Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4723 results found
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Open/import CDR files (CorelDRAW)
Possible to open .cdr files, this is needed. Because in my country "Indonesia", who people are using corel and some using illustraot. We need this feature!
13 votes -
Word Cloud Creator
the ability to create a word cloud based on specific words, fonts to be applied to specific shapes or artwork. This would be very handy.
13 votes -
Stop installing foreign fonts I don't need
The font list is getting longer and longer, so it seems. Now we have (rather gimmicky if you ask me) Variable fonts.
I just want to get work done. I live in the Netherlands and I speak Dutch and English.
I don't speak Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew or Thai so I don't need to have these fonts available. These fonts just clutter my already long font list and make browsing and finding the font I actually need more difficult.
Solution: check the system in what language it is in and only install fonts which the user can actually use. Offer whatever language fonts as an optional install.
The font list is getting longer and longer, so it seems. Now we have (rather gimmicky if you ask me) Variable fonts.
I just want to get work done. I live in the Netherlands and I speak Dutch and English.
I don't speak Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew or Thai so I don't need to have these fonts available. These fonts just clutter my already long font list and make browsing and finding the font I actually need more difficult.
Solution: check the system in what language it is in and only install fonts which the user can actually use. Offer whatever…
13 votes -
Multi-page PDF import — need an option to distribute artboards
Here is the comparison of Importing 300 pages pdf vs creating same 300 pages via new document dialogue. Are we still in the same product?
Expected: distributing the artboards evenly or even giving options to distribute artboards during PDF import.
Observed: facepalm
13 votes -
character/puppet rigging
To add the ability to puppet rig illustrations directly in Illustrator.
This could not only be used to easily move parts of character illustrations while keeping it intact but also export illustrations ready for animating in After Effects.
Main feature would be ability to pair objects together using anchor points.
e.g pairing characters hand to forearm and forearm to bicep and bicep to torso. so when the hand is moved the rest of the linked objects will follow.13 votes -
The ability trim or extend a line using another line. Like the one they have in Autocad
The ability trim or extend a line using another line. Like the one they have in Autocad
13 votesIllustrator allows this today with Shape Builder tool.
You need to hold Opt/Alt and either click or brush through the excessive portion of the path, and Ai will trim it to the next intersection or between intersections. Works with selected objects only.
The precision of the tool is limited and bound to internal grid of the document. There is a bug report about this you might want to upvote.
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Ability to create an action for Recolor
It would be nice to be able to create a set preset to limit a certain library for recoloring and then be able to create an action for that present library.
13 votes -
Non-uniform scale tool by angle
Using available AI tools I have to twist and dance to perform non-uniform scale by angle.
Right now I have to do this:
1. Rotate path to make in straight oriented (it's not an default ellipse, it's manually traced path)
2. Reset bounding box
3. Rotate path backwards
4. Turn on bounding box (I work with it turned off)
5. Scale using bounding box at angleIf I use Scale tool instead, and set point to a center,
AI will scale path uniformly ONLY.
What a stupidity is this? I even remember custom plugin tool that allowed desired action, but it doesn't work for a long time.Using available AI tools I have to twist and dance to perform non-uniform scale by angle.
Right now I have to do this:
1. Rotate path to make in straight oriented (it's not an default ellipse, it's manually traced path)
2. Reset bounding box
3. Rotate path backwards
4. Turn on bounding box (I work with it turned off)
5. Scale using bounding box at angleIf I use Scale tool instead, and set point to a center,
AI will scale path uniformly ONLY.
What a stupidity is this? I even remember custom plugin tool that allowed desired action, but…13 votes -
Adobe CC Library Dropdown Categories and Groups
Adobe CC Library Dropdown Categories and Groups + Backup
Categories - I work for a large company, and while I LOVE the libraries, I hate scrolling. I'd love to be able to categorize them; for example, "Branding," "Imagery," "Products," "Stock," "Case Studies," "Creative" to cut down on the mega scroll effect.
Groups - Reiterating what another user said, group folders WITHIN the libraries would be very useful for one-off clients (or product launches) where you need to have lots of information in one library collection.
Backup - We need to be able to backup these libraries or have history restore points in case the library is accidentally deleted or an admin overrides a linked file.
