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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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4712 results found

  1. Add numerical control over light sources in 3D Extrude & Bevel Effect Options

    When applying and tweaking 3D Extrude & Bevel Effect, user has to manipulate light by precise mouse twitching over the small sphere.
    It should be at least twice as big to provide fine control (I won't note this as separate request), but there should also be numerical fields to control the lights' position over sphere — angle, elevation, choose any.

    Also, why Depth and Height values there are immune to document Units settings? 56.96pt is nonsense to me, while 20mm makes sense.

    20 votes

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  2. Improve and allow customize the 'Show' info slot in the bottom bar (next to horizontal scrollbar)

    Show field next to zoom and artboard selectors below work area can now show 5 things:
    current artboard name, which is nowhere else is seen except Artboards palette;
    current Tool, that is usually visible if Tools panel is on;
    current date-time, which is visible in system clock;
    number of undos, which was quite useful when RAM was tiny;
    current profile, which is visible in document header.
    I mean, almost every info available is also available in other place!

    I would like to use this field as something exclusive:
    number of selected objects (nowhere to be seen, only PathScribe plugin can…

    20 votes

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  3. A big persistent Color palette offering RGB and HSB and Grayscale at a glance.

    When making Illustrations, I switch between RGB / HSB and Grayscale all the time. I have a 30" screen - room enough to show all mixers all the time.
    Please make this possible.

    20 votes

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  4. Allow tool bar to be horizontal

    Now that the properties has been finally set in the right panel, I love it! This allows me to have the layers set in the left panel. Next step, It would be nice to have the ability to set the tool bar above or below horizontally.

    20 votes

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  5. Create artboard to three decimal places

    It would be nice to be able to set artboards to three decimal places without it rounding up. If I make something at 3.125", it rounds up to 3.13", or 3.6785 becomes 3.68. Although I have not had any printers yell at me for my files not being correct, I still am concerned that it always wants to round up to the hundredths place, especially when I'm having to be sure that my materials are going into places where the sizes are set in to be such specific tolerances.

    20 votes

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  6. Make Enclosed Selection Mode a permanent option

    Illustrator now allows to use Enclosed Mode to select objects within the marquee (originally requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31863601), but the only way to do it is tap E key.

    I agree that this basic feature is essential, but I don't agree that any modifier keys or specific dragging directions (like requested here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/49489604) should be required. Shift-drag is already used to add to the selection, so that won't work.

    Opt/Alt toggles duplication, and both can be toggled mid-drag (unlike in Photoshop).

    This should be a selectable selection mode (also with a hotkey), and in fact there should be a…

    19 votes

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    6 comments  ·  Selection  ·  Admin →
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  7. Allow to customize the Contextual Task Bar

    I want to be able to customize the Contextual Task Bar, add the functions I need to the panel (tools, menus, actions, scripts, etc.). Please add a configurator like in the toolbar.

    19 votes

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  8. Objects on Path needs a way to control spacing / gaps precisely, with a value

    At the moment we can’t control spacing (gaps) between objects on path ion the new Objects on Path type of object (what a beautiful sentence).

    We can only eyeball it with a slider, which is incrementing by points (despite me having set millimeters as my ruler units).

    There is no field I can type something like 0.125 mm, or at least a modifier key (like Cmd/Ctrl) to make the slider go slower ×10 (or any other value I choose somewhere in Preferences or at least in Adobe Prefs file, buried in Ai’s folders).

    Perhaps yo should also allow us to…

    19 votes

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  9. Make Snapshots for History panel

    I'd like to be able to TAKE SNAPSHOT

    Then a History panel would show each snapshot, rather than hundreds of moves and tweaks.

    A undo/redo shortcut modifier to step back or forward through snapshots.
    A trash can on the history panel to remove a snapshot.

    19 votes

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  10. Add Cut At / Connect / Remove Selected Anchor Points commands to 'Object > Path' menu

    In Control panel we have three buttons for a point partial selection:

    1. Remove selected anchor points.
      Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Remove Anchor Points, and this command can have a hotkey assigned to

    2. Connect selected end points.
      Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Join, and has a default hotkey. Why Ai uses both 'Join' and 'connect' for the same operation, and also has 'Join' tool, which does a pretty different thing — is an UX mystery.

