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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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4624 results found

  1. 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.

    77 votes
    55 comments  ·  Documents and Artboards  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?
    Started (Available in Beta)  ·  AdminEgor Chistyakov (Admin, Adobe Illustrator) responded

    Starting with Beta 29.8.0.5 the Rearrange dialog got a separate dedicated feature, currently called 'Align Manually'.

    With it disabled, artboards get positioned instantly in the center of the canvas, as it behaved previously.

    When this is enabled, you will enter the positioning mode after pressing OK — to allow rearranging only some artboards, to address this request.

    With more than 1 artboard selected (but not all), the mode gets enabled automatically (and becomes locked).

    At the moment Snap to Grid is not respected in both modes, and no snapping to pixel grid occurs in this new manual mode — but works in the automatic mode.

    Please test the this and comment back!

  2. Remove the window below the artboards that reads "Select an artboard with graphics and try Generative Expand to extend the artboard"

    With whatever update came out, there is now a message that reads "Select an artboard with graphics and try Generative Expand to extend the artboard" on the artboards panel. This limits how many artboards you can see, and I am a person who has files with 40+. I tried using the feature to see if it would get rid of the message, but it still sits there. Please make this message removeable so I can get back to a quicker workflow and see all my artboards without having to scroll precisely. Thank you!

    18 votes
    10 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  3. 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!

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

  4. 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.

    85 votes
    30 comments  ·  File Save, Import and Export  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  5. Allow to distort a text with Free Distort tool

    In many other software packages you are able to use perspective distortion on text. This should be a very basic feature of Illustrator. This way you can still change the font / text while it is in perspective.

    9 votes
    9 comments  ·  Meshes, Distortion  ·  Admin →
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  6. Tab now shifts to toggle buttons in Layers Panel instead of renaming the next layer

    In the newest update (29.6) the layers panel has some changes. When you hover over the toggle buttons, they highlight. Before updating, I could double-click to rename my layer, then hit Tab to rename the next layer. Now, Tab just moves to the toggle buttons and the tools at the bottom of the panel. I think this should be adjusted back to make renaming layers a smoother process.

    13 votes
    6 comments  ·  Layers  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  7. Add Search in Preferences

    Incorporate a Search function to provide the user the ability to quickly locate a specific preference (refer to Apple's System Preferences Search capability.)

    Please also make Preferences user-friendly — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42476344

    13 votes
    4 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?
    Started (Available in Beta)  ·  AdminEgor Chistyakov (Admin, Adobe Illustrator) responded

    Beta 29.7.0.60 introduces Search field in Preferences.

    Now we can jump to the found option quickly by typing a name or a part of it.

    Currently the field is not immediately focused when the dialog launches and the found item doesn’t get focused as well, only highlighted. If you wish for it to change — please upvote this auxiliary request.

    Please try to update and test if it suits you (be careful though, this build also introduces many WIP change to the snapping system!) — and comment back if you have important notes.

  8. Allow to choose if the Save dialog should "remember the last file format used

    Ever since last update, if i save off a pdf and then create a brand new doc and go to save it, it goes to PDF automatically when it used to always default to .ai so i forget and get to the PDF options and then have to cancel and go back and retype my file name which is just annoying and remembering the last format is not helpful. Almost as annoying as PS trying to export in the last export location instead of the same folder as the .PSD --- NOT HELPFUL

    Mac OS 15.5 (24F74)
    Ai 29.6

    10 votes
    7 comments  ·  File Save, Import and Export  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  9. 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…

    49 votes
    4 comments  ·  Type, Fonts, Text  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  10. Add Biology & Scientific Diagram Tools for Easy Cell and Medical Illustrations

    As an illustrator specializing in biology, microbiology, and scientific educational diagrams, I often find it time-consuming and challenging to create natural-looking cells, organelles, biological textures, and clean labels within Adobe Illustrator. To improve workflow and accuracy, I propose that Adobe adds a dedicated set of toolbar tools designed specifically for biological and scientific illustrations, focusing on ease of use, organic shapes, and diagramming features.

    Suggested Tools Include:

    Organic Blob Tool: Create irregular, smooth cell shapes with adjustable wobble and roundness.

    Cell Chain Tool: Draw linked cells or bacteria chains with customizable spacing and size.

    Pseudopod Tool: Add flowing, arm-like extensions…

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

  11. 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 →
    How important is this to you?

  12. 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)…

    28 votes
    2 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  13. 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 →
    How important is this to you?

  14. 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 →
    How important is this to you?

  15. 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…

    6 votes
    4 comments  ·  SDK and Scripting  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  16. Make the Effect Roughen a tool from the toolbar

    Please make the Effect "Roughen" an actual tool, accessible from the toolbar. Here is the icon for the concept tool below.

    1 vote
    6 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  17. Reduce the preview quality of the view to improve rendering speed and avoid performance degradation, which is necessary in complex documents

    Performance severely declines when there are many paths in the document, which is quite frustrating. Hiding some layers and using a high-performance GPU for rendering the view does not completely resolve the issue. I hope a feature can be added to improve rendering efficiency by reducing the preview quality of the view. Additionally, I have noticed that performance tends to degrade more significantly at smaller view scales, while it improves somewhat when the view is zoomed in. I am unsure if this is a bug

    3 votes
    4 comments  ·  Performance, Enhancements  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  18. Add 'resource size' to the 'prefix' option in 'export multiple formats'

    This prefix is very useful when exporting "multiple resources" and can improve work efficiency.
    In addition, it is recommended that the current prefix naming method be separated from the file name using "prefix -" or "prefix _".

    2 votes
    5 comments  ·  File Save, Import and Export  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  19. 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.

    13 votes
    0 comments  ·  Colors, Swatches, Patterns  ·  Admin →
    How important is this to you?

  20. Image Trace needs 'Simplify' option we can disable

    Image Trace is still not functioning properly. The 'Simplify' feature is still missing. Forcing Simplify should not be allowed.

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