HELP! Free distort tool not working on images

[HMD708]

The jpg image is rasterized and in its own layer. I can rotate it, shear it, transform it... But the perspective warp will NOT apply! What am I missing?

Using current Adobe Illustrator 2020

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Draw a rectangle the same porportions as the image. Distort it and then apply it as an envelope on the image.

[johnj84390463]

Great and concise answer, but just to note that this only works on an embedded image, and not on a linked one (the latter being the default way of bringing raster images into Illustrator).

From: https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/envelope-distort-on-jpeg-not-working/td-p/10131985

[J2kLarsonite]

well that's a waste of time.  why can't the tool JUST WORK?

[sg98570967]

if you OBJECT>ENVELOPE DISTORT>MAKE WITH MESH and then set it to 1 row and 1 column, you'll be able to use the perspective distort and free distort in the free transform tool