How to Convert Photoshop to Illustrator
By Heidi A. Reeves
When you convert an image from Adobe Photoshop to Adobe Illustrator, the file extension will change from ".pds" to ".ai". In addition to altering the file extension, converting a PDS file to the AI format will permit you to access the extensive tools available in Illustrator, many of which are especially useful if you are working on vector images. These images, which consist of line art and outlines of objects to be filled with colors or patterns, are easiest to work with in Illustrator.
Step 1
Open Adobe Illustrator.
Step 2
Select "New Document Profile" from the Create New list on the Welcome screen.
Step 3
Type the document name in the input field in the New Document dialog box. Type "1" to set the number of artboards in the document. Set the document dimensions and click the "Okay" button to open a new document.
Step 4
Click "File" on the toolbar at the top of the window.
Step 5
Highlight the "Place" command. When the "Place" dialog box opens, select the Photoshop file you want to convert.
Step 6
Determine whether you want the Photoshop file to import as an embedded file, which allows you to convert the layers in the image to individual objects. You may also choose to import the file as a link, which will flatten the file and condense all of the layers into one.
Step 7
Click on the "Place" button once you've decided how to import the file.
Step 8
Hover your mouse over the "Format" selection box in the Save As dialog box and select the "Adobe Illustrator (ai)" option.
Step 9
Click "Save" to finish converting the Photoshop file to Illustrator.
References
Tips
- If you import an embedded Photoshop file, you can select image preferences from the "Photoshop Import Options" dialog box when it opens. Either flatten the image or convert the layers to objects.