What is an ai file and how do I open an ai file?

AI, or Adobe Illustrator Artwork, is a proprietary file format developed by Adobe Systems for representing single-page vector-based drawings in either the EPS or PDF formats. The AI extension is used by Adobe Illustrator. Some other applications can be used to edit such files, and Adobe Reader, Photoshop and Preview can view them. The AI file format was originally a native format called PGF. PDF compatibility is achieved by embedding a total copy of the PGF data into the saved PDF file. Because Illustrator image files are saved in a vector format, they can be enlarged without the lose of any image quality. There is third-party software which can open AI files, however they may rasterize the image, meaning the vector data will be converted into a bitmap format. If AI files are saved for further editing, Adobe Illustrator uses the file extension AI for saving these drawings. The AI file format is comprised of paths which are connected by points rather than image data.
Adobe Illustrator was first released for the Apple Macintosh in 1987 as a commercialized version of Adobe's in-house font development software and PostScript file format. Adobe Illustrator is the companion product of Adobe Photoshop.

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