Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
4401 results found
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Make units and grid settings to be bound to file
I work for screen and print media simultaneously in different files
I work in metric units.
I need to have 'mm' for general-stroke-type in design for printing and 'px' in other file for screen.
I'm so tired to change units every time I Ctrl+Tab between them. By hand, every time!
Ctrl+Shift+U change only general units, and I have to skip all picas-inches I never use.
I have to Ctrl+K, click Units and drop down three menus every time I need to see units I need in file I need!
PostScript is cool, point reassigned as a strict fraction of an…22 votes -
Add ability to rebind artboard names to their numbers
In my work I add and delete artboards during work.
When artboard is created, it's given a name, corresponding it's number.
When custom artboard is deleted, numbers of next artboards are shifted (it's OK), but names stay the same.So when job is done, I can have something like this:
1. Artboard 6
2. Artboard 8
3. Artboard 9
4. Artboard 10
5. Artboard 12
and so forthSince the last number is almost as noticeable as first one, it's hard to pick up correct ones for export.
I have a script written to fix this, which renames artboards to…40 votes -
Non-uniform scale tool by angle
Using available AI tools I have to twist and dance to perform non-uniform scale by angle.
Right now I have to do this:
1. Rotate path to make in straight oriented (it's not an default ellipse, it's manually traced path)
2. Reset bounding box
3. Rotate path backwards
4. Turn on bounding box (I work with it turned off)
5. Scale using bounding box at angleIf I use Scale tool instead, and set point to a center,
AI will scale path uniformly ONLY.
What a stupidity is this? I even remember custom plugin tool that allowed desired action, but…13 votes -
Make setting reference point hotkeyable
Problem Description:
I change the reference point all the time.
I'm so tired of grabbing a mouse and searching for a reference grid and precisely clicking in a tiny-tiny square.
Please add a possibility to set a hotkey for each position!Look, there is a whole numbers block at the right side of a keyboard (if you are not using these fancy ***** castrated versions which don't have it). I could have used it to set the reference point, using something like Ctrl+Shift+3 to set it to the right bottom.
I can use an action for doing this, bit I'm…27 votes -
Make grids more useful
I'm a fan of grids. I use the grid almost always whenever I need one.
I have to use the default 'In Back' grid and turn 'Overprint preview' on, to make the grid overlay my art, so I can see what I'm doing and where I'm snapping (because the cursor does not give any feedback about this).
But the method it's not perfect because of bugs I reported here and there.
So I propose to improve options we have.
Allow users to set grid’s color (check) and transparency, give an option to define line width — some monitors are too…25 votes -
Make incrementation looped in angle value fields for Move, Rotate and other dialogs
Problem Description:
AI can do math in fields and that is awesome.
But I always swear a little when I use angle fields.For example:
1. Move an art with Move dialogue at 10mm and 360 degrees
2. Select another object and invoke dialogue again
3. Type in '+30' in angle, so it would become '360+30'
4. Press Tab or EnterActual Result:
AI says DING (or whatever sound is set for it in your OS) and does nothingExpected Result:
AI should turn this typed value into '30', that is make one revolution and don't bother me, as a…22 votes -
Make a hotkey to go one level up in Isolation mode
It quite frequently needed to go one level up when burrowed in isolation mode.
The only way to do it now — is button, unscriptable, unhotkeyable, mouse only.
Make a hotkey for it, please.40 votes -
Allow to set font-size by setting x-height and cap height
I very often create designs where I should have certain x-height.
Now I have to achieve this using long workaround (I do it very quick now, but now quick enough, and its not actionable):
1. Create copy of typed text with Ctrl+C, Ctrl+F
2. Outlining copy
3. Finding symbol with flat top an bottom (x or X or similar)
4. Choose Direct selection tool
5. Shift+click chosen letter
6. Deleting unwanted symbols from copy
7. Scale outline of chosen letter 1000%
8. Going outline mode (enlarged letter will probably take whole screen)
9. Shift+click at live text behind letter
10.…47 votesI am glad to remind all who voted for this feature that it is now possible to set a font size as x-height or cap height with Show Font Height Options toggle enabled in Character panel menu.
Some issues still remain, yes, like, wrong size calculation if a font has rounded stems that end below baseline (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/44639661-font-height-options-misbehave-with-rounded-fonts), or inability to focus the dropdown with Tab (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/41836618-font-height-options-tab-order), or calculating font height by measuring glyphs instead of reading the actual value within the font (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/41615035-cap-height-setting-not-using-font-cap-height), but overall this is done, works, and super cool, don’t you think?
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Remember scaling per file in Save for web
I design for printing and use 'Save for web and devices' to have crisp images.
E.g. I can have document 300x900mm, and then I export it as 600x1800px and have my snapped sharp lines to stay sharp.
But 'SfWaD' always immediately renders image at '100%' (which is not 100% at all at Windows — it's an another problem to be discussed), and I get 850x2551.
