Table of Content
Discover the Secret to Adobe Illustrator Transparent Backgrounds and How to Make Them
As a graphic designer today, you should know how to work use the Adobe Creative Suite, especially Adobe Illustrator properly. While Photoshop is a great tool in its own right, working with vector images require that you have a solid grounding in Illustrator as well, especially when you are customizing certain pictures and graphics for print or display. And many amateur or self-taught designers often need to look up how to make a background transparent in Adobe Illustrator the first few times they need to do that.
It is a common query that often arises when you are starting on Illustrator as a beginner. Though the process of removing background in Illustrator isn’t complicated, it still requires a proper explanation from start to finish.
The latest versions of Illustrator from Adobe have made this process simpler than ever. It is one of the reasons why designers across the world prefer Illustrator as the standard for working with different types of images. It’s simple, fast, and allows you to modify images perfectly as per the required needs. Join us as we explore how to remove a background of an image using Adobe Illustrator, the way a professional graphic design agency would.
Why Should You Choose Adobe Illustrator Over Inkscape or Other Tools?
Adobe Illustrator brings tons of advanced features for graphic designers. It provides an easy-to-use interface that makes the whole editing work of pictures/logos hassle-free. It is the major reason why beginners can also get started with Illustrator within just a few times.
Using the right guides available on the web, you can use Illustrator to craft some beautiful graphics and images. The platform is easy and versatile to use, making it one of the most commonly used vector graphics tools today. Moreover, the options it offers simply outclasses those by any graphics software available in the market.
Thus, Adobe Illustrator is the most sought-after tool used in graphic design today. And that is why if you have the choice, you should opt for it as your tool of choice.
Adobe Illustrator vs Adobe Photoshop – What’s the Difference Between the Two Tools?
Now, both Illustrator and Photoshop by Adobe are some of the most recommended graphic design tools by top design experts in the market. They are renowned because of their huge array of features that allow designers to create or edit all types of static graphics easily, from raster to vector images easily.
Let’s take a look at them in a little detail.
Adobe Illustrator – The Most Popular Vector Graphics Editor on the Market
To get to the crux of the difference between the two tools, Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor that is primarily used to design vector images, i-e scalable images, from scratch. Unlike raster graphics, which save their images in pixels and are resolution-dependent, vector graphics are saved as mathematical vector coordinates. This allows them to be scaled as needed without losing their clarity, offering greater flexibility as well as the ease to edit their graphics without losing out on any detail.
Illustrator brings a great set of inbuilt tools for the designers, allowing them to create different types of vector-based designs with ease. Plus, as part of the Adobe Creative Suite, you can easily export and continue your work in other tools within the bundle.
Adobe Photoshop – The OG Graphics Editor Mostly Used for Photo Editing Nowadays
Many amateur designers or casual designers also use Photoshop as their go-to graphic design tool. And while it is raster graphics tool, it is still widely used by those aren’t worried by scalability. Photoshop comes with a wide array of features that allows designers to customize everything easily. You can add fonts in Photoshop and can perform a variety of functions easily. Generally, Photoshop is preferred to edit images rather than creating them from scratch.
Compared to Illustrator, which is used to create graphics from scratch, Photoshop is mostly used to optimize images using different editing tools. If you are working with pictures that just require touch-ups, Photoshop can certainly prove to be the best choice for you.
Like Illustrator, you can also make an animated GIF in Photoshop easily. It also provides a hassle-free way to do this job, but with a slightly different method. It has got its own attributes and procedures, which is why it is also considered as an alternative to Illustrator.
How to Make Background Transparent in Illustrator – A Detailed Guide
Now that we know what purpose is served by Adobe Illustrator in graphic design, you might be wondering how to make transparent background in Illustrator. Well, to find out, join us as we explore the process in step-by-step detail.
Let’s begin.
Open Your Image File in Adobe Illustrator
First, you need to open the file from which you want to remove the background. Simply, navigate to the main menu and click on the File > Open button to upload your required image/logo on the platform.
Select the Option to View the Transparency Grid
Now, you need to open the transparency grid by clicking on the View > Show Transparency Grid option. It will help you to see the transparency ratio of your image, giving you a clear view of the areas that are transparent as well as white.
Trace Your Image to Highlight the Edges of the Section of Your Image to Turn Transparent
Now, it is time to open the trace window by going to the Window > Trace Image option. It is a very handy tool that allows you to highlight the picture areas that need to be transparent, separating them from the white background.
