Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
4728 results found
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Add Black and White color chips in Color Picker dialog in Color Models mode
For some reason, the Color Picker dialog is the default way of setting a color in several color induced effects: Drop Shadow, Inner and Outer Glow.
Most of times these effects are used, we need to toggle between black and white. These are more or less OK to pick quickly, if we change the mode of the dialog to Color Swatches.
But each time this dialog is called when editing a color for the effect, the dialog open in the first mode, Color Models.
And to set black or white in this mode we need to click the spectrum field…6 votes -
Stop covering the document tabs with expanded docked panels
If I dock panels to sides of the application frame, expanding the ones from the top panel groups will cover the document tabs, like the GIF shows.
In a situation when it’s important to know what is the current document (they can differ slightly) this is especially irritating.Please nudge them down a bit!
6 votes -
Add a 'Single Midpoint Anchor' Tool in Illustrator
Request: Add a tool or command that allows users to add a single anchor point precisely at the midpoint of any selected path segment without affecting the entire shape.
Why It’s Needed: Illustrator currently lacks an intuitive way to place an anchor point exactly between two existing anchor points. The "Add Anchor Points" command applies to all segments, and the Smart Guides often fail to indicate an accurate midpoint. Manually calculating coordinates is impractical.
Suggested Implementation:
A new "Add Midpoint Anchor" option in Object > Path that works on a single segment.
A modified behavior in the Pen Tool (P)…
6 votes -
Move items inside/outside hidden and locked layers.
I want to move items in and out of locked and/or hidden layers.
I use the lock and hidden options to not accendently modify them on the canvas, but I do neet to rearrange them in the layers, or need a copy of an item.6 votes -
Don’t require hitting Find before Replace All becomes active in Find and Replace dialog
Illustrator’s Find and Replace dialog is bad.
One of the issues is that we can’t immediately Replace All after we enter text. We have to press Find first.Why? If it’s nothing to replace — replace nothing (and perhaps show a message, preferably a shy one, not a clunky modal dialog).
6 votes -
Do not select both the clipping mask and the clipped contents with Select All while in isolation
When we isolate a clipping group, it’s like we are jumping in a whole in a canvas and start dealing with what’s behind it. Whatever we move while inside isolated, would be visible through the hole.
So when we say Select All while being isolated, we usually don’t mean 'Select the stuff behind the hole and the hole itself' — it’s about clipped content only. Otherwise why isolate in the first place?
Select contents only first and and the clipping mask to the selection only when Select All is called again, if the clipped content is fully selected already. Display…
6 votes -
Escape should cancel an execution of a script / plugin
If we run a script or a plugin operation and the execution of it takes a long time, there is no real way to abort it other than killing the whole Ai process completely (since there is no dedicated one). This can loose us data, and saving each time before running a script or a plugin is paranoid and is hardly a solution.
We need to be able to hit Escape when a script or a plugin makes Ai freeze and expect for it to be stopped, perhaps with a confirmation.
6 votes -
Allow to snap to points of a compound shape with Dimension Tool
It turns out Dimension Tool can’t snap to points of a live compound shape — the cursor displays a 'forbidden' icon and a click does nothing.
The tool should treat the shape as every other tool does and allow to snap to all points (including those to be removed on expand) and intersections, and stay live when the shape is modified (when possible, until the topology changes too much to maintain the connection).
Thanks to René Andritsch for the discovery.
6 votes -
Allow to use units other than points for Thickness in Pathfinder Trap or Pathfinder Options dialogs
Illustrator is an international application.
But for some reason we still have places in its UI when we are hardbound to specific units, like points in Pathfinder Trap, or PPI as the only resolution unit (while Photoshop allows PPCM — please upvote this request here, http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/32403901)
No, this value can be anything, and we need other units than points.
No, it does not get automatically recalculated.
No, it’s not 1998 now.6 votes -
Gradient Tool Needs Custom Angle Increment Option
There should be an option to define the angle increment that you want Shift to lock to when creating or modifying a gradient. Such as 15 degree increments (0º, 15º, 30º...). Come on Adobe!
6 votes -
Revisit the interactions of gradients, brushes, and patterns.
