Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
- or
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4663 results found
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Have an 'Expand' button in the Image Trace panel
It's a pretty crazy change to remove it...
Why have it tucked away in the menus ?!8 votes -
Blob brush in touch mode
I work with a Wacom mobilestudiopro and I really like the touch mode but the blob brush is not accessible in this mode. It will be really helpful if you can add this brush. Thanks a lot
8 votes -
Why cant a save as a pdf with the option so scale down?
Why cant a save as a pdf with the option so scale down?
if you are working on a shop design and you have the art-board at full size (5666) or whatever it is. I cant save it as a .PDF because its out of range and I cant see a option to scale it down. and we cant print as a PDF anymore...... why are you making proofing so hard?8 votes -
Swap names for Reflect commands
Transform / reflect / horizontal-vertical
function is incorrect
8 votes -
Selection panel - supercharged customisable selection options
- A new Select panel.
*User-defined search permeameters with logical operators, and access to all relevant properties and object types in the document object model. Ability to extend and refine a search by multiple parameters.
*User-defined labels for objects, with which users can create their own custom searches (eg. ”figure”, ”house”, “red team”, “platform” etc.).
This would make me A Happy(er) Bunny.
8 votes -
Please bring back the slider for the gradient angle adjustment!!!
There used to be a slider for the angle adjustment of gradients. It was great because I didn't have to know the angle or the direction in numbers, (which designers are notoriously bad at, by the way) I could freely adjust the angle based on how it looked. The way it is now, with a textbook and a dropdown menu, is so much more work and SO FRUSTRATING. I don't want to have to type in increments and figure out if I need to make it a negative angle.
PLEASE GIVE ME THE SLIDER BACK!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!
Maia8 votes -
Focus the Search field in Preferences (introduced in Beta 29.7.0.60) when the dialog gets opened, and focus the found and highlighted option
Search in Preferences, originally requested here (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42476344) is a welcome feature! However, it works not as it should be, as shown in the GIF attached.
- The field should get immediately focused instead of Keyboard Increment field, so we can start searching right away after calling the dialog with Cmd/Ctrk+K
- When it finds an option that can be toggled (a checkmark) or focused (a field) — it should focus it, so we can toggle it with s Space or type a new value This makes the whole experience mouse-free for those who are in a hurry (and we are). It doesn’t take away from anybody else, with a pen or a mouse, it just makes it more accessible...
Search in Preferences, originally requested here (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42476344) is a welcome feature! However, it works not as it should be, as shown in the GIF attached.
- The field should get immediately focused instead of Keyboard Increment field, so we can start searching right away after calling the dialog with Cmd/Ctrk+K
- When it finds an option that can be toggled (a checkmark) or focused (a field) — it should focus it, so we can toggle it with s Space or type a new value This makes the whole experience mouse-free for those who are in a hurry (and we are).…
7 votesThis change broke the existing method to quickly access the Keyboard Increment value, reported here. The team decided to revert this change until a better solution is found. Please watch this space for further news.
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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…
7 votes -
Add a slider to the History panel to quickly review the states of the document
If we want to go back to a certain history state of the current document , we can scroll the History panel and click each step item, guessing the time, judging by the names of these, the scrollbar position (limited by the capped amount of steps)...
It’s a guesswork in most cases, since some steps still have generic names (like always 'Move' and not 'Move Point', 'Move Handle', 'Move Segment', 'Move Path', 'Move Group'...)Can I just grab a slider and scrub with it, seeing all the previous states rendered on canvas — and fast? Today Ai sometimes takes too much time to undo, and it won’t work with scrubbing.
And hey — look, Affinity Designer does this.
If we want to go back to a certain history state of the current document , we can scroll the History panel and click each step item, guessing the time, judging by the names of these, the scrollbar position (limited by the capped amount of steps)...
It’s a guesswork in most cases, since some steps still have generic names (like always 'Move' and not 'Move Point', 'Move Handle', 'Move Segment', 'Move Path', 'Move Group'...)Can I just grab a slider and scrub with it, seeing all the previous states rendered on canvas — and fast? Today Ai sometimes takes too…
7 votes -
Learn to link / place .ai files saved without PDF compatibility (PGF only)
I know, why would you. A PDF-layer is basically a composite flattened layer Ai writes into an .ai document, and just reads it when the file is placed: in Photoshop, in InDesign. Handy, yeah?
Not really. Saving a document without the compatibility is so much faster. The non-compatible files are so much lighter (especially with heavy raster links used within). OK, Ps and InD can’t read PGF (Progressive Graphics Format, the one that’s native for Ai)... but Ai can.
Why not reading linked .ai docs as they are and THEN keep it’s PDF representation within the destination file, if it makes the difference in performance? I don’t mean save this representation within it, just regenerate it on opening, no?
