Create thumbnail from Adobe Illustrator file?

Question

Does anybody know how to create a thumbnail from an Adobe Illustrator file without using Illustrator? I have a php/linux based application and I'd like to do so.

-Dave

Answer 1

If you can save it in PDF, PS, or EPS format you may be able to manipulate it in things like ImageMagick or Ghostscript.

EDIT:

I think you can actually use ImageMagick's convert with *.ai files as well.

Answer 2

By default, Adobe Illustrator saves files as PDF compatible. Unless the file was saved in a strange way, you should be able to use ImageMagick directly to generate a thumbnail. For example:

convert file.ai -thumbnail 250x250 -unsharp 0x.5  thumbnail.png

Note: If the file has multiple artboards (which are interpreted as pages as a PDF), it will generate multiple files or, if saved as a GIF, an animated GIF.