Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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1438 results found
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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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Allow tool bar to be horizontal
Now that the properties has been finally set in the right panel, I love it! This allows me to have the layers set in the left panel. Next step, It would be nice to have the ability to set the tool bar above or below horizontally.
20 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 -
Add more icon types in History and stop calling some operations just 'Undo'
We finally got our History panel, hooray, thanks to this request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31139326
But it’s been 2 years now, and yet still some operations are called just 'Undo' and have generic 'something from a menu' icon.
Move? Menu icon.
Copy? Menu icon.
Applying an effect? Menu icon.
Creating a repeat? Menu icon.
Deleting a a portion with Shape Builder? Menu icon.
Applying a swatch? Menu icon.
Applying a graphic style? You guess.
These are all quite distinct, yet a generic icon is used.Calling a script? 'Undo' as well, as if Ai doesn’t know about scripts.
I know it’s quite consistent…
5 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 -
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 -
Harmonizing Adobe Illustrator App with Website Icons and Selection Tools
If Adobe Illustrator on the app matched the website, it'd be easier to get the hang of things. Take a cue from Affinity Designer—having a similar layout on the app as the website makes learning smoother. Imagine being on your iPad while the instructor's on the website, but it all looks and works the same way. That kind of consistency, including toggles and tool names, would be a real plus for the Illustrator app.
1 vote -
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 -
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…
60 votes -
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 -
Dimension tool improvements
The dimension tool is a really helpful thing but some improvements would be appreciated.
As stated in other posts, please include the possibility to add user defined scalings, including decimal numbers like 1:1.5 and other ones, like 1:15.
According to ISO standards, the dimension text should sit above the lines, as viewed from the right. This would be a great option, because at this moment I don't use this tool regularly because of this.
When dimensions are too small, there should be an option to move the text away, either to the right or the left. Of course this can…
13 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 -
Provide ability to use polygon tool from the corner of the bounding box
Most shapes in Illustrator (e.g. the ellipse and rectangle tools) draw from the corner by default or from the centre when holding Option/Alt, but the polygon tool doesn't provide this option.
When using the polygon tool, holding the Option/Alt key should switch to dragging from the corner of the bounding box, which would make it much easier to draw a polygon of a specific height (allowing the user to lean on features like Smart Guides for alignment).
4 votes -
When exporting .svg from .ai file text kerning is not correct.
For example, the letter-spacing is not correct.
2 votes -
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. -
Tool nesting groups
I'm on a laptop. With the nested tools off to my right you can organize them to be in little clusters when you use them. Its great. When you have the three window options for color / gradient / swatches it would be nice to be able to click and drag a swatch onto the tab of one of the nested sets for a second and have it switch to the underlying window. For example, you drag a swatch square onto the gradient tab and then you could drop the swatch color right into the gradient slider. Now, you have…
4 votes -
Type tool does not keep selected color
If I have one fill color selected on the type tool, it changes to black the moment I click on the artboard to begin typing. It needs to stay the selected color for all tools. I shouldn't have to go back and change the color.
2 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 -
Rename linked file
If I want to rename a file which is linked to a file (for whatever reason), I have to perform a humiliating process: find a link in Explorer, rename it, return to Ai, wait until it finds out the file is missing, search for the file in a dialog.
When this would be so much faster just to right-click the file (on canvas or in Links panel) and do 'Rename linked file'.
And please consider the other similar request about renaming an embedded image:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/47013226-rename-embedded-image16 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
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