Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
23 results found
-
Make Pathfinder work with groups properly
Allow for the Pathfinder to operate on groups of objects as if the group were one object. Possibly its own pathfinder function.
If I am working with a group it is understood that I want to work with those items as one object. However, when using the pathfinder to minus front, and the object below is part of a group it just deletes the entire group along with the portion of the top object that I wanted to get rid of. When would that be useful? This will also be posted as a bug, because that is how I view…
51 votes -
Pathfinder to work with open paths...
Can you make the pathfinder work with open paths? See attachment for what I am proposing.
23 votes -
"Divide objects below" with a group
"Divide objects below" (what I call "cookie cutting") with multiple objects that are from a group, all at once . If I want to cut a pattern (let's say, giraffe spots) out of a shape located below, I should be able to divide the object without having to do it for each individual spot. If the spots are already grouped together to form a pattern, that pattern should be able to divide all at once.
16 votes -
Add an option for Pathfinder to make compound paths instead of groups
If you draw a row of rectangles (with gaps) and hit Unite button in Pathfinder — Ai will create a group.
But if you hold Alt, then hit Unite, and then hit Expand in this panel — Ai will make create a compound path!
I almost always want a compound path.
And I hate this workaround, since it requires twice as much operations (yeah, 2 instead of 1!). Another workaround is an action to ungroup and make a compound path — which is still a 2 steps operation!The alternative is to have a panel full of actions for each…
15 votes -
Cut, trim or divide open paths (lines)
Option to cut, trim or divide open paths (lines).
For example if "Divide objects below" worked on open paths as well.
Or if the Knife could cut open paths, and cut straight as well.In attached example, I would have liked to cut my lines with the circle. Instead, I had to cut every single line individually in the intersection, locking the circle and using the Outline View.
Creating interesting designs, we have just as much need for trimming/cutting lines as filled objects.
14 votes -
I'd love for the pathfinder to be able to cut up bitmaps, avoiding having so many extraneous paths in a complex file
It would be nice if I could embed a jpeg or some other graphic format and then be able to use the pathfinder tools to change the shape of the image. Seems doable as the graphic imports as a path that happens to be filled with pixels rather than a color or pattern. The main reason I'd rather use the pathfinder for this over a clipping path is to reduce the number of paths in a complex document. When there are many elements in a file, having a lot of clipping paths makes the structure of the file difficult to…
14 votes -
Buttons in Pathfinder panel should be disabled when nothing is selected
If you have nothing selected, Pathfinder still have all buttons active, despite clicking one will give out an error message.
What’s a point? Why shout? Why not display a shallow message (like the one we get when a live shape gets expanded)?
Why not disable the buttons in the first place when a selection is empty?11 votes -
Add an option to Outline pathfinder command to keep original strokes
Outline command is great when you need to cut your path on every intersection. But sadly, it also sets all strokes to None. Most of the times this is not I want. Every time when I see this function explained to somebody else, I see them adding "...but sadly it will make all your strokes vanish".
Please make an option to keep strokes.11 votes -
Make Layers show which operation a compound shape uses, like 'Compound Shape (Subtract)'
Compound shapes have 4 different modes, and sometimes it’s important to be able to see which one is used when you work with the resulting shapes in Layers — especially if you nest shapes in several layers.. But at the moment Illustrator just display all of them as just 'Compound Shape'.
Compare these two structures:
Compound Shape
...> Compound Shape
......> Rectangle
......> Ellipse
...> Compound Shape
......> Rectangle
......> EllipseCompound Shape (Unite)
...> Compound Shape (Subtract)
......> Rectangle
......> Ellipse
...> Compound Shape (Intersect)
......> Rectangle
......> EllipseDon’t you agree the one at the bottom is easier…
8 votes -
Pathfinder Unite command in menu
The Pathfinder window contains the ever useful 'Unite' - the menu option of Pathfinder does not (I would like to be able to create a custom keyboard command for the Unite feature).
Thanks! and I just want to say that I've been using Illustrator since 1990. Love ya!
7 votes -
Stop creating extra anchors
Using tools like the join tool, shaper tool and some pathfinder tools, creates more anchors than were originally in the elements that are being joined using the tools mentioned. This degrades my lines and sometimes turns corner anchors into curved or moves the anchors all together when creating more. I have spent a lot of time having to go back and fix these issues. Most of the time you can't see it until well after you have saved and have to rely keeping extra backups of your work to ensure you aren't losing details. Extra anchors creates more data to…
3 votes -
複雑な図形の分割
「オブジェクト」→「パス」→「グリットに分割」みたいな
四角以外の複雑な形（ハートや花のシルエット)を均等に同じ面積で指定した数分の分割できる機能が欲しい3 votes -
Being able to use pathfinder on more complex forms.
Being able to use pathfinder on more complex forms. To easy create shadows and things for characters by copy and paste and then using subtract from pathfinder.
3 votes -
Make Split Into Grid applied to a path to respect the path’s outline
Did some playing around with Split Into Grid and got an unexpected result. I had hoped a shape would split into a grid but each shape is converted to a square!
Is this what's meant to happen?
2 votes -
Better support when Expanding shapes that have a Mask like "Draw Inside"
Normally when creating a clean vector logo the process involves expanding appearance and cleaning up the shape, but if the Draw Inside or a Mask is used the result may look verry different from the original shape. No warning that the appearance is altered is given.
Workaround is to export the part of the illustration that contains "Draw Inside" objects as a PDF, I would use Asset Export Panel. Plaxe the asset and then Expand. This is a work around, and requires the asset to appear at the exact same spot.
A video explaining the work around https://youtu.be/ziTS7VYdacQ
2 votes -
The shapebuilder tool doesn't pick up the correct color
When picking color from artwork the shapebuilder should apply the color of the object you first click on. That doesn't work in complex stacking orders and with compound paths.
2 votes -
Add the Make Compound Path icon back to the Properties panel
A couple years ago, there was an icon (below the pathfinder tools) that appeared in the properties panel when you had multiple items selected - Make Compound Path. A subsequent update removed that tool from the properties panel. Release compound path is still available right there in the properties when the selected object happens to be a compound path. Some people suggest just using the pathfinder Union to make a compound path, but it's definitely not the same thing as making a compound path (pathfinder union on non-connected items makes a group, not a true compound path - they're not…
2 votes -
Pathfinder: show preview on hover
An improvement in the Pathfinder panel.
Show a preview of the result on hover and execute the pathfinder command on click.
2 votes -
Reflect and Unite in one step, without extra points
Reflect a shape and Unite it to the original shape without having extraneous points - in one step. Having to close the shape, then carefully align it and then unite it only to see you have extra points in the middle where the shapes overlapped is a hassle. (use - making symmetrical, complex shapes like frames or road signs or something similar) Thank you!
1 vote -
tangential transition in circles and curves
It would be very useful if there was a function to create a tangent transition at curves and circles. Currently, it is only possible with increased effort.
1 vote
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