Resize and export image / blurred edges

[luisak82248787]

Hello,

i have a sharp vector graphic (it's just a word) and I want to resize it to a smaller size and export as png or jpeg. No matter what import settings I use (import eps or svg in Photoshop or Illustrator) and no matter what export settings i tried, the exported image always had blurry or pixelated edges. In Photoshop and Illustrator everything looks fine.

I tried everything I found on google, nothing helps. Seems downsizing graphics and converting vector graphics to pixel graphics is often a problem but it should be possible to have a small AND sharp image, right?

Then I tried cheating and made a screenshot (png) of the illustrator artboard in a small size and now I have what I wanted. So it is possible to have a sharp image but I would like to do it the "right" way and not make a screenshot.

Can please anybody help with that?

Thanks!

[Ton Frederiks]

If you have a high resolution screen, like a mac retina screen, the resolution of a screendump is higher (144 ppi) than the 72 ppi export from Illustrator.

Try to export at 2X to get the same number of pixels as your screendump.

[luisak82248787]

Hi,

thanks for your answers.

When I export at 2x my file has not the resolution I need. Usually I work with video and I have only little knowledge about illustrator and graphics. I tried to make my artboard half size of the resolution i need  and then "export as..." PNG with 150 ppi. Shouldn't that be similar to my 144 ppi screenshot?

Both files are about 400px x 100px. When I open the files with the mac preview they seem to have the same size (and quality is now quite similar) but when I put them into a mail the 144ppi screenshot is scaling down to half of the size, maybe that's why it seems sharper... What's the difference?

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

Don't confuse pixel size and resolution.

A file in Illustrator viewed at 100% and exported will export at 72 ppi.

When you take a screenshot the result will be 144 ppi.

Both will show the same size in an application that uses the resolution setting of the file, but the one with the higher (144ppi) setting will look sharper because it has more pixels.

Don't use Export as 150 ppi, but use Export as Other 144 ppi.

[luisak82248787]

Thanks, that helped. 🙂 Now the exported file is shown as the screenshot file in the mail.

But I still don't get it, why is it not working with 150 ppi?

[Ton Frederiks]

Illustrator uses 72 ppi as the default.

Double the size will just give you the double amount of pixels and ther should not be too much resampling, a 1 px line becomes 2 px at 144 ppi.

I you change the ppi to 150, resampling will occur because the 1px line should become somewhere between a 2 and 3 px line and you will get those blurred anti-aliased lines.

[marliton]

Hi. Try this option before export: Object > Make pixel perfect (you need select the graphic before).