How to Work with Template Layers in Adobe Illustrator

Many designers start with a sketch, then scan it to recreate as vector art in Illustrator. Placing the sketch as a template has several advantages.

1. Go to File > Place. In the dialog box, select the file and check Template, then click place.
2. To understand what the Template option does, go to the Layers Panel. Notice that a new layer named "Template..." was created underneath the existing layer/layers, and the template layer is locked.
3. Click once on the template layer, then go to the Layers Panel menu and choose Options for "Template...
4. In the options, note with Template checked, Lock is on and Print is off, and both are grayed out. Also note that Dim Image is on. The whole purpose of using template layers is to make things easier to trace.
5. Remember that placed template images always land in the center of the document window. If you need to reposition the image, you can easily unlock the template layer temporarily by clicking the Lock icon to the left of the layer name in the Layers Panel. Just click in the empty space to lock the layer again once the image is repositioned.