Working with Raster Images

You can place raster images into Illustrator to perform various tasks, including applying transformations (rotating, scaling, and so on), as well as using images in a mask.

Images in Illustrator can be either linked or embedded. Linking a file involves placing a reference to that file into your Illustrator file, but the image remains a separate file. If you want to make an edit to that image, you open the original file and change it. Upon saving the file, you return to using Illustrator. Because Illustrator maintains a link to that image, Illustrator knows that you've updated the image and asks whether you want the image to be updated in your layout. However, if you were to delete that linked image from your computer, Illustrator would not be capable of printing the file correctly.

Embedding an image is the process of permanently adding the image to the Illustrator file. Any changes you make to the original image will not be updated in your Illustrator layout. Embedding a file also increases the file size of your Illustrator documentsignificantly, if you're embedding large high-resolution images.

You can choose to either link or embed your placed image at the time you place it. The Place dialog box contains a check box marked Link (which is on by default).

Did you Know?

When you're placing PDF or EPS duotone images in Illustrator, always use the Link option. If you embed a duotone image, the image could be converted to the document color space (CMYK or RGB).

You can track and manage the use of linked images in your Illustrator documents by using the Links palette (found in the Window menu). If you want to edit a linked image, select the image in the Links palette (see Figure 7.193) and click on the Edit Original button at the lower right of the palette. Additionally, you can double-click on any of the items in the Links palette to get more information about that link.

Figure 7.193. The Links palette.

If you place a Photoshop file that has layer comps into an Illustrator file (or if you choose to open a Photoshop file from Illustrator's Open dialog box), you can specify which layer comp you want to appear when the image is placed (see Figure 7.194).

Figure 7.194. The Photoshop Import Options dialog box.