How to Export a JPG in Illustrator CS4

The JPG compression option you select determines how color is preserved in a file.

Adobe Illustrator can be used to create almost any graphic image or piece of art. Once you're finished with your artwork, you might need to export it to another format for use in other applications, such as in print or online. One such format is JPG, a standard compression format ideal for images with transparency and gradient colors. Huge Illustrator files that would normally be too large to distribute or download can achieve great size savings when exported to JPG. Illustrator CS4 lets you set different levels of compression by selecting options in the menu.

Instructions

1. Open the Illustrator document you wish to export to JPG format. Click on the "File" menu after the document or program is open. Scroll down to "Export."

2. Pull down the "Format" drill down box at the bottom of the the "Export" window when it opens and select "JPG." Enter your new file name in the "Save As" box just above the "Format" box. Select your format first and your new file name will have the correct file suffix, which, in this case, is JPG.

3. Click on "Use Artboards" in the "Export" dialog box to export each artboard as a separate JPEG file, if applicable to your Illustrator document. Export just a few or a range of artboards by specifying the range of artboards, specify the range.

4. Choose the quality of your export JPG file by selecting an option between 0 and 10 in the "Quality" text box.

5. Select "CMYK," "RGB" or "Grayscale to match the color model for your JPG.

6. Under "Format," select "Baseline (Standard) if you wish your JPG to be compressed in a format recognized by most Web browsers. Pull down the drill down button to"Baseline Optimized" to optimize the color of your JPG and compress it to a smaller size. Select "Progressive" to render a series of progressive scans as the JPG downloads.

7. Set a resolution for your JPG under the "Depth" button. Depth determines your JPG's resolution.

8. Click on "Anti-Alias" if you want to remove jagged edges of the artwork.

Tips & Warnings

• The JPG format uses a lossy compression method. Data is discarded during compression to this format.

• Save JPG images from your original Illustrator artwork, not from a saved JPG file. Each consecutive time a JPG is saved, data is discarded, which degrades the image further.

References

• "Illustrator CS4 Bible"; Ted Alspach; 2009
• "Adobe Illustrator 10 Classroom in a Book"; Adobe Systems; 2002