The Adobe illustrator artwork (AI) is a file format developed by Adobe Systems for representing single-page vector-based drawings in EPS or PDF formats. Hence the .ai filename extension is used by Adobe Illustrator. The ai format is mostly used for logos and print media.
Software that can open AI files
2. How AI is converted to other formats?
Well, to view AI files you will need to use any of the compatible software or convert it to a favourable software. In the case that you save or export artwork, Illustrator writes the artwork data to a file. You can save artwork in these basic file formats; AI, PDF, EPS, FXG, and SVG. They are also termed as native formats because they can preserve all illustrator data. However, there is a limitation if you save a file in another format before you finish creating it. Hence, it is recommended to save it in the AI format, till you finish editing it.
3. Save as in Adobe Illustrator
If your document has multiple artboards and you want to save a previous version of Illustrator, you can choose to save each artboard as a separate file. The other alternative is to combine the content of all the artboards into a single file. You first choose file – save as or file then save a copy. You should then type in a file name and choose a location for the file. Remember to choose Illustrator *AI as the file format and click save. In the illustrator options, dialog box set the desired options and click OK. At times when you save .ai files, illustrator runs the save process in the background. If the file is small you may not know about the background process, but for large files, it results in high productivity.
4. Online conversion site
(1). Cloud convert
Cloud convert is an online file converter that supports audio, video, document, ebook, archive, image, spreadsheet, or presentation format. It works online and you don’t need to download and install any software. It is secure and you are assured that no one will have access to your files. Most conversion types can be adjusted to your needs. The API allows custom integrations with your app. They also provide a lot of handy features. It supports up to 140 file formats. If you are a registered user it allows you to convert up to 25 files with a maximum file size of 1000MB. However, there is also a monthly subscription and packages you can have.
(2). Zamzar
Zamzar is another online file convertor that converts documents, images, videos, and sound. It supports up to 1200 + formats supported. The beauty of this is that it is convenient, you don’t need to download any software. You just select a file, pick a conversion format, and convert. The conversions happen within 10mins. Also, if you have a file format you doubt whether it can be converted. You can contact the support team and the engineers will help you out. For a free account the file size limit is 50MB and for registered users is 2GB. It can be used on any operating system.
Conclusion
If you have an AI file and you need to view it but not edit, there are programs you can use. The default save settings for ai files in illustrator means that the files are saved with pdf content embedded. Hence, they can be viewed by any apps that support pdf viewing. On windows, you can change the AI file to pdf. On Mac, you can view the AI files in preview without any changes. The other option is uploading the AI files to Google drive and view from there.
You may want to read:
How to Open And Convert PSD File
