Exporting your Adobe Illustrator artwork as an AI file is straightforward. Here's how to do it:
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Go to the File Menu: In Adobe Illustrator, click on the "File" menu located at the top left of your screen.
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Choose "Save As..." or "Export As..." Depending on your needs, you'll select one of these options:
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Save As...: This option saves the current file, potentially overwriting the original (or creating a copy with a new name). It's typically used when you're working within Illustrator and want to save your progress or create a new version of the AI file. This will save as a native .ai file format.
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Export As...: This is used when you want to save your artwork in a different file format while keeping the original AI file intact. However, for the specific goal of saving as an AI file, "Save As..." is usually the more direct and preferred method.
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Select Adobe Illustrator (.ai) as the File Type: In the "Save As..." or "Export As..." dialog box, look for the "Save as type" (Windows) or "Format" (macOS) dropdown menu. Choose "Adobe Illustrator (.ai)" from the list of available file formats.
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Name Your File: Enter the desired name for your AI file in the "File name" field.
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Choose a Location: Select the folder on your computer where you want to save the AI file.
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Configure AI Save Options (if using 'Save As...'): When using "Save As...", an "Illustrator Options" dialog box will appear. Here, you can specify the Illustrator version compatibility, embed fonts, create PDF compatible file and other save options. Adjust these settings to your preferences. Generally, the default settings are appropriate for most users.
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Click "Save": Click the "Save" button to complete the export process.
In Summary: To save an Adobe Illustrator file as an AI file, use the "File > Save As..." command and select "Adobe Illustrator (.ai)" as the file format.
