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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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4594 results found

  1. Knobs.

    Just more knobs. There should be a knob next to every input that takes an angle value. The Scribble effect has one. The Gradient palette doesn't. The Transform palette has one but it could use another one along with a couple of text input boxes as an option to move an object a specified distance along a particular angle instead of moving it in X and Y. The angle value in the transform section of Properties doesn't have a knob. Scatter brush options have two horizontal sliders and no knobs. Put a knob next to each of those sliders.

    Go…

    4 votes
    1 comment  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  2. Correct View > Snap to Grid shortcut from Cmd/Ctrl+" to proper Cmd/Ctrl+'

    My request is a bit nerdy, but hey! I have been using Illustrator for 'ages' and one of the shortcuts is simply not correct. I always think it's cute, in a way, but still.
    The shortcut to show or hide the grid is listed as Ctrl + "
    This is impossible to achieve since you need the 'Shift' key to type the double quotation marks :)
    So, I think it should be Ctrl + ' .
    The shortcut to snap to the grid is fun in this light; it's Ctrl + Shift + "
    So, I was wondering if anyone…

    2 votes
    3 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  3. Non-destructive clipping mask options

    An option where you take a whole object or group and use it's whole area(including strokes) as a clipping mask for other layers. Similar to what you can do in Photoshop.

    So you can create for instance, a shape with stroke and set it as the clipping mask for an underlying texture. Without the need to flatten it, so you can experiment with it, or keep a text live for later editting it.

    Or have multiple shapes working as the clipping mask while you are choosing the appropriate combination or later need to adapt to a different format.

    4 votes
    5 comments  ·  Clipping, Intertwine  ·  Admin →
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  4. Bring in PDF's without changing the formatting

    PDF's, sometimes, when brought in, NOT as an image, but embedded, changes font style widths, etc. This was another issue for me, with a client who built their file in ID and saved as a PDF and I brought it in and embedded it. I did not catch it, but it's clearly changed. I have the font, so that was not an issue, it just change the "BOLD" to "REGULAR". Picture attached shows the "original" PDF as a pic on the right. I have it at 50% opacity as I was comparing.

    1 vote
    2 comments  ·  File Save, Import and Export  ·  Admin →
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  5. Artboard Properties as Menu Commands

    Add "Maintain Width and Height Proportions" to Menu Commands so that it can be assigned a shortcut. Other artboard features like "Move artwork with Artboard" and "Scale artwork with Artboard" would also benefit from this, I lose a lot of time checking and unchecking these boxes.

    2 votes
    1 comment  ·  Documents and Artboards  ·  Admin →
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  6. Font Family field (and others) in Character panel (and others) doesn’t get resized

    If we dock Character panel together with a panel that can be resized (like Layers), we get the ability to resize both.
    Sound useful if you need to long font names... but this is the filed that doesn’t get resized.

    I don’t really object against the layout of the panel (although it’d benefit from getting reshuffled, adaptive layouts is not a new thing in UI), but perhaps Ai should resize fields at least?

    2 votes
    1 comment  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  7. Add Units to Move Function

    It would be great if when using the MOVE feature we could switch between UNIT types (Inches, Pixels, Points, etc...). For example, often we want the file in inches but to move in points.

    1 vote
    1 comment  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  8. Local saves with Version control

    We need an option to create a project file that cannot be saved over. The reason for this is that when working with a client who has many options, we sometimes need to step back in time or recover older versions from unexpected changes.

    Similar to an Illustrator template file (.ait), we could have a format like .aiv or .aivi. This way, when I save flyer.aiv, every save will generate a backup file flyer-250204817.ai next to the current file.

    It would also be useful to have an option in a settings pane to save a backup every other save and…

    4 votes
    1 comment  ·  File Save, Import and Export  ·  Admin →
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  9. Bring back Duplicate button in the Contextual Task Bar

    It would be very useful to bring back the repeat / duplicate icon in the Contextual Task Bar -- specifically when selecting shapes. Illustrator 2024 had this feature when a shape was selected. The 2025 update removed this feature.

    Please bring this back, or allow users to customize the Conceptual Task Bar in the settings.

    6 votes
    4 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  10. Select all anchor points between two points

    Select an anchor point, select another further along the path, and easily select all anchor points in between.

