Placing artwork
The Place command lets you import artwork into an Illustrator document in one of two ways: by creating a link to an external file or by embedding a copy of the file in the Illustrator document. The option you choose depends on how you plan to edit the artwork: - Linked artwork remains independent of the Illustrator document, resulting in a smaller Illustrator file. You can modify linked artwork using transformation tools and effects; however, you cannot select and edit individual components in the artwork. A preference you set for updating links determines whether the artwork in the Illustrator document changes when the linked file changes outside of Illustrator.
- Embedded artwork is copied into the Illustrator document, resulting in a larger Illustrator file. If the artwork contains multiple components, you can edit them discretely. For example, if the artwork contains vector data, Illustrator converts it to paths, which you can then modify using Illustrator tools and commands. Illustrator also preserves the object hierarchy (such as groups and layers) in artwork embedded from certain file formats.
The Links palette lets you identify, select, monitor, and update objects in the Illustrator artwork that are linked to external files. (See Managing linked and embedded artwork.) Note: If you're working with managed files from an Adobe Version Cue project, see also Working with Adobe Version Cue managed projects.
To place artwork into an Illustrator document: - Open the Illustrator document into which you want to place the artwork.
- Choose File > Place.
- Locate and select the file you want to place. If you don't see the name of the file you want, the file has been saved in a format that Illustrator cannot read.
- Do one of the following, and click Place:
- To create a link between the file and the Illustrator document, select the Link option.
- To embed the artwork in the Illustrator document, deselect the Link option.
- To create a template layer using the file, select Template. For more information on using template layers, see Tracing artwork.
- To replace an existing placed file, select Replace. (This option is only available if you select the placed artwork before choosing File > Place.)
- In certain situations, another dialog box may appear:
- If you place a PDF file with multiple pages, you can choose which page you want to place and how to crop the artwork. (See Importing artwork from PDF files.)
- If you embed a Photoshop file, you can choose how to convert layers. (See Importing artwork from Photoshop.)
- If you embed a color-managing file that doesn't match the working space of the current document, a warning appears. You must either convert the colors in the embedded artwork to the current working space or cancel the operation. (See About color management.)
To place a color-managed file without converting its colors, select the Link option.
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