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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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60 results found

  1. Boolean modes for Selection tool: Add / Remove instead of Invert with Shift only

    If you drag Selection Tool while holding Shift over already selected objects it deselects them. This can be very frustrating in some cases, for example if you have to carefully select and delete multiple patches of overlapping shapes. Instad of just holding Shift and dragging a selection box multiple times and then deleting, you have to select, delete, select again, delete and so on.

    It would be nice for Shift key to only add to selection without deselecting, and (for example) for Alt key - to only subtract.

    71 votes
    40 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  2. Make Enclosed Selection Mode a permanent option

    Illustrator now allows to use Enclosed Mode to select objects within the marquee (originally requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31863601), but the only way to do it is tap E key.

    I agree that this basic feature is essential, but I don't agree that any modifier keys or specific dragging directions (like requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/49489604) should be required. Shift-drag is already used to add to the selection, so that won't work.

    Opt/Alt toggles duplication, and both can be toggled mid-drag (unlike in Photoshop).

    This should be a selectable selection mode (also with a hotkey), and in fact there should be a…

    19 votes
    1 comment  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  3. Select same, with multiple selectable attributes and customisations

    When using the Select Same feature we need a lot more options, like all objects with the same transparency effect AND opacity AND tint AND line weight etc, that can be selected from a list of attributes. Same sort of list as the options list for the Eyedropper Tool (see screenshot).

    It should be split into sections that allow vectors graphics selections as above, but also things like selecting all linked items that are the same file AND the same size AND rotation AND opacity.

    Selecting all text in a certain colour, font, size, style so they can be updated…

    18 votes
    8 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  4. An option to limit Select > Same / Object commands to the current or specific artboards

    I would like the ability to use the "Select" tool to select similar items that appear only on one artboard. Illustrator will now select all similar items throughout the document, on all artboards. I need to be able to select similar items on a single artboard without affecting other artboards. This would save me a tremendous amount of time.

    18 votes
    3 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  5. CAD like selection (direction of the marquee toggles Enclosed mode)

    Illustrator now allows to use Enclosed Mode to select objects within the marquee (originally requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31863601), but the only way to do it is tap E key.

    Make an option to enable this method also:
    Click - Left drag: select everything INSIDE the marquee.
    Click - Right drag: select everything CROSSING the marquee.

    Many CAD programs work this way. It makes selections much simpler.

    17 votes
    3 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  6. Allow Global Edit to work with Text, Clip groups, Images, etc.

    Would love to see advance global editing. I've noticed that grouped, clip masked and text doesn't work with global editing. This will really speed things up for all adobe illustrator user.

    17 votes
    4 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  7. Select items in Layers in sync with objects on canvas

    We have to work with a strange legacy dichotomy when making a selection in Layers is NOT equal to making a selection on canvas and vice versa.

    No other vector application does it like this:
    XD, Affinity Designer, Corel Draw, Figma, Xara, Inkscape...

    Other apps which have layered structures don’t do this also:
    Photoshop, Blender, 3DS Max...

    InDesign and Illustrator are lonely black sheep in the flock of apps.

    We need a mode (as an option) to be able to sync both selection methods.
    Clicking an object on canvas should highlight the name of it in Layers.
    Clicking a name…

    16 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  8. Select objects above / below current layer / object

    Under the select menu I would like to see added an option to select all layers that are above/below the current layer. In my use case this would be best in the context of the current artboard.

    For example, this could be used to select everything about a semitransparent overlay layer in web visuals showing a popup element.

    16 votes
    3 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  9. Select Same Appearance on a mixed selection

    If I select an object with a particular appearance, I can call Select > Same > Appearance command to select all object which have the exact same stack of the appearance attributes.

    But if I have two objects with different appearances, and want to select all objects that have the same appearance as any of them (either of two!) — nothing is going to happen!

    The command is active, but the selection stays the same... Not cool.

    Sure, I can first find the first batch, lock or hide it, and then do the same for the second object, then unlock/unhide…

    12 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  10. Make a selection of objects from Global Edit

    When using Global Edit to edit multiple instances of a grouped object (or any other object), it would be very useful to have an option to keep those objects selected when you leave Global Edit (in order to group them all together for instance).