I mean, I’m so tired of seeing these 'This is an Ai® file that was saved without PDF...' stamps instead of actual content when I need to link something... instead of generating it right there and now, you force us to import/open the link, resave it and try anew. You can read these! Just read them, please.
I know, why would you. A PDF-layer is basically a composite flattened layer Ai writes into an .ai document, and just reads it when the file is placed: in Photoshop, in InDesign. Handy, yeah?
Not really. Saving a document without the compatibility is so much faster. The non-compatible files are so much lighter (especially with heavy raster links used within). OK, Ps and InD can’t read PGF (Progressive Graphics Format, the one that’s native for Ai)... but Ai can.
Why not reading linked .ai docs as they are and THEN keep it’s PDF representation within the destination file, if it…
7 votes -
Bring back Duplicate button in the Contextual Task Bar
It would be very useful to bring back the repeat / duplicate icon in the Contextual Task Bar -- specifically when selecting shapes. Illustrator 2024 had this feature when a shape was selected. The 2025 update removed this feature.
Please bring this back, or allow users to customize the Conceptual Task Bar in the settings.
7 votes -
Make objects in Objects on Path to reposition relative to one set as a key object
Align and Distribute operations in Illustrator support picking a key object, by clicking on of the objects in a selection, so it get a thicker edge. This object stays in place, while every other in a selection aligns or distributes relative to it.
Sadly, this 'key object' paradigm is largely unloved in other areas, but it's also neglect in new Objects on Paths construct.
While it does not support setting a target path with it (requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48988013), it also does not allow to 'fix' one object on path as adjust gaps relative to this fixated object.What we have now is an ability to hold Opt/Alt, to scale gaps relative to the center of the array... but with key object support it would be even cooler!
Original idea by Ton Frederiks
Align and Distribute operations in Illustrator support picking a key object, by clicking on of the objects in a selection, so it get a thicker edge. This object stays in place, while every other in a selection aligns or distributes relative to it.
Sadly, this 'key object' paradigm is largely unloved in other areas, but it's also neglect in new Objects on Paths construct.
While it does not support setting a target path with it (requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48988013), it also does not allow to 'fix' one object on path as adjust gaps relative to this fixated object.What we…
7 votes -
More fields to Smart Guides angles
Have you ever required to customize Illustrator more, well, this is a feature that is here a long time ago and it would be nice to have more options: In Preferences > Smart Guides, we should have more options to add custom angles, since six fields are falling short. Is this doable?
7 votes -
Display Move Locked and Hidden Artwork with Artboard option in Control panel and Properties while using Artboard tool / mode
The Move Locked and Hidden Artwork with Artboard option should be displayed when the user is actually in the "Edit Artboard" mode, using the Artboard tool. It is common problem when you want to duplicate an artboard and you have locked background. In most cases, I want to move my artwork with the background.
7 votes -
Option to add dimensions to current / specified layer
I enjoy the new dimension tool but find it annoying that it creates a whole new separate layer. Maybe my workflow is unconventional, but it would be nice if the dimensions could just be added to my print instructions layer instead of a whole new layer just for the dimensions. I make a lot of diecuts and find myself still using old methods to create the dimension lines due to it always putting them on another layer.
7 votes -
Add a 'Select More' menu option
When working with a very busy file, it's often much easier to select an anchor or line segment than an object.
My idea is to have a menu option that selects the object or objects which currently have anchors or line segments selected.
A user could select an object by first selecting one of its anchors, and then using this menu option.
If the user hits this feature multiple times, it could continue to 'select more' by, for example, selecting all siblings within the current group, and then the group itself, and then the group's siblings etc.
7 votes -
An option to hide units in dimensions made with the Dimension Tool
Can you add an option so that the units are not displayed for dimensions and only the number is displayed? Thank you.
7 votesLatest Beta Builds now allow to hide units for dimensions.
Toggle the option in the tool’s options dialog to force it for new objects, or disable it in the Properties panel for existing and selected dimensions.
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Allow Shape Builder to close edited path, but keep the one below opened
Hi there!
So, the thing is that - when I have 2 intersecting open filled paths, I really want to remove the outside path of one path using Shape Builder tool. But I want the second path to stay open. and the first path to become closed.It may sound as a picky request. But I struggle with this issue everyday, like, 20+ times.
7 votes -
Multi page PDF import: needs to respect original document color space
Hi,
Now when selecting "All" for page range, Illustrator creates a document with default color space, e.g. now CMYK.
It would be nice if PDF importer was a bit smarter and could check and respect original PDF's color space, and set up the document in Illustrator to match.E.g. when importing an RGB pdf, it would use RGB color space; and CMYK for CMYK.
7 votes -
Clip to Artboard (similar to Figma, XD, Photoshop)
Can we please get a "Clip to artboard" Option in Illustrator, acting similar to the one to be found in XD or Figma? This would help a lot when working with multiple style frame inside one document.
7 votes
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