Exporting a Photoshop File

Now you're ready to take the banner into ImageReady. Although ImageReady is capable of opening native Illustrator files, you can take advantage of some advanced functionality by exporting a Photoshop file right from Illustrator.

By the Way

When you open a native Illustrator file in ImageReady, the file gets flattened into a single layer. However, if you export a Photoshop (.psd) file from Illustrator, you can preserve layers, clipping masks, editable text, opacity levels and blend modes, slices and optimization settings, and more.

Choose File, Export and select Photoshop (psd) from the Formats pop-up; then click Export. You're presented with the Photoshop Export Options dialog box (see Figure 15.18). Choose Screen (72 ppi) for the resolution, and choose to export as Photoshop CS with the Write Layers choice and the Preserve Text Editability and Maximum Editability options checked.

Figure 15.18. The Photoshop Export Options dialog box.

At this point, you're done with Illustrator. You can close the file and quit the application.

By the Way

In case you're wondering, yes, the Illustrator file looks like a mess with pictures and words all over the place. Don't worry, though: You'll turn this into a masterpiece when you bring the file into ImageReady. By building the file with layers, you can control each of the items individually to create a great-looking animation.