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Convert AI files to PSD?

by radar9628
5 replies
A web designer I'm working with used Adobe Illustrator and I asked for layered PSD files. Can AI files be converted to layered PSD files?

Thanks.
#convert #files #psd
  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by radar9628 View Post

    A web designer I'm working with used Adobe Illustrator and I asked for layered PSD files. Can AI files be converted to layered PSD files?
    AI files are layered and as I understand it can be opened in PhotoShop.

    They are, however, not what you asked for and you are completely within your rights to tell your designer "these are not PSDs, please send PSDs."
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    • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
      Originally Posted by radar9628 View Post

      A web designer I'm working with used Adobe Illustrator and I asked for layered PSD files. Can AI files be converted to layered PSD files?

      Thanks.
      Sometimes. You can ask the designer to export as PSD, but unless the file is put together properly, you'll get a flattened file. A lot of it depends on how the designer layered the original AI file.

      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      AI files are layered and as I understand it can be opened in PhotoShop.

      They are, however, not what you asked for and you are completely within your rights to tell your designer "these are not PSDs, please send PSDs."
      Photoshop will 'flatten' the AI file to a bitmap and won't be editable except at the pixel level.

      Good luck getting the designer to redo the work in Photoshop. Photoshop won't do what Illustrator will do, that's why it's used.
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    • Profile picture of the author Truxx
      Yes, the trick here is to choose the "export" option in AI. Don't do a "save as"

      When you choose "export" one of your options will be Photoshop psd. After you select that a dialog window will pop up that will allow you to write the layers to the Photoshop file.

      Just tested all this to make sure and it worked like a charm.

      I'm running CS3.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
      AI is a vector based (basically a propriatary EPS format) and is infinitely scalable. PSD files are raster based (bitmaps) and are based on pixels versus the curves that vector based programs use.

      You can easily convert a vector based graphic to a raster image but going from a raster image to a vector graphic is a lot harder.

      You'll want to start off with a high resolution AI file if you are going to convert it to a PSD format as once it is converted from curves to pixels your ability to manipulate the information is limited to scaling it down in size. Taking a small AI file, converting it to a PSD file and blowing it up in size will create a pixalated effect.

      So the answer is 'yes', but just make sure the file won't need to be scaled up in size once you get it.

      ~Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author radar9628
    Thanks everybody for your feedback. At least I know what I should be asking for.
    Radar
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