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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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1438 results found

  1. Escape should cancel an execution of a script / plugin

    If we run a script or a plugin operation and the execution of it takes a long time, there is no real way to abort it other than killing the whole Ai process completely (since there is no dedicated one). This can loose us data, and saving each time before running a script or a plugin is paranoid and is hardly a solution.

    We need to be able to hit Escape when a script or a plugin makes Ai freeze and expect for it to be stopped, perhaps with a confirmation.

    6 votes

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  2. Alignment tools can use reference/center point of an object instead of edges

    Following this discussion on Stack:

    https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/106798/grid-distribution-of-objects-based-on-their-center

    I think it would be great if objects in illustrator were treated as such - with edges, but also with a center point.

    Aligning/rotating solely based on edges is extremely limited.

    If an "Object point of reference" option was added, selecting several objects and rotating them all could result in them rotating around their center rather than the center of the group of objects.

    Same with aligning and distribution... this is a feature that often blocks me and seems long overdue, I'm not sure why it's not more obvious for other users!

    3 votes

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  3. New Crop Tool: Crop Placed Image to Mask Shape

    Images (jpg, png or photoshop formats) placed in illustrator (with "link” box checked) and then masked to fit within the document or a special shape often have more image then is needed. This adds to the saved .ai file size. So users need to edit the original in photoshop and crop approx. to the size of the mask in illustrator to trim down the photo and its data size.

    The “Crop Image” function will allow users to trim the dimensions of the image, but requires embedding after cropping, which actually adds file size to .ai file.

    It would…

    2 votes

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    1 comment  ·  Other...  ·  Admin →
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  4. AFP to SMB link conversion

    Create a function that examines the file links in an ai file and convert any AFP links to SMB links.

    4 votes

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    5 comments  ·  Actions  ·  Admin →
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  5. Reversing order of objects

    Sometimes it's useful to change order of selected objects, making bottom-most go topmost and vice versa.

    I understand possible complications — what would AI do when selected objects have other unselected objects between them (meaning order)?
    For example, I have these objects in Layers:
    A
    1
    B
    C
    2
    3
    I select 1,2,3 and do proposed 'Reverse order' command.
    I expect order to become this:
    A
    3
    B
    C
    2
    1
    I see two fitting places for this command: Layers palette menu or Object > Arrange
    It's scriptable, but I would like to have it by default.

    22 votes

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  6. Add copy/apply choice to Offset Path

    Most of the time, when using the Object > Path > Offset Path tool, I need to replace the original path, rather than add an offset copy of it. Currently, this requires me to offset the path (often multiple at once) and then delete the existing paths.

    It would be much easier if Offset Path offered the same choice of "OK"(Apply and replace original path) and "Copy" as the transform tools.

    14 votes

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  7. Hitting Alt+Down does not open dropdown lists

    I expect Alt+Down to drop down focused lists with options inside, like Font Family / Style, Stroke Weight, etc.

    Sure, I understand it might conflict with duplicating, but in fact no, since Ai does not duplicate when a field is focused anyway. At the same time, it’s a common and expected behaviour in other applications.

    9 votes

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  8. Rotate artboard with all objects, when the orientation of artboard changes or directly on canvas

    It's possible to rotate the artboard, but the objects are still on their old positions.
    I found the is a button to bind artboard and objects for MOVING the artboard together. Why does that not work for rotation?

    In the mean time I have written a small JavaScript to solve this: https://www.behance.net/gallery/125369255/Javascript-for-Illustrator-RotateArtboard

    I hope, we can use a rotation of an artboard with it's objects soon in AI.
    – Jens.

    14 votes

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  9. 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

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    0 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  10. The ability to check an option for "convert lines to shapes" when I export different formats

    When exporting a file to SVG.... I wish there was a check box where I can specify it converts all lines to shapes on export to SVG... This way I do not have to do the conversion manually... and then revert back when I save ai version...

    Often I get messages that distract me and then I forget to revert back and accidentally save the ai version with lines as shapes... then my mast ai version gets messed up...

    3 votes

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    Need More Info  ·  Dirk Schulze responded

    Hi Steve,

    Thanks a lot for reporting the feature request. When you say shape do you mean you want lines to get converted to SVG elements? Does this apply to the other shapes like, ellipse, circle or rectangles as well?

