Those who use Adobe Illustrator often wonder, “How to save Adobe Illustrator as PNG?”
Adobe Illustrator is perhaps the best software out there to create high-quality images, graphics, motion graphics, and even web designs. There are a lot of uses of this software and you can even curve the text in Adobe Illustrator.
While you might be able to create awesome designs with this software using the best mice for graphic design, you might still struggle to save those images in PNG format.
I must mention here that the images, graphics, and designs created with the help of this software get an AI extension by default. Even though the quality of such images is extremely good and is not affected adversely when you change the size of the image, there are certain limitations attached to the AI extension.
In order to get over such limitations, it is best to convert AI files to other file formats, one of them being PNG.
How to Save Adobe Illustrator as PNG?
Before I list out the exact process of converting AI files to PNG, let’s find out a little more about each of these files.
What is understood by an AI image file?
It’s worth noting that Adobe Illustrator stores image files as AI files by default.
It happens to be a scalable extension and is used for images that are created through vector graphics. It’s worth mentioning here that vector graphics are somewhat rare and it is only this software that helps create them.

What makes AI images unique is that their size can be altered (increased or decreased) without any impact on the quality of the image. This is unlike images created through Photoshop or other applications.
This is why most companies prefer AI images for their brand logos and other marketing or advertising needs.
What is a PNG image file?
PNG happens to be one of the most common extensions being used for images, the other being JPEG. I am sure you must have noticed that a wide variety of images bear this extension.
Even though most people know that image files have PNG and JPEG extensions, they are not actually aware of what PNG refers to. PNG is actually Portable Network Graphics.
A PNG image is essentially a raster image.

Now, you must be wondering what a raster image or graphic is?
Well, a raster graphic refers to a structure made up of dot matrix data on a grid of pixels or points of color.
An image is created based on divided sections of the photo and each of such divided sections is used to determine which color shade goes where.
In layman’s words, a PNG image is created piece by piece. The similarity with AI images here is that PNG images also ensure lossless compression.
In other words, there’s literally no change in the quality of the image after its size is reduced.
How to convert the AI to PNG?
Now, we get to the big question – How to convert AI images to PNG?
The good thing is that there are a couple of methods to convert such images to PNG format.
First of all, you can make this conversion within the Adobe Illustrator software. Here are some simple steps to convert such images:
- You need to begin by opening the AI file that you need to convert in Illustrator.
- Now what you need to do is select that part of the image which you want to convert and after you have done that simply click on File and Export.
- Go to the dropdown bar and select PNG. Then click on Export.
- Once you click on Export, the image will get saved as a PNG file at the selected location on your computer.
However, if you do not have access to Adobe Illustrator, there are a couple of other ways to ensure this conversion.
Now, there are two ways to effect this conversion and these are listed below:
- Using Third-Party Software – This is a web-based conversion wherein you can convert the format of your file online and all you need is internet access. Moreover, it is best for conversion if you have a few or a limited number of files to convert. CloudConvert is one of the best online platforms that can ensure easy conversion of AI files into PNG images. It allows you to directly upload AI files which are then processed and converted into PNG images for you to download.
- System-Based Conversion – In this case, you need to install a program such as reaConverter on your computer before you can begin using it. This kind of method is the perfect option for those that want to convert a larger number of files or have access to slow internet.
Why Convert AI files to PNG?
AI files are great in terms of image clarity and they are highly desirable for getting great graphics, logos, etc. Having said that, there are times when AI files do not really measure up, especially when it comes to their functionality as well as accessibility.
What makes things a little bit tricky is that such files can only be accessed through Adobe Illustrator. Now, the real issue is that not everyone has Adobe Illustrator to access such files.

Thus, by converting AI files to the PNG format, it becomes far easier to share as well as use files quickly. Apart from this, editing these files after converting them to PNG format becomes far simpler.
AI is software that is intended to be used for very specific design details and when you are done making them, you would want to get them converted to PNG format so that you can work on other details for which you either do not need AI or require some other application. In other words, when you have to work on a file using a combination of applications, it is important to convert AI files to the PNG format.
AI is used to create certain types of designs. Once you are done with that, you might need to share or edit them, which certainly requires a different file type. Thus, it’s imperative for you to have a certain conversion method already thought of.
Conclusion
While AI is the perfect software for creating high-quality images, you do need to convert them to PNG in order to make them more accessible and usable. You will find some of the best methods to convert AI files into PNG images in the above article.
So, go ahead and use any one of them to effect the conversion of AI files into PNG format.

Talha Abid, co-founder of RoadMice is the creative genius behind the designing of this site. He is responsible for giving it a highly refreshing look. His top priority is to run this site without any glitches. He is a well-established digital marketer who loves traveling to exotic locations in his free time.