Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
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No existing idea results
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4470 results found
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Overline
It would be nice to have an overline feature along with the underline and strikethrough.
5 votes -
Touch bar customisation with actions
It would be awesome if illustrator CC could have touch bar customization with actions. I already use some of the build in touch bar buttons, and I though it would be awesome to have the option to add actions to the touch bar. For example, having like a little actions folder on the left or the right side of the touch bar that when open, will show all of the actions and other folders inside. Then you could just tap on the touch bar to trigger an action. I know that you can already set actions to trigger on function keys, but for MacBook pro users, that can be kind of annoying especially if you have a lot of actions. so you would have to hold down fn + (modifier key if you have that many actions) + F(number). I just think it is not very intuitive.
It would be awesome to see this is the next version as actions are extremely helpful and the touch bar is just so convenient.
Thanks
~Simon
It would be awesome if illustrator CC could have touch bar customization with actions. I already use some of the build in touch bar buttons, and I though it would be awesome to have the option to add actions to the touch bar. For example, having like a little actions folder on the left or the right side of the touch bar that when open, will show all of the actions and other folders inside. Then you could just tap on the touch bar to trigger an action. I know that you can already set actions to trigger on function…
5 votes -
Scrollable Panels and Tools
I want to be able to scroll panel and tool windows.
Panels:
I want to keep my most-used panels open in a scrollable sidebar rather than having to expand and collapse them. Generally speaking, expanding a tool collapses another. This leads to unnecessary clicks and movement. Unless I choose to collapse a panel, it should remain open — respect my intention! I expect panels to remain in the same place I left them, not shift up or down according to which panel was opened last.Tools:
On a small screen, the single-column toolbar gets cut off by the application frame, making the bottom tools inaccessible. There is no excuse for this.I know this will likely fall on deaf ears but I figure it's worth a shot.
I want to be able to scroll panel and tool windows.
Panels:
I want to keep my most-used panels open in a scrollable sidebar rather than having to expand and collapse them. Generally speaking, expanding a tool collapses another. This leads to unnecessary clicks and movement. Unless I choose to collapse a panel, it should remain open — respect my intention! I expect panels to remain in the same place I left them, not shift up or down according to which panel was opened last.Tools:
On a small screen, the single-column toolbar gets cut off by the application frame,…5 votes -
Package command should have option to choose file version
Package command should have option to choose file version
5 votes -
Illustrator should prioritize editing the currently focused text over other text objects when placing a cursor or making a text selection
If I have a text box selected and switch to the text tool, why does Illustrator assume I want to select a non-selected text box to edit text in? It should prioritize the selected text box over non-selected text boxes.
5 votes -
Paste with User Controlled Placement
Currently paste function tosses the pasted object to the center of the pasteboard.
This causes issues with selecting/locating the pasted object and it is an inefficient tool for productivity.
Like other design software the Paste function should provide the user with a controlled landing position by showing the full sized boundary of the incoming pasting object while it automatically follows the mouse.
This is feature is much more efficient to design than the current paradigm.
5 votes -
Default Artboard Position
When you create a new Adobe Illustrator document the Default Position of the Artboard should not be in the center it should be in the upper left corner with a little margin top and left.
At least give us the option to choose if we like a default center or upper left corner artboard position.
5 votes -
Save for Web dialog does not remember all customized settings
We create web posting formats of figures in Illustrator and my customized settings do not save. Why do we have the option of Save Settings....when they do not save?
File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy) > Name > Custom setting named and save.
The Custom setting retains one of the defaults, in my case PNG-24, but does not retain any numerical measurements that IO enter beneath it.
We save many files with the same specs for our web posts. Why do I have a custom option to Save Settings when they only save a default. What's the point? Can you please make them save ALL of the settings?
We create web posting formats of figures in Illustrator and my customized settings do not save. Why do we have the option of Save Settings....when they do not save?
File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy) > Name > Custom setting named and save.
The Custom setting retains one of the defaults, in my case PNG-24, but does not retain any numerical measurements that IO enter beneath it.
We save many files with the same specs for our web posts. Why do I have a custom option to Save Settings when they only save a default. What's the point?…
5 votes -
Type Selections
My idea consists in making it able for us to select text only, but with the arrows, like we have now, but doing it selectively.
I'll try to explain:
If we make a freehand selection (area selection) over some portion of the work, everything that is not locked and that that selection overs is selected, right? Despite being it the Black or White Selection Arrows.
