Generally, when we browse the internet looking for visual content, whether for an image we want to create or to include content in our blog or on our Facebook or Instagram work page, we always end up in an image bank.
In these, we'll surely find plenty of excellent graphic content to work with, but there's a small detail: most of these files are in EPS format , and you're probably wondering, "How do I work with these?"
If you want to know how to open and access the contents of an EPS file, what are the best programs to view, edit, and even create visual content with this format, you should read this entire article.
What are .EPS files and what are they used for?
Encapsulated PostScript or EPS, is a graphic file transfer format. This type of extension facilitates the inclusion of graphic information, which in this specific case consists of vectors, in various design and illustration software programs.
EPS format figures do not support transparency and are rather solid, because they are a plane of points and edges joined in binary information, unlike a common image that is handled with pixels.
Because of the nature of vectors, their dimensions can be modified without altering the visual quality; this is why EPS files are so important to all graphic designers.
How to open and view .EPS files on smartphones or computers?
If you work in image design, you might want to know how to open EPS files on different operating systems. There are certainly countless formats and tools for opening them, but are they truly functional? In this section, we'll detail the best ones available. It's worth noting that these focus on brand logos and images from the internet.
On Windows PC
The best way to open a file is by using its original program, such as Adobe Illustrator, which is native and excellent for working with them.
From our point of view and from our own experience, the best way to open an EPS file after Adobe Illustrator is with Corel Draw. All you have to do is open the program and then, in a new document, click "Import" in the top bar.
- We will locate the EPS file And then we'll import it. That will give us a message like this; we'll leave it as is.
- We then chose exactly in where to stick it.
- Ready, we will have our vectors to work and modify as we wish.
With online tools
Another way to view the information contained in an EPS file is with an online converter, since you might have difficulty obtaining Adobe Illustrator. You can convert your EPS file to your preferred image format for free using this website: Epsconverter.com
Converting these files is very simple: all you have to do is upload the file, select the format and size, and even choose whether or not to add a white background. You can even view and include them in your documents in Microsoft Word, but you can't edit them.
On Mac computers
On Mac the process is similar, although the document can be viewed by Apple's default viewer it cannot be edited, because EPS files are created by Adobe Systems.
Therefore, we can only open them in almost any Adobe program such as Acrobat, Photoshop, and finally the native Illustrator, which we recommend using to open them in order to work on them better.
On Mac it is also possible to use the converter mentioned above and it can also be viewed with Microsoft Word and all the Windows options.
On Android mobile phones
On Android, the process is much simpler but a bit more limited, since we don't have Adobe Illustrator and therefore can't fully edit EPS files. We can only make some changes with Photoshop, but keep in mind that saving will convert the file from EPS to some other image format.
We can view them with Acrobat as well, but the best app for this is EPS File Viewer. You can also use the Epsconverter.com converter and then view them in another format.
On iPhone devices with iOS
On iOS devices, we have fewer viewing options than those already seen on Android, but a highly recommended method is to convert the EPS file to PDF, which allows it to be viewed correctly on any iOS device.
To do this, we only need to access this page, Zamzar.com, where we will then have to upload the file, select the format to change, enter our email, and wait for the conversion to take place.
List of the best alternative applications and programs to open a document with the .eps extension without using Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is not the only program capable of viewing vector drawings, although it is currently the most accessible and the one that does it best; there are others for developing projects and experimenting with these formats, some of which are the following.
Corel Draw
It's a professional vector design software specializing in drawing, offering a wide range of features for designing logos, advertisements, banners, web designs, and print materials. This is just one tool in a comprehensive suite that also includes architectural design tools like CorelCAD, and of course, it's fully compatible with EPS files.
Photoshop
Photoshop is a raster graphics editing software, primarily used for image enhancement. Its main feature is its layer system, which allows for structuring images and experimenting to achieve the desired result. While fully compatible with EPS files, it's not a native format, meaning you can open and modify them, but saving them will convert them to a different image format.
Inkscape
This software is open source and available for Windows and Mac . While its interface isn't particularly intuitive, it's good for converting bitmap images to vectors, importing .ai files, and more. Its main drawback is the lack of CMYK color support, so it won't be suitable for creating printable parts.
Gravit
This vector drawing tool is free and doesn't require downloading, meaning you can use it online. You just need to register to create a user account. With it, you can create drawings and import and edit existing .SVG or .EPS file extensions.
