blurred image when I export in JPEG or PNG

[niki5CE6]

Could someone help me on how to not let my image save blurred. My document is in A4 size created in 300 dpi. I have tried to export it in high resolution in both formats, is there a trick to maybe have that crisp image that illustrator would normally have? it looks like this when I zoom in.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

That is expected behavior. You are exporting as a pixel-based format and as such are rendering at the resolution you exported it as. Those pixels are now "fixed", in a matter of speaking. Zooming in on even a 300ppi export will look like this. You also have anti-aliasing turned on, which actually helps it look smoother optically. Without anitaliasing, 300ppi looks even worse.

Conversely, vector Illustrator objects are rendered only at the final output stage, and at the resolution of the device... e.g. if you are sending to a commercial printer, they render your shapes at upwards of 2400ppi.

The end takeaway here is if you want crisp output, you do not want to use a pixel-based format. If you are exporting images for the web, etc, then you need to know the limitations of that.

[niki5CE6]

what would you suggest for me to make sure i get that crisp image? how would I change for it not to be a pixel based format

[Doug A Roberts]

PDF for print or file sharing, SVG for web usage.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

What he said ^

It comes down to what your end goal is. What are you planning to do with these graphics?

[niki5CE6]

I am creating a logo that would be able to look good for web usage and printing. I have used illustrator before but it never saved blurry so I am a beginner on how to change any settings. 

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

In which case, you want to keep your file in vector for print, using either .AI, .PDF, or even .EPS* (*although it's an old format and not recommended these days). .SVG is a vector format good for the web but it's RGB-only based at the moment, and not as widely supported.

As for the pixel-based formats. Export in several resolutions. PNG is the best as it supports transparency and doesn't include artifacts like JPG will at lower quality. JPG does not support transparency, so your logo will always have a white background.

Example: When I do logo assets, I usually export at 150, 300 and sometimes even at 600 if there's smaller detailed type as part of it. Traditionally, 72 was used as the resolution for typical monitors, but these days, many monitors are at least 96ppi and up, Anti-aliasing is best to have on, as it optically improves the look on regular viewing on a screen. It's always better to have a larger file than you need. A bigger file can always be scaled down, but a lower res file cannot be scaled up without unpleasant results.