However, I can go to the Menu>Select>Object>Text and it selects ALL text from the artboard. I can also go to a layer and click on the circle on the right and get all of those layer elements selected, either them being text, vectors, images, etc.
With this «new» Arrow, for example a subset of arrows and this being placed there, a Arrow with a «T» next to it, when we click and drag with that arrow over our artboard, only those elements get selected, in this case Text, because it is the arrow with a «T». This arrow can be set to select «selectively» other stuff, colors, to add to swatches (just thought of this one right now), vectors, but differently of the regular ones, that select everything below the click and drag selection, just those vector objects, or images, or whatever we can specifically say that is different by its own.
We can use it to give conditions, usually in the top bar below the menus, if we want to select text, and, for example, size or font, or vectors, lines, closed paths, etc, images, if size this or that, or colors, then add them to swatches if then some sort of OK is given.
I believe this as a lot of potencial!
Feel free to comment! Thank you!
My idea consists in making it able for us to select text only, but with the arrows, like we have now, but doing it selectively.
I'll try to explain:
If we make a freehand selection (area selection) over some portion of the work, everything that is not locked and that that selection overs is selected, right? Despite being it the Black or White Selection Arrows.
However, I can go to the Menu>Select>Object>Text and it selects ALL text from the artboard. I can also go to a layer and click on the circle on the right and get all of those…
5 votes -
Increase size of Gradient stops boxes (too small for older eyes)
Ideally the gradient stop boxes would be a little larger. When working with many gradients, it's time consuming trying to hit that little box to change a color. I'm aging, so my bad, but even slightly larger would be wonderful.
Thank you,
Lori5 votes -
Support for ems in leading field of the type panel
When setting the leading, we have the option of "Auto" or setting a specific value in a static unit like px or pt.
It would be great if a dynamic unit like ems (as implemented in CSS) were available to make leading, and I suppose other type attributes, scalable relative to the font size.
For example, if I have a block of text set to 12pt and 1.5em, the leading would be 1.5x the point size, and therefore 18pt. If I were to alter the font size to 20px, the leading would still be 1.5em and therefore would scale automatically to 30px.
This could also then output to the CSS Properties panel as ems.
When setting the leading, we have the option of "Auto" or setting a specific value in a static unit like px or pt.
It would be great if a dynamic unit like ems (as implemented in CSS) were available to make leading, and I suppose other type attributes, scalable relative to the font size.
For example, if I have a block of text set to 12pt and 1.5em, the leading would be 1.5x the point size, and therefore 18pt. If I were to alter the font size to 20px, the leading would still be 1.5em and therefore would scale automatically…
5 votes -
Action: Insert Conditional
In the Photoshop Action panel there's "Insert Conditional" allowing you to set logical conditions for action behaviour. Illustrator should have this too. It's neat.
It's useful for making action behaviour more inteligent and relevant to the document, eg. doing one or another thing depending on whether the document is landscape or portrait, colour mode, etc.
Another way it can be used is to create toggle buttons for things that Illustrator doesn't currently have shortcuts for (eg. Scale Strokes & Effects). Presently you have to create two separate keybindings for each action, whereas the conditional allows you to toggle with a single shortcut.
In the Photoshop Action panel there's "Insert Conditional" allowing you to set logical conditions for action behaviour. Illustrator should have this too. It's neat.
It's useful for making action behaviour more inteligent and relevant to the document, eg. doing one or another thing depending on whether the document is landscape or portrait, colour mode, etc.
Another way it can be used is to create toggle buttons for things that Illustrator doesn't currently have shortcuts for (eg. Scale Strokes & Effects). Presently you have to create two separate keybindings for each action, whereas the conditional allows you to toggle with a…
5 votes -
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 -
Assets Export - Good but could be better
The assets exporter is a good idea but:
1 - As name it takes the top-layer/group name. I have everything sorted in groups and what I need is in the 3rd level, thats the name and the layers I want to export as an assets, but is imposible right now.2- Why it works only dragging from the canvas? It would be SO good if we could drag them from the Layer tab, more handy.
3- Why the asset preview hide if you hide the layer/group? Makes no sense and makes it more confusing.
Those are so common sense things, don't know who takes the decisions about this kind of stuff but come on... Anything I try doesn't work, always fighting with the program about how to do things that should be normal. I still wasting a lot of time with Illustrator to make thing that should be so easy to do.
The assets exporter is a good idea but:
1 - As name it takes the top-layer/group name. I have everything sorted in groups and what I need is in the 3rd level, thats the name and the layers I want to export as an assets, but is imposible right now.2- Why it works only dragging from the canvas? It would be SO good if we could drag them from the Layer tab, more handy.
