Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
- or
4543 results found
-
Select objects to then apply auto selection criteria
Once objects are selected apply the auto select criteria such as "same fill color" or "same outline". If this is possible, I can't figure out how to do it. I can only choose to select all of the items of a single color, because I have items already selected. Also, it would be great for quotes to be able to get a quick total of the number of items selected. Is this information listed somewhere on screen that I've never noticed?
10 votes -
An option to affect fonts that are hidden or locked with Find/Replace
When finding lost fonts or replacing fonts can you PLEASE let AI change/replace fonts that are hidden or on a locked layer. Or at least give us an option to.
10 votes -
Allow to nudge or rotate individual elements along the path for Objects on Path
Objects on Path needs more options and in its current setup is very limited in its usefulness. This tool feels like it's still in beta. Whilst it's good at doing the one thing it's designed to do, it's missing a lot of useful capabilities.
One of missing bits is the ability to nudge or rotate individual elements along the path.
Other two requests are:
1. Objects on Path needs an ability to keep orientation of objects relative to page/path, similar to blends — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48984890
2. Add an option to measure gaps between objects in Objects on Path by their bounds, not between centers — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48987905(Originally by Lewis Tsalis)
Objects on Path needs more options and in its current setup is very limited in its usefulness. This tool feels like it's still in beta. Whilst it's good at doing the one thing it's designed to do, it's missing a lot of useful capabilities.
One of missing bits is the ability to nudge or rotate individual elements along the path.
Other two requests are:
1. Objects on Path needs an ability to keep orientation of objects relative to page/path, similar to blends — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48984890
2. Add an option to measure gaps between objects in Objects on Path by their bounds,…9 votes -
Press Alt while creating a radius / diameter dimension to toggle these two mode on the fly
Currently Dimension tool requires you to orient your cursor when creating a radius or diameter: inside of the clicked shape to create a diameter or outside to make it a radius.
This is very nifty, sure.
But:The tool hardly tells you about it when you draw. The only hint Ai give us is a blue bar (that we all tired of seeing, because everything in Ai now pops and shouts and distracts — I’m speaking about use, Text To Vector!) — I attach the screenshot of it for those who blinked and missed it.
If I work with a tiny circle and I want to mark a diameter for it, I’d have to precisely aim inside of this little area — and this give me very little control over the angle of the line produced. Especially important, since you just ignore Shift to constrain the angle, which is respected by any other construction tool in Ai.
Here is a request about Shift, BTW: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/47734580
So, for this request, please introduce a modifier key we can use to toggle radius/diameter as we draw, without moving the cursor in or out.
Opt / Alt will do.Currently Dimension tool requires you to orient your cursor when creating a radius or diameter: inside of the clicked shape to create a diameter or outside to make it a radius.
This is very nifty, sure.
But:The tool hardly tells you about it when you draw. The only hint Ai give us is a blue bar (that we all tired of seeing, because everything in Ai now pops and shouts and distracts — I’m speaking about use, Text To Vector!) — I attach the screenshot of it for those who blinked and missed it.
If I work with a…
9 votes -
Press Shift to constrain the angle of a radius / diameter dimension
Shift is universally used to constrain a drawn art to 0-45-90° angles when using a tool. This applies to lines, rectangles, other shapes, anything that can be clearly oriented.
The Dimension tool breaks the paradigm — we can’t hold shift to constraint the angle of the drawn dimension line when creating radii or dimeters.
Some standards require us to have these lines too use integer steps, like 15° or 30°... this is very hard to comply now.
Please either make the tool to respect angles set in Preferences > Smart Guides, or make it a separate setting in the tool’s options.
Shift is universally used to constrain a drawn art to 0-45-90° angles when using a tool. This applies to lines, rectangles, other shapes, anything that can be clearly oriented.
The Dimension tool breaks the paradigm — we can’t hold shift to constraint the angle of the drawn dimension line when creating radii or dimeters.
Some standards require us to have these lines too use integer steps, like 15° or 30°... this is very hard to comply now.
