Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4614 results found
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Make Smart guides optionally work with live text
Sometimes it is needed to snap to contour of live text.
Right now it requires to make a copy of text, outline it, snap to desired point/segment, delete copy.What if user could tick an option that allows to snap to live glyphs? or use 'Ctrl' modifier to toggle this mode on the fly? It would allow us to skip copying-outlining-snapping-deleting and boost the speed.
19 votesSnap to Glyph option, available in the View menu, released in the version 24.3 (2020), allows to snap to the live text as if it is outlined.
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Soft selection (Selection drop off)
This already exists in many 3D applications (Maya, 3D Max, and C4d, for sure) and it's often treated, not as a separate tool, but as a setting in the regular selection tools. The idea is that you can set an gradient influence area where the points directly selected are affected 100% by transform changes, while everything else is affected by the changes but adjusted to the alpha percentage of the gradient at that point's initial location. I know that sounds like a mouthful, but it's very similar to how the mesh warp works (minus the having to convert anything and retaining full control of all your points individually at all times).
Here's a tutorial of how the tool works in Maya:
https://youtu.be/tl1utGRX9awThis already exists in many 3D applications (Maya, 3D Max, and C4d, for sure) and it's often treated, not as a separate tool, but as a setting in the regular selection tools. The idea is that you can set an gradient influence area where the points directly selected are affected 100% by transform changes, while everything else is affected by the changes but adjusted to the alpha percentage of the gradient at that point's initial location. I know that sounds like a mouthful, but it's very similar to how the mesh warp works (minus the having to convert anything and…
19 votes -
Refine (not revert to previous) zoom to selection
Now, 'Zoom to selection' zoom AND centers.
I think that zoom to selection should not center at all by default (and, of course, there should be an option to add centering to zoom). The selected art should stay where it is located in view, until zoom level is big enough so object will go outside current view — only then AI should move view to fit the art.
And there should be a tick 'Only for zooming in'.
19 votes -
Add numerical control over light sources in 3D Extrude & Bevel Effect Options
When applying and tweaking 3D Extrude & Bevel Effect, user has to manipulate light by precise mouse twitching over the small sphere.
It should be at least twice as big to provide fine control (I won't note this as separate request), but there should also be numerical fields to control the lights' position over sphere — angle, elevation, choose any.Also, why Depth and Height values there are immune to document Units settings? 56.96pt is nonsense to me, while 20mm makes sense.
19 votes -
Improve and allow customize the 'Show' info slot in the bottom bar (next to horizontal scrollbar)
Show field next to zoom and artboard selectors below work area can now show 5 things:
current artboard name, which is nowhere else is seen except Artboards palette;
current Tool, that is usually visible if Tools panel is on;
current date-time, which is visible in system clock;
number of undos, which was quite useful when RAM was tiny;
current profile, which is visible in document header.
I mean, almost every info available is also available in other place!I would like to use this field as something exclusive:
number of selected objects (nowhere to be seen, only PathScribe plugin can show this in separate palette);
snapping status (grid/point/guides/smart on/off — we have to try now, or go to Preferences or drop down View command);
scaling effects/strokes status (on/off — try or go Preferences too);
current layer;
mouse clicks (I remember it was hidden, I miss it, it was useful as internal timer, but I don't miss eyes/moon/Ted/etc).Show field next to zoom and artboard selectors below work area can now show 5 things:
current artboard name, which is nowhere else is seen except Artboards palette;
current Tool, that is usually visible if Tools panel is on;
current date-time, which is visible in system clock;
number of undos, which was quite useful when RAM was tiny;
current profile, which is visible in document header.
I mean, almost every info available is also available in other place!I would like to use this field as something exclusive:
number of selected objects (nowhere to be seen, only PathScribe plugin can…19 votes -
Option to put Properties Panel at the top of the workspace.
For those of us who find it more convenient for the Properties to be at the top of our workspace, we should be able to click and drag the properties panel into the default space along the top of the window.
19 votes -
Isolate Selected Objects without having to group them
In my work flow, I find I would like to isolate more than one object for something, and not necessarily a whole layer. Currently I have to group two or three objects first to do this. I'd like to see being able to isolate selected objects without having to group them first.
