Photoshop, save, relink
Open the photo in Photoshop, use Filter › Camera Raw Filter (or open the RAW file through Camera Raw), save a TIFF or PSD, place or relink it in Illustrator. You see the result next to your layout only after each save.
GUIDE · PHOTOS IN ILLUSTRATOR
Is there Camera Raw
in Illustrator?
No. Camera Raw ships with Photoshop and Bridge; Illustrator has no Camera Raw filter, and it cannot place camera RAW files at all. The usual workaround is a round trip: edit the photo in Photoshop, save it, update the link in Illustrator, and repeat for every change. Ilo Raw puts the developer inside Illustrator instead.
01 — TWO WAYS
The round trip,
or the darkroom on the artboard.
Develop where the layout is
Select a placed photo, an embedded image or a RAW file and Ilo Raw opens a full developer in its own window inside Illustrator. Press Done and the photo goes back exactly where it was, same size, rotation and clipping, and stays re-editable.
02 — WHAT'S INSIDE
The controls you know
from Camera Raw and Lightroom.
Light and colour
White balance with picker and Auto, Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, Texture, Clarity, Dehaze, Vibrance and Saturation.
Curves, mixer, grading
Parametric and point curves, Hue / Saturation / Luminance for eight colour bands, and colour grading wheels for shadows, midtones and highlights.
Including your paths
Linear, radial, brush, luminance and colour range, automatic Subject and Sky, and any Illustrator path as a mask.
The file the camera wrote
Canon CR3 and CR2, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, Fujifilm RAF, DNG and more, placed on the artboard linked to the RAW.
Real transparency
Remove the background (with Photoshop's engine when Photoshop is installed, or the built-in AI), refine the edge, keep a transparent result.
Spot duotones
Two grayscale plates coloured with your real spot swatches, set to overprint, for screen print and offset.
03 — QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Can Illustrator open RAW files?
No. Illustrator cannot place camera RAW files such as CR3, NEF or ARW. Ilo Raw opens them, develops them and places the result on the artboard, linked to the RAW so you can re-edit it later.
Can I adjust a photo's colours in Illustrator without Photoshop?
Only roughly: Illustrator's Edit › Edit Colors commands (colour balance, saturate, grayscale) have no tone curve, no highlights and shadows, no masks. Ilo Raw gives you the full developer, and can apply the same look to vector artwork selected with the photo.
Can I edit the photo again later?
Yes. Select it again and Ilo Raw opens with your settings, so you continue where you left off. RAW files stay linked to the RAW.
What do I need?
Adobe Illustrator 2023 or newer on macOS 11 or newer, or Windows 10 or 11. Photoshop is optional (used for the best cutout edges). Internet only to activate.
What does it cost?
5 days free with every feature and no card, then from $9 a month; see pricing.