Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
200 results found
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Disable Snap to Path
Can someone please explain to me why you can turn off "snap to grid", "snap to pixel", and "snap to point" off, but you can't turn "snap to path" off. It used to be you could just easily turn off "snap", which would turn all forms of snap off. Now, when I'm trying to adjust points on a path, the anchor handles still snap to path. The only way to get it to not snap to path is to zoom very close in. This is problematic when you can't see your entire curve, because you're zoomed in, and you can't…
4 votesDo you have Smart Guides turned on?
Just turn it off and Ai won’t snap handles to paths. -
view Anchor Points
View Anchor Points selection under the view tab. I'd like to see Anchor Points anytime I click on an object if I have this view selected, not just a barely there blue line that is hard to tell what is clicked as it currently is when you select Show Edges under the view tab.
1 voteYou can enable this with 'Show Anchor Points in Selection Tool and Shape Tool' option in Preferences > Selection & Anchor Preview
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Fix the help search function
Help used to work fine but since illustrator 18 cc the help function always takes much longer to load (5/10 seconds every time I type a singl letter). Make a short cut to type in help, as seen on c4d, would speed up workflow considerably
1 voteThe Help option is completely reworked in recent versions, into the Discover panel. It’s rather fast now. If you have feedback on it — please comment.
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Put the Rectangle tool back into the standard and advanced toolbars
Put the Rectangle tool back into the standard and advanced toolbars
4 votesThere was a bug which allowed to accidentally drag-n-drop tools and insert them into other tools’ subgroups.
It was fixed by introducing a special mode to enable this. No accidents with lost tools should happen. Please comment back if it happens for you in latest versions.
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Layer clipping mask (a bit like a paste-inside on steroids!)
I'd like to be able to convert a shape into a layer clipping mask which would then allow sub-layers to be created/converted so that they only remain visible within in the shape's boundary and would subsequently honour any sub-layer effects applied therein.
Why?
Well at the moment I have to expand any paths with effects applied to layers so that any effect is captured inside the clipping mask. This results in a destructive edit to my artwork and file duplication so that I can revert to the previous editable state when I need to make any changes.
Background:
I regularly…1 voteAs Scott Falkner says in comments, you can clip a whole layer if you select a path you want to use as a mask, then open the Layers panel and select Make Clipping Mask from the flyout menu.
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Bring back the rounded corners in the rectangle dialog
Please place the rounded corners back into the rectangle dialog window. The new experience for this feature is undiscoverable and not intuitive at all. The usage pattern is inconsistent with the rest of the drawing tools e.g. polygon, stars... Have you consider testing it on users before launching the new 2019 version? Please do not redesign for the sake of redesign. Your users are not being efficient in their workflows because they have to spend time to figure it out where those features have gone. I am very sorry but this is a frustrating experience.
6 votesAs per the comment.
The rounded corner box is still there in new versions, but hidden, as a 'not-frequently-used' — well, statistics-wise. Click on the three dots at the bottom of your toolbar and pick Rounded Rectangle tool directly, or drop it into your toolbar.
Please free to add comments, if you think that this tool should be included to the Essentials toolbox anyway, and why you think this is important.
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When I try to type something it is shown with some prepared text
When i try to click the T button to create new text, it is shown already made some text example with a tag. This tag is hidden and if I click "show hidden character" it is shown with #.
Can I start with completely blind text function without this suggested pre-made alphabet arrangement looks like some word (but doesn't make sense, it is just look like preview of the text)?1 voteThe # symbol marks is included into any text at all, to help designers to see where text ends. There are other hidden characters that mark column breaks, paragraph returns, line breaks, special space symbols, etc.
The text that gets inserted when you create a new text helps to quickly see how text would behave on canvas with set font parameters. You can disable this option in Preferences > Type > Fill New Type Objects With Placeholder Text, if you find this irritating.
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Preview Mode
Like InDesign, incorporate a preview mode to show only the content inside of the artboard to see the final preview.
28 votesThere are two separate commands that offer this, as stated in comments:
View > Trim View
View > Presentation Mode
Read more about these here
Feel free to add comments if you need something else
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Recolor Artwork flip 2 colors
I want to quickly flip 2 colors within a multi-colored design.
