Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
202 results found
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Get rid of prompt window
i would love to be able to hide/get rid of that prompt window that says "generate, edit path, repeat, group, lock.." that pops up. its pretty annoying.
5 votesYou can disable this panel via Window > Contextual Task Bar menu command.
The current Beta 28.5.0.34 has a bug though, that enables it back after Ai is relaunched. If you are using normal build, it should just work.
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Remove (customize) tiny shadow behind artboards
I've noticed this for years... whenever I create a new document in Illustrator--no matter the size or mode and without any bleed settings, the artboard has a tiny grey "drop shadow" behind the artboard. See ATTACHED. It does not affect art and never prints, but more times than I can count I've found myself zooming in and attempting to select/delete it, thinking I left some sort of unwanted element behind while I was working. Or I see the faint "border" and think my graphic elements aren't fully aligned to the page edge, when the actually are.
5 votesToday artboards have only a tiny 1px border, black for the active one and gray for others.
If you wish to be able to customize these — upvote this request, please: Allow to change color & width of border / edges for artboards (all and active)
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Filter fonts by language
Please add a filter that allows to see only a selected language in the font list.
Thank you5 votesIllustrator’s font explorer (called from Character, Control, Properties panels) now allows to filter fonts by Languages & Writing System.
However, it won’t allow to pick English / Latin / Western European Roman, to hide all languages that don’t support Latin. Here’s a separate request about this — please upvote if it troubles you.
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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 and…
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. -
Move anchor points in opposite direction relative to the object’s center point
For years I have been hankering for a way to work with anchor points the same way as the width tool works or the option/alt modifier key works when resizing a shape with the selection tool.
When two anchor points are selected I want to be able to move those points in opposite directions. Either attract or repel.Imagine there is a straight line between the two selected anchor points, when one of the points is moved away from the other point (pressing the modifier key) the point that is selected but not dragged should move in the opposite direction.
5 votesThis is possible with Smart Guides and Scale tool, like it’s described in the comments.
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Make it possible to select locked objects?
I wish it was possible to prevent an object from moving, but still have the ability to select it. A preference setting to "allow selection of locked objects" or "lock position only" or something?
5 votesThere is a way to select locked objects in recent Illustrator versions.
In Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display section toggle ‘Select and Unlock objects on canvas’ option to see small lock icons you can click when locked objects get into a selection marquee. -
Add a search bar in the Swatches panel for color books
I would like to be able to search swatch books from the Swatches menu. This could be implemented globally for various search items, menus, tools, etc. (Similar to Photoshop's new search function.)
5 votesThe Swatches panel has an option to show the Find field, in the panel’s flyout menu
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Default input in Color Picker
Older versions of Illustrator used to default in "Hex" field of the Color Picker, but now the default is in "H" of HSB. This breaks up the workflow when copying a low of colors.
5 votes -
Copy/move artboards with the content
Why have you deleted the function "copy/move artboards with the content" in the last update? It was really gorgeous! Now I have to unlock and make visible all the layers again to create several version of my graphic design, and it is really annoying! I would like the possibility to copy/move one or more artboards with the content, even if it is on locked or hidden layers, and without the content when it is on locked or hidden layers.
Please, consider both functions, the copy/move with content was one of the best updates that you have ever made!!!
5 votesUsers have an option in Illustrator CC (22.1).
Preferences>Selection & Anchor Display>"Move Locked and Hidden Artwork with Artboard"
Please email us on sharewithai@adobe.com if it still does not solve your problem. -
Position elements relative to artboards.
Since several improvements to artboards are in the pipeline, I think It would be worth considering positioning elements relative to the top left corner of the artboard. I haven't found a good use for keyboard entry of x and y positions. Positioning elements relatively would make it relatively easy to maintain padding / grids across multiple artboards by entering an exact value.
5 votesTo allow the artboard-relative positioning, you should switch rulers from global with View > Rulers > Change to Artboard Rulers command (or from the context menu for the zero point of the rulers on canvas).
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The ability to save an appearance of a selected object.
The ability to save an appearance of a selected object to apply to other objects. Much like the copy and paste layer style in Photoshop.
