Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
517 results found
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Add Fit to Artboard option to Rectangle Tool
In the current situation, enter the size of the Rectangle by writing numbers or drawing it manually
My suggestion is to add a feature inside the Rectangle box (Fit to artboard)
I think this feature will save a lot of time
For clarification, see the attachment
17 votes -
Add an option to show edges when art is dragged with real-time drawing option on
Real-time drawing is a great feature and I wish it appeared earlier, so by this time I'd be polished enough. Now we have a mode when only edges are drawn while dragging and the other one, which draws only art — but not both. It makes positioning somewhat harder. Please add an option to allow both methods to work combined.
17 votes -
Put all Blend options and commands into one dialog / panel
Blend Tool > Blend Options Panel stinks, nothing personal.
I use the Blend tool. A lot. When I start a blend, the Properties Panel helpfully tells me that I have a Blend. Thanks for that. But I still have to go to Object > Blend > Blend Options to get any options for the Blend tool. What if the Blend tool options would magically appear in the Properties panel while I'm using that tool?Also, the Blend Options panel will not let me make any changes to the blend other than Spacing or Orientation. How about putting the other Blend…
17 votes -
Add a way to quickly access Smart Delete Point command
The way the deleting of a point with a curvature kept works now is pretty hidden and unannounced. I see nothing about this in Help (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/editing-paths.html). There is no hint in the Current Tool field at the bottom of the screen, no cursor feedback, no label, no nothing.
I do now remember exactly where I learnt about it though. Anubhav Rohatg told about it in a session with Taniya Vij (https://youtu.be/odch54arInA?t=944), saying that they have no time to polish it (and more than a year after it’s still not), and this 'principal scientist' basically intended this…
16 votes -
Bring back "Object lasso tool".
Was present in earlier AIs. Helpful for non-marque selecting. Increases efficiency
16 votes -
Split blends
It would be nice if Ai could allow to split a blend in a step defined, effectively creating two merged blends — something that CorelDraw was able to do for years.
16 votes -
Live preview of gradient (while dragging)
Whenever I'm using the gradient tool I wonder why I can never see the appearance of the gradient while dragging it. resulting in having to tweak it at least a couple of times before I'm content.
16 votesIllustrator now displays the appearance of the gradient interactively when you drag it, but only when GPU preview is on.
Make sure it is on in Preferences > Performance > GPU Performance, that you View > Preview on CPU / GPU Preview is correctly toggled, and that you are not using Overprint Preview.
If the issue still persists with all these checked — please comment back.
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Anchor point smart delete
Deleting an anchor point by default break up the shape of the stroke.
What about smart delete, that automatically adjust nearest handles to save the shape of the stroke.
I dream about it from the cs3 version :)16 votes -
Cursor and path feedback for Scissors
We have to guess if we cut a path at all and if we hit the right path.
No highlight (OK, using Smart Guides helps, but Smart Guides does nothing if you also have Snap to Grid enabled!), no cursor change.It’s 2022, right? Clouds, integrations, Stock sales directly in files... Scissors are still used with a blindfold, in a dark room, in a midnight.
Also vote for this related issue:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/36111436-make-pen-and-scissors-tools-prioritize-editing-to — Make Pen and Scissors tools prioritize editing to a selected path15 votes -
Spring Loaded tools
Over in Photoshop, it's possible to hold the single-letter shortcut for activating a tool, and to then release the key to return to your previously-used tool.
In many ways, this is not useful in Illustrator, but in several, it's invaluable. The Zoom tool, in particular--I'd like to be able to hold Z, adjust the zoom, and release Z to be back on the selection tool (or whatever i was previously using).
The Hand tool already works this way: Take out a tool like Selection (v), and then hold spacebar to get the Hand tool. Drag the canvas around, then release…
15 votes -
Make live hint for the Eyedropper tool
Right now clicking with Eyedropper results in a blind result: until it's clicked, there is no way to predict what will be picked exactly. Why not to show properties to be picked in floating thingy next to the cursor? PS does it great in separate panel, why AI can't steal that?
15 votes -
Display Measurement Labels when Snap to Grid is on
We can enable Measurement Labels in Preferences > Smart guides, to display a drawn line’s length, or width/height for shapes, or distance for moved objects.
Cool.
But once you enable Snap to Grid, labels stop being displayed.
I get it, Smart Guides stop work in terms of snapping and actual guides rendering, but why ditch labels? We still draw and move, and it’s maybe even more important with snapping on!14 votes -
3D visualization of art
Ability to visualize the art on a 3D model.
Ability to make basic adjustments to 3D attribute.14 votes -
Allow to define circle pie angles in percent, with snapping options
We can create pie angles in degrees, but there are cases when we rather more interested in percentage — pie charts.
Sure, we know math, and can multiple 360° by 0.7 to get 70%, and Ai supports this in its fields...
...but what about the tool? How about an ability to create these directly on canvas — with the snapping to a defined value, like 5% or maybe even 3.5%?13 votes -
Allow strokes in brush and pencil tools to be shown in real time while drawing
When you draw lines with freehand tools (pencil/brush), the stroke doesn't show up until after you finish it and release. It just shows as a thin blue line. It doesn't account for thickness so I end up having to redo lines because I can't see what they look line until I finish drawing each line.
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 -
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…13 votes -
Make Drawing Guides Thicker
With the onset of 4K & 5K monitors, the red dotted guides have become incredibly hard to see. I would like to suggest that the guides be made thicker or that there be a way for me to increase their thicknesses in settings so they can be seen better.
13 votes -
Allow us to set up the default and stepped Dimension Line Offset for the Dimension tool
When we Opt/Alt-click the object or just click a segment, Ai creates a dimension with some predefined distance between the object and the dimension line.
We can’t control it (plus we can’t choose which sides to use for Opt/Alt mode anymore, unlike in early Betas).Also, we need to be able to hold a modifier while creating a dimension to constrain this offset to a set parameter, in a stepped manner, — something third-party plugins like BPT Pro and CADtools can do.
12 votes -
Lock angle of bezier handles (hotkey-selectable)
When drawing with the pen tool, it would be very helpful to be able to lock the angle of the control point handles when drawing the next segment.
The function works well for the existing fixed snap angles (90-deg, etc) but I would love to have a hotkey to temporarily lock the existing (arbitrary) angle of the point as I draw the next segment.
Currently, I find it too easy to destroy a perfectly placed curve while drawing the next segment--particularly when the in- and out- handles have dramatically different lengths.
12 votes
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