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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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37 results found

  1. 147 votes

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  2. Nix the Stupid Blue Share Button

    Get rid of the stupid giant blue "Share" button in the toolbar. It's very distracting because it looks like I constantly have a notification. And I will never use it. We've been all through this with Acrobat already!

    30 votes

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  3. Increase contrast between selected font and other fonts in Font list in Character palette

    Not long ago the contrast between current font and other fonts in list in Character menu was quite sufficient (see image 1). Now it's barely visible (image 2). It makes locating current font in list rather difficult.

    Please reconsider colors chosen.

    22 votes

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  4. Keyboard Shortcut to select locked objects

    When needing to move a locked object, you currently only have the option of "unlock ALL" whereas sometimes you may have many things locked that you do not want unlocked - only one or two things you want to move.

    It would be helpful if by holding a button (Say Alt or control) this would allow you to select locked objects, move or alter the object, and once you deselect it continues to be locked.

    22 votes

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    In latest versions you can enable 'Select and Unlock objects on canvas' option in Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display section.

    This adds small lock icons for each locked object you can toggle right there without the need to unlock everything first.


    This is not exactly the solution you asked for, no hotkeys involved (and there are no modifiers left to allow this), but it does the job.

    Does it work for you? Please leave a comment.

  5. Add option to Always update links

    Sometimes I make a lot of changes within linked images. AI always asks if I am to update links, and I'd like to have this dialogue temporarily switched off (but enable it later)

    18 votes

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  6. Ctrl+Scroll to zoom instead of Alt+scroll in Windows

    Can you please add an option or something to change the zoom shortcut from ALT+Scroll to CTRL+Scroll?
    Because in Windows the ALT button activates the app menu which is pretty stupid! Or at least disable the activation of the app menu with the ALT button.

    For example I zoom in using ALT+Scroll and now I want to select the Type tool using T on the keyboard and I get the Type drop down menu from the top (see attached screenshot).
    And as you can see this can become very frustrating especially when spending hours in Illustrator!

    Btw please don't suggest…

    15 votes

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  7. Customize Transparency Grid Size and Color...

    It would be nice to customize the transparency grid's color and relative size.

    11 votes

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  8. Bring back the previous Illustrator CC toolbar

    Bring back the previous Illustrator CC toolbar. After years of having the AI tools in a particular spots, now they're all over the place and hard to find and the Edit Toolbar is a cluster#$%& of madness. Bring it back!

    10 votes

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  9. Keyboard Shortcuts for Select > Same > Fill; Select > Same> Stroke; Select > Same> Appearance

    Requesting Keyboard Shortcuts for Select > Same > Fill; Select > Same> Stroke; Select > Same> Appearance; Select > Same> Stroke Weight.

    Graphic designers and pre-press use these all the time and I am surprised there are keyboard shortcuts for these very vital features.

    From a fellow pre-press production specialist.... this small little tweak would skyrocket workflow efficiency! Would love this!

    Also, Adobe rocks!

    8 votes

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  10. Contextual Eyedropper Tool

    Currently, the Eyedropper Tool is an underutilized and often counter-intuitive tool that needlessly increases the complexity of a workflow because of its limitations. This- combined with Illustrator's poor color tools- often adds unnecessary time and effort to what should and could be more simplified tasks.

    For example, a common situation is that I have a shape with a fill color that I like, and I want another shape that has a stroke to also use that color, except only for the stroke. Currently, if I use the eyedropper tool on the filled shape, it will completely remove the stroke and…

    5 votes

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    The solution to that would be to activate a stroke if you want to apply a color to it, then to hold Shift when clicking a color — does not matter where this color is on a stroke or a fill. Illustrator then applies the picked color to the active fill/stroke, ignoring the source nature. There are two things to know — the cursor does not inform you about this mode (unlike the Alt-mode, should be addressed), and if you pick a color from a swatch — you’d get a screen representation of the color... harmless for RGB documents (if your color settings are in order), but crucial for CMYK documents (should be addressed too). Pleas comment back.
  11. Copy parts from multiple layers into multiple layers

    I work with a lot of parts that I need to keep separated for output. A simple example is a complex, compound shape with 20 elements. I have 10 on a "cut" layer and 10 on a "print" layer. If I copy and paste them, I can only paste them into one layer. I might want them to go back into the same layers or into 2 new layers. I never want them in the same layer. I now have to go in and separate them all into the proper layers.

    This is important because the layers tell our output…

    5 votes

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    You can enable Paste Remembers Layers in the panel’s menu to make Illustrator remember layers your objects were copied from and insert them on layers with same name when pasted. If these layers don’t exist, Illustrator will create them. Be careful and disable it when not needed, if might make a mess when not needed. Also note that with this option enable everything copied from an isolation mode creates a separate 'Isolation mode' layer, which is stupid — vote here if you think this should be addressed: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/37935496-paste-remembers-layers-bug-with-isolation-mode
  12. Show link image while resizing or moving

    Instead of seeing just the bounding box when transforming linked files, why not show the content of the link? Transforming linked files, image or vector based, would be more intuitive. This currently requires a workaround.

    4 votes

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    This is what Illustrator is capable of now with Preferences > GPU Performance options turned on.

    It should work for both linked or embedded images, vector or raster, exactly as you described.

    If it does not happen for you — please report it as a bug, and provide screenshots or screen recordings of the behavior, along with full OS and app specs.

  13. Properties Panel, values are not selected by clicking on the symbol in front of their field

    If I click on a symbol in a panel for a property like W or H or X or Y the current value gets selected. This does not work in the Properties panel, nothing gets selected and I have to double click inside the property field to select it.
    It slows down and is not consistent with the way it has worked for years.

    4 votes

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  14. Toggle Artwork Visibility Outside of Artboard

    The function of the w key in InDesign switches between preview and normal view. Why doesn't Illustrator have this functionality? It would be so useful as I usually prefer to use Illustrator when I'm initially laying things out for a design project. I've seen multiple requests for this functionality in the forums. Please please please add this!

    3 votes

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  15. Get rid of prompt window

    i would love to be able to hide/get rid of that prompt window that says "generate, edit path, repeat, group, lock.." that pops up. its pretty annoying.

    3 votes

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  16. Keyboard Command for Expanding Objects

    Please. It's so much more intuitive to press ctrl/cmd+a and expand using the keyboard. I work with other peoples files all the time so being able to easily expand their files to make them work is critical.

    3 votes

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  17. Eyedropper needs to sample the flattened color, not the object that I click on

    Many many times, when I use the eyedropper, I wish that it was sample the actual color of what I am seeing on the screen, rather than whatever the top object is that I have clicked on. For example I might have a number of layers of transparency, or I might want to click a particular value in a gradient, but the result only gives me the color of the object that I clicked on. Is there a way that you could hold down a modifier key and the eyedropper would instead select the color of the displayed pixel that…

    3 votes

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  18. 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 votes

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  19. 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 votes

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  20. Screen resolution of Illustrator 23.0 - Not recognising retina display?

    Just downloaded the new Adobe Apps as an update. All fine except illustrator. It looks massive on my screen. Seems it's not seeing retina display or can't work out the size of my display. Attached are two screenshots. One is illustrator window looking massive and Photoshop looking as it should.

    3 votes

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