19 votes -
Option to "Show Transparency Grid" by default for all the files at all the time
I deal with a lot of white icons/svg and would like to keep the transparency grid on by default for all the files.
19 votes -
Snap shape to artboard or bleeds
When you draw a rectangle as a background color or border, you could snap to the edges of the artboard or snap to the edges of the bleed.
19 votes -
Effect dialogs need sliders
Illustrator's stylized filters need a more practical and dynamic UI.
Currently, stylized effects such as Drop Shadow, Feather, Inner and Outer Glow have an outdated UI and are not dynamic.
I remember that Gaussian Blur was not in the past either, but Gaussian Blur was updated years ago and these stylized filters were not.
I believe that these stylized filters deserve a more practical, faster and dynamic way of being adjusted, and I took the liberty of creating a UI suggestion inspired by the current Gaussian Blur UI.
What do you think, would it be possible?
18 votes -
Add an option to hide the Search/Filter field in Layers
Search/Filter is cool, but some prefer to not have it.
Other panels allow to choose components: we can pick sections to display in the Character panel, we can show or hide the search field in Swatches, etc.However, the panel does not have such an option in its flyout menu.
Please add one!18 votes -
Improved Layout of Illustrator Options
Illustrator 2023 (v27)
This is a proposal to improve the layout of the Illustrator option.
Illustrator format files contain two different types of data: PGF and PDF data. Currently, Illustrator options have three settings: PGF only, PDF only, and common settings for both PGF and PDF. However, these settings are currently mixed together in the window, making it difficult for users to understand which setting they are operating on.
To make Illustrator options more easily understandable, we propose organizing the layout and clearly distinguishing each setting. By grouping the setting items and labeling each group clearly, users will be able to easily understand the target of the settings.
The attached mockup is an example of the proposed improvement.
Japanese:
Illustratorオプションのレイアウトを改善する提案です。
Illustrator形式のファイルには、PGFデータとPDFデータの2つの異なるデータが含まれています。現在のIllustratorオプションには、PGFのみの設定、PDFのみの設定、そしてPGFとPDFに共通の設定の3つのオプションがあります。しかし、これらの設定は現在ウィンドウ内に混在して表示されているため、ユーザーがどの設定に対して操作しているか理解するのが難しい状況にあります。
そこで、Illustratorオプションをより理解しやすくするため、レイアウトを整理し、各設定を明確に区別することを提案します。設定項目をグループ化し、各グループに明確なラベルを付けることで、ユーザーは設定の対象を容易に理解できるようになるでしょう。
添付されたモックアップは、改善案の一例です。
Illustrator 2023 (v27)
This is a proposal to improve the layout of the Illustrator option.
Illustrator format files contain two different types of data: PGF and PDF data. Currently, Illustrator options have three settings: PGF only, PDF only, and common settings for both PGF and PDF. However, these settings are currently mixed together in the window, making it difficult for users to understand which setting they are operating on.
To make Illustrator options more easily understandable, we propose organizing the layout and clearly distinguishing each setting. By grouping the setting items and labeling each group clearly, users will be able…
18 votes -
An option to ignore strokes when using Fit to Artwork Bounds or Fit to Selected Art commands
Illustrator now always fits the current artboard respecting strokes and raster effects, as if the 'Use Preview Bounds' option is on.
However, disabling this option does not change the behaviour 'Fit to Artwork Bounds' or 'Fit to Selected Art' commands — strokes and shadows are still considered to be the bounds to fit.
This is not what a user wants in many cases, and geometric bounds are preferred instead.
We need Illustrator to either respect 'Use Preview Bounds' option — as Symbols do — or have another set of option for fitting command, to separately control strokes and effects.18 votes -
Add Cut At / Connect / Remove Selected Anchor Points commands to 'Object > Path' menu
In Control panel we have three buttons for a point partial selection:
Remove selected anchor points.
Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Remove Anchor Points, and this command can have a hotkey assigned toConnect selected end points.
Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Join, and has a default hotkey. Why Ai uses both 'Join' and 'connect' for the same operation, and also has 'Join' tool, which does a pretty different thing — is an UX mystery.Cut path at selected anchor points.
