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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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4598 results found

  1. Symmetrical Anchor Point Handles snapping

    It would be incredibly helpful if the handles of an anchor point could be positioned symmetrically and equidistant, as shown in the attached image. This feature would streamline the design process by eliminating the need to create half a path, copy it, and mirror it.

    Thank you for considering this feature request!

    57 votes
    3 comments  ·  Snapping  ·  Admin →
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  2. Add TIFF format into Export for Screens / Assets dialog

    We need a way to export assets (and artboards) as TIFFs using modern Export for Screens / Assets dialog.

    84 votes
    30 comments  ·  File Save, Import and Export  ·  Admin →
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  3. Add ability to hyperlink text (properly this time)

    In June of 2023 the Illustrator team fixed a old bug with hyperlinks added through Attributes panel being dropped while exporting as PDF.
    The team thought of it as a solution to this request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/40418827 — and marked it as such.

    I do not agree.
    The solution is nowhere final, done in the most basic way possible, merely a bug fixed, like if no-one in the team did try to make it useful at the level of today's standards.
    — A partial text selection can't be made into a hyperlink.
    — No widgets are given on the canvas to see…

    47 votes
    3 comments  ·  Type, Fonts, Text  ·  Admin →
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  4. Improve Trim Mark Settings When Exporting PDFs

    Posted using Illustrator 2025 (29.4)

    In the Japanese printing industry, it is common practice to require both corner crop marks and center crop marks when exporting PDFs.

    Currently, in Illustrator’s PDF export settings, enabling the “Trim Marks” option only adds corner marks. To include center crop marks, users must also check the “Registration Marks” option, which results in registration marks being added as well.

    However, these registration marks are generally disliked and considered unnecessary in Japanese print workflows. There needs to be an option to add only corner and center crop marks without registration marks.

    InDesign allows users to…

    20 votes
    1 comment  ·  File Save, Import and Export  ·  Admin →
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  5. Allow to make folders in Appearance Panel

    Appearance are the most powerful feature of Illustrator, but the learning curve is difficult and for Advanced User it's difficult to manage and remember what are doing what in a Complex Appearance (cf. Screenshot where I had to use Colors to identify properties…)

    Please allow to have folders in the panel (like in Ps: "Pass Trough" blend mode, knockout, vector mask based on "Convert to shape" with 9 points proxy…)

    It will be more easier to understand Complex Appearance samples and for Advanced users, it will be way more efficient.

    Another related request:
    Allow to rename attributes (fills, strokes, effects)…

    27 votes
    2 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  6. Make Enclosed Selection Mode a permanent option

    Illustrator now allows to use Enclosed Mode to select objects within the marquee (originally requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31863601), but the only way to do it is tap E key.

    I agree that this basic feature is essential, but I don't agree that any modifier keys or specific dragging directions (like requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/49489604) should be required. Shift-drag is already used to add to the selection, so that won't work.

    Opt/Alt toggles duplication, and both can be toggled mid-drag (unlike in Photoshop).

    This should be a selectable selection mode (also with a hotkey), and in fact there should be a…

    19 votes
    1 comment  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  7. CAD like selection (direction of the marquee toggles Enclosed mode)

    Illustrator now allows to use Enclosed Mode to select objects within the marquee (originally requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31863601), but the only way to do it is tap E key.

    Make an option to enable this method also:
    Click - Left drag: select everything INSIDE the marquee.
    Click - Right drag: select everything CROSSING the marquee.

    Many CAD programs work this way. It makes selections much simpler.

    17 votes
    3 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  8. Allow legacy behavior for "Rearrange Artboards"

    While I'm sure some people welcome Illustrator's new features for rearranging the artboards, I have found it to be finicky and weird. There should be an option that defaults to the center of the work area, like it used to do automatically. This new behavior, of having to select where the artboards go just complicates a once simple process.

    4 votes
    4 comments  ·  Documents and Artboards  ·  Admin →
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  9. Add Transform Again Individually / Transform Sequence Again / Sequence Again Individually commands, as in InDesign

    Illustrator has Transform Again command (and it’s rather useful), but InDesign has three additional commands:

    1. Transform Again Individually:
      Applies the last single transform operation to each selected object individually, rather than as a group.

    2. Transform Sequence Again:
      Applies the last sequence of transform operations to the selection.

    3. Transform Sequence Again Individually:
      Applies the last sequence of transform operations to each selected object individually.

    As described here: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/transforming-objects.html#repeat_transformations

    Here is a video demonstrating the difference between these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4gLe9LeRKI

    Sure, we have Transform Each as a workaround, but it doesn’t support custom pivots as tools do, and these are just faster.

    If…

    11 votes
    0 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  10. Display color values for named swatches when hovering

    Illustrator automatically names swatches by their color values and displays these names when we hover over swatches in panels.
    But if we rename a swatch, Illustrator displays just the name, but not the color formula.
    InDesign does the opposite — always shows the color values when we hover, but not the name.

    I’d like to see both. Yes, I know that for the automatically named swatches it’d mean both the name made of values will be displayed along with the actual values... but you can solve it with the InDesign’s 'Name with Color Value' option for swatches.

