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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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185 results found

  1. Easier way to set color for drop shadows

    Right now when you need to change Drop Shadow's color, you have to click effect in Appearance palette, then click color and only then choose color.

    But when you have a LOT of shadows — you are screwed (because Drop Shadows can't use global swatches: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-bugs/suggestions/34789156-drop-shadow-can-t-use-global-color-swatches).

    You have to click EACH shadow and change it.
    Not effective.

    Why not to make shadow's color appear in Appearance the same way as fill does?

    It will also allow to change color of multiple shadows for one object at once (yeah, I have to layer shadows, because AI doesn't allow to tweak…

    23 votes
    5 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  2. 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
    2 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  3. Calculate the bounds in Document Raster Effects Settings automatically

    As for today, if you apply a Gaussian Blur or a Drop Shadow effect to a shape — with a large enough value — it often gets cropped.

    A workaround exists — to go in Effect > Document Raster Effects Settings dialog and increase the 'Add' value, thus increasing the bounds of the image generated.

    ...but why is this still a problem that we, users, should take care of, really? Ai knows how large is the blur, it knows the resolution, yet it can’t calculate the tight bounds automatically. Like what, is there at least one user who’d like their…

    22 votes
    5 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  4. Alt+click in Appearance hides all effects except clicked one

    Sometimes I need to isolate one particular effect and work on it.
    I always try to alt+click it, like I do with layers in Photoshop, but fail, of course.
    Why not to add this in AI?

    21 votes
    0 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  5. Add Reference Point to "Convert to Shape" effect

    When using the convert to shape effect, it would be useful to be able to specify a reference point to the dialog, about which the effect can transform. For example, the current implementation distributes the effect from the centre across the height/width axes. A reference point would allow you to add extra dimension to the left/right/top/bottom (as required) and would be extremely useful in UI construction, among other things.

    21 votes
    4 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  6. ドロップシャドウのカラー設定を異なるカラーモードのドキュメント操作時に初期化してほしい

    ドロップシャドウのカラー値は前回適用された値が保持されています。この値は変更されるかアプリケーションを終了するまで保持されます。
    この挙動はカラーモードの異なるドキュメントを編集している際に問題になる場合があります。
    例えば、カラーモードがRGBのドキュメントにてドロップシャドウをデフォルトの数値で適用した場合、ドロップシャドウが持つカラー地はRGB各値が０となっています。この状態でカラーモードがCMYKのドキュメントに移りドロップシャドウを適用するとカラー値がC:93,M:88,Y:89:K:80となり、いわゆる4C割れという状態となりまます。
    ver.27で解消された４色に割れたブラックが適用されてしまうわけで、この状態はよくありません。

    ドキュメントのカラーモードとドロップシャドウの持つカラー値がマッチしない場合、デフォルトのカラー値にフォールバックさせるようにしていただきたいと思います。

    20 votes
    3 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  7. 'Reverse Order' option for Transform Effect

    When you set several copies in Transform effect, Illustrator makes them stack under original art, 'going backwards'. Sometimes it's better to have an opposite behaviour, with copies stacking up, 'towards' viewer.

    Please add this checkbox near 'Copies" field.

    19 votes
    3 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  8. Add numerical control over light sources in 3D Extrude & Bevel Effect Options

    When applying and tweaking 3D Extrude & Bevel Effect, user has to manipulate light by precise mouse twitching over the small sphere.
    It should be at least twice as big to provide fine control (I won't note this as separate request), but there should also be numerical fields to control the lights' position over sphere — angle, elevation, choose any.

    Also, why Depth and Height values there are immune to document Units settings? 56.96pt is nonsense to me, while 20mm makes sense.

    19 votes
    0 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  9. Drop shadow distribution curves

    Right now shadow is just blurred silhouette.
    Please add option to tweak it's distribution, as PS does ('profiles').

    17 votes
    0 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  10. Appearance Variables

    Imagine I have several drop shadows, with different colors, but same offset and blur values. Now I want to change the horizontal offset for all of them at once. Even if I use styles, it would require me change each style I have manually.
    With Appearance variables though, I could have use something like '%h_shadow' in effects’ values’ fields, in all of these shadows, and set it equal to an actual numerical value in one place.
    So, once I change it, every other shadow will adapt this immediately.