Customize Your Tracing Settings to Add/Remove Any Areas of Transparency
To remove the white background from the image perfectly, you need to customize the tracing setting as given below. It will help you get the best results, depending upon the original quality of the picture.
- Leave the Preset setting to default as it will automatically change simultaneously with the customizations in other options. Meanwhile, if you want to perform some other changes, you can also select the Custom option as well.
- Select Tracing Result in the View option. It will give you a good view of the live transparency result.
- Select Color in the Mode option.
- Select Full Tone in Palette option.
- Expand the Advanced tab given below and change the Method settings to Abutting. Besides that, keep all the other settings to default.
- Add the check on both Snap Curves to Lines and Ignore White option.
- Completing all the above, click on the Trace option.
Review & Save Your Image
Once you have completed the steps above, you have now learned how to make background transparent in Illustrator, and it’s now time to review your image and give it a final check. Make sure to review it carefully, so that you can analyze its transparency ratio in complete detail.
Once finalized, export the file in the .PNG format by clicking the File > Save As option. Next, select the File > Select for Web option to finally save the picture in .PNG format.
That’s it! You have successfully removed the white background from your image, making it completely transparent.
Top Tips to Save Illustrator EPS Files for Easy Use and Sharing
Saving EPS files without a white background is nothing short of a challenge. Therefore, it’s essential to check your EPS background before saving your file. That is because if you end up with a solid color background rather than a transparency, it will affect your print results. But there’s no need to worry, we have got you covered!
The following tips will help you save your EPS files with a transparent background easily. Using the step-by-step guide on how to make background transparent in Illustrator above, and these tips, you will be able to create pro-quality graphics in no time.
- First, open the ESP file in illustrator.
- Next, you need to make and save a copy of that file, preserving the original file. It’s done by choosing File > Save As, rename the copied file. Change the files’ background setting to transparent.
- Now change the format of the file to “EPS.”
- It’s time to “Save” the file and open the dialog box labeled EPS options.
- Once open, select “Transparent” from the dialog box’s options.
- Click “Ok,” and you’re done.
Frequently Asked Questions
| 1- How to make a background transparent in Adobe Illustrator? The process to create a transparent background in Adobe Illustrator 2020 is the same as the other versions. Just open your file and select Transparency as the background option. Afterward, perform the required changes and export the file in .PNG format. Your transparent image without any background is now ready. |
| 2- How to change background colors in Adobe Illustrator 2020? To change background color in Illustrator, follow the below given steps. – Create a new document by clicking on File > New option. – Next, go to the File > Documents Setup and check the Simulate Colored Paper box. – Now, click on the Color Palette and choose your desired color from the palette. – Go back in the Documents Setup window and click the OK button, you are done. |
| 3- How to make my artboard transparent in Illustrator? You can easily make the artboard transparent on Illustrator by enabling the Transparency grid. This can be done by navigating to the View tab and selecting the Show Transparency Grid option. It will quickly convert your white artboard into a transparent one, giving you ease to create logos or pictures from scratch on it. |
| 4- How to adjust brightness in Illustrator? You can easily adjust the brightness of your image by doing the following steps in Illustrator. – Select the object that needs brightness adjustment. – Open the Recolor artwork dialog box and click on the Edit button. – Quickly adjust your object brightness by using the given slider. |
| 5- Can JPEG have a transparent background? The image format JPEG can’t have a transparent background as it uses RGB color space. To attain transparency, you need to use a format supporting alpha values. The alpha value is used to measure opacity, where 0% is considered entirely transparent, and 100% leads to complete opaque. |
Final Words
Adobe Illustrator is a highly advanced graphic design tool used by designers and illustrators around the world. Its plethora of inbuilt features and its status as an industry standard allows designers to create images with different styles, as per the desired objectives.
In the guide above, we have discussed how to make background transparent in Illustrator using a few simple steps and features available within the tool itself. A quick process that doesn’t take much effort, provided you have got the required knowledge of every step, this offering from Adobe is a great tool to use.
As mentioned earlier, both Illustrator and Photoshop are used to create/edit images as per the required needs. As a graphic designer, you need to know how to make a background transparent in Adobe Illustrator as well as Photoshop. Both of them are great tools that provide various advanced features to work with, as per your custom demands.
Meanwhile, if you are not well versed in using these software, drop our graphic design agency a message anytime. Our experts will ensure that the resultant design suits your brand requirements.
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