Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
577 results found
-
Correct direction of the object rotate function
When rotating objects in a positive angle direction, objects SHOULD rotate CLOCKWISE
When rotating objects in a negative angle direction, they SHOULD rotate COUNTER CLOCKWISEIllustrator seems to be BACKWARDS from all other programs I have ever used...
7 votes -
Curvature tool doesn't work for path in Text on path
I have drawn a curve using Curvature tool.
I've made a text follow this curve.
I want now to edit this curve with Curvature tool, but I just can't — AI won’t highlight and selects points in this path with this tool anymore.Kinda same happens with editing path in blends with Curvature tool — I have to dance with Ctrl, clicking, isolating, and then, after some combination of woodoo, AI finally sees points and allows to move them with said tool.
7 votes -
Offset Path - allow creation of non-joined segments
Would save a lot of time if Offset Path could create paths with or without joining them.
As it is now there are times when it's useful to have auto-joins and many times that it's not. Personally I end up spending a bunch of time deleting the joining path segments as I rarely use them in my workflow.
A simple solution would be to add an on/off toggle for [Join] right above the join type combo.
As well, per other requests, please can the panel remember the last-used settings for [Preview] on/off?
Thanks!
7 votes -
Transform by Reference Line Numerically
I would love to see a "Transform by Reference Line Numerically" feature where user draws a line across an object in any direction, then is able to specify the size they want. This is helpful for raster images where there is no actual vector line to accurately resize to. I use embroidery digitizing software and this is a cool feature. Wilcom Software Transform by Reference Line Numerically.
I've included a screen shot of the Wilcom Manual to hopefully explain better than i can articulate.
7 votes -
Please give us better Transparency tool like in CorelDraw and Affinity Designer
I'm fighting between working in Affinity Designer and Illustrator, AD has much better drawing tools, it's faster than Ai, but I love the familiarity of Ai. If you can give us better Gradient and Transparency tools like in AD that would be amazing! It would help speed up the coloring process when making more realistic artwork. See Screen shot from AD.
7 votes -
Contextual Pie-menus, like Radiant menus by Wacom
creating a contextual "shortcut" menu overlapping layer to access quickly Tools. This is a kind of Radiant Menu developed by Wacom on their tablet for example or Alias marking menu. This should really improve workflow ergonomics.
7 votes -
Pressure Sensitivity added to Pencil Tool
Variable width strokes are great! What would be even better would be to have variable strokes simply by drawing them in with a pressure sensitive device.
7 votes -
Use Key Object to allow precise control for in-back and in-front level changes
Allow Key Object to define which object is moved and which object is used to define movement. If I select two objects and then highlight one as a key object, it would be nice to use the same hotkeys for "send to back" and "send to front" and have it only work in relation to the two selected objects, putting the keyed object either directly in front of or behind in the layer order of the other object.
As it is now, the hotkeys either work too much by sending objects all they way to the back or front, or…
7 votes -
Retain length of handles when modifying curves and length of path when moving anchor points.
I'd love an option to retain the length of a handle for an anchor point. It would be nice to keep the curvature equal on both sides of an anchor point. There are many times I would have liked this option to create symmetrical graphics.
Similarly, I'd also like the option to retain the length of a path when moving an anchor point. Sometimes I use lines/paths as arms of characters. If I need to change the position of an arm there ends up being a lot of guess work modifying the path.
7 votes -
Populate in Illustrator, like you do in Adobe XD
I can tell that many designers would love to have that function. Creating an item info like Image, Name, Info about the item, and then multiplying it on a page, like a flyer, or a poster - and populating the image and text, just by dropping a text file and a set of image you have in a folder to populate the design. Here is a visual example.
6 votes -
Add Axis Constraints, to restrict transformations to a chosen axis
Some 3D editors allow to limit moving to a chosen axis/axes.
3DS Max has a dedicated floating panel with buttons, and Blender allows to hold a key to force it: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/scene_layout/object/editing/transform/control/axis_locking.htmlIn Ai we can hold Shift, but the axis chosen depends on the position of the cursor, and it’s not the same.