You can't make pattern swatches with gradients in them. This limitation probably made a lot of sense back in 1996 when gradients were new and complicated. Does it still make sense in 2024, with thirty years of CPU manufacturers fighting to keep Moore's Law valid?
You can't apply a gradient stroke to an art/pattern/scatter brush. Again, this limitation probably made sense back in 2012 when gradient strokes were added to Illustrator. Does it still make sense in 2024?
I'm pretty tired of working around both of these limitations.
6 votes -
Add buttons in a tool panel to directly remove fill or stroke without a need to focus one
LHS toolbox Stroke/Fill helpful feature
At the bottom of the LHS Toolbox, have an x inside the stroke coloured square to remove a stroke instead of going to colour swatch box.6 votes -
Make Envelope Distort to ignore the clipped part of a clipping group
I would like it to be possible to perform an envelope distort operation so that only what is in the clipping is taken into account in the calculation of object bending. At the moment, if I have, for example, objects (like circle) in a clipping rectangle and I use the "Make with Mesh" or "Make with Top Object" option to bend the whole thing to a different shape, the bend sizes are not only limited to the clipping but to all objects that are not visible and hidden under the clipping, causing it to be badly deformed. It would be…
6 votes -
3D from Illustrator to CC library via obj format (to after effects)
Hey there. Don't know if anyone here also follows After Effects news, but they just added something pretty cool :
Support for OBJ import from Libraries
Now import OBJ 3D model files from your Libraries into your compositions
In addition to GLB and GLTF, the capability to add 3D model files from your Libraries into your composition is now extended to OBJ 3D model file format. You can add OBJ 3D models to your Creative Cloud Libraries from Adobe Stock, your local system, or your After Effects projects.
Learn more about importing 3D models from Creative Cloud Libraries to your…6 votes -
Gap Tool and Live Distribute like InDesign has, with improvements
InDesign has Gap Tool — https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/aligning-distributing-objects.html#align_objects_using_the_gap_tool
Also it has Live Distribute —helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/aligning-distributing-objects.html#distributeobjectsusinglivedistribute
These allow us to control a gap’s size between chosen pair of elements (quoted):
—Drag to move the gap and resize all objects aligned along the gap.
— Shift-drag to move the gap between only the two nearest objects.
— Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) to resize the gap instead of moving it. Adding the Shift key resizes the gap between only the two nearest objects.
— Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to move the gap and objects in the same direction.…
6 votes -
Sort layers and objects in alphabetical order
Allow to re-order content in Layers in alphabetical order
6 votes -
Ability to create new fonts directly in Illustrator
I want to be able to make a usable font in illustrator without having to use FontForge or another similar non-Adobe application.
6 votes -
True customisable drawing 'angles' for all tools when using SHIFT key (pen, pencil, brush).
This is severely lacking in illustrator and has been developed by Affinity Designer with work arounds (that do not work in a suitably fluid way) by Astute Graphics for Illustrator.
Best case scenario something is implemented like Affinity Designer in which 'constraint angles' are replaced by ‘Grid and Snapping Axis’ you are able to set and save presets of angle settings.
These axis are set and then can be activated as a constraint on your current tool by holding shift.
Smart guides provides this in a VERY limited way right now, the UI is very rudimentary for a setting that…6 votes -
Display Color Mode and Resolution (PPI) for a selected image in both Info and Properties panels
Currently only the Control panel (which Ai team decided to hide for new users with their training-wheels Essentials workspace) shows a resolution and a color mode for a selected image, and Links (but only when expanded, which again is not the default).
Properties shows nothing, despite the name.
Same goes for Info panel.
Make these better.Originally requested by Junior Rocha
6 votes -
An ability to create custom bevel profiles for 3D and Materials Extrude
We can create our own profiles for now Classic Extrude, by modifying the Bevels.ai — located here:
Mac: /Applications/Adobe Illustrator [version]/Support Files/Resources/[locale]
Win: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [version]\Support Files\Required\Resources[locale]But changing the file does nothing to customize bevels for the modern 3D!
They seem to be hardcoded.
Please, make the same file to be recognized by the modern 3D, or perhaps come up with some better way, that does not require to modify a red-only file and restarting Ai — for both 3D methods.6 votes
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