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Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests

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654 results found

  1. Don't reset view rotation when pressing Escape

    When you are in a rotated view, pressing Escape resets the rotation to zero degrees. This is frustrating when you're merely trying to exit Object Isolation or exit text editing.

    There does not seem to be a Keyboard Shortcut for this operation, which I would expect to see.

    4 votes

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  2. 8 votes

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  3. Snap to guide at one zoom level is perfect at all zoom levels.

    After setting up guides, I want to be able to snap an object to that guide and have it be perfectly aligned to that guide at all zoom levels. So if I align an object to that guide at 50% zoom, I want it to be perfectly snapped when I zoom in at 640000% zoom (or whatever). I’ve wasted so much time over the years and many versions of AI aligning at one zoom level and then zooming in as much as it will go to readjust to a perfect alignment because it didn’t work at the…

    2 votes

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    0 comments  ·  Snapping  ·  Admin →
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  4. Don't force baseline shift settings to be sticky

    For me, I only rarely need to adjust baseline shift settings (usually when I want to adjust the verticality of a trademark symbol relative to body copy.

    Unfortunately, Illustrator retains the baseline shift value, so subsequent text has it applied by default, forcing me to reset it. I'd absolutely love it if that setting defaulted back to zero, given the infrequency with which I actually need to use it (for me, it's the exception, not the rule). Generally after my occasional need for a baseline-adjusted character, I'm forced to type in new text, manually reset the baseline shift value…

    1 vote

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  5. Illustrator should be able to import any unicode character

    I was trying to use Runic text in an image but illustrator wouldn't enter anything but boxes with X's in them. I contacted support and they told me it was because no language supports the runic symbols.

    This strikes me as absurd, as even applications such as notepad or openoffice can handle it, I could even send the runic text through the chat client I used to communicate with the support (as well as in google translate).

    This should really be fixed.

    3 votes

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  6. Rotate bounding box only

    It’s similar to a request to do it on iPad I made: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/931888/suggestions/46244521

    Ditto.
    Ai should give us a mode to freely rotate the bounding box the way we need, to zero or any angle.
    There should be a way to quickly align it to a chosen straight segment or even a point.

    Affinity Designer has a feature that can be used for this purpose, Select > Cycle / Set Selection Box — even though it doesn’t exactly does the same thing.
    There are also two plugin methods to achieve this in Ai today:
    1. ToolShed plugin by Graffix: https://rj-graffix.com/product/toolshed/

    5 votes

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    0 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  7. Symbol Sprayer Tool Enhancement

    The Symbol Spray Tool is very awkward in using and not very intuitive to first time users. Who would have thought to double tap to open the options for the tool. There is very little documentation on this. I do not believe the tool is used by many artist. May be add the options to the menu bar? Also unable to ungroup or align the symbols once they are on the artboard. Would be awesome to be able to create a path and apply the symbols on the path. This would be great to create an outline then spray the…

    3 votes

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    3 comments  ·  Symbols  ·  Admin →
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  8. Gradient following the curve of a shape

    Don't know if this is an original idea but - is it possible to make an feature to make a gradient follow a user-drawn guideline (like with text on line)..? I tried to illustrate it in the attached file - the first shape is the one that should be filled with gradient, the second one is what we can do now (or mesh but that's a bit complicated) and the third one shows the guideline in purple and arrows that the gradient would follow. So the lower left part of the shape would be let's say darkest, the gradient would…

    8 votes

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    8 comments  ·  Gradients  ·  Admin →
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  9. Make Illustrator inform users about the live shape nature of the path used for area type and provide associated controls for it

    Currently, when we use a live rectangle as a path for an area type, it secretly stays live shape inside, and it allows us to scale the object with the round corners honored. If we round corners for a rectangle-looking path (not live shape), corners will get stretched.

    However, there is no way to distinguish these two cases with UI, or to convert a rectangular path used for the area type into live rectangle shape, or to have shape-sepcific controls.

    Please refer to the discussion in comments for the details.

