Add a Hyperlink in Illustrator

Adobe Systems' Illustrator software is a popular graphic design program. It is used to create typography, documents, logos and web pages. It is especially useful in creating interactive graphics such as animations, 3D logos, buttons and hyperlinks. Often used in emails and web pages, hyperlinks are embedded objects or text that direct a user to a document or web page when clicked. When creating a web page or Portable Document File (PDF) in Adobe Illustrator, you can follow a number of steps to create a hyperlink that will be active when they are sent or posted to the web. This article will tell you how to add a hyperlink in Illustrator.

Steps

  1. Open a web page or online document that you would like to link to your Adobe Illustrator document.
  2. Copy the URL. This will serve as your embedded hyperlink address. It will tell the document where the user needs to be taken when they click on the link.
  3. Open your Adobe Illustrator application.
  4. Open an existing document or create a new print or web document in the dialogue box that pops up.
  5. Use the Select tool at the top of your left hand vertical Tools panel to select the object or text that you would like to link to your URL address.
  6. Open a Microsoft Word document.
  7. Paste the URL into a document.
  8. Save the file.
  9. Return to Adobe Illustrator.
  10. Select "File" from the top Horizontal toolbar.
  11. Scroll down and select "Place." Select your saved Word file in the pop up browser window.
  12. Ensure you have not selected to "Remove text formatting."
  13. Place the image in your document. You should have a new layer with the hyperlink.
  14. Continue to edit your Illustrator document. Flatten and save as a PDF and your added Illustrator hyperlink will remain in the document.

Hyperlink Objects

  1. Select the object you would like to hyperlink to your URL. You can select more than 1 object by holding down the "Control" key and clicking more than 1 object.
  2. Click the Object Menu in your top horizontal toolbar. Scroll and select "Slice." Select "Make" from the pop out menu.
    • You can also select "Create from Selection" under slice. This will depend upon the version of Adobe Illustrator you are using.
    • You can also use the Slice Tool in your left vertical Tools panel to create your hyperlink. It looks like a small knife. Drag it over the whole area that you would like to be used to direct people to your hyperlink.
  3. Return to the Object menu in the horizontal toolbar. Select "Slice" and then "Slice Options."
  4. Choose your "Slice Type." Select "Image" because it will allow you to place your hyperlink URL.
  5. Paste your URL. Then type the text that should appear if a user moves a cursor over the hyperlink. This could say "Click Me," "Read Further" or specify what the user will find if they click on the hyperlink.
  6. Save your file to record your Adobe Illustrator hyperlink.



Tips

  • If you want to direct your users to high resolution artwork, choose to create an image map instead of a slice. An image map keeps the large image file intact. Go to the Attributes Menu and enter the URL in the Image Map menu.

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Sources and Citations

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