Please either make the tool to respect angles set in Preferences > Smart Guides, or make it a separate setting in the tool’s…
9 votes -
Isolation tints eyedropper colors from linked assets
When using the eyedropper tool in isolation mode on artwork, the color is taken from the actual artwork even though isolation mode displays it as faded. When doing the same on linked assets, even if they are Illustrator files, the isolation mode fade gets applied to the sampled color. This means that you have to back out of isolation mode and direct-select it to sample the asset, or otherwise have already created a swatch before entering isolation.
I think it would be nicer if Illustrator could treat the sampling of linked assets the same way it does for local artwork - sampling the actual colors instead of the colors after fading is applied.
When using the eyedropper tool in isolation mode on artwork, the color is taken from the actual artwork even though isolation mode displays it as faded. When doing the same on linked assets, even if they are Illustrator files, the isolation mode fade gets applied to the sampled color. This means that you have to back out of isolation mode and direct-select it to sample the asset, or otherwise have already created a swatch before entering isolation.
I think it would be nicer if Illustrator could treat the sampling of linked assets the same way it does for local…
9 votes -
More precision options for Dimension Tool
Please add: 0"-0 1/8" & 0"-0 1/16" to Unit precision. I really need 3/8", 5/8", 7/8"...
9 votes -
Add First Object Above / Last Object Below commands in Select menu
Illustrator provides two ways to access Next Object commands:
1. From Select menu
2. From the context menu, Select submenuAnd while the context menu provides four commands, the Select menu gives only two. First Object Above / Last Object Below — for no apparent reason — are missing, and we can’t assign hotkeys to these because of it.
Please add them there.
Also consider this request, to be able to select ALL objects above or below the current selection: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/34306246-select-objects-above-below-current-layer-objec
Note that this one is basically about 'select those who intersect', while we are also interested in 'select those which are above below in stack'.
Finally, here is a bug report about Select Next Object commands in context menu (and only these, not their main Select menu analogs) not working at all: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/46742011-select-next-object-commands-in-context-menu-are-br
Illustrator provides two ways to access Next Object commands:
1. From Select menu
2. From the context menu, Select submenuAnd while the context menu provides four commands, the Select menu gives only two. First Object Above / Last Object Below — for no apparent reason — are missing, and we can’t assign hotkeys to these because of it.
Please add them there.
Also consider this request, to be able to select ALL objects above or below the current selection: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/34306246-select-objects-above-below-current-layer-objec
Note that this one is basically about 'select those who intersect', while we are also interested in 'select those…
9 votes -
Show 'Can’t join a path' message as a soft one
Modal dialogs are very dated. They grab attention, they interrupt workflows, they yell at you. Most times we don’t need these as loud as they are — a whisper is nice.
And Ai actually now has these, 'soft' messages, like the one we get when we modify a live shape — 'Shape expanded', at the top of the view, in a gray rectangle. Calm, non-intrusive, with auto-destruction timer. Nice!But there are other, legacy warnings and screams.
The most annoying for me persoanlly is the one I get when I try to join a closed path (just in case, to be sure it is closed), but Ai yells at me — 'you caaaaan't' — with a ding and a message and a text... just show the 'Path is already closed' soft message.Perhaps don’t mix all the cases together and display it as a huge page like you do. A user has a compound path within the selection? Tell it, and only if the user really has it. Same for other art types users can’t join.
I see an educational benefit in having it like this now... but look, if I enable 'don’t show this again' checkmark in this alert box, I won’t be able to see if I should join more or is it just enough.Modal dialogs are very dated. They grab attention, they interrupt workflows, they yell at you. Most times we don’t need these as loud as they are — a whisper is nice.
And Ai actually now has these, 'soft' messages, like the one we get when we modify a live shape — 'Shape expanded', at the top of the view, in a gray rectangle. Calm, non-intrusive, with auto-destruction timer. Nice!But there are other, legacy warnings and screams.
The most annoying for me persoanlly is the one I get when I try to join a closed path (just in case, to…9 votes -
Show the exact location where snapping to grid occurs
Snap to Grid is underrated. Illustrator makes everything to make it uncomfortable to use: no constantly available indicator, clashing with Smart Guides, the general lack of customization (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/32403847-make-center-point-visible-while-dragging-art)...
