How to Make an Illustrator Not Raster a JPG

JPEGs are raster graphics, which means you'll be able to see their pixels if you enlarge them too much. To prevent Illustrator from leaving JPEG images in their native raster format, convert the images to a vector format, such as Illustrator's native "ai" format. Perform this conversion with a few mouse clicks by using the "Live trace" command, or do it manually with the "Pen" tool. Whichever approach you choose, do not export the converted image back to a raster type like JPEG, BMP, or PNG. Instead, save the image as an Illustrator file.

Instructions

Automatic Trace

1. Click the "File" menu's "Open" command and then navigate to and double click a JPEG you want to make vectors for with Illustrator. Illustrator will load the JPEG for you to trace into a set of vectors.

2. Click the "Live trace" button above the canvas and then click one of the tracing options from the list that appears. For example, click "Color 16" to convert the JPEG to vector shapes that can have up to 16 different colors.

3. Click the "Expand" button to complete the conversion to vector shapes.

4. Click the "File" menu's "Save" command and then type a file name in the "File name" text box.

5. Click the "Illustrator" item from the "Type" dropdown list and then click "Save" to save the converted JPEG in a vector format.

Manual Trace

1. Click the "File" menu and then click the "Open" command. Navigate to a JPEG you want to make into a set of vector shapes. Double click the file to load it into Illustrator.

2. Click the eyedropper icon from the tool palette to run the tool for sampling colors.

3. Click the mouse cursor on one of the shapes in the JPEG. A "Shape" is a region with a single color, or colors they are almost the same. For example, the pupil of an eye minus the white highlight is usually a single shape.

4. Click the tool palette icon shape like a nib pen to run the "Pen" tool and then click a point on the outline of the shape you sampled.

5. Drag the mouse to another point on the outline and click again. Continue tracing around the shape until you've outlined it completely with control points. Click the first point you clicked to close the vector shape and fill it with the sampled color from step 2.

6. Create vector shapes for the remaining JPEG shapes, using the instructions from steps 2 through 5.

7. Click the "File" menu's "Save" command and then click the "Illustrator" type from the "Type" drop-down list. Type a name in the "Filename" text box and then click "Save" to save the set of vector shapes you traced from the JPEG.

References

• Illustrator CS5 Bible; Ted Alspach