How can I get pictures to stay embedded in Illustrator documents without just being ';linked';?

Sometimes when I open a file again, it sais ';could not find linked image'; and when the file opens, all the images I used (like jpgs, pngs, etc) are missing. I find it happens when I used an image that was on the desktop, and if I move that file, the error happens. Is there a way to embed the file, and not simply link it??





This is driving me nutz!! Thank you!How can I get pictures to stay embedded in Illustrator documents without just being ';linked';?
Yes, you can. Open the links palette (WINDOW--%26gt;LINKS), which will show a list of linked files. Next, select the file(s) you wish to embed, and click the small fly-out menu button (top right corner of the links palette). Choose ';embed';, re-save and you're done.





Just do not act surprised if the Illustrator file size goes through the roof (depending on the size of the images you embed, obviously). :-)





A major disadvantage of embedding images is losing the ability to make changes in an image editor (Photoshop) and automatically have those images updated in Illustrator.





Another option would be to create a specific folder for each Illustrator project, and make certain the images/resources are copied to that folder before you place those into you Illustrator file. This is how most design professionals tend to work. If you need to archive your work, you merely move that project folder and/or compress it.