    4 votes
    3 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  11. SDK access to Perspective grid

    Please add SDK interface for plugins to get and set values in the perspective grid, and to add and move art on the perspective grid. I want to extend the functionality of the perspective grid for technical illustrators.

    2 votes
    0 comments  ·  SDK and Scripting  ·  Admin →
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  12. 「シンボルオブジェクト」に対してのコンテクストタスクバーの搭載　Installation of a context taskbar for "symbol objects"

    「シンボルオブジェクト」に対してのコンテクストタスクバーの搭載も要望として、是非お願いします。特に置換するときが格段になるはずなので。
    Please also request the installation of a context taskbar for "symbol objects". Especially when it comes to replacing, it should be much more.

    3 votes
    1 comment  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  13. Add a slider to the History panel to quickly review the states of the document

    If we want to go back to a certain history state of the current document , we can scroll the History panel and click each step item, guessing the time, judging by the names of these, the scrollbar position (limited by the capped amount of steps)...
    It’s a guesswork in most cases, since some steps still have generic names (like always 'Move' and not 'Move Point', 'Move Handle', 'Move Segment', 'Move Path', 'Move Group'...)

    Can I just grab a slider and scrub with it, seeing all the previous states rendered on canvas — and fast? Today Ai sometimes takes too…

    7 votes
    0 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  14. Allow to control font for Swatch Info objects

    Well... if one wants to choose font size for text in Swatch Info objects while making one — tough luck. We can only set the color chip size.

    Since Preview is completely missing now (here’s the request about it: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/49681244), it’s hard to evaluate if text would be large enough to accompany them.
    Even if you change the font size after the Swatch Info is created — won’t do, each text line is a separate type objects, their leading won’t be adjusted, the card background rectangles won’t adapt!

    One can think this font is based on the [Normal Paragraph…

    3 votes
    0 comments  ·  Type, Fonts, Text  ·  Admin →
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  15. Allow to place cards next to color chips instead of always below for Swatch Info objects

    We can choose from two main layout options for Swatch Info: horizontal and vertical.
    Horizontal puts 'cards' with text info below the chips, while Vertical option makes them... wait! Still below? Not next to it?
    I think we should be able to choose if we want to place them on the side, rather then always at the bottom.
    Take a look at a draft mockup attached.

    3 votes
    0 comments  ·  Colors, Swatches, Patterns  ·  Admin →
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  16. Effect > Distort & transform > Stacking order

    Sometimes you have a group of objects that are not in the correct stacking order, and you have to expand the effects that generate these objects to fix it.

    I propose a new effect that offers a few options to change this:

    • reverse stacking order
    • stack left-to-right, right-to-left, up-to-down, down-to-up, or maybe just an angle dial for stacking order? that'd be super useful for "I drew three balls and blended them to make a necklace and I don't want to have to split it into two blends to make the right ball be the nearest one".
    • smallest-to-largest, largest-to-smallest
    3 votes
    4 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  17. Panelize Blend Options, Offset Path, etc.

    In pre-2020 Illustrator versions, the Path -> Simplify tool was a window. Post 2020, it got changed into a live panel which, when opened, doesn't halt the focus and lets you change settings while you move around the artboard with the Hand tool or Zoom in or such.
    It is sadly the only "classic" Object tool that got this treatment. Other tools, especially Blend Options, Offset Path, Envelope Distort with Warp, etc. would benefit greatly from similar panelisation. It's not a great user experience that I can't zoom or pan while I'm trying to offset my path.

    4 votes
    1 comment  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  18. Show list of open files in different menu place

    The open files are under window menu, that is a large list to scroll and locate the files. I think it will be better to have an open files menu only for that. Also could be nice to have a button to browse them all.

    4 votes
    4 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  19. Add a 'Single Midpoint Anchor' Tool in Illustrator

    Request: Add a tool or command that allows users to add a single anchor point precisely at the midpoint of any selected path segment without affecting the entire shape.

    Why It’s Needed: Illustrator currently lacks an intuitive way to place an anchor point exactly between two existing anchor points. The "Add Anchor Points" command applies to all segments, and the Smart Guides often fail to indicate an accurate midpoint. Manually calculating coordinates is impractical.

    Suggested Implementation:

    • A new "Add Midpoint Anchor" option in Object > Path that works on a single segment.

    • A modified behavior in the Pen Tool (P)…

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

  20. 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.

    2 votes
    2 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
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