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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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723 results found

  1. Make incrementation looped in angle value fields

    Problem Description:
    AI can do math in fields and that is awesome.
    But I always swear a little when I use angle fields.

    For example:
    1. Move an art with Move dialogue at 10mm and 360 degrees
    2. Select another object and invoke dialogue again
    3. Type in '+30' in angle, so it would become '360+30'
    4. Press Tab or Enter

    Actual Result:
    AI says DING (or whatever sound is set for it in your OS) and does nothing

    Expected Result:
    AI should turn this typed value into '30', that is make one revolution and don't bother me, as a…

    17 votes

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  2. Ctrl+click the swatch to mix it with the current color

    There is a small thing in Corel Draw, that AI could benefit of too.
    If you have an object selected and click in a different swatch with a Ctrl held, it adds a bit of clicked color to your current one, blending them.

    Like if you have a yellow CMYK 0-0-100-0 and Ctrl+click in 0-100-0-0 magenta swatch, you will have 0-10-90-0, 0-19-81-0, 0-27-73-0, getting more like the clicked swatch with each click. Same in EGB Very convenient for adding color reflexes and picking a color in general.

    16 votes

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  3. GUI Indicator for: Smart Guides, Lock Guides, Snap to Grid, Snap to Pixel, Lock Perspective Grid

    A Panel full of INDICATORS. These indicators show whether:

    • Smart Guides are on or off on
    • Lock Guides is toggled on or off
    • Snap to Grid is toggled on or off
    • Snap to Pixel is toggled on or off
    • Lock Perspective Grid is toggled on or off

    Opening the View Menu constantly do in order to check which options are toggled on or off is annoying and a waste of time. An on-screen GUI element in the form of another snap-in panel with two-state buttons for each option (one highlighted state for "on", another greyed-out state for "off") would be…

    16 votes

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  4. Add dividers/separators to custom tools panel (or enable stacking/docking them vertically)

    It would be nice to be able to visually separate tool groups in custom toolbars since there is no way to stack them vertically. Think "groups" in Microsoft Office apps' "ribbon". We can currently only...

    A) Mash all of our tools into one toolbar, with no means of visual organization apart from the order in which they appear (I don't count stacking the tools as "visual organization", since I cannot see them).

    B) Snap multiple toolbars together, but not while docked to edge of UI. They will not be movable together like this, and other UI elements can overlap them.…

    16 votes

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  5. More details on "an error occurred while processing the appearance of an object".

    When you start doing complicated work with a lot of effects, you start getting the above-mentioned dialogue. It is incredibly unhelpful: which of the several thousand objects in my illustration is causing problems? What layer is the offending object on? Where in the appearance stack did things go awry? Maybe I'd like to find out which object caused this - how about a button to select the offending object, unlocking whatever containing objects may be locked?

    To make an analogy for the programmers: imagine if your compiler just said "some errors happened while compiling your project", and didn't even tell…

    16 votes

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  6. Lock palettes or allow to undo UI changes

    So many times I accidentally dragged palettes' icons instead of clicking them to open/close! Each time then I had to drag it back to place it was before or reset my workspace! A simple command 'Undo last UI change' or tick 'Lock UI' would save a lot of time for such clumsy people as I.

    16 votes

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  7. Touch Workspace Eraser

    Drawing in the touch workspace is not usable without an eraser. A Simple undo is not enough. Try to undo something you drew 5 minutes ago without undoing the stuff you like and you'll see what I mean.

    16 votes

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  8. Show reference point locator in Scale/Rotate/Shear/Reflect tool dialogue

    I wonder, why 'Transform each' has one, while normal transform tools haven't. This would be so useful!

    16 votes

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  9. Add ability to set grid setting while creating new document

    First of all — I'm speaking about adding this feature to OLD New dialogue window, because new fancy one is a disaster.

    I create new documents with a vision in mind, what will I do and what grid would I use. I'd like to have an ability to set it with defining size of a document.

