Skip to content

Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

← Adobe Illustrator

When entering a new feature request, please provide:

  1. Description
  2. Why is this valuable to you?

How can we improve Illustrator (desktop)? Vote or share a new idea — one request per entry, please.

(thinking…)

Enter your idea and we'll search to see if someone has already suggested it.

If a similar idea already exists, you can support and comment on it.

If it doesn't exist, you can post your idea so others can support it.

Enter your idea and we'll search to see if someone has already suggested it.

  • Hot ideas
  • Top ideas
  • New ideas
  • My feedback

37 results found

  1. Make Static Symbols the default, instead of Dynamic Symbols.

    A new symbol is saved as "Dynamic" by default. Please make "Static" symbols the default. They are the "Standard" and should remain the default. It is the exception when I want a "dynamic" symbol.

    55 votes
    15 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  2. Allow to edit color of text in a dynamic symbol instance

    I think it should be possible to edit the color of text in a dynamic symbol instance, just like it possible to change the color fill of any other element

    30 votes
    10 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  3. 'Use preview bounds' option for symbols

    AI allows to 'Use preview bounds' — to count in stroke's weight in artwork's size.
    I rarely use it, but I can always turn it off, like I do in screencast attached.

    But when I decide to turn my artwork to symbol, I'm limited to only one option — stroke is counted in ALWAYS. This is very inconvenient for some design tasks.

    I would like to have an option anywhere to change this behavior.

    25 votes
    0 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  4. Allow to add / place / drag-n-drop several / multiple symbols to the canvas / artboard at once

    Being able to select more than one symbol from the symbol library and adding to the canvas. Instead of mousing back and forth repeatedly.
    The way the Library panel works is great. You can select multiple objects and drag to the canvas, placing each at the desired location, quick and easy.
    This would be a great function for the symbols panel.
    Thanks!

    18 votes
    5 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  5. Add reference point locator for symbols

    Symbols only have registration point. Fine, store it. Use it as default for scaling-rotating and so on. But why I can't set reference point for transforming it as I want, and as I can for EVERYTHING else?! What, AI can't calculate it's left top coordinate or what? Why can't I flip it over the left edge, for example? Why can't I even COPY it's top left coordinate?

    Shh, calm down.

    18 votes
    2 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  6. Allow linked content within symbols

    It would be nice to create symbols with linked content that would update when the linked content changes. Currently you have to embed anything within a symbol, images for example.

    14 votes
    4 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  7. Regression: Illustrator CC saves each instance of symbol in .ai file separately

    How to reproduce this problem in Illustrator СС:

    1. Create clean AI file with A4 page.

    2. Place any pixel image (with size ~10 mb) embedded to this page. Save file, it will have size about ~10 mb)

    3. Make this image as symbol and remove object from page.

    4. Place symbol to page one time.

    5. Save file. File size will be, eg, ~10 mb.

    6. Now place same symbol to page more 4 times, total will be 5 images on page.

    7. Save file and check size - it will be increased to ~50 mb.

    As result, you will have ai file, containing only 5…

    12 votes
    6 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  8. The ability to search with in the Symbols panel

    We can search within the Swatches panel, can that be carried over to the Symbols panel?

    9 votes
    2 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  9. Symbols with multiple features / variants

    Would love to be able to construct multi-function symbols... the basic symbol is the same but when I place it, I would like to be able to change it from one of several variants which stays in the same place I put it..

    8 votes
    3 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  10. Change default Reference Point when creating a symbol

    I like to have the reference point of my symbols up in the left corner (instead of center, as it is by default). So, every time I create a symbol I have to change this option. So, I type the name, I tab two times, and then click the down arrow to button to set it to a static symbol. Then I have to grab the mouse — to change the reference point. This slows down the work flow quite a bit. I would like to have the top left corner as default, or at least make it changeable by…

    5 votes
    1 comment  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  11. Create a symbol without replacing art with the symbol.

    I would like a switch in the New Symbol dialogue to allow me to leave the original art on the canvas instead of replacing it with a symbol.

    Also it would be nice to be able to make a symbol out of the entire contents of a layer nested in another layer without the entire layer being replaced by the symbol.

    I use symbols in weird ways and both of these behaviors annoy the heck out of me.

    4 votes
    1 comment  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  12. Creating several symbols at once (Multi-Add symbols)

    An option when adding Symbols to the Symbols panel for a multi-add option, similar to the Asset Export panel.

    4 votes
    2 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  13. Allow editing of text content in dynamic symbol instances

    When creating dynamic symbols, there can be some changes to individual instances, however, the text content is static. If you need multiple instances of the same symbol, but with different text content, the only way to achieve that is to break the symbol link before editing; future style updates to the symbol will not be inherited. Sometimes the intended behaviour can be achieved through Character or Paragraph Styles, but if the symbol also includes non-text objects, that is no longer an option.

    It would be great if text content for instances of dynamic symbols could be changed dynamically.

    Sample use…

    3 votes
    2 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  14. Switch symbol shortcut

    I would love to have a way to quickly switch symbols with a shortcut (maybe using the keyboard numbers where each symbol corresponds to one symbol).
    I have a job where I have to manually insert many symbols of different sizes, and without a shortcut it takes much time.

    3 votes
    2 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  15. Allow to snap to points of a symbol with Dimension Tool

    Is there any chance to make it works with symbols? Using multiple instances of a symbol is a basic workflow in many industries (especially in the fashion industry). Unfortunately you can’t work this way because the Dimension tool is not compatible with symbols.

    Thanks to Daté Tetegan for the idea.

    3 votes
    0 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  16. Symbol visibility in Bridge

    What about having Bridge to manage Symbols? Edit parameters, meta data and other things that could be good for such a feature.

    3 votes
    0 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  17. Allow outline / edges colour changes in Symbol edit mode

    Allow the user to change the outline colour in Symbol Editing Mode. 'Options for Symbol Editing Mode' is always greyed out. It's possible to change the outline colour but it always reverts to the randomly-selected default colour.

    See summary of issue here:
    https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/editing-symbols-layer-options-changing-select-color-doesn-t-work/m-p/14468979

    3 votes
    3 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  18. Symbol Sprayer Tool Enhancement

    The Symbol Spray Tool is very awkward in using and not very intuitive to first time users. Who would have thought to double tap to open the options for the tool. There is very little documentation on this. I do not believe the tool is used by many artist. May be add the options to the menu bar? Also unable to ungroup or align the symbols once they are on the artboard. Would be awesome to be able to create a path and apply the symbols on the path. This would be great to create an outline then spray the…

    3 votes
    3 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  19. Transform Each around Symbol Registration Point

    It would be nice, when using Transform Each, to have the option to transform the Symbols around their Registration Point.

    3 votes
    0 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  20. Live Update Prewiew

    I'm exploring a dynamic feature in Adobe Illustrator for live visualization of nested symbols. Think MC Escher tessellations – I would like to see how changes to one symbol affect the entire design in real-time. Any insights or techniques for achieving this precision are highly appreciated.

    3 votes
    1 comment  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?
← Previous 1
  • Don't see your idea?

Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

Categories

Feedback and Knowledge Base

(thinking…)