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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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745 results found

  1. Multi color guides

    I use templates with several close guides. When zoomed in its sometimes difficult to tell which guide I'm at. If the Make Guides selection could have an additional drop down with a choice of 3 or 4 colors, if would help prevent mistakes.

    19 votes

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  2. Curvature Combs and Tunni lines

    Two ideas, both aimed at creating smoother curves:

    1. curvature combs:
      an additional visual aid that could be enabled/disabled via hotkey or option on a panel that assists the artist/user in evaluating whether a curve is continuously smooth, or whether it needs adjustment. See this blog for a quick coded breakdown:
      https://observablehq.com/@jrus/curvature-comb
      see this webpage for more traditional curvature combs with lines perpendicular to the curved path, in proportion to the path's curvature at that point:
      http://www.bluesmith.co.uk/evaluateComb.htm

    2. Tunni lines:
      an additional assist/handle for helping a user more precisely adjust a curve (or multiple curves), both symmetrically and asymmetrically.
      See this example…

    18 votes

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  3. 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.

    18 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.…

    18 votes

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  5. 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.

    18 votes

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  6. Add option to Always update links

    Sometimes I make a lot of changes within linked images. AI always asks if I am to update links, and I'd like to have this dialogue temporarily switched off (but enable it later)

    18 votes

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  7. Alt + New Fill/Stroke button in Appearance should add one below current fill/stroke

    Sometimes I build appearance from top to bottom.
    Right now I have to create new fill and drag it under current fill.
    What if I just Alt+click New/Duplicate button and this will create new/copy UNDER currently selected fill/stroke/entity?

    18 votes

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  8. Refine (not revert to previous) zoom to selection

    Now, 'Zoom to selection' zoom AND centers.

    I think that zoom to selection should not center at all by default (and, of course, there should be an option to add centering to zoom). The selected art should stay where it is located in view, until zoom level is big enough so object will go outside current view — only then AI should move view to fit the art.

    And there should be a tick 'Only for zooming in'.

    18 votes

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  9. 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!

    18 votes

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  10. A big persistent Color palette offering RGB and HSB and Grayscale at a glance.

    When making Illustrations, I switch between RGB / HSB and Grayscale all the time. I have a 30" screen - room enough to show all mixers all the time.
    Please make this possible.

    18 votes

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  11. Grid or Guides Calculator

    Have a make grid or guides feature with a grid calculator that was artboard dependant.

    • as in I could have different grids on different artboards
    • proportional grids
    • vertical grids and guides as well as horizontal

    The amount of time I take having to set up grids, by drawing boxes and dragging in guides, to do my layout is enormous.

    It is such a fundamental part of graphic design, I feel like it should really be embedded in illustrator. I have noticed that the new Photoshop has it. Also indesign has it. But really i need it more in illustrator.

    (…

    18 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.

    17 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.

    17 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).

    17 votes

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  15. Workspace Management (Update/Save Current Workspace, etc.)

    Please can Adobe implement a proper Workspace Manager in Adobe Illustrator that is identical to Adobe InDesign.

    Currently if you want to replace a Workspace you have to type the name of the Workspace in so that Illustrator asks you if you want to replace it? In Adobe InDesign you can select the Workspace from the drop down so there is no need to type anything in.

    I hope Adobe can make their Workspace Management the same across all their applications.

    17 votes

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  16. 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.

    17 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.

    17 votes

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  18. Art brushes different weight value

    Well, this is complex one.

    As you know, a lot of people live in metric world.
    It means they use 'cm-mm' instead of 'inches-points'.
    I, for example, have all three major units set to millimeters — general, stroke and type.

    But each time I apply brush to anything, it gets weight '0,353 mm'.
    Yes, it is 1 point. And every time I need to scale my brush twice as normal, I have to type in '*2' in the end of 'Weight' field instead of just typing 2.

    Worse, when I don't remember what weight it has now, but need to…

    17 votes

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  19. Let the "." on the numeric keypad work as a decimal separator for all countries.

    In Dutch, we user the comma as a decimal separator. (0,5 is how we write a half)
    Lots of use use the International English keyboard, and the English versions of Adobe CC. But for some reason Illustrator refuses to recognize the "." on the numeric keypad as a separator. When I type "7,2" Illustrator show this correctly in the input fields, but when hitting enter, it makes "72", just skipping the comma.
    Please make a Preference to set the "." or "," on the numpad always to act as a decimal separator.

    17 votes

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  20. 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.

    17 votes

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