And also it does not give enough feedback on WHERE the moved / transformed object snaps to, to which exact gridlines’ intersection.
Something just happens!
Look at the GIF — this 13.25×13.25 magenta square feels like it’s lagging, also I’m just trying to position it.Look at the second GIF, from Affinity Designer. Can you spot the difference? We can clearly see which point it snaps to, no problem. Well, almost clearly, lines get drawn too late and too pale to my taste... but at least they exist!
Hello, Illustrator?
Snap to Grid is underrated. Illustrator makes everything to make it uncomfortable to use: no constantly available indicator, clashing with Smart Guides, the general lack of customization (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/32403847-make-center-point-visible-while-dragging-art)...
And also it does not give enough feedback on WHERE the moved / transformed object snaps to, to which exact gridlines’ intersection.
Something just happens!
Look at the GIF — this 13.25×13.25 magenta square feels like it’s lagging, also I’m just trying to position it.Look at the second GIF, from Affinity Designer. Can you spot the difference? We can clearly see which point it snaps to, no problem. Well,…
9 votes -
Allow Transform effect applied to an object to transform its the opacity mask also
If I apply Transform effect to an object with an opacity mask (to move or scale it parametrically, for example), only the object will be transformed — but not the contents of its opacity mask.
This is not consistent with the destructive method, when you actually move or scale this object...The workaround is to apply the same effect to the contents of the opacity mask, but it does not always have the same effect, since the contents can have different bounds, and the transformation points will differ.
There should be an 'Affect Opacity Mask' option in the Transform effect dialog.
If I apply Transform effect to an object with an opacity mask (to move or scale it parametrically, for example), only the object will be transformed — but not the contents of its opacity mask.
This is not consistent with the destructive method, when you actually move or scale this object...The workaround is to apply the same effect to the contents of the opacity mask, but it does not always have the same effect, since the contents can have different bounds, and the transformation points will differ.
There should be an 'Affect Opacity Mask' option in the Transform effect…
9 votes -
Multiline tooltips
Plugin developers can’t make tooltips go in several lines. Extensive tooltips are forced to be one long line, and it’s hard to read in time.
Comes along with this request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/466453489 votes -
Custom exposure time for hover tooltips for third-party developers
A narrow enough request. At the moment developers can’t customize the time each hover tooltip gets displayed. When the text is long, it vanishes too soon.
Comes along with this request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/466453789 votes -
Be able to create a finished vector repeat tile from Pattern Editing Mode.
Currently, the only way for a designer to get a final tile from a repeat pattern created in pattern mode is a clunky workaround involving dragging the fill swatch art from the swatches panel to the artboard and then working with the bounding shape to create a cropped, repeatable tile for export. We need a button to click inside pattern mode that creates a tile from the artwork inside pattern mode that is perfectly cropped (could be a clipping mask) but will retain all the live content that typically gets expanded when you exit pattern mode. This option should allow you to generate a half-drop tile based on the tile edge or a tile based on the swatch bounds. I'm sure most designers would prefer to be able to use live content (brushes, freeform gradients, and tools like the Eraser in Pattern Mode) but barring that, we really need finished vector tiles with content that's not expanded. And, we need those tiles without the clunky fill swatch bounding shape workaround.
Currently, the only way for a designer to get a final tile from a repeat pattern created in pattern mode is a clunky workaround involving dragging the fill swatch art from the swatches panel to the artboard and then working with the bounding shape to create a cropped, repeatable tile for export. We need a button to click inside pattern mode that creates a tile from the artwork inside pattern mode that is perfectly cropped (could be a clipping mask) but will retain all the live content that typically gets expanded when you exit pattern mode. This option should allow…
9 votes -
Create a shortcut to toggle between 2 different tools (e.g. brush & ink)
Would be nice to have a keyboard shortcut to toggle between 2 tools (e.g. brush and ink) I'm working on an illustration and would be so much faster if I could have just one key to toggle between both tools. This is possible in Photoshop. I don't understand why isn't possible in Adobe Illustrator :(
9 votes -
Make clickable areas for eye buttons in Layers and Appearance as large as their sections
As demonstrated in https://www.instagram.com/p/CmhJOBNo-U3/
Clicking an 'eye' requires aiming, despite the area it is located in is pretty large. What’s a point of limiting the clickable area?9 votes -
Remake the Tools / Menu Commands dropdown in Keyboard Shortcuts into two toggle buttons
Dropdown lists just from two elements are pure evil.