Lets say I have Object A (RED) and Object B (Blue) I want A to be Blue and B to be red. I try to find tutorials about it but couldn't find any. I have tryed everything in recolor artwork but its not possible to switch simply two colors (withing a multi-colored design, large file to see different color options quickly)
2 votesThis can be done with native Recolor options dialog, just with dragging one chip over the other. Please refer to the comment inside for details.
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Disable autocrop suggestions
The aggressive new autocrop suggestions in Illustrator 23.0 are a huge hassle. Every new crop I make I have to move the suggested crop lines back on 2-3 of the sides of my cropping image, or risk losing as much as 70% of the original image. Very much a waste of my time and a headache.
2 votesAs per the comment, disable the 'Enable Content Aware Defaults' in Preferences > General to turn crop suggestions off
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Persistent rulers on startup
Option to toggle on/off in prefs. Simple as that
4 votesThis option already exists in Illustrator, in Preferences > General, although the name of it is quite obscure — Show/Hide Rulers. Once it’s enabled, each new or opened document will have rulers enabled.
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Rich Tool Tips in Illustrator
currently, photoshop has a feature where the user can opt for rich tools tips. Why doesn't illustrator have the same feature??
3 votesRich tooltips added in the most recent versions by default. You can disable them off in Preferences.
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Support 16 bit images / iOS 11 Screenshots distorted
Screenshots made in iOS 11 are distorted when open or used in AI. Distortion persists during export to pdf.
AI 21.1.0
macOS 10.12.6
MacBook Pro 2017All other tested Image Softwares displayed the screenshot correctly (Photoshop CC, Preview, Chrome, Safari)
91 votesThis particular issue of images from iOS screenshots getting distorted in Illustrator has been fixed now.
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Make it possible to select locked objects?
I wish it was possible to prevent an object from moving, but still have the ability to select it. A preference setting to "allow selection of locked objects" or "lock position only" or something?
5 votesThere is a way to select locked objects in recent Illustrator versions.
In Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display section toggle ‘Select and Unlock objects on canvas’ option to see small lock icons you can click when locked objects get into a selection marquee. -
Freeform gradients to grayscale
It would be awesome if we could convert freeform gradients to grayscale just like with a normal gradient.
2 votesYou can do this by executing Edit > Edit Colors > Convert to Grayscale
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Live preview of gradient (while dragging)
Whenever I'm using the gradient tool I wonder why I can never see the appearance of the gradient while dragging it. resulting in having to tweak it at least a couple of times before I'm content.
17 votesIllustrator now displays the appearance of the gradient interactively when you drag it, but only when GPU preview is on.
Make sure it is on in Preferences > Performance > GPU Performance, that you View > Preview on CPU / GPU Preview is correctly toggled, and that you are not using Overprint Preview.
If the issue still persists with all these checked — please comment back.
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Allow calligraphic strokes for default fill/stroke
I regularly use a calligraphic stroke in my work. It would be good if a calligraphic stroke could be applied to the default fill/stroke settings via the Graphic Styles panel. This would save a lot of time in my daily workflow.
1 voteYou can reassign the default graphic style by Alt/Opt+dragging the path with the calligraphic brush applied to it over it [Default] style.
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Why is the home screen showing all the time now in CC2019. I would like the option to NOT have it come up when I open AI. please.
Why is the home screen showing all the time now in CC2019? I would like the option to NOT have it come up when I open AI. please.
3 votesOne can disable this behavior in Preferences > General, 'Show The Home Screen When No Documents Are Open' option.
If disabling it still makes the home screen show up for you — please make a comment.
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Need this feature also for illustrator CC. Distributor Horizontally and Vertically
Hi, their is one new feature which is called Distributor Horizontally and Vertically, i think we need this in illustrator also.
1 voteTo view Distribution options, you have to choose Show Options from the Align panel’s menu
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1 vote
The way tool panels get customized was changed since the report, and it’s no longer possible to accidentally drag-n-drop tool without enabling the editing mode. If this still happens for you, please comment.
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