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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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1465 results found

  1. 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.

    51 votes

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  2. 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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  3. Addressing long-standing graph tool issues

    Just went back to prerelease site where I logged a complaint about the Radar graph. Feedback was that the error was not an error but an intentional result. I am however not satisfied with that reply. Other graph tools remember grid line settings, font settings, etcetera. Radar tool reverts all those settings every time the graph is updated. This is not a logical result. But this is just one of many complaints about the graph tools and there has been zero development of graph tools, as far as I can see, since they first appeared…

    2 votes

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    0 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  4. 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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  5. Ctrl+click the swatch to mix it with the current color

    There is a small thing in Corel Draw, that AI could benefit of too.
    If you have an object selected and click in a different swatch with a Ctrl held, it adds a bit of clicked color to your current one, blending them.

    Like if you have a yellow CMYK 0-0-100-0 and Ctrl+click in 0-100-0-0 magenta swatch, you will have 0-10-90-0, 0-19-81-0, 0-27-73-0, getting more like the clicked swatch with each click. Same in EGB Very convenient for adding color reflexes and picking a color in general.

    22 votes

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  6. Allow to disable labels when resizing or rotating an object

    When we rotate or scale an object with bounding box, Illustrator shows a label with the rotation angle or width/height changes.
    While the label looks similar to the Reference Labels for Smart Guides, it’s not it (and it’s larger).
    Ai doesn’t allow to hide these, and sometimes it obscures the art we work with.
    Please introduce a toggle!

    1 vote

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    0 comments  ·  User Interface  ·  Admin →
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  7. Expand toolgroup on hover instead of long-click

    Holding a mouse button to open a tool group can be not preferred way for some users that have experience in other software packages. It would benefit them and others if Illustrator will provide an option and a delay in Preferences to open these with just a mouse hovering over tools.

    17 votes

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  8. 'Use preview bounds' option for symbols

    AI allows to 'Use preview bounds' — to count in stroke's weight in artwork's size.
    I rarely use it, but I can always turn it off, like I do in screencast attached.

    But when I decide to turn my artwork to symbol, I'm limited to only one option — stroke is counted in ALWAYS. This is very inconvenient for some design tasks.

    I would like to have an option anywhere to change this behavior.

    25 votes

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    0 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
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  9. Make Knife tool work with smart guides

    Knife is a very freehand tool, but you can make straight cuts, if you hold Alt. Cool. But you can't position these cuts precisely! Nor with a smart guides (at least!) or Snap to grid.
    Please improve it!

    77 votes

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    5 comments  ·  Snapping  ·  Admin →
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  10. Switching between documents with shortcut CTRL + TAB on Macs

    Switching between documents with shortcut CTRL + TAB like it is used in PS. When you, as I do, constantly work in both at the same time, it would be nice to have this functionality in both PS and AI.

    11 votes

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  11. Cursor and path feedback for Scissors

    We have to guess if we cut a path at all and if we hit the right path.
    No highlight (OK, using Smart Guides helps, but Smart Guides does nothing if you also have Snap to Grid enabled!), no cursor change.

    It’s 2022, right? Clouds, integrations, Stock sales directly in files... Scissors are still used with a blindfold, in a dark room, in a midnight.

    Also vote for this related issue:
    https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/36111436-make-pen-and-scissors-tools-prioritize-editing-to — Make Pen and Scissors tools prioritize editing to a selected path

    15 votes

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    1 comment  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  12. A way to remove objects located outside of one or more artboards

    While working in a file with many artboards and while exporting each artboard to a separate EPS, AI carries over all graphics from the original file even if the graphics from each EPS file is resumed to it's artboard.

    10 votes

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  13. 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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  14. 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…

    25 votes

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  15. Add Convert to normal map filter / effect

    As It's already existing in Photoshop, and as there are some Photoshop filters applicable in Illustrator, I was wondering if we can get the "convert to Normal Map" filter directly in Illustrator.

    It may be useful and more efficient than using AI + PS to generate some Normal maps based on vector graphics.

    Many Thanks

    7 votes

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  16. I need an option to disable path segment reshape tool

    Please! Let me disable path segment reshape tool, because the anchor tool is totally unusable because of it. It almost impossible to point on a vector, because every time the path segment reshaper gets in the way!

    48 votes

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    5 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  17. Add Shear and Taper to Transform Effect (or add as Warp effect)

    Shearing and tapering are ones of few operations that can't be automated procedurally.
    Using 'Free distort' is very inconvenient, because it works in small dialogue window that doesn't show actual artwork (it doesn't even have Preview tick! — I'll add another feature request about it). Although 'Stylism' plugin from AstuteGraphics solves problem with control, revision is definitely required.
    Shear tool and Free distort tool are fine, but they are live tools, and won't help to repeat same the effect later if needed.
    Please, add shearing and tapering either as part of Transform effect or new Warp (both as effect…

    44 votes

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  18. Stop tool panel from changing

    I would like to be able to lock the tool panel. At the moment tools are always moving around. For example, a seleciton tool (black arrow) frequently disappears. It's a pain when I'm typing because I can't switch to a selection tool by using a shortcut "V" and I have to select a white arrow first and then press "V" to make the black arrow visible again. Horrible!

    3 votes

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  19. Assignable keyboard shortcuts for EVERYTHING.

    In the 'keyboard shortcuts' dialogue, I would like to have a section that contains the flyout menu items and buttons of every palette.

    Ideally this would be automatically populated when a palette is created, so that palettes created by 3rd-party plugins would be able to take advantage of this without a new version.

    Currently there is an 'other panels' section in the assignable menu commands that lets you assign keystrokes to ten seemingly-arbitrary palette menu items. I'd love to see a ton more choices there. No need for default shortcuts; this is a way for power users to…

    116 votes

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  20. Option to replace RGB sliders with HSB everywhere - all swatches and all color pickers.

    We need ability to universally use HSB instead of RBG. I want the ability to fully replace RGB input and sliders with HSB everywhere in AI. I never want to look at RGB sliders ever again.
    This request is all over the forum in different phrasings/forms but unfortunately that has divided the votes leading to lower ranking.

    There is a similar report, now marked as fixed, but users say it’s not:
    Illustrator forgets which color mode is set in the Color palette (and Gradient)
    http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31343119

    37 votes

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