3.3 Placing Assets and Managing the Links Panel
Key Takeaways
File > Open turns a file into its own document, while File > Place adds it to the current document as a linked or embedded object.
The Place dialog's Link option keeps a reference to the source file; clearing Link embeds the file's data inside the Illustrator document.
The Template option places a file on a locked, non-printing template layer that is dimmed for tracing.
The Links panel provides Relink, Go To Link, Update Link, and Edit Original, plus link details such as effective PPI.
Unembed saves an embedded image as a separate PSD or TIFF file and replaces it with a link to that file.
3.3 Placing Assets and Managing the Links Panel
Quick Summary: Objective 2.3 asks you to place assets in a document and use the Links panel. Know the difference between opening and placing a file, between linking and embedding, what each Place dialog option does, and how Relink, Go To Link, Update Link, and Edit Original behave.
Open vs. Place vs. Paste
| Method | What happens | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
File > Open (Cmd/Ctrl+O) | Opens the file in its own document window. A PDF, EPS, or SVG opens as editable Illustrator artwork; a JPEG opens as an image in a new document | Editing a supplied logo file directly |
File > Place (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+P) | Adds the file to the current document as a placed object, either linked or embedded, and records it in the Links panel | Adding photographs, a client logo, or a sketch to a layout |
| Copy and paste | Moves content through the clipboard. Vector artwork copied from Illustrator stays editable; pixels pasted from an image editor arrive as an embedded image | Quick transfers between documents |
The key exam distinction is that opening creates a separate document, while placing keeps you in the current layout and adds an entry to the Links panel.
The Place Dialog Options
When you choose File > Place, the dialog includes checkboxes that change how the file arrives:
- Link — When selected, Illustrator stores a reference to the external file rather than copying its data into the document. When cleared, the file is embedded.
- Template — Places the file on a new template layer that is locked, non-printing, and dimmed, ready for manual tracing.
- Replace — Swaps the currently selected placed item for the new file while keeping its position and transformations.
- Show Import Options — Opens format-specific choices, such as which PDF page or artboard to place and which crop box to use, or how a layered Photoshop file comes in. Photoshop's Convert Layers to Objects option is available only when Link is cleared; a linked PSD is placed as one flattened image.
After you click Place, the pointer becomes a loaded cursor showing a thumbnail. Click to place the file at its original size, or drag to set its size. If you choose several files, the left and right arrow keys move through the queue and Esc discards the current file.
Linked vs. Embedded Files
| Factor | Linked | Embedded |
|---|---|---|
| Where the data lives | In the external file | Inside the .ai document |
| Document size | Smaller | Larger |
| Updates | Shows edits to the source after the link is updated | Fixed; later changes to the original are ignored |
| Main risk | A missing link if the source file is moved or renamed | Bloated files and no connection to the source |
| Editing raster content | Edit Original opens the file in its own application | Unembed first or edit elsewhere |
| Handoff | Collect links with File > Package | Travels inside the .ai file |
When a linked image is selected, Illustrator draws a diagonal cross through its bounding box; an embedded image does not show that cross. The Properties panel also displays an Embed button for linked files and an Unembed button for embedded images.
The Links Panel (Window > Links)
The Links panel lists every placed file in the document, both linked and embedded. Status indicators warn when a link has an update available (the source file changed after it was placed) or is a missing link (Illustrator cannot find the file in its original location). Embedded items carry an embedded icon. When the same linked image is used several times, relinking one instance updates every instance that references the same source file.
Link Commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Relink | Points the selected link to a different file, from your computer or a Creative Cloud Library, while keeping its size, position, and transformations |
| Go To Link | Selects the placed item on the canvas and centers it in the window |
| Update Link | Refreshes a modified link so the document shows the current version of the source |
| Edit Original | Opens the source file in its default application, such as Photoshop for a PSD; after you save it there, Illustrator updates the link |
Click Show Link Info to see the file's name, format, color space and profile, folder location, effective PPI, original dimensions, scale and rotation, creation and modification dates, and whether it contains transparency. The Links panel menu offers the same commands plus options such as Copy Info and Panel Options.
Embed and Unembed
- Embed: Select a linked file and choose Embed Image(s) from the Links panel menu, or click Embed in the Properties or Control panel. The link to the source file is removed and the data is copied into the document, so the Links panel no longer reports changes to the original.
- Unembed: Select an embedded image and choose Unembed. Illustrator asks where to save the image as a separate PSD or TIFF file, then replaces the embedded image with a link to that new file.
How Illustrator Reacts to Changed Links
The File Handling preferences include an Update Links setting with three choices: Automatically, Manually, and Ask When Modified. If a task says that updated source files should refresh without prompting, this preference is the place to change.
Creative Cloud Library Assets
Graphics dragged from the Libraries panel are placed as linked library assets by default, so editing the library item updates every linked copy. Holding Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) while dragging places an unlinked copy instead.
Exam-Style Scenarios
- "Place the logo so that future edits to the logo file update automatically." Use
File > Placewith Link selected; then use Update Link, or set Update Links to Automatically. - "Replace the placeholder photo with hero.jpg without changing its size or position." Select the image and use Relink in the Links panel, or place with Replace selected.
- "Retouch the linked photograph in its original application." Select it and click Edit Original.
- "Make sure the photograph travels inside the .ai file." Select it and choose Embed.
- "Find the placed image named product-shot on the canvas." Select it in the Links panel and click Go To Link.
A linked PSD needs retouching. Which Links panel command opens the file in Photoshop so the Illustrator document updates after the PSD is saved?
Relink
Go To Link
Update Link
Edit Original
What happens when you choose Unembed for an embedded image?
The image is permanently deleted from the artboard and from the Links panel
The image is moved to a non-printing template layer
The image is rasterized into the artwork below it
Illustrator saves it as a separate PSD or TIFF file and links to that file
A designer wants a scanned sketch to arrive on a locked, dimmed, non-printing layer for tracing. Which Place dialog option does this?
Template
Replace
Show Import Options
Link
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.