5 votesYou can do that by using Graphic Styles panel: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/graphic-styles.html
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Presentation screen mode
Add presentation screen mode, similar to InDesign
5 votesIllustrator today offers dedicated View > Presentation Mode
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Auto live paint
I very often colour linework using live paint. This is a great tool but if I could automatically colour every shape it would save a lot of time. At the moment I have to manually click every area I want to fill. Could this be done with one click? Many thanks.
4 votesYes, there is a way to fill many areas at once.
A double-click on a fill (or a stroke) should apply the currently chosen color to all sections that has this color (unless these are not separated with strokes).
A triple-click will change the color of all sections of the same color, no matter if these are separated or not.
Same applies to Live Paint Selection Tool.
You can read more about these methods here
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Install brushes to Illustrator
Install custom brushes to Illustrator
With photoshop, you can install custom brushes. With Illustrator, you have to make any custom brush yourself which can be tedious and very difficult.4 votesIllustrator for desktop allows to save and import brushes with an ease.
To save brushes, just save a document with your brushes as an .ai file. You don’t have to have them on canvas for this, just in Brushes panel.
To load brushes, click the Brush Libraries Menu button in the bottom left corner of the Brushes panel (looks like a bookshelf). Choose Other Library, locate the brush library .ai file.
If you want to create, save and import brushes in Illustrator for iPad — you have to vote for this feature here: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/931888-illustrator-ipad-feature-requests/suggestions/41682511-import-or-create-brushes
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Shortcut for the SMOOTH tool please.
N brings the pencil... I need something for the SMOOTH tool.
4 votesYou can assign your own hotkeys to different tools with Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.
Also, you can pick Pencil, hit Enter )or double-click the tool’s button) to open the Pencil Tool Options dialog and check 'Alt key toggles to Smooth Tool' — this will allow to quickly temporarily access Smooth on the go while you are working with Pencil.
Same applies to the Brush and Blob Brush stools by default.
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Disable Snap to Path
Can someone please explain to me why you can turn off "snap to grid", "snap to pixel", and "snap to point" off, but you can't turn "snap to path" off. It used to be you could just easily turn off "snap", which would turn all forms of snap off. Now, when I'm trying to adjust points on a path, the anchor handles still snap to path. The only way to get it to not snap to path is to zoom very close in. This is problematic when you can't see your entire curve, because you're zoomed in, and you can't…
4 votesDo you have Smart Guides turned on?
Just turn it off and Ai won’t snap handles to paths. -
Persistent rulers on startup
Option to toggle on/off in prefs. Simple as that
4 votesThis option already exists in Illustrator, in Preferences > General, although the name of it is quite obscure — Show/Hide Rulers. Once it’s enabled, each new or opened document will have rulers enabled.
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Put the Rectangle tool back into the standard and advanced toolbars
Put the Rectangle tool back into the standard and advanced toolbars
4 votesThere was a bug which allowed to accidentally drag-n-drop tools and insert them into other tools’ subgroups.
It was fixed by introducing a special mode to enable this. No accidents with lost tools should happen. Please comment back if it happens for you in latest versions.
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Show link image while resizing or moving
Instead of seeing just the bounding box when transforming linked files, why not show the content of the link? Transforming linked files, image or vector based, would be more intuitive. This currently requires a workaround.
4 votesThis is what Illustrator is capable of now with Preferences > GPU Performance options turned on.
It should work for both linked or embedded images, vector or raster, exactly as you described.
If it does not happen for you — please report it as a bug, and provide screenshots or screen recordings of the behavior, along with full OS and app specs.
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Bring back spacebar 'move' functionality when 'alt/option' is pressed (to access Anchor Point tool) while using Pen Tool
I realize this is a very specific request for a small piece of functionality that was probably never very popular, but it's part of a workflow I got used to using for years, and since upgrading to CC, it no longer works.
When creating a new path with the Pen tool, using the spacebar enables you to move the anchor point you've just created (before you release the click). Also, the Anchor Point tool allows you to do the same when you click on a point and drag the handles out.
My issue is that the Anchor Point tool doesn't…
4 votesAs per comment.
You have to release the Option/Alt key first after dragging out the handles, and then start holding Spacebar to reposition the point.
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