Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
32 results found
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Make it possible to select locked objects?
I wish it was possible to prevent an object from moving, but still have the ability to select it. A preference setting to "allow selection of locked objects" or "lock position only" or something?
5 votesThere is a way to select locked objects in recent Illustrator versions.
In Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display section toggle ‘Select and Unlock objects on canvas’ option to see small lock icons you can click when locked objects get into a selection marquee. -
Live preview of gradient (while dragging)
Whenever I'm using the gradient tool I wonder why I can never see the appearance of the gradient while dragging it. resulting in having to tweak it at least a couple of times before I'm content.
16 votesIllustrator now displays the appearance of the gradient interactively when you drag it, but only when GPU preview is on.
Make sure it is on in Preferences > Performance > GPU Performance, that you View > Preview on CPU / GPU Preview is correctly toggled, and that you are not using Overprint Preview.
If the issue still persists with all these checked — please comment back.
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create a offset path preset.
I typically use the same 2 offset path sizes .125 and .0625 there needs to be a way to save these presets so I dont need to manually type them each time.
2 votesThe intended way to do presets like this is to record an action, as per the comment.
Open Actions panel, create a new one, select a basic temporary shape, run Offset Path command, enter the value you need, commit, stop the action recording. Now you can run the action to automatically offset the selection.
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put the draw rectangle back into the standard and advanced toolbar
put the rectangle tool back into the toolbars
1 voteThere was a bug which allowed to accidentally drag-n-drop tools and insert them into other tools’ subgroups.
It was fixed by introducing a special mode to enable this. No accidents with lost tools should happen. Please comment back if it happens for you in latest versions.
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The ability trim or extend a line using another line. Like the one they have in Autocad
The ability trim or extend a line using another line. Like the one they have in Autocad
12 votesIllustrator allows this today with Shape Builder tool.
You need to hold Opt/Alt and either click or brush through the excessive portion of the path, and Ai will trim it to the next intersection or between intersections. Works with selected objects only.
The precision of the tool is limited and bound to internal grid of the document. There is a bug report about this you might want to upvote.
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Bring back spacebar 'move' functionality when 'alt/option' is pressed (to access Anchor Point tool) while using Pen Tool
I realize this is a very specific request for a small piece of functionality that was probably never very popular, but it's part of a workflow I got used to using for years, and since upgrading to CC, it no longer works.
When creating a new path with the Pen tool, using the spacebar enables you to move the anchor point you've just created (before you release the click). Also, the Anchor Point tool allows you to do the same when you click on a point and drag the handles out.
My issue is that the Anchor Point tool doesn't…
4 votesAs per comment.
You have to release the Option/Alt key first after dragging out the handles, and then start holding Spacebar to reposition the point.
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Replace objects with an object
example:
I have created a circle with text in it, and grouped it all together, however I have a pattern of Circles, and only want some of the circles in the pattern to look like the one I have created and grouped, so I can click the ones I want to replace, and then with a tool, select the group I've created, and it will replace the ones I've selected. Not too sure if this feature exists, though it would be a beneficial tool to have.2 votesThe intended solution for this is to use Global Edit feature.
Copy the object you want to replace with, then select one of many copies you want to replace and use Select > Start Global Edit command.
Using Shift, unmark those copies you don’t want to affect.
Isolate the targeted copy.
Paste the copied object and position it correctly relatively the old object.
Delete the old object.
Exit the isolation and end Global Edit.
It may sound convoluted at first, but once you master the method, you’d be able to easily replace almost anything.
Global Edit has its limitations: it doesn’t work for images, text objects, clipped masks, linked objects, and third-party plugins.
Read more about it here: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/global-edit.html
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Blend shapes or lines along a curved path, like a "spline".
Type can be arranged along a custom curved path. Why not blends? As it is now, if I want to arrange repeating vertical lines along a curved horizontal path, I have to: create the blend in a straight line, then: line by line, go along the blend cutting off bits to match the curved horizontal baseline. I can make it look decent, but it takes quite a while.
1 voteAs per the comment, you can replace the spline in a blend via Object > Blend > Replace Spline, if you have a blend and a new spline path selected together.
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change stroke color of custom brush
I've downloaded a few custom brushes & their colors don't change. They're black, that's it, no matter what stroke color I choose in the palette. I don't like having to expand their appearance just to change their color. In a few projects that I'm working on, I want to be able to try a few different brushes in the color that I like (and be able to change that color, too) + at any point that I wish to change that brush again in the future & maintain that color. You get it. Hoping this is a simple thing the…
1 voteA brush can be customized to maintain the chosen color in several ways, including None (to keep the original color set in the brush), Tints, Tints And Shades, and He Shift.
Read more about these here: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/brushes.html
in 'Colorization options for scatter, art, and pattern brushes' section.
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The ability to save a direct selection
Sometimes geometric transformations require a complex selection of certain vertices on one or more objects. Losing the selection because of a misclick is so common and frustrating... One should be able to save current selection to recall it if lost. This little buffer can be really very temporary, i.e. stop working if object topology has changed in the meantime. It would already prevent frustration on many occasions.
3 votesIllustrator allows to save, load and managed partial and full selection with Select > Save / Edit Selection commands.
UI is archaic, but it does the thing you want.
Please leave any comments regarding this feature here.
As for having a selection operation as an undoable operation — there is a separate feature request for this you can vote for: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/34934953
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Width Tool Numeric Control
When using the Width Tool to manipulate the width of a stroke, it would be helpful to have the option to alt+click and enter the desired width in a dialog box, in a similar fashion to the Rotate Tool.
1 voteResolved (Comments Open) ·
AdminNeeraj Nandkeolyar
(Sr. Product Manager, Adobe Illustrator)
responded
Please leave a note, if you think the information Egor provided doesn’t resolve this request.
Thanks!
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Illustrator - Trace image and turn in to an editable path instead of shapes
I would love to be able to take my drawings and use the live trace feature (or maybe even a feature within the Illustrator app??) that would allow me to trace my hand-drawn sketches (on paper) and turn them into line paths instead of outlined shapes. This way, I don't have to trace my images again, once they are in Illustrator. It would be a huge time saver!
3 votesThere are options for image tracing in AI. Extended panel gives you an ability to select Strokes instead of Fills. Tweaking these can help you with that. Please comment back if you think these should be refined.
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