How to convert a PDF to an AI file.
Need to make your PDF illustration editable? Learn how to convert your PDF into an Adobe Illustrator (AI) file in minutes.
Businesses, designers, and artists often share completed illustrations as PDFs because you can open them on practically any device — however, those PDFs aren’t always so easy to edit. Read on to learn how to convert PDF to AI to create an editable, shareable file.
Why should you convert a PDF to an AI file?
PDF is a popular and practical standard format for file sharing. You can edit and modify PDFs with Acrobat, and the PDF format works great if you need to edit text, add comments, annotate, or collect a signature. But when you require extensive edits, especially for graphic designs, consider using Adobe’s AI converter and converting it to an AI format first.
The AI format allows you to access all of the editing and design capabilities of Adobe Illustrator. With its vector-based graphics, the AI file format offers editing functionalities that can manipulate or change any image on the illustration. Because the graphics are vector-based, your designs can be scaled up or down to any size without losing quality. Scaling up can be especially important for projects like logos or other large-scale marketing. AI is the perfect format choice for industrial or marketing design edits and more. Let’s learn how to convert PDF to AI.
The easy way to convert PDF to AI.
Adobe Illustrator created the AI format so using its own converter is the fastest way to accomplish this. Simply open Illustrator and follow the steps below:
- Select File from the Illustrator menu
- Locate and open the PDF you want to convert
- Select Save As and choose the AI file type
- Click Save to convert and begin editing
What about converting AI to PDF?
AI files can only be viewed with Adobe Illustrator, so if you want to share your design in a format that can be viewed from any device, convert AI to PDF file. To convert your file in Illustrator, follow these simple steps:
- Open the file you want to convert in Illustrator
- Select Save a Copy from the File menu
- Select PDF from the Format dropdown menu
- Click Save, and select your preferred PDF settings
You can also use the Adobe Acrobat application to export Illustrator to PDF, or you can use Acrobat online services to make the conversion.
Get more out of your PDFs.
Both Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat online let you easily convert PDF files — to and from — any number of file formats. Whether you’re on the go, at your desktop in the office, or able to work from anywhere remotely, the process is quick and easy and lets you share your files exactly in the format you need.
Discover everything you can do with Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat online services to convert, sign, share PDFs, and more.