The best way to edit an image created in Illustrator within Photoshop depends on your specific needs, but generally, you'll transfer the design from Illustrator to Photoshop, potentially rasterizing it during the process, and then edit it in Photoshop. Here's a breakdown of the process:
Transferring from Illustrator to Photoshop
There are several methods to get your Illustrator artwork into Photoshop:
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Copy and Paste: You can copy the artwork directly from Illustrator and paste it into Photoshop. Photoshop will prompt you with options like pasting as a Smart Object, Pixels, Path, or Shape Layer.
- Smart Object: This maintains the vector nature of the artwork, allowing you to scale and transform it without losing quality. Double-clicking the Smart Object opens it back in Illustrator for editing. When you save the Illustrator file, the Smart Object updates in Photoshop. This is usually the preferred method.
- Pixels: This rasterizes the artwork into pixels at the specified resolution. This is useful if you intend to directly edit the artwork's pixels in Photoshop. Be aware that scaling rasterized artwork can lead to pixelation.
- Path: This pastes the artwork as editable paths, which is useful for intricate selections or creating vector masks within Photoshop.
- Shape Layer: This pastes the artwork as a vector shape layer, which can be useful for further vector manipulation within Photoshop.
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Drag and Drop: Drag the Illustrator file directly onto your Photoshop canvas. This will also import the artwork as a Smart Object by default.
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Export from Illustrator, Open in Photoshop: You can export the artwork from Illustrator in a raster format (like PNG, JPG, or TIFF) or a layered PSD format (if you saved as an older version compatible with both) and then open it in Photoshop. Rasterizing beforehand might be necessary if you need specific raster effects.
Editing in Photoshop
Once the artwork is in Photoshop, you can utilize Photoshop's editing tools.
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If you pasted or dragged the artwork as a Smart Object, you can double-click the Smart Object's layer thumbnail to open the artwork back in Illustrator for vector-based edits. Save the Illustrator file, and the changes will automatically update in your Photoshop document. This is non-destructive and highly recommended if you anticipate needing to make further vector edits.
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If you pasted the artwork as Pixels, you can directly edit the pixels using Photoshop's raster editing tools like brushes, erasers, filters, etc. This will rasterize the original vector artwork.
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If you pasted the artwork as a Path, you can edit the paths directly using the Direct Selection Tool.
Considerations
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Rasterization: Converting vector artwork (from Illustrator) to a pixel-based format (in Photoshop) is called rasterization. This is necessary to apply many of Photoshop's effects and filters. However, rasterized artwork can lose quality if scaled up. Smart Objects help mitigate this since they maintain the original vector information.
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Layers: When transferring from Illustrator, consider how your artwork is layered. Illustrator's layers panel structure doesn't directly translate to Photoshop, but if you use Smart Objects, you retain the ability to edit the layered structure within Illustrator and update it in Photoshop.
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Resolution: Ensure your Photoshop document and your Illustrator artwork have appropriate resolutions for your final output.