Please make it possible to use X/Y keys (similar to the recent E key for Enclosed selection Mode) to actually choose a preferred axis. Perhaps Z can be used for 45°? :)Original idea by Junior Rocha
6 votes -
Configurable Trim Marks
TL/DR: It would be incredibly helpful and relatively simple for AI's developers to let users configure the parameters of auto-generated trim marks.
I've been using AI for three decades and somehow, even though I have been doing this the hard way that entire time, it never dawned on me until today to request this: configurable Trim Marks, both in Object: Create Trim Marks and Effect: Trim Marks. This is similar to the following request except that that one doesn't include the why that I feel is important:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/41926273-set-the-size-and-offset-of-effect-crop-marks-whiAI specifically creates trim marks in one very specific way: .5" .3pt…
6 votes -
Add an option for Curvature tool to prioritize the currently selected path
Curvature is one of the more recent tools Illustrator introduced (well, in 2014... time flies). Unlike older tools, it tries to be smart. One of this 'smart' behaviors is an ability to both select and edit paths. It prevents us from placing the next point of the currently selected path right above an existing unselected path — the tool treats it as an attempt to select the latter.
There is an existing request to tweak the continuation tolerance, similar to what Pencil has: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/34578331
But to be fair, I’d love more options for the tool in general. So far it…
6 votes -
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)…
6 votes -
Allow to snap to points of a compound shape with Dimension Tool
It turns out Dimension Tool can’t snap to points of a live compound shape — the cursor displays a 'forbidden' icon and a click does nothing.
The tool should treat the shape as every other tool does and allow to snap to all points (including those to be removed on expand) and intersections, and stay live when the shape is modified (when possible, until the topology changes too much to maintain the connection).
Thanks to René Andritsch for the discovery.
6 votes -
Add option to create vector graphics from text
Add option to create vector graphics from text with firefly
6 votesThe feature is added in the latest builds of Illustrator. The development of it is not complete yet, and the team has more plans on making it better for users to help them with their creative projects.
If you have specific requests related to it, leave them in comments below or log separately.
-
Allow Image Trace to create smooth gradient fills instead of banded areas
Allow Image Trace to create smooth gradient fills instead of banded areas
6 votes -
Selection and zoom marquees should be able to be displayed orthogonally when a view is rotated
When dragging out a selection marquee on a rotated canvas with either of the Selection tools, the marquee is drawn aligned to the canvas instead of the screen.
The actual selection seems to be done in screen space - see the two attached screenshots, where my marquee was dragged from the lower left point of the marquee to the upper right, resulting in a displayed marquee that would select the sketch of hair above the eye, and an actual selection that only contains parts of the paths in the eye.
The expected behavior would be that the marquee was drawn…
6 votes -
CorelDRAW-like node behavior: intuitive select/deselect, maintain shape when deleting a node, two-sided handles.
Years ago, the most painful switch from CorelDRAW (10) to Illustrator (5.5, then CC) was the bezier drawing behavior. I have no experience with newer versions of CorelDRAW, but I'm assuming they behave similarly to v10.
1. CorelDRAW required fewer clicks to select, manipulate and deselect nodes and the lines they live on. Also, the switch between the normal and direct selection tools (white and black arrows in AI) could be done without returning to the tools menu.
2. When a node was deleted in CorelDRAW, the software "did the math" and maintained the overall shape (when possible). That's very…6 votes -
Join Separate paths
If you have lots of separate, exploded lines (say from DWG/DXF import, then you should be able to use an alternative of Ctrl+J to join them back together without them trying to join end to end.
That is to say, if paths are adjacent to each other they are joined. But the ends of non adjacent paths aren't then closed up as well. Really basic idea, but somehow overlooked.
Sure, it's easy to Ctrl+J a few disparate, exploded paths. But for 20+, 50+, it's a joke.
6 votes
- Don't see your idea?