    12 votes
    6 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  11. Count objects

    Count objects when using Select-->Same, Select-->Object, and "Start editing similar shapes together" commands. Sometimes "Start editing similar shapes together" does not select all similar shapes; therefore, an edit made using this feature may not edit all similar shapes, unbeknownst to the user. However, if I know how many shapes I have, then I can confirm that all shapes are selected when using these commands throughout the editing process. This is valuable because confirming the count of selections builds confidence that edits are made to all objects. Likewise, it also saves the editor time by mitigating the need to count all…

    11 votes
    6 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  12. Highlight selected segments

    Ai fails at displaying selected segments.
    Here, in the GIF, both selections look identical — until I move the partially selected art. Only then I notice that the diagonal segment was selected in the left shape.

    This is a core and tough problem to solve, but it does not mean it’s OK to have it, because it leads to many errors often enough.

    10 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  13. Global Edit should allow searching within current and chosen artboards

    Global Edit have some options to limit searching with artboards and/or canvas... but the choices are rather odd: Portrait, Landscape, Square and All.

    It’s strange though we can’t limit it to the current artboard... or some chosen artboards, even though today the selection of artboards on canvas is allowed within the scope of the Artboard tool — but I’ll take the field to put numbers, or selecting artboards in the Artboards panel!

    Select > Same and Select > Object commands don’t have these options at all. Must have — here’s the request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/35752063

    9 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  14. Add First Object Above / Last Object Below commands in Select menu

    Illustrator provides two ways to access Next Object commands:
    1. From Select menu
    2. From the context menu, Select submenu

    And while the context menu provides four commands, the Select menu gives only two. First Object Above / Last Object Below — for no apparent reason — are missing, and we can’t assign hotkeys to these because of it.

    Please add them there.

    Also consider this request, to be able to select ALL objects above or below the current selection: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/34306246-select-objects-above-below-current-layer-objec

    Note that this one is basically about 'select those who intersect', while we are also interested in 'select those…

    9 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  15. Select Same / Larger / Smaller Size

    The Select Same Color, Appearance, Opacity is quite helpful. Add a new option for Size. The area size of the current selected element would be calculated and then used to find other similar objects within the document that meet that same area size.

    A tolerance up or down or range could be provided as well. It would also be helpful to offer a setting for "Select Anything this size and smaller/larger".

    This kind of feature would be very helpful when attempting to clean up an illustration generated from a live traced sketch.

    9 votes
    2 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  16. Treat all objects as filled for selection tools (like in Corel Draw)

    Corel Draw has an option, 'Treat all objects as filled', which allows select objects with no fills with just a click inside. While it’s 'not the Ai way' — this can be useful in some cases.
    Just make sure it works properly in the Outline view( that is does not get applied at all).

    8 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  17. Select Same Fill Color & Stroke Color

    'Select Same Fill & Stroke' command from Select > Same menu also includes stroke weight. But sometimes we need to ignore it and search only by colors.

    So basically we have no 'Select Same Fill Color & Stroke Color' command...

    ....no wait. We do have this command!
    It is just well hidden.

    For some reason it is available only as an option in the dropdown menu for the Select Similar Objects button — but not in the menu. Please make these two sources match and combine both lists.

    8 votes
    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  18. Select same stroke appearance (Weight, Color and Brush type)

    I am missing the option to select objects that have the same stroke weight, color and brush type. In a way I would like to have an extra option like "Select same stroke appearance" taking into account color, weight and type of brush.

    Currently I only have the option to select same stroke color or stroke weight which is not specific enough for my current working method.

    I can not use "Select same appearance" since the fill of these objects are different from each other.

    8 votes
    3 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  19. Selection panel - supercharged customisable selection options

    • A new Select panel.

    *User-defined search permeameters with logical operators, and access to all relevant properties and object types in the document object model. Ability to extend and refine a search by multiple parameters.

    *User-defined labels for objects, with which users can create their own custom searches (eg. ”figure”, ”house”, “red team”, “platform” etc.).

    This would make me A Happy(er) Bunny.

    8 votes
    4 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  20. Add a 'Select More' menu option

    When working with a very busy file, it's often much easier to select an anchor or line segment than an object.

    My idea is to have a menu option that selects the object or objects which currently have anchors or line segments selected.

    A user could select an object by first selecting one of its anchors, and then using this menu option.

    If the user hits this feature multiple times, it could continue to 'select more' by, for example, selecting all siblings within the current group, and then the group itself, and then the group's siblings etc.

    7 votes
    2 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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