    3. Cut path at selected anchor points.
      There is NO a menu command for…

    19 votes

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  11. Improved links panel (with Relink All)

    Improved links panel. List all instances of a linked image under one 'primary' link, append the filename with " (xx instances) ". Use a chevron that points right to indicate that there are multiple instances under the "primary" one shown in the list. Clicking the chevron makes the chevron point down, and displays the list of all instances.

    Clicking to select the "main" instance and clicking the re-link button should allow the user to replace all instances of the same image. Allow the user to expand the list downward as described above and select a single, or multiple instances to…

    19 votes

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  12. Make title bar of inactive window look different from an active one

    On Windows there is no way to tell Illustrator window in focus from inactive one, even when a corresponding option in OS preferences is on.

    And every time Ai is not in focus you can’t use hotkeys.
    Please make at least something dynamic to tell if the window is in focus! Like it was before. Icon changing color at least.

    19 votes

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  13. Return showing thumbnail file previews on Windows in Explorer

    Please add thumbnail file previews to Windows as we have with Adobe Reader. It's not fair that Mac users have this and Windows users don't While you're doing that please add them to PSD files as well.

    19 votes

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    4 comments  ·  Other...  ·  Admin →
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  14. Make keyboard shortcuts work for different input languages

    I'd love to see an update that lets me use the same physical keys for shortcuts while I have a different keyboard than English selected.

    For example, the backslash key () is used for the line tool. But when switching to German, the same physical key returns (#) and in Romanian we have a (â).

    I wish that all shortcuts activated by the press of the physical keys work as intended in the interface regardless of the language currently active so I don't have to switch so much between languages just to have my shortcuts work again.

    This could work…

    19 votes

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  15. An option to ignore locked layers with the eyedropper tool

    At the moment, if you have a locked layer above the layer you are working in, the eyedropper tool selects colors and properties of the top layer - the locked layer - instead of the (unlocked) layer you are working on.

    This causes frustration as every time you want to eyedrops something, you have to make a bunch of layers invisible first.

    If an option could be added to the eyedropper tool, such as "ignore locked layers", this problem would be gone completely and working with Illustrator would be a lot smoother and faster.

    This could be an option under…

    19 votes

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    4 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  16. Draw/brush selection

    I work with pixel art. When I select I need to click on every single pixel to change color, if it's not simple shapes like a rectangle that I can marquee and select. If I draw, I just drag the pixels around accidentally. I would like to draw a selection with a brush (any brush I like), and that whatever is covered beneath what I draw by the brush gets selected. And it shall be in a mode that no pixels or objects or anything is dragged around.

    Why it's valuable? It would be a huge timesaver, and keep me…

    19 votes

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    2 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  17. Allow to add / place / drag-n-drop several / multiple symbols to the canvas / artboard at once

    Being able to select more than one symbol from the symbol library and adding to the canvas. Instead of mousing back and forth repeatedly.
    The way the Library panel works is great. You can select multiple objects and drag to the canvas, placing each at the desired location, quick and easy.
    This would be a great function for the symbols panel.
    Thanks!

    19 votes

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    5 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
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  18. Disable "save as PDF compatible" as default when saving .AI files

    I do a lot of large signage projects with a lot of imported large PSD files. For years I have pulled my hair out waiting for these files to save, even though the images were linked and not embedded. I finally discovered that if I turn off save as PDF compatible when I save the AI file, it saves a lot quicker! Please turn off the save as PDF compatible default when saving. AI files that are large.

    Also when turning off PDF compatibility in an AI file, it would be nice to still have a finder preview.

    19 votes

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  19. Quick Command for Trim View

    Quick Command for Trim View. I alternate a lot between normal view and trim view but have to stop to select trim view every time.

    19 votes

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  20. Add 'Release' button for Envelope distort object in Control bar

    Control bar is still the best thing to control various aspects of selected art. You try to transfer some of those to Properties, but 'Release' button (as long as 'Expand') is still nowhere to be found (only deep in menus or on hotkeys, already taken).

    19 votes

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