What is the process of image-to-AI conversion?
- What can I expect from such a conversion?
How can I go about doing it myself?
At this point, there is one last important topic to discuss – the circumstances under which it makes sense to do an image-to-AI conversion in the first place. After all, it wouldn’t make much sense to convert a PNG image to an Adobe Illustrator file (.ai file) solely to turn it back around and convert it to a PNG image in the future. If you were to convert a PNG image to an Adobe Illustrator file simply to turn it back into a PNG image, then there’s no sense in doing the conversion in the first place.
With that being said, Adobe Illustrator is definitely the superior option when it comes to editing and designing artwork. This is especially true when it comes to logos, illustrations, and other graphics that need to be easily scalable. That is why it is important to convert other graphic file formats to Illustrator. In summary, if you fall into any of the following categories, you should definitely consider an image-to-AI conversion:
You want to edit your graphic in Adobe Illustrator
You want to turn your graphic into a vector graphic in order to scale and edit it further
You want to prepare your graphic for print production and professional printin
If you do not fall into the categories listed above, then there is probably no need to convert your graphic to an Adobe Illustrator file. If you simply want to publish your graphic online, a PNG file is almost always the best option. If you want to work with a complex graphic image and turn it into a vector graphic, it is best to vector trace your graphic in Illustrator or use a similar tracing tool.