    Greetings,
    Dirk

  11. 3 votes

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    1 comment  ·  Actions  ·  Admin →
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  12. Better grid settings

    Inkscape 1.1 has great grid management.
    It's embedded with the document: because grid needs vary a lot from a document from another
    It's accessible on the lateral panel, while on AI you need to enter the general settings; all while snapping is in the view menu (go figure...)
    There a two types of grid.
    You can set several grids.
    On this lateral panel, and for each grid, you can easily define there enable , visible and snapping status. (no menu spelunking)
    You can set the grid origin with coordinates or by alignment to the page (on AI if you modify…

    8 votes

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  13. Updating to 2019 makes illustrator useless - downloads tons of data upon saving a file

    My workflow requires opening and saving AI files with large linked pictures, stored on off-site server with low bandwidth (around 5-6 MB/s). The linked files can be big, several GB in size. When I try to save my AI, it freezes and starts downloading at full speed of the off-site storage and downloads 2-3GB of data before it saves the AI. None of previous versions had this issue/feature. It is a big deal for our company, because we work approximately 1 hour on each AI and now just saving it takes 5-10min. We need to open the AI

    2 votes

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  14. Create a guide trimmed to an artboard

    There is a almost unknown way to create guides limited to an artboards — you have to pick the Artboard Tool first, and then drag a guide out of rulers. The resulting guide will be limited to the artboard’s dbounds.

    However, we think about it somewhere in the middle of dragging a guide, using other tools... too late in a process!

    Can we get a modifier to hold while a guides is dragged out to toggle the global/local guide mode on the fly? Alt is taken to switch horizontal/vertical (and it’s cool), but Shift and Ctrl/Cmd are free and…

    25 votes

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  15. Put Tool Options in a Panel

    Put all Tool Options into a panel instead of a modal dialog. Stop interrupting workflow to get settings that could easily be encapsulated into a panel.

    Also, quit with the 50 different ways of asking the same thing. The blob tool, warp tool, any brush tool all use different ways of getting at the same setting:

    Brush Size, Brush Shape, Brush Angle, Brush Roundness, Intensity Pick the best one and stick with it in all the tool settings.

    13 votes

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  16. Align panel: Objects touch edges

    I draw as well as design web layouts in Ai, and I spend a lot of time sliding objects around on a pasteboard and using Smart Guides to snap them next to each other so they're touching. I'd like to add a set of features to the align panel that allow you to select two objets, define the target object with a second click, and then define which edge of the objects you want them to touch on: top, bottom, left, right.

    15 votes

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  17. Tool icons still not displaying correctly.

    Can you please fix the tools various icons onscreen. Arrows showing as hands / scroll tool / rotation etc.

    1 vote

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    2 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  18. Make 'Recent fonts' section in Character palette work alongside with selecting current font in font list

    Recently AI made focus in font list in Character palette jump to the top of the list, in 'Recent fonts' part, thus making impossible to browse fonts in alphabetical order — you have to scroll font list manually to position.

    This is stupid.

    In 22.1.0 this request has been realized:
    https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/32044567-option-to-disable-recent-fonts-feature

    Now user can set '0' in Preferences to completely eliminate 'Recent' section in font list — and this magically 'fixes' selection of current font in context.

    This is stupid.

    I personally want to use BOTH 'Recent fonts' AND current font focusing.
    I don't care about it won't be selected…

    132 votes

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    The latest Beta Build 29.6.91 introduces first changes to the way how recent font section works. Now Ai tries to find the position of the currently chosen font in the main list.

    There are several known issues.

    • If you deselect a text and select it again — Ai will still jump to the recent section’s font when we open the dropdown
    • The recent section is not fixed and gets scrolled while navigating the list, making the access to recent fonts harder that it is now in the General build

    Please try to test it and leave comments.

  19. Direct selection tool

    Can you please put the selection tool back next to the direct selection tool instead of making it a hidden tool. It's very annoying having to pull it out to have both tools.

    1 vote

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    2 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  20. Better anti-aliasing

    Long time ago I abandoned Xara and moved to Illustrator full-time.
    I managed to solve all problems I had encountered with, but several things still bug me.

    One of them is this:
    https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-bugs/suggestions/31525333-minus-front-on-grouped-objects
    https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-bugs/suggestions/32954797-pathfinder-must-work-with-group-as-a-single-object

    The other one is a crude antialiasing.

    See attached images.
    Zara puts more shades of gray to show the slope of test line, while AI leaves more uniformly filled areas. It gets more noticeable when angle gets sharper.
    Changing anti-alising options doesn't help.

    Please, make anti-aliasing better.

    26 votes

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    7 comments  ·  Other...  ·  Admin →
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