3- Why the asset preview hide if you hide the layer/group? Makes no sense and makes it more confusing.
Those are so common sense things,…
5 votes -
Unembed links when packaging...
When packaging a file, there is no option to un-embed images.
5 votes -
Add commonly used stroke weights in a document to a dropdown
Sense the stroke weights being used in the document so they can be selected in the drop down menu in Stroke Weights.
So if 0.15 was a common stroke weight it would appear in the drop down menu that now starts at 0.25. It could be cursive or grey to give standout.
Thanks
E5 votes -
Edit multiple selected paths with Pencil tool.
This Illustrator feature has been lost since version CS5:
- Select multiple strokes
- Use Pencil tool to edit selected strokes.
In CS5 Illustrator understood the difference between "User-selected strokes" and "Newly created strokes" allowing users to fine-tune multiple paths with the Pencil tool without losing the selection. This feature has been lost, in ALL subsequent versions of Illustrator. What a loss!!
5 votes -
Increase the size of artboard names in artboards
On my 4k monitor I can barely read the artboard names up in the corner of each artboard. Please allow larger font
5 votes -
SVG export option to export global Color Swatches as CSS Custom Properties
In addition to classes and IDs, CSS custom properties (aka. CSS variables) are a great way to style SVG Content.
Conceptually they are closest to Illustrators global color swatches.I propose to add an Option to SVG Export of Adobe Illustrator to turn named global color swatches into CSS custom properties.
Example:
Original Output:
fill: #456; stroke: #abc;New Output:
fill: var(--medium-grey, #456) ; stroke: var(--dark-grey, #abc);Web applications could use the custom properties, to quickly create color-variations of an illustration.
Example: https://codepen.io/g12n/pen/KQwpJR/
An additional option could be a compatibility mode for the styling options "Inline Style" and "Internal CSS", that adds an additional fallback for browsers, that don't support custom properties at all:
fill: #456; fill: var(--medium-grey, #456);
This fallback should be opt-in, since it increases file size.
Use-Cases:
- Theming of Icon-Sets (like http://www.streamlineicons.com/ux/)
- Branding and Color Variations
- Definition of CMYK and Spot Colors Versions in Print Stylesheets or other applicable Media
- Animating Color Transitions with CSS (example: https://codepen.io/g12n/pen/aEMaNz/)
Additional Resources:
"Styling SVG <use> Content with CSS" by Sara Soueidan
https://tympanus.net/codrops/2015/07/16/styling-svg-use-content-css/"Custom properties" on MDN web docs
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/--*"CSS Custom Properties and Theming" on CSS Tricks
https://css-tricks.com/css-custom-properties-theming/In addition to classes and IDs, CSS custom properties (aka. CSS variables) are a great way to style SVG Content.
Conceptually they are closest to Illustrators global color swatches.I propose to add an Option to SVG Export of Adobe Illustrator to turn named global color swatches into CSS custom properties.
Example:
Original Output:
fill: #456; stroke: #abc;New Output:
fill: var(--medium-grey, #456) ; stroke: var(--dark-grey, #abc);Web applications could use the custom properties, to quickly create color-variations of an illustration.
Example: https://codepen.io/g12n/pen/KQwpJR/
An additional option could be a compatibility mode for the styling options "Inline Style"…
5 votes -
Ability to change resolution when setting pixels as a unit
I use Illustrator for UX design, and thus I use pixels for the dimensions. However, the resolution of most modern screens, in mobile phones, and other devices, is not the default 72 ppi. Thus, when I switch between units, the pixel size does not equal what I get in millimeters. (For usability issues, e g mm based letter height is crucial.)
I know Photoshop is more of a pixel oriented tool, but doing vector graphics and using Illustrator is an advantage in terribly many places. (There is a reason for Sketch being a popular replacement...) Adding a way to customize the units or customizing the pixel resolution would benefit me and my entire team of 15 people, very much.
I use Illustrator for UX design, and thus I use pixels for the dimensions. However, the resolution of most modern screens, in mobile phones, and other devices, is not the default 72 ppi. Thus, when I switch between units, the pixel size does not equal what I get in millimeters. (For usability issues, e g mm based letter height is crucial.)
I know Photoshop is more of a pixel oriented tool, but doing vector graphics and using Illustrator is an advantage in terribly many places. (There is a reason for Sketch being a popular replacement...) Adding a way to…
5 votes
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