You can view and lightly edit AI files in certain other apps, but you won’t be able to make the same kind of changes that would be possible in Illustrator. AI files are only fully compatible with Adobe Illustrator.AI files are tailor-made for Illustrator, so if you’re creating a design in the program, you know you’re working with the intended format.You can use AI files for transparency, layering, and pristine typography in graphics, logos, and icons.Simple AI files tend to be small, making them easy to share, upload, and store.

With infinite resizing capabilities, AI files are your go-to image file type for reproducing Illustrator drawings in print.This makes AI a great starting place for creating web graphics that need to layer on top of different backgrounds.ĭepending on your project, the AI file format may work better in some scenarios than others. Unlike Illustrator’s previous EPS format, AI files allow for transparency. This distinguishes them from raster images, which can appear grainy and pixelated in print when scaled beyond their intended size. Plus, AI is great for laying out typography that will remain crisp and legible at any size.ĪI files are perfect for printing digitally designed images, drawings, and graphics because they retain detail and clarity at different sizes. Typically, designers will use AI files for:ĪI files designed in Illustrator give logos clarity and scalability so they can be used in everything from a business card to a billboard in Times Square. Today, designers can still save, edit, and reopen EPS images as AI files, though EPS files don’t support transparency in the same way that AI files do.īecause of their small size and easy scalability, many designers prefer to use Adobe Illustrator files for their artwork. The previous EPS format combined both vector and raster image data. Before, Illustrator used the EPS file format.ĪI files were designed to display vector-based EPS files and single-page PDFs. Adobe introduced the AI image format with Illustrator 9 in 2000.

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