    Next, most new users have no idea about grids and don't understand, why use it. More of it, even intermediate users don't have a clue, and I have to deal with a lot of designs, made by these average designers. All of them can't…

    16 votes

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  10. Reveal in Finder / Explorer option for document tabs

    Reveal in Finder Option - Currently reveal in finder you "command + click" file name at top of window, however this option is not availble when window is tied to the application frame.

    16 votes

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  11. Allow tool bar to be fixed horizontally on either top or bottom

    Now that the properties has been finally set in the right panel, I love it! This allows me to have the layers set in the left panel. Next step, It would be nice to have the ability to set the tool bar above or below horizontally.

    16 votes

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  12. Make title bar of inactive window look different from an active one

    On Windows there is no way to tell Illustrator window in focus from inactive one, even when a corresponding option in OS preferences is on.

    And every time Ai is not in focus you can’t use hotkeys.
    Please make at least something dynamic to tell if the window is in focus! Like it was before. Icon changing color at least.

    15 votes

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  13. Delete all saved selections

    There is no way to quickly delete all the saved selections (displayed in the bottom of the Select menu, once you saved them via 'Select > Save Selection...').
    You have to do it one by one, which is a torture.

    Also you can’t just right-click a name of it right there in the menu and say 'Delete' — because you have no context menu for top menu items. You do not like context menus in general.

    15 votes

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  14. Add 'Release' button for Envelope distort object in Control bar

    Control bar is still the best thing to control various aspects of selected art. You try to transfer some of those to Properties, but 'Release' button (as long as 'Expand') is still nowhere to be found (only deep in menus or on hotkeys, already taken).

    15 votes

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  15. Make an option to show points' handles when part of the path is transformed live

    I often modify part of the path or single point with basic tools. For examples, it's quite convenient to select one point and rotate it, if I want to change the angle of it's handles, or scale it, if I want both rotate and scale. Unfortunately, AI hides handles when I drag my selection with a chosen tool. It makes sense in general, but I would like to have an option not to hide it, so I could see where my handles are all the time of transformation.

    15 votes

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  16. You can't enter isolation mode when nothing is selected

    Sometimes I want to create artwork without messing up with existing one, and without locking/hiding anything (because it's require for other operations).
    Sane way is to enter isolation mode and start there.
    But NO, AI won't let you isolate empty space! And I have to create one thing (trying to not auto-connect to existing paths), then isolate it and finally draw in peace.
    If you afraid that many users will double-click nothing and struggle understanding what has happened, make it an option.

    15 votes

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  17. Add total artboard counter when exporting

    When I export my artboards (with 'Export as'), AI sometimes won't show whole range numbers, but stick to previously entered numbers for this file. This is fine.

    But my problem is I often need to export all artboards, but not first. And I don't remember exactly how much of them I do actually have — this differs from project to project.
    So I have to exit 'Export as' dialogue, go to Artboards palette, see how much artboards are there and return to exporting.

    Why not to show how much artboards I do have inside dialogue window?
    Please see mockup attached.

    15 votes

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  18. Increase contrast between selected font and other fonts in Font list in Character palette

    Not long ago the contrast between current font and other fonts in list in Character menu was quite sufficient (see image 1). Now it's barely visible (image 2). It makes locating current font in list rather difficult.

    Please reconsider colors chosen.

    15 votes

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  19. Last used script

    Please, add a command inside File > Scripts (above the line) to execute last accessed script. A have tons of these and not all of them are bound to shortcuts and smarty palettes. Sometimes I have to apply same script several times and have to dig in all 4-5 folders inside to get right one.

    And, please, make it shortcut-able.

    15 votes

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  20. Add ability to use fractional values for resolution everywhere

    AI is used worldwide. Despite PostScript, based on points, based on inch, being de-facto a standard for most users, many people use metric system.

    English inch, as you know, equals exactly 2.54cm.
    This gives us, metric users, mantra for translating PPI into PPCM: 254ppi=100ppcm

    But if we need lower value, such as 10 or 20 or 30 ppcm (working in scale with huge designs, such as ad bus wraps), we can't use it, because AI doesn't allow to enter fractional values anywhere inside! We can't use 50.8, 25.4, 76.2, Ai would round it to 51, 25, 76.
    This will give…

    15 votes

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