Add an Image in Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a popular vector graphics editing software that has been available since 1986. Originally made for Mac Operating Systems (OS), it is now available on both Windows and Mac OS. Vector graphics are the way that a computer translates an image into a program using geometric shapes like points, lines and curves. Illustrator is commonly used to create logos, 3D graphics and publications. Image files on your computer can be inserted into an Illustrator project to appear alongside text and other graphics. This article will tell you how to add an image in Illustrator.

Steps

  1. Prepare your image. Adobe Systems created their Photoshop program to edit photographs, so Illustrator is not directly built for photo editing. Crop, edit and change dimensions before adding your image to Illustrator.
    • Images should be high resolution, at least 300 Dots Per Inch (DPI). DPI is how printers measure image density.
  2. Create a folder that will hold all of your files for the project and save the image in this folder.
  3. Open the Adobe Illustrator application
  4. Open an existing document or create a new print or web document in the dialogue box that pops up.
    • If you are adding an image to a document that is composed of many other elements, it would be easier to work on background, text and headline layers before inserting your image.
    • If you plan to use the image as a background, it may be easier to add the image as the first step.
  5. Click on the layer on which you want the image to appear, or click "Add New Layer" in the icon on the bottom of the layers box. Decide what placement your image layer will have in your list of layers, click on the layer that will be directly below the image layer and click "Add New Layer."
  6. Click "File" on the top horizontal toolbar. Select "Place" on the drop down menu.
  7. Browse for the image you have just prepared when the dialogue box pops up. Choose the image in your project folder. Your image should appear on your document with a red outline and cross in the middle.
  8. Drag and resize your image using your mouse or align the image in your "Transform Palette." The transform palette is often located in the upper right toolbar, but it may depend upon your version of Illustrator. You can find it by looking for the word "Transform."
    • The transform palette allows you to align, resize and rotate the image. If you already have objects in your document, you will most likely want to align them with the borders or edges of those objects. Note the alignment of these objects on the X and Y axis.
    • Illustrator does the resizing math for you on the Width (W) and Height (H) of your object. If you put a value in the H row, it will resize the W row in order to keep the right proportions. Press the "Constrain Width and Height Proportions" to activate this feature.
  9. Label your image, if you desire, using the text tool.
  10. Press embed to make your image part of your file. If you do not embed the image, it will link to the file on your computer. It is not necessary to embed the image if you are still working with it.
    • You can also make your image part of the illustrator document by rasterizing it. This simply means to convert it from vector graphic shapes to dots or pixels. Select "Object" from the horizontal toolbar, and then click "Rasterize." You can make changes in the dialogue box that pops up.
  11. Save your document in Adobe Illustrator format, .ai, so that you can come back and change it. If you save it as a JPG, GIF or TIFF you will not be able to edit your document.



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