Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
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1465 results found
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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 votesHi 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 -
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-objectThe 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 -
Line Segment Tool to respect selected Graphic Style by default
Currently, if I have a certain Graphic Style selected, it gets applied to objects created with Pen Tool or all shape-drawing tools (Ellipse, Rectangle, Polygon, Star).
This doesn’t work this way with line-drawing tools (Line Segment, Arc, Spiral, Grids…). Or rather it does, only if the “Fill Line” option is turned ON in the Tool Options window. It is turned OFF by default though AND this setting is not sticky between sessions.
So with every new session, I’m back to behavior when a chosen graphic style is not applied to an object drawn with a Line Segment Tool.2 votes -
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 -
Auto opening a layered illustrator file in photoshop as layered smart objects.
I create my original illustration files in vector format and in layers in Adobe Illustrator. I then copy each layer to its own artboard and save off an Ai file with the multiple layers converted to artboards, I then manually place these artboards as individual linked smart layers in Photoshop to ensure a non-destructive and combined Vector/Bitmap workflow/solution between Ai and PS.
This is a LOT of manual work each time, Photoshop SHOULD be able to open a simple and layered Illustrator file automatically like this in this non-destructive manner.
Saving off as a layered PSD file from Ai rasterises…
4 votes -
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 -
Convert expanded strokes back to live strokes (unexpand / unoutline strokes) / Find centerlines
So far there is no way to de-expand strokes back to live strokes.
The suggested practice is to cut the shape in pieces and blend pairs with 1-step blends, expand and join manually — a tedious solution. We have to keep strokes alive as long as possible if we plan to edit them after. The effects we can use to make an art non-destructive are quite limited.
We now have cool Reform plugin by AstuteGraphics that allows to edit expanded strokes in a different way, but is does not solve the original problem and only helps to workaround…
64 votes -
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.
72 votes -
Cropping images! Can Illustrator finally offer a simple placed image cropping tool?
I've been using Adobe Illustrator since 1992. Many of the core tools have not changed a bit, including how the app crops placed images. It is a laborious task to add shapes and create clipping masks. InDesign and PowerPoint have this figured out and it is a breeze. Please address this long-standing shortcoming of an otherwise brilliant application.
4 votesCropping is not available in Illustrator from Control or Properties panel. Two ways are possible.
'Crop' command embeds the images and physically remove trimmed pixels, while 'Mask' command clips an image into a rectangular path you can resize, keeping the linked image intact.
There is no way to automatically crop the image and keep it linked, since it requires changing the original file, and it’s dangerous and can lead to an unexpected data loss.
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3 votes
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Contextual Eyedropper Tool
Currently, the Eyedropper Tool is an underutilized and often counter-intuitive tool that needlessly increases the complexity of a workflow because of its limitations. This- combined with Illustrator's poor color tools- often adds unnecessary time and effort to what should and could be more simplified tasks.
For example, a common situation is that I have a shape with a fill color that I like, and I want another shape that has a stroke to also use that color, except only for the stroke. Currently, if I use the eyedropper tool on the filled shape, it will completely remove the stroke…
5 votesThe solution to that would be to activate a stroke if you want to apply a color to it, then to hold Shift when clicking a color — does not matter where this color is on a stroke or a fill. Illustrator then applies the picked color to the active fill/stroke, ignoring the source nature. There are two things to know — the cursor does not inform you about this mode (unlike the Alt-mode, should be addressed), and if you pick a color from a swatch — you’d get a screen representation of the color... harmless for RGB documents (if your color settings are in order), but crucial for CMYK documents (should be addressed too). Pleas comment back. -
Swap Tool or Transform Option
I would like a tool or feature whereby I can select two objects, hit the tool or possible transform option and the objects swap their exact positions. This would save an incredible amount of time especially when updating an existing document. There used to be a script for this way back in the day but I think it's time to bring in this very effective feature.
13 votes -
Add total artboard counter when exporting
When I export my artboards (with 'Export as'), AI sometimes won't show whole range numbers, but stick to previously entered numbers for this file. This is fine.
But my problem is I often need to export all artboards, but not first. And I don't remember exactly how much of them I do actually have — this differs from project to project.
So I have to exit 'Export as' dialogue, go to Artboards palette, see how much artboards are there and return to exporting.Why not to show how much artboards I do have inside dialogue window?
Please see mockup attached.18 votes -
Drag and drop artwork between documents in same place
Photoshop allows to drag-n-drop artwork between documents in same place, when you hold Shift.
In Illustrator, no matter what you hold, artwork would be dropped where cursor is pointed, with no respect to original X,Y coordinates.
I desperately need this!Quite often I have to copy artwork, containing huge raster images, from one document to another. I need them to be placed in same place, snapped on grid, but AI just drops it. The only way to keep coordinates — is to copy/paste in front/place, which takes an EON to do with my big raster images.
17 votes -
Clear / Delete recent from Recent files and File > New
As you know, Illustrator keeps exported images in the File > Open Recent Files list.
So if I export 20 TIFs from a single document — they will all will be listed there.This is dumb, and there are multiple requests to stop this:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests?query=recent%20filesThere are also requests to be able to clear that list (guess why there is a need for this).
But we should also be able to remove positions from the list one by one.
Use cases:
1. I renamed a file and now I can’t open it via this menu
2. I moved the file…52 votes -
Fix warp type effects
This has probably be stated before, but has long been an issue with warping text. It plain sucks, especially on an arc unless you use the type on a path tool.
Many moons ago there was a plug-in called Kai's Power Tools, KPT Vector Tools. It worked perfectly with one click and than for those that know Kai the creator vanished and updates were never made. It stopped working at Illustrator 9 for me.
I am sure at Adobe there are many programming geniuses that can make the current warp effects work much better.
7 votes -
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 -
Pen tool with measurement
When using pen tool the user can type in a specific measurement in which they would like their line to be instead of having to rely on trying to make it exact using the numbers.
Select pen tool -> Click mouse where you want the pen tool to start -> Type and enter specific measurement wanted -> Pen tool will then create the length -> Click and place in desired location.
I think this would be really beneficial when using the pen tool so you are extremely accurate as being a few millimeters off can cause problems.
10 votes -
Illustrator and Photoshop show fractional CMYK color values differently
I have a CMYK document, and it has a linked image in it, with an intentionally chosen profile, with some specific colors set for the background, and these have to be the part of the background, because of blending modes used.
Now I need to grab those colors form the clear parts of the background to quickly transfer them into vector part of the design. But when I try — Ai lies about values.Instead of
70-15-0-0
0-35-85-0
0-95-20-0
I get
69.8-14.9-0-0
0-34.9-85.1-0
0-94.9-20-0Not much, right? Just 0.2%, why are you mad?
But these would be enough to break…8 votes -
Contextual Pie-menus, like Radiant menus by Wacom
creating a contextual "shortcut" menu overlapping layer to access quickly Tools. This is a kind of Radiant Menu developed by Wacom on their tablet for example or Alias marking menu. This should really improve workflow ergonomics.
7 votes
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