: Mesh tool - illustrator Is a gradient mesh created in Illustrator still a vector format, I need to emboss a logo. I don't want to spend eons on the mesh only to find it is in pixel format.

@Nimeshi706

Gradient meshes are vector.

They remain vector the same as any gradient will remain vector. There's no more concern over using meshes than there should be over using linear or radial gradients. The same general guidelines apply ..... what that means is....

Saved to a format which supports meshes, you still have a vector mesh.


EPS (even old EPS versions like AI8) - still vector
PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 5) or greater - still vector
AI (pretty much any version newer than AI7) - still vector


A mesh will not remain a vector object in some circumstances:


Save to PDF 1.3 (Acrobat 4) or older, including PDFX-1a
Save to a flat file format (obviously anything raster)
Export the file to some format for a non-Adobe application which doesn't support gradient meshes (as Adobe codes them).
The mesh interacts with other objects in the artwork and must be flattened in some formats.


This means if you have a mesh on top of a rectangle with a blending mode applied, or use opacity on any of the mesh color stops, things will be flattened for output and some formats which do not support transparency. This interaction will often cause vector objects, not just meshes, to be flattened into embedded raster elements with vector clipping paths.



In many cases, using a mesh without using any blending modes or opacity settings will retain the mesh as a vector object, at least for newer file formats. The primary factor is how the mesh may interact with other objects.

In cases where the mesh may need to be flattened, it would be flattened for output, such as a PDF/X-1a, where it's customary to flatten many vector objects, not merely meshes. And in these instances, it's a mandatory conversion for RIPS/press, so there's little to be concerned with.

I, personally, have used standard meshes on top of, and interacting with, standard objects for many, many years and never run into any specific issues with the construction or usage. I am not one to use blending modes and transparency within Illustrator though. I tend to work as if those options aren't even available in Illustrator.

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@Sarah814

Two views of a gradient which was made by using the Gradient mesh. The upper is Illustrator vector shape, the lower is rasterized to 300 pixels/inch. Both versions are seen zoomed to 4800%.

The gradient mesh stays as vector until some effect, which rasterize the gradients, is applied. For example 3D effects rasterize Gradients. The gradient mesh itself isn't a raster effect.

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