Did your computer fail to open an AI file? We explain what AI files are and recommend software that we know can open or convert your AI files.

13 Best Free AI Viewer Software For Windows. AI file (Adobe Illustrator file) is single-page vector based image file which was developed by Adobe System. It has.ai extension and it can be opened by image viewer and editor software which supports its input format. All these 13 free software can open and can mange to open this file.

What is an AI file?

AI is the acronym for Adobe Illustrator. Files that have the .ai extension are drawing files that the Adobe Illustrator application has created.

The Adobe Illustrator application was developed by Adobe Systems. The files created by this application are composed of paths that are connected by points and are saved in vector format. The technology used to create these files allows the user to re-size the AI image without losing any of the image's quality.

Ai File Extension Photoshop

Some third-party programs allow users to 'rastersize' the images created in Adobe Illustrator, which allows them to convert the AI file into bitmap format. While this may make the file size smaller and easier to open across multiple applications, some of the file quality may be lost in the process.

Software that will open, convert or fix AI files

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About File Extension AI

File.org aims to be the go-to resource for file type- and related software information. We spend countless hours researching various file formats and software that can open, convert, create or otherwise work with those files.

If you have additional information about the AI file format or software that uses files with the AI suffix, please do get in touch - we would love hearing from you.

Adobe Illustrator Artwork (AI) is a proprietaryfile format developed by Adobe Systems for representing single-page vector-based drawings in either the EPS or PDF formats. The .aifilename extension is used by Adobe Illustrator.

The AI file format was originally a native format called PGF. PDF compatibility is achieved by embedding a complete copy of the PGF data within the saved PDF format file. This format is not related to .pgf using the same name Progressive Graphics Format.^[5]

The same “dual path” approach as for PGF is used when saving EPS-compatible files in recent versions of Illustrator. Early versions of the AI file format are true EPS files with a restricted, compact syntax, with additional semantics represented by Illustrator-specific DSC comments that conform to DSC's Open Structuring Conventions. These files are identical to their corresponding Illustrator EPS counterparts, but with the EPS procsets (procedure sets) omitted from the file and instead externally referenced using %%Include directives.

• 1Programs that support AI files

Programs that support AI files[edit]

Editors[edit]

Aside from Adobe Illustrator, the following applications can edit .ai files:

• Adobe After Effects can open and use .ai files for video editing.^[6]
• Cinema 4D can import .ai files for conversion to 3D images or for basic editing.
• CorelDRAW (proprietary program) can natively edit this file format with some limitations.^[7][8]
• Corel Paint Shop Pro (proprietary program) can natively edit this file format.
• DrawPlus (proprietary program) can import v9 and above versions of this file format (must be saved as being PDF compatible).^[9]
• FlexiSign (Vector Program used in Signmaking) Can read AI files.
• FreeHand (proprietary program) can natively open and edit .ai file format version 8 or lower. FreeHand will export to .ai version 7 format.
• Ghostscript (GPL-licensed program) can convert AI postscript files into various formats, and also allows programs that use Ghostscript such as GIMP to import AI files.
• Inkscape (a free, GPL-licensed program) can import the old PostScript-based Adobe Illustrator format (up to AI ver.8) and AI files based on PDF (AI 9.0 and above).^[10][11]
• OmniGraffle (proprietary program) a diagramming and digital illustration application from The Omni Group.
• Scribus (a free, GPL-licensed Desktop publishing program) can open, edit and embed both PostScript- and PDF-based AI files.
• Skencil (GPL-licensed program) also claims to have some AI support.
• sK1 (a free, GPL-licensed vector graphics editor) supports PostScript-based AI files up to AI ver. 9.^[12]
• UniConvertor (a free, GPL-licensed vector graphics translator) supports PostScript-based AI files up to AI ver. 9.^[12]
• Xara Xtreme (proprietary program) has support for the format that is described as 'working'. Xara Xtreme for Linux has similar support.^[13]
• XnView uses Ghostscript to handle AI, EPS, PS, and PDF; this might work for AI files saved with the PDF compatibility option.^[14]
• Zamzar (a free online web-based tool) can convert AI files into a variety of image formats, including BMP, GIF, JPG and PNG.^[15]

File Extension Ai Online Viewer

Viewers[edit]

• Adobe Reader can open .ai files for viewing if they are saved with the PDF compatibility option.
• Adobe Photoshop can open .ai files if they are saved with the PDF compatibility option.
• Preview can view .ai files if they are saved with the PDF compatibility option.
• Irfanview can open .ai files for viewing.
• Evince^[16]

View Ai Files Without Illustrator

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Ai File Extension Reader

1. ^'What is AI? What Opens a AI? File Format List from WhatIs.com'. WhatIs.com. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
2. ^'SVG Pottery Documentation'. Stefano Costa. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
3. ^'Adobe Illustrator File Format Specification'(PDF). Adobe Systems Incorporated. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
4. ^'Graphic File Types Overview'. Lawrence San. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
5. ^'Optimize native and PDF file sizes'. Illustrator Help. Adobe. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
6. ^'How To Prepare And Import Illustrator Files Into After Effects For Animation'. The Shutterstock Blog. 2015-01-06. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
7. ^'CorelDRAW - Supported file formats : Adobe Illustrator (AI)'. Retrieved 2010-12-01.^{[permanent dead link]}
8. ^'CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 Supported File Formats'. Retrieved 2010-12-01.^{[permanent dead link]}
9. ^'Serif DrawPlus - Opening Adobe Illustrator files'. Serif. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
10. ^'Inkscape - Current Adobe Illustrator support'. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
11. ^'Inkscape - What formats can Inkscape import/export?'. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
12. ^ ^ab'sK1 - UniConvertor - universal vector graphics translator'. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
13. ^'What can Xara Xtreme for Linux do now?'. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
14. ^'XnView - supported formats'. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
15. ^'Convert AI files to JPG, PNG, GIF, PDF and more'. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
16. ^https://git.gnome.org/browse/evince/tree/NEWS#n34

External links[edit]

• Adobe Illustrator File Format Specification—the official specification for the original EPS-based formats