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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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4592 results found

  1. Show/Collapse Option for the Right-Click Menu Items

    The Right-Click menu is getting too long. How about making an option to collapse or send to a fly-out window from the right-click menu, the least used tools/commands? Or, the ability to roll-up (or keep unrolled) the sections in the right-click menu? And the next time AI is started, the settings appear as they were from a previous session.

    3 votes
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  2. Allow to exclude handles from being snapped to grid

    I remember it being a bug, when handles were not snapping to grid... but sometimes it’s actually useful! Currently we have to undo, disable the grid, and tweak the handle.
    There should either be a hard option we can toggle (preferably with an ability to assign it to a hotkey), or a hotkey to toggle this behavior on the fly, the one we can tap while dragging and disable snapping for this operation only... or both!

    Please take a look at this related request as well:
    Introduce a tolerance for Snap to Grid / Pixel, so that snapping happens only…

    5 votes
    0 comments  ·  Snapping  ·  Admin →
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  3. Introduce a tolerance for Snap to Grid / Pixel, so that snapping happens only when points are close enough to grid intersections

    When Snap to Grid is enabled, the snapping is hard — a dragged point is always constrained to the grid intersections. While sometimes it’s handy, at other times is just too rigid, especially if you zoom in and try to make tiny adjustments. Paired with the fact we can’t toggle snapping temporarily on the fly, this makes it into 'try, curse, undo, disable, try again' routine. Same applies to Snap to Pixel.

    Compare how Affinity Designer handles it (the turquoise GIF) with the way Ai uses (the orange GIF).

    4 votes
    1 comment  ·  Snapping  ·  Admin →
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  4. Add an option for Curvature tool to prioritize the currently selected path

    Curvature is one of the more recent tools Illustrator introduced (well, in 2014... time flies). Unlike older tools, it tries to be smart. One of this 'smart' behaviors is an ability to both select and edit paths. It prevents us from placing the next point of the currently selected path right above an existing unselected path — the tool treats it as an attempt to select the latter.

    There is an existing request to tweak the continuation tolerance, similar to what Pencil has: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/34578331

    But to be fair, I’d love more options for the tool in general. So far it…

    6 votes
    0 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  5. Please please please repair the Template system

    Saving my own Template is still a pain, since the folder where those are stored needs extra privileges, which can't be given from within the Save Template dialog.
    Please, rework this Template save / load system, and make it fail proof and rock solid.

    This is how it should work in 2025:
    -Save Template.
    -Give Name
    -Done

    2 votes
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  6. Show file previews in Open Recent Files

    Show a thumbnail of Recent Files, much like how the Icon View in the Mac OS Finder displays them.

    3 votes
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  7. Learn to link / place .ai files saved without PDF compatibility (PGF only)

    I know, why would you. A PDF-layer is basically a composite flattened layer Ai writes into an .ai document, and just reads it when the file is placed: in Photoshop, in InDesign. Handy, yeah?

    Not really. Saving a document without the compatibility is so much faster. The non-compatible files are so much lighter (especially with heavy raster links used within). OK, Ps and InD can’t read PGF (Progressive Graphics Format, the one that’s native for Ai)... but Ai can.

    Why not reading linked .ai docs as they are and THEN keep it’s PDF representation within the destination file, if it…

    7 votes
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  8. Bulk add graphics to library

    Selecting multiple groups of objects and adding to a library adds them all as one giant graphic. Can't we have them added separately? Years of life have been lost adding one graphic at a time to a library.

    2 votes
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  9. Allow to cut path with a drag rather than a click when using Scissors

    I want the Scissors tool to be able to cut paths like the Knife does, with a click-and-drag, splitting a path at an intersection of straight/freeform (straight by default) drawn line with a path (ideally prioritizing selected ones over others, like requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/36111436)

    I’m rather tired of seeing this loud modal dialog when I don’t have Smart Guides enabled and miss a line (because the tool doesn’t have enough feedback by modern times’ standards: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/44725546)

    Take a look at the fake GIF I made to show how it should work.
    A single click should still work.
    This…

    3 votes
    1 comment  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  10. Allow to snap to middles of straight and curved segments in paths

    We need middles to get detected with Smart Guides.
    The latest Beta 29.5.0.15 got this report fixed — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/39380149 — and now allows to detect these for straight two-point lines (as 'intersect', not 'middle') but it doesn’t work for straight segments within a larger path or curved segments at all.