There is NO a menu command for that, and this button can NOT have a hotkey or written into an action (which is a bad workaround anyway, because an action which has only one operation is an excuse for not having an ability to assign a hotkey to the command directly, like with scripts).
We need these as hotkeys.
We need all the hotkeys — https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31609237In Control panel we have three buttons for a point partial selection:
Remove selected anchor points.
Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Remove Anchor Points, and this command can have a hotkey assigned toConnect selected end points.
Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Join, and has a default hotkey. Why Ai uses both 'Join' and 'connect' for the same operation, and also has 'Join' tool, which does a pretty different thing — is an UX mystery.Cut path at selected anchor points.
There is NO a menu command for…
18 votes -
Customizable splash screen
Adobe marketing team decides what to display as splash screens. Sometimes the choice is great, and sometimes is not, much more often, to some of us.
And since the Illustrator splash screen is what we see often, and it obviously influence our thought and mood, we’d like to have options to customize it.
We can access the image ourselves, all of them are stored along with other version for different resolution screens at
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2022\Support Files\Contents\Windows\aiccsplash.png (on Windows)
and packed in the application in Contents\Resources\ (on Macs),
but this feels like a hack.What if we can have:
A) a loading interface that takes an image provided and updates the resources
B) an ongoing challenge, where every enthusiast can submit an artwork, using a hashtag or something similar, and the most upvoted gets picked for the next splashscreen
C) an algorithm that picks an artwork randomly and automatically from the Behance top, each time Ai launches, with customization options, like Windows can do for its desktop wallpapers
B) an option to turn off the image at all (some prefer CS3 style)Creativity for all, right?
Modding is creativity.#bringbackthevenus
Adobe marketing team decides what to display as splash screens. Sometimes the choice is great, and sometimes is not, much more often, to some of us.
And since the Illustrator splash screen is what we see often, and it obviously influence our thought and mood, we’d like to have options to customize it.
We can access the image ourselves, all of them are stored along with other version for different resolution screens at
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2022\Support Files\Contents\Windows\aiccsplash.png (on Windows)
and packed in the application in Contents\Resources\ (on Macs),
but this feels like a hack.What if we…
18 votes -
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.18 votes -
Cluster / group small increment edits like nudging as one "move" in History to undo
In Photoshop, when a user nudges an object by holding down an arrow key for an interval of time, PS clusters that series of nudges as one "move". Then the user can undo all of the nudges at once with one "Undo move" command in the History panel. Since Illy doesn't have a History panel (and why is there no History panel? Don't like it, don't use it.), it's impossible to undo all of the nudges with one "Undo". Please make Illy treat nudges like PS does.
18 votes -
An option to ignore locked layers with the eyedropper tool
At the moment, if you have a locked layer above the layer you are working in, the eyedropper tool selects colors and properties of the top layer - the locked layer - instead of the (unlocked) layer you are working on.
This causes frustration as every time you want to eyedrops something, you have to make a bunch of layers invisible first.
If an option could be added to the eyedropper tool, such as "ignore locked layers", this problem would be gone completely and working with Illustrator would be a lot smoother and faster.
This could be an option under the eyedropper preferences.
At the moment, if you have a locked layer above the layer you are working in, the eyedropper tool selects colors and properties of the top layer - the locked layer - instead of the (unlocked) layer you are working on.
This causes frustration as every time you want to eyedrops something, you have to make a bunch of layers invisible first.
If an option could be added to the eyedropper tool, such as "ignore locked layers", this problem would be gone completely and working with Illustrator would be a lot smoother and faster.
This could be an option under…
18 votes -
Allow custom keyboard shortcuts for custom Actions (beyond the F1-F14 keys)
I work speedily. Shortcuts are my thing. The F1 keys are a hard reach for me on my keyboard and I usually need to use my eyes to be sure I'm selecting the right F key. Why not just let the user assign a custom keyboard shortcut for each custom action?
18 votes -
Allow to add / place / drag-n-drop several / multiple symbols to the canvas / artboard at once
Being able to select more than one symbol from the symbol library and adding to the canvas. Instead of mousing back and forth repeatedly.
The way the Library panel works is great. You can select multiple objects and drag to the canvas, placing each at the desired location, quick and easy.
This would be a great function for the symbols panel.
Thanks!18 votes
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