    This request is based on the original declined bug report…

    8 votes

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  10. Export or save as SVG

    Please improve dramatically the save as or export option to SVG file!
    As many people have already requested, please simplify the code.
    But my request deals with SVG export with indic languages: IT JUST SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK AT ALL, even if all corresponding options (Parameters / Text / Indic and Asian line by line composer) have been selected in Illustrator!!!
    I attach two screen shots: the first one is Illustrator screen, the second the SVG result. You will see that the devanagari text is completely different.
    For your information, I have already mentionned that problem on or two years…

    4 votes

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  11. Allow to use custom user templates for Swatch Info objects

    Swatch Info is OK (if completed!), but there is not enough customization currently.
    Take a look what an awesome ColorList script by Katja Bjerrum offers: https://productivista.com/make-a-list-of-colors-from-your-selection/ — we can set our own shapes before making a color legend.
    We could have done it semi-automatically after creating a Swatch Info, with Global Edit, to replace all chips with a custom shape... but for some reason these rectangles are immune to Global Edit (as it often happens, new features get loosely integrated with existing functions...)

    This actually also includes text parameters, but perhaps it’s a separate request... Sure, the font is the…

    4 votes

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  12. More options to adjust UI scaling

    Yesterday I downloaded Illustrator (26.0.2) for the first time. But the small User Interface stops me from using the product. The text is so tiny, especially in Properties and Layers panels. For me the possibility of a larger text is important. If there is no option for enlarging, I stop using the product. But I really want to use Illustrator and to create beautiful things.

    I tried to fix the issue with Edit > Preferences > User Interface < Adjust the UI Scaling slider. But the changes are insignificant on the highest possible value. I think the UI Scaling slider…

    4 votes

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  13. Find and replace graphics

    One of the greatest features of Freehand, and something I miss greatly in Illustrator, is the "Graphic Find And Replace" tool. I use the text find and replace a lot and bringing the same tool set to the graphics side would help with production greatly.

    Some of this functionality can be found with "select same as ..." but is more limited and requires extra steps. Or working with symbols but that's less flexible.

    5 votes

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    1 comment  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  14. Change layer thumbnail background so white objects are visible in the Layers panel

    Currently, I'm working with white text for a logo design and because the layer thumbnail background is white and the text is also white, it is impossible to see what objects are in my Layers. Illustrator for ipad already has this feature, so why isn't it in desktop?

    2 votes

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  15. Allow Area Type to auto size with center and bottom alignment

    Allow Area Type to auto size with center and bottom alignment.

    2 votes

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  16. Pulling content (text, etc) from a database into a layered template

    Ideally, it would be advantageous to manage a database of content (like SQL) that could then be linked to content in Illustrator files. In that way, changes to the database such as address could then automatically change in the associated Illustrator files. I don't know if this is something already developed and if so, I'd love to hear more about it. I've heard about the Datamerge function, but I don't quite know all of its capabilities. I'd appreciate any comments on whether that is a viable solution. Thank you.

    1 vote

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  17. Pattern brush can be created while viewing preview as in pattern edit mode.

    Creating tiles and checking whether the seams are aligned is hard work.
    I think that it is convenient to have a function that can create a pattern brush while watching the preview as in the pattern edit mode.
    It seems that the efficiency of pattern brush creation will be greatly increased.

    (Translated to Japanese)
    タイルを作成し、つなぎ目が揃っているかを確認する作業は大変なので、パターン編集モードのようにプレビューを見ながらパターンブラシを作成できる機能がほしい。
    制作時の作業効率が大幅にUPすると思います。

    19 votes

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    0 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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  18. 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…

    11 votes

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  19. UI Font scaling like Photoshop has now

    Can we get illustrator to have the same type of UI scaling capabilities that Photoshop 2019 has now? I saw that illustrator added the ability to have small, medium and large interface but can we also have text scaling separately as well like small, medium, large so we can change that independently? Right now I have illustrator open and the icon size is ok but the text is too small now. So if you wanted to have the interface as small but the text as medium, that's what I'm talking about.

    2 votes

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  20. Allow to hold Shift to force Aligned (orthogonal) Dimensions

    Ai now tries to smartly detect a relative position of the cursor to a dimension being created and choose if it should be parallel or oblique.

    This sound like a smart solution, but in practice is SUCKS.

    Take a look at this small GIF.
    1. The dimension between two objects is live, and responds to the object being moved up and down fine
    2. But if I choose to move it to the right, it says 'hey, I am a dimension between two points, I’m switching to be slanted'
    3. OK, I delete it and try to create anew. STRUGGLING,…

    3 votes

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    0 comments  ·  Tools  ·  Admin →
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