People assume that placing an image in Illustrator makes it embedded automatically, but this is a common mistake. When you add an image it becomes linked to Illustrator, but to embed it, there are a few extra steps. To escape awkward situations like “where did my images go” remember to embed your images before you save your file and pass it on.
What’s the difference between linked and embedded images?
LINKED IMAGE:
A linked image is one that always remains separate from the file. The external image only loads when the original file is opened, similar to a hyperlink for the web. If you send out your file, the linked image will not be visible to anyone else opening it elsewhere since they do not have that image saved on their computer. A warning dialogue box would appear on their screens.
EMBEDDED IMAGE:
On the contrary, an embedded image is the one that is incorporated into the Illustrator document. It becomes part of that document, and it does not have a link that can be splintered. When you embed an image in an Illustrator, it will keep a copy of that specific image within that file and increase its size too. It accommodates the entire image rather than just linking it.
You can differentiate between these two images by observing a cross on the image that is linked.
Adobe Illustrator has an essential feature to embed images into your document or files. You need to know how to effectively use this feature by memorizing very simple steps.
1) START WITH YOUR DESIGN:
Open the design you need to work on by starting a new project in an Illustrator, using File, and then select the Open menu to add an image to your design.
2) CLICK ON THE LINKS WINDOW:
Links Window is used to embed the image into Illustrator. To open the link option, click on the Windows tab and select the Links option.
3) CHOOSE THE IMAGES TO EMBED:
When you click on the windows option, it will show you several images to be used in your Illustrator. Keep in mind that you can add or select images directly from this panel. To choose more than one image, you can long-press on the Shift key; just click on the first and the last image to select the remaining in-between images.
Now open the drop-down menu and simply click on the option of Embed Image(s) to turn your linked photos into embedded ones. You can similarly unembed an image by clicking on the same drop-down menu and selecting the appropriate option.
4) HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR IMAGE IS EMBEDDED?
To know if your image is embedded into the document and can be opened anywhere is by completely focusing on the Links Menu and notice that all your photos have a tiny icon on the right-hand side which shows that they are embedded.
This way, you can embed images into Illustrator and enrich your designs without the fear of losing them if opened elsewhere.