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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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1438 results found

  1. Why doesn't ai have "Cloners?" and "Clone-to" functions

    Cinema 4D <-> Adobe Illustrator

    2D cloner objects seems it would be totally possible in the layers palette.

    3 votes

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    1 comment  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  2. Allow Illustrator scripts to run in background

    I use a script to package a lot of ai files at once. Currently, the Illustrator window needs focus to run the script, or else the script will pause. If Illustrator could do this by itself in the background, it would eliminate the need to wait for the script to finish.

    16 votes

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  3. 2 votes

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  4. Don't erase Note in Attributes when image is relinked

    I store meta-information about image in Note field in Attributes palette. When I relink images, AI erases Note info. Don't do this. I see relinking as changing path to an image, not replacing image entirely. I need Note to be kept. Now I have to copy note before relinking and paste it back.

    17 votes

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  5. Isometric (triangular) grid

    Please give us the option to display an isometric grid. Currently you always have to build one from scratch wich can be very tiring ...

    Given the fact that isometric drawings have gained quite some popularity and you see them rather often on websites, it would be nice to have better tools to create these graphics, among them a proper grid.

    Gravit Designer already has such an option:

    51 votes

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    14 comments  ·  Snapping  ·  Admin →
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  6. Automatically focus stroke or fill based on the current appearance of selected object

    It would be great if AI took into account the attributes of an object and flipped the stoke and fill palette default accordingly automatically. If I have a circle that is filled blue and I want to change it, I would like AI to recognise the blue fill on selection and switch the fill palette to the default and vice versa for a stroke only object as it is more likely that I want to change that attribute than anything else. I find this very frustrating.

    9 votes

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  7. Allow to customize the Contextual Task Bar

    I want to be able to customize the Contextual Task Bar, add the functions I need to the panel (tools, menus, actions, scripts, etc.). Please add a configurator like in the toolbar.

    19 votes

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  8. Offset Path as an Interactive Tool

    Would love to have a tool for interactively creating offset paths.

    Use: Select the tool, click-drag on a path to interactively create an offset version of it

    Tool options could include: [distance], [copies], [join on/off] for open paths, [join type] etc.

    34 votes

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    12 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  9. Allow us to customize/choose features/controls/order in Control panel

    A Feature that can be used by any Tool or Panel which is most common (like Fill & Stroke), that should not be active in the both (Control Bar & Properties Panel )sides at a time.

    When Text Object is selected by Arrows.
    If you have selected Text by using Arrows/Selection Tools, you should have good options in the Right Click's menu, like Spell Checking which is logical according to selection.
    It would be also better if these features will be added in Control Bar by replacing redundant Features Like Fill & Stroke which can be used by Panels…

    19 votes

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  10. import chart data from Excel or CSV

    Need to be able to import data from an Excel (or at least a CSV) file, to create chart with Charting tool. Rather antiquated to have to copy/paste to get data for a chart. (In more than 30 years of using AI, I've NEVER been given a data file in TXT format--the only option currently available to import graph data.)

    10 votes

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  11. Return greeking of vector graphics

    AI is never fast enough. Pan is slow.
    Why did you remove greeking completely? If I wanted to better have nice looking art while panning, I would tick an option in Preferences! But now there's no such an option.
    InDesign still have greeking option fro both text and vector art.
    Please return it back as an option (and add slider for quality, as ID has).

    23 votes

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  12. Set export options to default to the same folder the native is housed in

    Set default export or save as locations to start in the same folder as the native Ai file as opposed to previous locations. It can be rather cumbersome when switching to an entirely new project, then exporting that project and having the 'save as' default to the entirely other project's recent save.

    15 votes

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  13. Make title bar of inactive window look different from an active one

    On Windows there is no way to tell Illustrator window in focus from inactive one, even when a corresponding option in OS preferences is on.

    And every time Ai is not in focus you can’t use hotkeys.
    Please make at least something dynamic to tell if the window is in focus! Like it was before. Icon changing color at least.

    19 votes

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  14. Export PDF with initial view set (ala InDesign)

    You have just added the ability set the initial view on a PDF export in InDesign, and it is a GREAT idea. It saves me a Ton of time as a designer as I always set the initial view to "fit page" and "single page" when saving PDFs. With AI, I still have to do this after the fact by opening the PDF and doing it there and re-saving. Can you please add this option to AI as well? Thanks!

    8 votes

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  15. You cannot add a Freeform Gradient to the Swatches Panel

    FREEFORM GRADIENT, the new feature in Ai CC 2019. You can create amazing gradients, however, you cannot save any free form gradient created to the Swatches panel or the Cloud Library... why?

    Its a great feature, however, it makes for so much extra work if you want to use any free form gradient you create in one file, in another file or project in the future... it would be logical to be able to save this new style of creating gradients to the CC Library and to one's Swatches Panel.

    50 votes

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  16. SVG option to convert text to outlines when exporting

    When exporting SVG I have ran into wonkyness with fonts so sometimes we export SVG graphics with text as shapes...

    But then I some times get distracted by a email or chat message and save the ai version with out undoing my text to outlines conversion...

    Why not just have a check box on the SVG export panel "convert all text to shapes" then when I export this option parse the document and convert all text to shapes...

    So I do not have to worry about undoing my convert text to shapes when I save the master ai

    10 votes

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  17. Add an option for Pathfinder to make compound paths instead of groups

    If you draw a row of rectangles (with gaps) and hit Unite button in Pathfinder — Ai will create a group.

    But if you hold Alt, then hit Unite, and then hit Expand in this panel — Ai will make create a compound path!

    I almost always want a compound path.
    And I hate this workaround, since it requires twice as much operations (yeah, 2 instead of 1!). Another workaround is an action to ungroup and make a compound path — which is still a 2 steps operation!

    The alternative is to have a panel full of actions for each…

    23 votes

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  18. Bring back "Object lasso tool"

    Was present in earlier AIs. Helpful for non-marque selecting. Increases efficiency.

    22 votes

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    16 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  19. User defined scales for Dimension tool

    Repost from general discussions:
    I'm delighted to see the addition of the dimensioning tool, but I'm not wild about the fixed choice of scaling ratios. The option to set one's own scales would be great.

    Failing that, a 1:12 scale seems like a glaring omission for those of us still using inches and feet.

    Am I missing something?

    TOPICS
    Feature request , How-to

    24 votes

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    9 comments  ·  Other...  ·  Admin →
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    It is possible now to set up a custom scale in Ai Beta 28.4.0.2.

    In Dimension Tool Options dialog open the Scale dropdown and choose custom to get the Custom Scale dialog.

    It works for decimal scales only, like 1:12 or 1:15, but not for Imperial scales like 1/16"

    Please try it and comment back.

  20. Introduce reset option for shear/rotation/scaling

    Currently, having used the Shear or Scaling tool on an object cannot be undone - except by undoing ANY previous changes to a document, plus the document may not have been closed and reopened, thereby losing the undo stack.

    I'd like to suggest to add a Reset Object option to AI, allowing to reset an object's shear, rotation and scaling attributes to their original values at the time that object was created.

    The suggested Reset Object option should open a confirmation dialog containing three checkboxes for the user to check:


    Reset the following object attributes:

    □ rotation…

    23 votes

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    7 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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