    The team ignored the rest of the comments and did the bare minimum the report stated :( Hope this will get more votes to prove we need it still.

    4 votes
    1 comment  ·  Snapping  ·  Admin →
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  11. Objects on Path needs a way to control spacing / gaps precisely, with a value

    At the moment we can’t control spacing (gaps) between objects on path ion the new Objects on Path type of object (what a beautiful sentence).

    We can only eyeball it with a slider, which is incrementing by points (despite me having set millimeters as my ruler units).

    There is no field I can type something like 0.125 mm, or at least a modifier key (like Cmd/Ctrl) to make the slider go slower ×10 (or any other value I choose somewhere in Preferences or at least in Adobe Prefs file, buried in Ai’s folders).

    Perhaps yo should also allow us to…

    8 votes
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  12. Allow Illustrator documents to re-link to its shared-for-review Creative Cloud document if the link becomes broken

    Sometimes a document that's been shared for review through the Creative Cloud will lose its connection to the local file. Sometimes because you've tried to create a new iteration, renamed the file, or sometimes it just happens for unknown reasons. When this occurs, it would be helpful to be able to reconnect them so that the review process continues with the same link to the end of the project. This would keep the entire history of markups and not cause confusion by sending out a new link in which they cannot access the resolved markups when reviewing the updates. Yes,…

    3 votes
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  13. Allow to use point-specific controls and functions when all points of a path are selected

    There is a limitation in Adobe Illustrator with aligning anchor points.
    When using the Direct Selection tool to highlight anchor points on a path the options to align anchor points disappears in the Align palette if all points on a path are selected.
    That can be a problem if I'm trying to align two points on a simple two point path. I either have to add additional points or manually align the path using smart guides. It would be really nice if one anchor point could have key object like behavior and stay locked in place. Certain rival vector graphics…

    10 votes
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  14. Trim View Hot Key

    Add hot key feature for Trim View in Illustrator. Have it function like when you hit "W" in InDesign.

    2 votes
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  15. Add ability to sort or reorder Objects on Path

    Love the align to path tool. It has made things so much easier.

    One suggestion, however, would be to rearrange the order of elements you aligned. Ideally, you would allow us to sort elements and give certain properties like HUE, Transparency, Size, Rotation, and then we could easily make things like fading shapes to signify movement or just by size where the bigger things were aligned at the end.

    You could even make a series of tools like the Symbol Sprayer tools that let you manipulate the pieces on the path by spreading in areas and shrinking areas. Resizing or…

    2 votes
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  16. Make Split into Grid to create warped grids based on shape if needed

    Split to Grid should learn how to split into more than just squares. Look at your Mesh tool, it obviously knows how to split different shapes, just move that code to the split tool would make it about 329983% more useful.

    2 votes
    1 comment  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  17. Allow to copy the area value from the Info panel

    Why can we copy a HEX color from the Color panel, but can’t copy the area of it (or any other value as well)?

    In some cases we need to get the value to share with someone, and now Ai wants us to retype it.

    Sometimes we also need these to be placed on canvas — but I think it’s a job for the Dimension tool? Why Measure and Dimension are different tools in the first place?

    5 votes
    0 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  18. Type Automation/Modulation Tool

    A automation/modulation tool allows type to be edited based off different parameters. (ex. typewriter function that allows more ink bleed onto random letters on a body of type). Similar to music production automation/modulation in that there would be values from 0-100 and then those settings could have a parameters (ex. setting the bounds of the automation from value of 80-100 and then having the ability to randomize that automation between those values). The highlighted text that needs automation/modulation would have a separate window with a linear grid to adjust each individual character and a drop down menu of what parameter…

    2 votes
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  19. Project Turntable

    Project Turntable - This option is not available even on the latest version of illlustrator 29.3.1 and the latest illustrator beta 29.4.73. How can this be activated in my account? This would really help fast track the projects I'm currently working on

    4 votes
    1 comment  ·  Other...  ·  Admin →
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  20. Preview Only Text Features

    Can we get additional features to handle Preview Only Text?

    • A Highlight Preview Only text feature similar to the Highlight Substituted Fonts Preference?

    • A Outline Preview Only text button or preference?

    • A preference to turn the feature off all together? (Considering it is currently bugged and Area text within it's container gets moved — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/49832784)

    Illustrator 2025 is now using embedded fonts instead of demanding they be substituted. You can not add text or paste it into a different document however you can adjust the tracking and the scale. When you paste it into a new…

    3 votes
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