Adobe CC Library Dropdown Categories and Groups + Backup
Categories - I work for a large company, and while I LOVE the libraries, I hate scrolling. I'd love to be able to categorize them; for example, "Branding," "Imagery," "Products," "Stock," "Case Studies," "Creative" to cut down on the mega scroll effect.
Groups - Reiterating what another user said, group folders WITHIN the libraries would be very useful for one-off clients (or product launches) where you need to have lots of information in one library collection.
Backup - We need to be able to backup these libraries or have history restore…
13 votes -
Export shortcut for PNG, JPEG etc
It would be great to have either a keyboard shortcut for exporting as a PNG, JPEG etc or even a toolbar shortcut.
13 votes -
Find color in artwork
Sometimes I have a stray color that I cannot find in the artwork. It would be nice if there was a way I could click on the swatch and say find color and it would highlight everything that color was used on.
13 votes -
link panel shows what layer the (missing) link is on and/or makes 'go to link' work on hidden layers too.
When links are missing that are on a hidden layer there is no way to easily spot them and check on in multilayered files. Since the GoToLink function only works on active layers, there is no other way but showing ALL layers and then using this function, remembering the layer and then hide the layers again; a painstaking procedure with large multilayered files. Would be nice if the link panel would simply state on which layer the missing link resides. Or make the GoToLink function automatically make the appropriate layer visible, like when pasting onto a hidden layer with 'paste remembers layers' on.
When links are missing that are on a hidden layer there is no way to easily spot them and check on in multilayered files. Since the GoToLink function only works on active layers, there is no other way but showing ALL layers and then using this function, remembering the layer and then hide the layers again; a painstaking procedure with large multilayered files. Would be nice if the link panel would simply state on which layer the missing link resides. Or make the GoToLink function automatically make the appropriate layer visible, like when pasting onto a hidden layer with 'paste…
13 votes -
Resizing Area Type using Transform or Properties panel should not transform text inside
When you try to set a size for an Area Type text in the Transform pane, it currently distorts the text along with changing the size of the area. This strikes me as inconsistent with resizing the area from the bounding box resize handles, and also undesirable (am I missing a use-case where you'd want the text to be distorted in this situation?)
I recently became aware there are width/height inputs in Type > Area Type Options but these are cumbersome.
I propose the Width / Height inputs in the Transform pane behave as in Area Type Options.
13 votes -
Select objects in Layers panel by dragging through items (or target or selection markers) with a modifier held
In older versions of Illustrator you could go to the layer panel and Cmd/Ctrl drag on the circle icons to select multiple objects really fast. Would love to have this back as it wasn't replaced with anything else and a lot of times I need to select objects on the layer panel and not the canvas.
13 votes -
'Tab' and 'Shift-Tab' to navigate when renaming Assets
Issue:
While renaming assets in the Asset palette there's currently no way to move to the next or previous asset using the keyboard. When there are a large number of assets this makes for a tedious process.Goal:
Allow the renaming of multiple assets without having to use the mouseSuggested Solution:
Utilize 'Tab' / 'Shift-Tab' keys to navigate to the next / previous assets, e.g. how renaming layers works in Photoshop.13 votes -
Keyboard shortcut to hide/show selected layer / object
Option to assign a keyboard shortcut for hide/show selected layer / object. Currently you have to click on the eye icon, which is pretty cumbersome. (for eg Photoshop has this feature, I think).
(I'm on a project where you need to trace this huge sketch with ready made elements and so toggle layer visibility is a fast way to see how things are aligning.) Cheers!
13 votes -
Functionality to change the standard drag option from Libraries to "place copy"
I would like to receive an option to change the default drag and drop functionality to "Place copy" instead of "Place linked". This will save a lot of time and hassle.
13 votes -
More advanced 'Add Anchor Points' function: selected segments only, number of points added, hotkey, etc.
'Add Anchor Points' is quite archaic at the moment. My requests:
1. Allow to apply to selected parts of paths, instead of the complete path.
2. Add a dialog to set the number of subdivisions / points added per segment.
3. Allow to assign it to a keyboard shortcut
4. When adding to a curved segment, the new anchor points should be smooth, not broken.13 votes -
QuickLook Preview Support for EPS Files on macOS via Adobe own framework
As of macOS 15 (Sequoia), Apple has officially removed all system-level support for rendering Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files in QuickLook. This change began in macOS 12 (Monterey), when Apple deprecated the internal PostScript conversion frameworks (notably PSNormalizer.framework), and culminated in macOS 14 (Sonoma) and 15 (Sequoia), where these frameworks were entirely removed.
