What is ARW?

Sony Alpha Raw (ARW) is Sony's proprietary raw image format containing unprocessed sensor data from Sony Alpha and Cyber-shot cameras.

What is AI?

Adobe Illustrator Artwork (AI) is the native vector graphics format for Adobe Illustrator, used for logos, illustrations, and print designs.

When Should You Use ARW vs AI?

ARW vs AI: Key Differences

• •ARW uses lossless compression while AI uses lossless compression — both take the same approach to file size management.
• •Neither format changes compression philosophy — both are lossless compression — so any size differences are due to encoding efficiency, not a shift in quality approach.
• •Alpha channel support: AI handles transparency.
• •File sizes: ARW files typically range 20-40MB per photo and AI files 500KB to 50MB depending on complexity.
• •Use case fit: ARW targets sony camera post-processing, professional editing and AI targets vector illustration, logo design, print graphics — your choice depends on which workflow stage you are serving.

Advantages of ARW

• ✓ARW uses lossless compression tailored for Sony camera post-processing, professional editing.
• ✓ARW is supported natively on virtually every device, browser, and operating system.
• ✓ARW files are bit-for-bit perfect, preserving every pixel and sample for professional work.
• ✓ARW integrates seamlessly with all major creative tools and workflows.

Advantages of AI

• ✓At its core, AI relies on lossless encoding — a design choice that makes it perfect for Vector illustration, logo design, print graphics.
• ✓You won't run into compatibility issues with AI — it's a universal standard across platforms.
• ✓File size management with AI: larger files guaranteed to match the original exactly.
• ✓Every major application in the Vector illustration, logo design, print graphics space supports AI natively.

Common Use Cases for ARW to AI Conversion

• Print materials and publications
• Social media posts and ads
• Digital photography and editing
• Graphic design projects
• E-commerce product images
• Email marketing campaigns

Industry Applications

Best Practices for ARW to AI Conversion

• →When converting ARW to AI, check whether AI supports transparency — if not, your transparent areas will be filled with a solid color
• →Use AI for maximum quality archival and ARW for lossless workflows
• →Optimize images for web to reduce page load times — tools like our converter let you adjust quality settings before conversion
• →Maintain original aspect ratio to avoid distortion during conversion
• →Always keep a backup of your original files before converting
• →Choose the appropriate quality settings for your specific use case

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Troubleshooting ARW to AI Conversion

• !AI shows visible compression artifacts → lower the compression level or switch to a lossless variant
• !The converted AI image looks washed out → the source ARW likely uses a wider color space than AI supports
• !AI file is much larger than expected → check if the conversion preserved an unnecessarily high resolution
• !Text in the converted AI looks fuzzy → text-heavy images benefit from higher quality settings or a different output format

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