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Specifying raster effects settings


    Illustrator uses a document's raster effects settings whenever you apply a filter to a bitmap image or apply a raster effect to a vector graphic. These settings can have a large impact on the resulting artwork; therefore, it's important to check the Document Raster Effects Settings dialog box before you start working with filters and effects.

To set rasterization options for a document:

  1. Choose Effect > Document Raster Effects Settings.
  2. Set the following rasterization options, and click OK:
  3. Color Model

    Determines the color model that is used during rasterization. You can generate an RGB or CMYK color image (depending on the color mode of your document), a grayscale image, or a 1-bit image (which may be black-and-white or black-and-transparent, depending on the background option selected).

    Resolution

    Determines the number of pixels per inch (ppi) in the rasterized image. (See About resolution in bitmap images.)

    Background

    Determines how transparent areas of the vector graphic are converted to pixels. Select White to fill transparent areas with white pixels, or select Transparent to make the background transparent. If you select Transparent, you create an alpha channel (for all images except 1-bit images). The alpha channel is retained if the artwork is exported into Photoshop.

    Anti-alias

    Applies anti-aliasing to reduce the appearance of jagged edges in the rasterized image. Deselect this option to maintain the crispness of fine lines and small text.

    Create Clipping Mask

    Creates a mask that makes the background of the rasterized image appear transparent (See Working with clipping masks.)

    Note: You do not need to create a clipping mask if you selected Transparent for Background.

    Add Around Object

    Adds the specified number of pixels around the rasterized image.