Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
4689 results found
-
Make ability to create Dead (not Live) shapes
I don't always need LIVE shapes. They have different controls, different treat of Control panel, they bite off Transform palette. Sometimes I just need rectangular path, as it was before, not Rectangle. Now I have to use Plain rectangle plugin on common basis, rebound to M hotkey.
I would like to use them if not a bug with Ctrl+Enter in Width/Height fields, while proportion constraint is off (Live shapes don't constraint it with Ctrl+Enter, as everybody else do, — I'm surprised I haven't reported it yet.)23 votes -
Add ability to use PPCM along with PPI, as Photoshop does
AI is used worldwide. Despite PostScript, based on points, based on inch, being de-facto a standard for most users, many people use metric system.
English inch, as you know, equals exactly 2.54cm.
This gives us, metric users, mantra for translating PPI into PPCM: 254ppi=100ppcmSince fractional values for resolution are impossible within AI (while Photoshop does!), we have to import via PS or work in scale and are very limited.
Please, add ability to use PPCM along with PPI, as Photoshop does.
18 votes -
Add ability to use fractional values for resolution everywhere
AI is used worldwide. Despite PostScript, based on points, based on inch, being de-facto a standard for most users, many people use metric system.
English inch, as you know, equals exactly 2.54cm.
This gives us, metric users, mantra for translating PPI into PPCM: 254ppi=100ppcmBut if we need lower value, such as 10 or 20 or 30 ppcm (working in scale with huge designs, such as ad bus wraps), we can't use it, because AI doesn't allow to enter fractional values anywhere inside! We can't use 50.8, 25.4, 76.2, Ai would round it to 51, 25, 76.
This will give…17 votes -
Make cursor instantly visible after jumping with arrows keys
While navigating text with arrows (or Ctrl/Cmd + arrows), especially in short word clusters, something like these:
mon-sun: 10:00–19:00
break: 13:00–14:00
it's quite hard to understand where cursor has landed after last jump, because cycle of blinking seem to stay the same or even elongate!
There's a second after jump until cursor is finally drawn.
Could you please add or fix it in such a way that cursor is immediately visible after any arrow jump?25 votes -
Make Ctrl+arrows jump to hyphen too
While editing text in Russian, I have quite many complex words separated by hyphen.
Pressing Ctrl+arrow ignores these and jumps to start and end of word.
Please add ability to respect hyphens while moving cursor with Ctrl+arrows.P. S. If you combine this with reported bug fix about Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End, it would be AWESOME
18 votes -
Add motion blur effect
We have radial, gaussian, but no motion blur. Please, add one.
52 votes -
Make blend profiles (acceleration) and better blend controls
Blend tool in AI is weak.
Please add acceleration for both attributes and positions for blended objects, as other competitors do.
Remove positioning by Bezier tension, people hardly use it (watch forums), — make separate curve control for it (or at least sliders!)42 votes -
Make ability to make warnings show in background and not in dialogue windows
Right now we can click OK/Enter every time interrupting warning dialogue pops up, or tick 'Never show again'.
I would prefer background message, same as 'Shape expanded' now appears.
For example, I use Ctrl+J combination to connect all my segments in one closed path. I can have two or more segments, and just press this combination several times to achieve my goal, rather then count how many times I should press it. But when path is finally closed, AI throws a warning at me. Usually my hands press keys one more time after that and AI beeps-blinks, which is awful…22 votes -
Improve and allow customize the 'Show' info slot in the bottom bar (next to horizontal scrollbar)
Show field next to zoom and artboard selectors below work area can now show 5 things:
current artboard name, which is nowhere else is seen except Artboards palette;
current Tool, that is usually visible if Tools panel is on;
current date-time, which is visible in system clock;
number of undos, which was quite useful when RAM was tiny;
current profile, which is visible in document header.
I mean, almost every info available is also available in other place!I would like to use this field as something exclusive:
number of selected objects (nowhere to be seen, only PathScribe plugin can…19 votes -
Add Preview tick to 'Free distort' effect dialogue window
Using 'Free distort' is very inconvenient, because it works in small dialogue window that doesn't show actual artwork.
'Preview' tick could solve this problem (although I'd rather prefer 4 interactive points.)
AT LEAST! It should be live long ago, without separate dialogue!23 votes -
Add Shear and Taper to Transform Effect (or add as Warp effect)
Shearing and tapering are ones of few operations that can't be automated procedurally.
Using 'Free distort' is very inconvenient, because it works in small dialogue window that doesn't show actual artwork (it doesn't even have Preview tick! — I'll add another feature request about it). Although 'Stylism' plugin from AstuteGraphics solves problem with control, revision is definitely required.
Shear tool and Free distort tool are fine, but they are live tools, and won't help to repeat same the effect later if needed.
Please, add shearing and tapering either as part of Transform effect or new Warp (both as effect and…42 votes -
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…28 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…42 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…29 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…26 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.42 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.…48 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?
-
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
- Don't see your idea?