    16 votes
    3 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  11. Can't select and edit two effects from two separate fills in single appearance

    I can't select two effects, applied to different fills in one appearance — AI restricts to select both of them. Therefore, if I have same effect applied to all of my object's fills, I have to edit EACH of them one by one, instead of just Ctrl+click all of them and edit at once.
    It means that if I want to change Drop shadow's parameters, scattered across different appearances, no graphic style won't help me. And I already mentioned in separate enquiry that Drop shadow and other color-based effects ignore global swatches.
    This is nuts. I waste so much time.

    …

    16 votes
    0 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  12. Make Appearance work for Type objects

    More specifically, with type objects, the Appearance palette just says 'Characters', without reflecting the current stroke and fill state of the object. New stroke and fill have to be added to make the Appearance palette useful.

    15 votes
    2 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  13. Dimension tool style presets

    The dimension tool gives alot of style options for the arrow size, line thickness, offsets, etc. It would be great to save presets that could be switched from a dropdown list in the dimension tool options dialog.

    14 votes
    1 comment  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  14. Perspective mode for Free Distort effect

    Free Distort effects, being a bit outdated with it's detached preview window, comes out Super Tool with Stylism plugin installed. But it could do so much better if there would be a tick, that turns distortion into a perspective one, as the tool with the same name allows to do. That would allow us to distort stuff live in perspective (and omit using overcomplicated Perspective Grid for small tasks).

    13 votes
    0 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  15. Fractional resolution value in Document Raster Effects Settings

    I live in a metric part of the world and use millimeters as my main measuring unit, including type, strokes, and raster effects.

    Since inch a s SI unit, it now equals exactly 2.54mm.
    For me it means 254ppi is 100ppcm, 127ppi is 50ppcm, and instead of 300ppi I use 120ppcm (equals 304.8ppi) — which gives me exact integer dimensions for all of images I use. The grid becomes meaningful and all objects behave and befriend each other.

    Unfortunately for me, Illustrator plays this game not as good as I want it to — I can’t enter 304.8 to Resolution…

    12 votes
    0 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  16. Let Drop Shadow effects ignore each other

    In Photoshop we can have multiple dropped shadows be applied to a single object, and they all get layered upon each other. It gives users flexibility to use different colors, densities, feathering, etc.

    In Illustrator, on the other hand, the Appearance works differently. Each new Drop Shadow get applied to the previous dropped shadow. The larger the blur is, the more useless the next shadow gets.

    To get a layered shadow the same way we do it in Photoshop, we have to apply each shadow to its own fill.

    12 votes
    2 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  17. Please re-introduce 3D VECTORS

    I know, I know, "3D (Classic)" is still in the Effect/3D and Materials" menu, but the "Classic" designation means it's on the chopping-block.

    Please do not get rid of 3D VECTORS! Adobe Dimensions used to be so completely awesome (it was simple, easy and perfect) and that was made "Classic", too. 3D vectors are far superior for illustration than all the trendy raster stuff.

    PLEASE BRING BACK 3D VECTORS

    Thank you!

    12 votes
    9 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  18. Convert to Line effect

    If you try to apply 'Convert to Rectangle' effect, Ai will limit you minimal width/height to 0.01mm — not zero. It means we can't use it to create 'lines'. And this is something appearance and styles will hugely benefit from.

    Of course, it should allow to set a reference point too:
    https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/32052073-add-reference-point-to-convert-to-shape-effect

    And although we have a Transform effect to deal with the angle, having it for the line is obviously needed.

    12 votes
    1 comment  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  19. Bevel and Emboss effect

    This is something i've waited for years and it's a feature that Photoshop had for decades, was introduced in InDesign 2.0. Even FreeHand MX featured it in 2001... but it never came to Illustrator.
    When will we count with the Bevel and Emboss effect?

    Why not all the Effects InDesign has featured too on Illustrator?
    It will add a great bang of options to AI...

    I let a screenshot of it on actual InDesign CC

    12 votes
    4 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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  20. Allow to collapse all items in Appearance panel

    The Appearance panel looks somewhat similar to Layers, but it differs in many ways, excluding several QOL methods to deal with large amount of items.

    For example, one can Opt/Alt-click a bracket next to a layer or a group in Layers to collapse unfurl all the children within it.

    Sure, Layers miss just a button to do it as well, and there is a request about it here at UV (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42451084) — but Appearance just don’t have any method to collapse the items (and these do unfurl all the time — take a look at this bug report: …

    11 votes
    0 comments  ·  Effects, Appearance, Graphic Styles  ·  Admin →
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