Convert PDF to AI and get editable layers back.
Trace it below to see where auto-trace breaks — then let a human deliver an Illustrator file with clipping masks released, type rebuilt and layers named.
The short answer
Illustrator opens most PDFs directly, so first check what yours holds. Press Ctrl/Cmd+Y for Outline view: real vectors show as wireframe paths, a placed image shows as an empty box with an X. A vector PDF may only need cleanup, which you can often do yourself. An image PDF, a scan or a flattened export needs a redraw, and we deliver named layers, global swatches and live type where possible in 24 hours.
Your PDF may already be vector. Check before you redraw it.
A PDF is a container. Exported from Illustrator or InDesign, it usually holds real paths, and Illustrator opens it one page at a time. Exported from a scanner or an app where the logo was pasted in as a picture, the logo is a placed image. Even a true vector PDF arrives with clipping masks around objects, deeply nested groups, transparency split into fragments, and type broken into single characters or swapped for a substitute font.
If Outline view shows clean paths, the job is extraction and cleanup: release the masks, ungroup, rejoin split paths, rebuild the type and turn colors into swatches. If it shows an image box, or the paths are a jagged trace, it needs a full redraw. Either way you get an AI file with named layers, global swatches and live type where the font is available, plus PDF and SVG.
Upload the PDF
The original file, not a re-saved copy. Tell us which pages matter.
We check what's inside
A designer sorts real vector from placed images, then cleans up or redraws.
Layered AI in 24h
Native AI plus PDF and SVG, with a 100% remake guarantee.
Same PDF. Two very different AIs.
| For a designer in Illustrator | Human redraw · VectorWiz | Instant auto-trace |
|---|---|---|
| Layers | Named, editable | Flattened mess |
| Type | Live where possible | Outlined blobs |
| Colors | Named swatches | Unnamed duplicates |
| Anchors | Minimal, clean | Hundreds of strays |
Before you release every clipping mask.
How do I tell if my PDF is already vector?
Open it in Illustrator and press Ctrl/Cmd+Y for Outline view. Vector artwork turns into thin wireframe paths; a placed image shows as an empty box with an X through it. Without Illustrator, zoom to 1600% in any PDF viewer: vectors stay crisp, raster breaks into visible pixels.
Can I open the PDF in Illustrator and fix it myself?
Often, yes, and for a vector PDF it's the first thing to try. Expect to release clipping masks, ungroup several levels and fix type that opened in a substitute font. If that cleanup is quick, you may not need a redraw at all. It's worth ordering when the PDF is raster inside, or the cleanup turns into hours of work.
Why did my text change font when I opened the PDF?
Illustrator needs the font installed on your machine to edit text, and a PDF usually embeds only the characters it used. Without the font, Illustrator substitutes one you have, and spacing shifts. We rebuild the type as live text in the original typeface when it can be identified, or as clean outlines when it can't.
What if the PDF is a scan?
Then each page is one placed image, and Illustrator opens it as pixels inside a vector frame. The same is true of any PDF where the logo was pasted in as a picture. That needs a hand redraw, the same as a PNG or JPG would. Send the PDF as it is; there's no need to export it first.
How fast is a PDF to AI rebuild?
24 hours standard for cleanup or redraw, 12-hour rush, or 3-business-day flex, with a 100% remake guarantee.
Where this converter links.
Get the PDF back as layered AI.
Send the PDF. A designer checks what's really vector, cleans it up or redraws the rest, and has the layered AI file back in 24 hours, guaranteed.