Historically, Finder’s QuickLook preview for .eps files relied on these system frameworks to convert PostScript content into a previewable image. Many third-party applications (including Illustrator) used the same system calls to provide file previews. Even QuickLook plugins like Illustrator.qlgenerator or others that claimed .eps support were not rendering the content themselves—they merely invoked Apple’s system renderers under the hood.
Now, all such plugins are broken:
• .qlgenerator-style plugins are no longer supported or loaded at all in macOS Sequoia.
• System EPS rendering components (pstopdf, cgps, PSNormalizer.framework) are removed.
• Even if an EPS file contains an embedded preview (e.g. a TIFF or low-res PDF), macOS does not expose this to QuickLook.
• Applications like Illustrator or Affinity can still open EPS files, but no longer expose any preview capability in Finder.Some unofficial third-party utilities have begun to implement their own QuickLook Preview Extensions (using the modern App Extension architecture), embedding their own PostScript interpreters (such as Ghostscript). While this restores basic EPS preview functionality, these solutions may rely on reverse-engineered methods or contain licensing gray areas due to the proprietary nature of PostScript.
This leaves professionals—designers, publishers, illustrators—without a reliable, secure, and officially supported method to preview legacy assets in EPS format, which are still common in stock vector libraries, archival graphics, and prepress workflows.
⸻
We propose the following feature request:
Please consider developing an official Apple QuickLook Preview Extension for .eps files, bundled either with Adobe Illustrator or the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop app.Such an extension would:
• Support QuickLook previews in Finder and column view (via QuickLookPreviewingExtension)
• Use Adobe’s own EPS rendering engine internally
• Require no user interaction or app launch — just press spacebar on an .eps file
• Work on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
• Respect the EPS file’s embedded previews when available
• Safely handle untrusted EPS content in a sandboxed, non-executable rendering contextThis would solve a real and growing pain point in modern macOS workflows. Currently, users are forced to open files manually in Illustrator or rely on potentially unsafe tools—hardly an ideal user experience in professional environments.
We believe Adobe, as the originator of the EPS format and the leader in professional design software, is best positioned to provide a secure, performant, and standards-compliant solution.
As of macOS 15 (Sequoia), Apple has officially removed all system-level support for rendering Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files in QuickLook. This change began in macOS 12 (Monterey), when Apple deprecated the internal PostScript conversion frameworks (notably PSNormalizer.framework), and culminated in macOS 14 (Sonoma) and 15 (Sequoia), where these frameworks were entirely removed.
Historically, Finder’s QuickLook preview for .eps files relied on these system frameworks to convert PostScript content into a previewable image. Many third-party applications (including Illustrator) used the same system calls to provide file previews. Even QuickLook plugins like Illustrator.qlgenerator or others that claimed .eps support were not rendering…
12 votes -
Allow to collapse all items in Appearance panel
The Appearance panel looks somewhat similar to Layers, but it differs in many ways, excluding several QOL methods to deal with large amount of items.
For example, one can Opt/Alt-click a bracket next to a layer or a group in Layers to collapse unfurl all the children within it.
Sure, Layers miss just a button to do it as well, and there is a request about it here at UV (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42451084) — but Appearance just don’t have any method to collapse the items (and these do unfurl all the time — take a look at this bug report: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/49257335)
The panel just doesn’t have a root item anyway to use the same approach as Layers, since it allow only one level of displayed hierarchy, and nested appearances are navigated in a completely different manner — with double-clicks on 'Contents' and 'Group' rows...
Please don’t force us to scroll through the panel and collapse these one by one.
The Appearance panel looks somewhat similar to Layers, but it differs in many ways, excluding several QOL methods to deal with large amount of items.
For example, one can Opt/Alt-click a bracket next to a layer or a group in Layers to collapse unfurl all the children within it.
Sure, Layers miss just a button to do it as well, and there is a request about it here at UV (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42451084) — but Appearance just don’t have any method to collapse the items (and these do unfurl all the time — take a look at this bug report: …
12 votes
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