When my dimensions are bigger, AI sometimes can't even render an image and I get error message and pink fill in preview area.
I try to draw ten times smaller whenever is possible to avoid…15 votes -
Better handling huge images in clipboard
When I cut huge images, AI literally puts them in clipboard and it takes minutes to complete and sometimes crashes AI.
But I usually do this only to immediately paste them in front/back of other objects, to make desired order.
AI don't have commands in Layers palette like 'Move in front/back of selected objects', so this is almost the only way to achieve this.
Dragging selected objects (including images) within Layers palette is very incovinient, because I don't know exactly where targeted object is located there (but I can clearly see it on page).
I also can cut image from…21 votes -
Reversing order of objects
Sometimes it's useful to change order of selected objects, making bottom-most go topmost and vice versa.
I understand possible complications — what would AI do when selected objects have other unselected objects between them (meaning order)?
For example, I have these objects in Layers:
A
1
B
C
2
3
I select 1,2,3 and do proposed 'Reverse order' command.
I expect order to become this:
A
3
B
C
2
1
I see two fitting places for this command: Layers palette menu or Object > Arrange
It's scriptable, but I would like to have it by default.22 votes -
63 votes
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Symmetric Curve while using Pen Tool
As in Corel Draw if we are using a "Three point curve tool" we can make it a symmetric circular shape curve by simply pressing the shortcut "SHIFT" key.
I think it should be in illustrator with the pen tool. We could make it circular by pressing any shortcut key. as most of the time symmetric circular curves are required instead of simple smooth curves.5 votes -
4 votes
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Ability to edit graphic style in Graphic Styles
If I want to edit existing and saved graphic style, I have to apply it to an object, go to Appearance, make changes, open Graphic Styles palette again and Alt+Drag object with style over style thumbnail. This is very long way.
If I just select a style and go to Appearance and make changes — the link between style and appearance will just vanish (the name of style vanishes), these changes will apply only to new art, and style itself won't be changed.
Please, make a way to quickly edit styles without drag-n-drop routine. Why not double-clicking style thumb open…33 votes -
Artboards should have a purpose
- What is the purpose of having an artboard if anything drawn beyond it shows up as part of your drawing? I exported an artwork as a png file and everything beyond the artboard showed up as part of the artwork. The workspace around the artboard should be able to be used for ideas that may be relevant to future versions of your art or to assist in creating your art.
- When I drew the attached image, I expected that anything beyond the artboard would not show as part of the artwork.
2 votesIllustrator can respect artboards when exporting a raster image, if Use Artboards option in the Export dialog gets checked. In this case everything beyond artboards’ boundaries will get trimmed.
Export for Screens method will respect either artboards or assets, depending on the user’s choice.
Also, there is a view to just hide these excess temporarily with View > Trim View command, but this won’t make changes when exporting.
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Export to resolutions below 72 PPI
Currently export to raster formats seem to have a 72 PPI minimum. For making thumbnail versions of art, it would be great to be able to export to lower resolutions. It is a drag to have to use Photoshop to do a job that it seems like Illustrator could easily do by itself.
4 votesIndeed, currently Illustrator allows to export only some formats with lower resolution (4 PPI minimum), using Export As dialog — PNGs, JPEGs, WebPs...
Meanwhile, TIFF, TGA, PSD is capped to 72. These are not available in Export Assets / for Screens dialog.
Save for Web (Legacy) does not have a way to assign a resolution at all (since the value has no meaning for screens, as is left blank — it gets treated as 72 PPI by most viewers).
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voice activated commands
What if all your basic commands could be said aloud? For example:
"File, save, export, save for web, jpg, 72 dpi, save, save to X folder..." or "select same fill color and stroke color, change to PMS246, object ungroup, select tool, select Layer 1, add 2 point white outline"Why would this be cool?
I am the worst at remembering short keys or using short keys and I'm sure not the only one. When software gets updated, sometimes things get moved in menus and that can be frustrating. I can say the commands faster than I can point, click or…
7 votes -
Align panel: Objects touch edges
I draw as well as design web layouts in Ai, and I spend a lot of time sliding objects around on a pasteboard and using Smart Guides to snap them next to each other so they're touching. I'd like to add a set of features to the align panel that allow you to select two objets, define the target object with a second click, and then define which edge of the objects you want them to touch on: top, bottom, left, right.
15 votes -
Unless I'm missing something, please export graphics to the exact same dimensions they were designed to be. Do not add arbitary padding.
In all good conscience I feel like I absolutely have to be missing something here. But time and time again, upon exporting some UI graphics from AI, they turn out to be wider and taller than they were designed to be. Is this padding arbitrary? How was it even determined that these pixels would be added to the exported assets? Am I truly missing something?
I mocked something up in XD, but after creating a few UI elements it was apparent that XD is nowhere near up to the task for making full-fledged graphics. No biggie, I was a little…
2 votes
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