    12 votes
    0 comments  ·  Colors, Swatches, Patterns  ·  Admin →
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  11. Avoid text converted to outlines when opening PDF

    [Previous discussions in https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/avoid-text-converted-to-outlines-when-opening-pdf/m-p/15352684]

    Currently Adobe Illustrator automatically and arbitrarily converts text parts to outlines, making these parts not editable nor selectable.

    It's not related to fonts, because that font is on my computer, and, other text parts that has exactly the same font are editable and not converted.

    It's just because of the code point. For example, in term ∀𝑥, the ∀ (U+2200) is editable and 𝑥 (U+1D465) is converted to outline. I really dislike this arbitrary behaviour. If compatibility is considered critical, the program should at least give an option to allow us the users to…

    1 vote
    6 comments  ·  Type, Fonts, Text  ·  Admin →
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  12. QuickLook Preview Support for EPS Files on macOS via Adobe own framework

    As of macOS 15 (Sequoia), Apple has officially removed all system-level support for rendering Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files in QuickLook. This change began in macOS 12 (Monterey), when Apple deprecated the internal PostScript conversion frameworks (notably PSNormalizer.framework), and culminated in macOS 14 (Sonoma) and 15 (Sequoia), where these frameworks were entirely removed.

    Historically, Finder’s QuickLook preview for .eps files relied on these system frameworks to convert PostScript content into a previewable image. Many third-party applications (including Illustrator) used the same system calls to provide file previews. Even QuickLook plugins like Illustrator.qlgenerator or others that claimed .eps support were not rendering…

    5 votes
    3 comments  ·  SDK and Scripting  ·  Admin →
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  13. Allow to customize the Contextual Task Bar

    I want to be able to customize the Contextual Task Bar, add the functions I need to the panel (tools, menus, actions, scripts, etc.). Please add a configurator like in the toolbar.

    16 votes
    4 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  14. Global Edit should allow searching within current and chosen artboards

    Global Edit have some options to limit searching with artboards and/or canvas... but the choices are rather odd: Portrait, Landscape, Square and All.

    It’s strange though we can’t limit it to the current artboard... or some chosen artboards, even though today the selection of artboards on canvas is allowed within the scope of the Artboard tool — but I’ll take the field to put numbers, or selecting artboards in the Artboards panel!

    Select > Same and Select > Object commands don’t have these options at all. Must have — here’s the request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/35752063

    9 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  15. Center Pattern Command

    Draw a vector shape and fill with a pattern, notice this is not centered. To do this is a long meticulous process prone to error.

    https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2390290.

    Can we get an option in the Align panel to do this?

    20 votes
    4 comments  ·  Align, Distribute  ·  Admin →
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  16. Add Axis Constraints, to restrict transformations to a chosen axis

    Some 3D editors allow to limit moving to a chosen axis/axes.
    3DS Max has a dedicated floating panel with buttons, and Blender allows to hold a key to force it: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/scene_layout/object/editing/transform/control/axis_locking.html

    In Ai we can hold Shift, but the axis chosen depends on the position of the cursor, and it’s not the same.
    Please make it possible to use X/Y keys (similar to the recent E key for Enclosed selection Mode) to actually choose a preferred axis. Perhaps Z can be used for 45°? :)

    Original idea by Junior Rocha

    6 votes
    1 comment  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  17. Numpad Enter to commit text.

    Please, please, please can the devs change Illustrator so that the Numpad Enter key submits/commits text rather than going to a new line?

    2 votes
    5 comments  ·  Type, Fonts, Text  ·  Admin →
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  18. Editable text in dimensions

    Please let designer edit the text inside the dimensions. Sometimes for mockup purpose is not possible to set a proper scale and if you place a dimension obviously the size has to be changed. Now you need to expand the aspect to let the text be editable. It would be great if the text can be editable by default.
    There is no worries for people with right scales since the value will be correct, but it will be a smart edit for others who have to change it.

    2 votes
    5 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  19. Thumbnails in Layers always show full previews even when outline mode for the layer is toggled

    This is relatively new within recent Ai upgrades.

    Can we please revert back to preview mode ONLY for layer thumbnails regardless of how we view the layer on the artboard. This was changed recently. Why? If you choose to make changes like this, please make it an optional preference, as long time users probably don't like these changes.

    3 votes
    4 comments  ·  Layers  ·  Admin →
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  20. Reinstate the Full Retype Editing Functionality

    I have been a dedicated user of Adobe products and have greatly appreciated the advanced features that facilitate creative workflows. One such feature was the "Retype" function which allowed users to edit text directly within images. This feature was incredibly useful for many of us in the creative and professional fields, as it streamlined our processes and enhanced productivity.

    However, the Retype feature now seems limited to only identifying similar fonts rather than enabling direct text editing within an image. This limitation has significantly impacted the utility of this tool.

    Could you please consider reinstating the full functionality of Retype…

    9 votes
    2 comments  ·  Type, Fonts, Text  ·  Admin →
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