Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
4699 results found
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Make an option to show text sections with 'No break' applied to them
'No break' is a goo thing to have, but it's invisible even when Hidden Characters are on. Make something for those who have to work with text in AI to see these sections
18 votes -
Add option to Always update links
Sometimes I make a lot of changes within linked images. AI always asks if I am to update links, and I'd like to have this dialogue temporarily switched off (but enable it later)
18 votesAs per Neeraj: it is possible to control the update behavior of links — automatically or manually. Go to Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard > Update Links.
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Batching actions can't access files through Windows file shortcuts
If user has a folder with shortcuts to files in different folders and try to batch this folder, AI can't see files. It would be great if it could.
18 votes -
Drop shadow distribution curves
Right now shadow is just blurred silhouette.
Please add option to tweak it's distribution, as PS does ('profiles').18 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 -
Improve snapping strength
Currently, there is a "snap to point" feature in illustrator. However, I find that it works poorly. Often, I create guides, create geometric shapes on those guides, and move them overlap, join, or intersect to make new shapes. Currently, when I create a shape, I notice the shape will snap to a guide, but when I zoom in all the way, it will not be exact. Also, when I try to move two shapes together, I will experience the snapping effect, but it often is not lined up when I zoom in.
Is it possible to improve the snapping to…
18 votes -
Art brushes different weight value
Well, this is complex one.
As you know, a lot of people live in metric world.
It means they use 'cm-mm' instead of 'inches-points'.
I, for example, have all three major units set to millimeters — general, stroke and type.But each time I apply brush to anything, it gets weight '0,353 mm'.
Yes, it is 1 point. And every time I need to scale my brush twice as normal, I have to type in '*2' in the end of 'Weight' field instead of just typing 2.Worse, when I don't remember what weight it has now, but need to…
18 votes -
Make copy/paste work between Illustrator and CorelDRAW (and vice versa)
Adobe and Corel are eternal rivals, I know.
But our (and not ours only, as far as I know) workflow requires both whales.
A lot of vynil-cutting shops, laser-engraving and large format printing shops work only in CD. We have to transfer our files back and forth from one program to another each day.We use PDF as a medium, but it's long way.
We also use this magnificent macros for CD:
https://github.com/cdrpro-macros/ai-clipboard
but it's not 100% solution.We need a way to copy/paste from/to AI from/to CD natively.
18 votes -
Allow to choose file version when saving AIT templates
One of our designers still use old version of AI.
We need to share newly created templates (.ait) with her.
But AI doesn't give options when saving templates!
So I'm forced to save to .ai first, choose CS6 version and then change extension by hand.Why can't I see same options for templates?
18 votes -
Add ability to use PPCM along with PPI, as Photoshop does
AI is used worldwide. Despite PostScript, based on points, based on inch, being de-facto a standard for most users, many people use metric system.
English inch, as you know, equals exactly 2.54cm.
This gives us, metric users, mantra for translating PPI into PPCM: 254ppi=100ppcmSince fractional values for resolution are impossible within AI (while Photoshop does!), we have to import via PS or work in scale and are very limited.
Please, add ability to use PPCM along with PPI, as Photoshop does.
18 votes -
Make Ctrl+arrows jump to hyphen too
While editing text in Russian, I have quite many complex words separated by hyphen.
Pressing Ctrl+arrow ignores these and jumps to start and end of word.
Please add ability to respect hyphens while moving cursor with Ctrl+arrows.P. S. If you combine this with reported bug fix about Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End, it would be AWESOME
18 votes -
Free transform reference point should affect resize too not just rotation (as PS)
When I change the reference point I use it mostly for resize, not rotation. But in Illustrator this has no effect. I believe it should happen while using Alt+resize as that wouldn't change the default. Alt would only change the position of the resized object if the reference point is moved from the middle.
I feel this would be natural to have and I'm really surprised this is not part of the free transform implementation. Photoshop and even Animate works like this! (Animate is erroneous with Alt+drag, but you don't need to hold that there)18 votes -
CAD like selection (direction of the marquee toggles Enclosed mode)
Illustrator now allows to use Enclosed Mode to select objects within the marquee (originally requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31863601), but the only way to do it is tap E key.
Make an option to enable this method also:
Click - Left drag: select everything INSIDE the marquee.
Click - Right drag: select everything CROSSING the marquee.Many CAD programs work this way. It makes selections much simpler.
17 votes -
Allow us to set up the default and stepped Dimension Line Offset for the Dimension tool
When we Opt/Alt-click the object or just click a segment, Ai creates a dimension with some predefined distance between the object and the dimension line.
We can’t control it (plus we can’t choose which sides to use for Opt/Alt mode anymore, unlike in early Betas).Also, we need to be able to hold a modifier while creating a dimension to constrain this offset to a set parameter, in a stepped manner, — something third-party plugins like BPT Pro and CADtools can do.
17 votes -
Appearance Variables
Imagine I have several drop shadows, with different colors, but same offset and blur values. Now I want to change the horizontal offset for all of them at once. Even if I use styles, it would require me change each style I have manually.
With Appearance variables though, I could have use something like '%h_shadow' in effects’ values’ fields, in all of these shadows, and set it equal to an actual numerical value in one place.
So, once I change it, every other shadow will adapt this immediately.17 votes -
Sync the order of Align and Distribute menu commands
Hey, we now have Object > Distribute commands! No more actions wraps to bind these to hotkeys!
However, why is the order is swapped? Align menu has Horizontal commands first, but Distribute has them at the bottom, under Vertical.
One can object it’s just like the Align panel has them, and this is not the legacy behaviour you better keep, really. Please sync these.
17 votes -
Isolation mode fading also in Outline mode
Since Outline mode can be (sometimes for me) get displayed with GPU, with antialiasing, I think dimming the art can also be done.
Sure, it should be an option (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31941823) and work with CPU too.
17 votes -
Add a way to quickly access Smart Delete Point command
The way the deleting of a point with a curvature kept works now is pretty hidden and unannounced. I see nothing about this in Help (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/editing-paths.html). There is no hint in the Current Tool field at the bottom of the screen, no cursor feedback, no label, no nothing.
I do now remember exactly where I learnt about it though. Rohatgi told about it in a session with Taniya Vij (https://youtu.be/odch54arInA?t=944), saying that they have no time to polish it (and more than a year after it’s still not), and this 'principal scientist' basically intended this feature…
17 votes -
Search for tools by name when editing the toolbar
When editing the tools that are in the toolbar we are confronted with a big panel full of tools. The recent update that categorizes them and allows for a grid view is very helpful. However, I still find myself scrolling down and up trying to find the particular tool I would like to add to the toolbar because it's so easy to miss it. If there were a little search bar at the top where we could type the name of the tool we are trying to locate to pair down the options it would be a much nicer/quicker experience.
17 votes -
Make Isolate Selected Object work with text (point, area, on path)
Ai does not allow to isolate a text object.
We can workaround it by grouping it first, isolating, selecting all and ungrouping — but why execute these many useless operation instead of one?
Please make it possible.17 votes
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