Place Illustrator files or PDFs in Adobe Photoshop

Last updated on Oct 10, 2026

Learn how to place Illustrator and PDF files in Adobe Photoshop as Smart Objects for scalable artwork and non-destructive transformations.

Placing files as Smart Objects preserves vector quality and supports nondestructive transformations. You can embed the artwork in your document or link to the external file.

Place a file from the File menu

Open the Photoshop document where you want to place the artwork.

Select File > Place Embedded to embed the artwork or File > Place Linked to create a linked Smart Object.

Navigate to your Illustrator or PDF file, select it, and select Place.

If placing a PDF or Illustrator file with multiple pages or images, select the required item, configure the crop options, and select OK.

Reposition or transform the artwork by dragging the handles or entering values in the options bar.

Select Commit in the options bar, or press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS), to place the artwork on a new layer.

Drag a file from Windows Explorer or macOS Finder onto an open Photoshop document to place it quickly. Press and hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) while dragging to automatically create a linked Smart Object.

Place a file from Bridge

In Adobe Bridge, navigate to and select the Illustrator or PDF file you want to place.

Select File > Place > In Photoshop.

If placing a PDF or Illustrator file, configure the options in the Place PDF dialog box, then select OK.

Reposition or transform the artwork as needed, then select Commit in the options bar, or press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS).

Configure PDF placement options

When you place a PDF or Illustrator file, the Place PDF dialog box provides options to select content and define the crop area.

Under Select in the dialog box, select Page or Image depending on which elements you want to import. If the PDF contains multiple pages or images, select the thumbnail for the page or image you want to place.

Use the Thumbnail Size menu to adjust the thumbnail display in the preview window. Select Fit Page to fit one thumbnail in the preview window.

Under Options, select an option from the Crop To menu to define which portion of the PDF or Illustrator document to include:

Bounding Box: Crops to the smallest rectangular region that contains all text and graphics, eliminating excess whitespace.

Media Box: Crops to the original page size as defined in the PDF.

Crop Box: Crops to the clipping region or crop margins specified in the PDF file.

Bleed Box: Crops to the designated production region; bleed accommodates cutting, folding, and trimming tolerances.

Trim Box: Crops to the page's intended final trim size after production.

Art Box: Crops to the region defined for placing PDF content into other applications.

Transform placed artwork

After placement, the artwork appears centered in your document inside a bounding box. You can reposition and transform it before committing to the placement.

Position and scale: To reposition the artwork, position the pointer inside the bounding box and drag it to a new location, or enter X and Y values in the options bar to position the artwork's center point.

To scale the artwork, drag a corner handle of the bounding box. Press and hold Shift while dragging to constrain proportions or enter W and H percentage values in the options bar.

Rotate and adjust the center point: To rotate the artwork, position the pointer outside the bounding box until it becomes a curved arrow, then drag. For precise rotation, enter a degree value in the Rotation field in the options bar.

To adjust the center point around which the artwork rotates, drag it to a new location or select a handle on the Center Point icon in the options bar.

Skew and warp: To skew the artwork, press and hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) while dragging a bounding box handle.

To warp the artwork, select Edit > Transform > Warp, then select a warp preset from the Warp Style menu in the options bar. If you select Custom, drag control points, mesh segments, or areas within the mesh to create a custom warp effect.

Set the Anti-alias option: When placing PDF, EPS, or Illustrator files, set the Anti-alias option in the options bar before committing. Select the checkbox to blend edge pixels smoothly during rasterization or clear it for hard-edged transitions.

Commit or cancel the placement

Select Commit in the options bar, or press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS), to place the artwork as a Smart Object on a new layer.

To cancel the placement without adding the artwork, select Cancel in the options bar or press Esc.

Once committed, the placed artwork becomes a Smart Object layer that you can continue to edit, scale, and transform nondestructively. Double-click the Smart Object thumbnail in the Layers panel to edit its contents.

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