Rasterization is the process of changing a vector graphic to a bitmap image. During rasterization, Illustrator converts the graphic’s paths into pixels. The rasterization options you set determine the size and other characteristics of the resulting pixels.

You can rasterize individual vector objects using the Object > Rasterize command or the Rasterize effect. You can also rasterize an entire document by exporting it to a bitmap format, such as JPEG, GIF, or TIFF.