Illustrator has one in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.What’s a point of having it? Don’t you have enough space on the x-axis to display both items at once and improve the discoverability of both options?
As if you were hoping to get another item in that list and never added... in30 years.Remake it into two conjoined toggle buttons, or at list in a radio-group (ugh), but just allow users to see both available options at once.
9 votes -
Display command assigned hotkeys in Discover panel’s search results
When you search for a command in Discover panel, Illustrator gives you the results, but never actually tries to educate a user further with teaching him assigned keyboard shortcuts.
Figma does it!9 votes -
Make a more integrated way to report bugs
Figma allows to report bugs directly from the web app.
You go 'Help > Contact Us > Report a bug'. Then you fill out the form, directly in the app, provide steps, attach files... looks very similar to the approach Ai uses, but more streamlined, with no intermediate steps.
Once it’s done, the dropdown is collapsed, and you are where you were at the moment.To report bugs in Illustrator you have to search for the way.
First one should locate 'Help > Submit Bug/Feature Request'. This redirects you to the browser, to http://www.adobe.com/go/aiWishform/, which can redirect you (with a frightening autogenerated link) here to UserVoice — or kick to adobe.com, if you are lucky enough.
Then you have to register at UserVoice, switch between two windows, make effort...The difference is not that big, but reporting in Figma is a small interruption, while in Illustrator is the whole story.
Figma allows to report bugs directly from the web app.
You go 'Help > Contact Us > Report a bug'. Then you fill out the form, directly in the app, provide steps, attach files... looks very similar to the approach Ai uses, but more streamlined, with no intermediate steps.
Once it’s done, the dropdown is collapsed, and you are where you were at the moment.To report bugs in Illustrator you have to search for the way.
First one should locate 'Help > Submit Bug/Feature Request'. This redirects you to the browser, to http://www.adobe.com/go/aiWishform/, which can redirect you…9 votes -
Make Properties panel to have the same width as other panels
Properties is the widest panel among other panels in Illustrator.
While other panels by default have the same width (and some are resizable), Properties is too wide.It gets specifically disgusting whet it get stacked with other panels — they have to conform the minimal width of Properties and start looking ugly.
At the same time, the main content of Properties does not look like it needs all that minimal width — there is a huge gap on the right visible in 'properties_1.png' attached.
Sure, when you have some art selected, it look differently, like in 'properties2.png'... but look at the 'properties3.png' — the Transform panel is not that wide in fact! It’s analog in Properties is just bloated!
Align section can be just reorganized (and include more options and ditch the dropdown, because Align has 3 buttons instead of it now), and this also applies to other sections as well.The only problem is the Quick Actions buttons, which are two in a row.
Some languages use much longer words than English, and these buttons get even longer even, sure.
But it does not mean you have to bloat! Make them reflow and go stacked, when the width is not enough. See, you have a huge Recolor at the bottom, stick to that way!Also, perhaps you want to remove gaps between all bottom buttons in the full Align panel, to make it have the same default width? It got changed when you made Align To options into buttons, and it’s kinda ugly. Buttons are great though!
This request originates form this bug report, about the unadjustable width of the Properties panel, when it’s stacked with other resizable panels: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/32011942
Properties is the widest panel among other panels in Illustrator.
While other panels by default have the same width (and some are resizable), Properties is too wide.It gets specifically disgusting whet it get stacked with other panels — they have to conform the minimal width of Properties and start looking ugly.
At the same time, the main content of Properties does not look like it needs all that minimal width — there is a huge gap on the right visible in 'properties_1.png' attached.
Sure, when you have some art selected, it look differently, like in 'properties2.png'... but look…
9 votes
- Don't see your idea?