Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4666 results found
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Add an option to hide the Search/Filter field in Layers
Search/Filter is cool, but some prefer to not have it.
Other panels allow to choose components: we can pick sections to display in the Character panel, we can show or hide the search field in Swatches, etc.However, the panel does not have such an option in its flyout menu.
Please add one!18 votes -
Improved Layout of Illustrator Options
Illustrator 2023 (v27)
This is a proposal to improve the layout of the Illustrator option.
Illustrator format files contain two different types of data: PGF and PDF data. Currently, Illustrator options have three settings: PGF only, PDF only, and common settings for both PGF and PDF. However, these settings are currently mixed together in the window, making it difficult for users to understand which setting they are operating on.
To make Illustrator options more easily understandable, we propose organizing the layout and clearly distinguishing each setting. By grouping the setting items and labeling each group clearly, users will be able to easily understand the target of the settings.
The attached mockup is an example of the proposed improvement.
Japanese:
Illustratorオプションのレイアウトを改善する提案です。
Illustrator形式のファイルには、PGFデータとPDFデータの2つの異なるデータが含まれています。現在のIllustratorオプションには、PGFのみの設定、PDFのみの設定、そしてPGFとPDFに共通の設定の3つのオプションがあります。しかし、これらの設定は現在ウィンドウ内に混在して表示されているため、ユーザーがどの設定に対して操作しているか理解するのが難しい状況にあります。
そこで、Illustratorオプションをより理解しやすくするため、レイアウトを整理し、各設定を明確に区別することを提案します。設定項目をグループ化し、各グループに明確なラベルを付けることで、ユーザーは設定の対象を容易に理解できるようになるでしょう。
添付されたモックアップは、改善案の一例です。
Illustrator 2023 (v27)
This is a proposal to improve the layout of the Illustrator option.
Illustrator format files contain two different types of data: PGF and PDF data. Currently, Illustrator options have three settings: PGF only, PDF only, and common settings for both PGF and PDF. However, these settings are currently mixed together in the window, making it difficult for users to understand which setting they are operating on.
To make Illustrator options more easily understandable, we propose organizing the layout and clearly distinguishing each setting. By grouping the setting items and labeling each group clearly, users will be able…
18 votes -
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:
Remove selected anchor points.
Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Remove Anchor Points, and this command can have a hotkey assigned toConnect 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.Cut path at selected anchor points.
There is NO a menu command for that, and this button can NOT have a hotkey or written into an action (which is a bad workaround anyway, because an action which has only one operation is an excuse for not having an ability to assign a hotkey to the command directly, like with scripts).
We need these as hotkeys.
We need all the hotkeys — https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31609237In Control panel we have three buttons for a point partial selection:
Remove selected anchor points.
Does the same as a menu command Object > Path > Remove Anchor Points, and this command can have a hotkey assigned toConnect 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.Cut path at selected anchor points.
There is NO a menu command for…
18 votes -
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 re-link. In this case, provide a pop-up dialog asking whether to relink all selected instances or re-link one at a time, incase the user wants to link different images.
If user relinks with different images, move those new links into their own instance grouping with a "primary" heading of its own.
Image mockup provided for clarity.
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…
18 votes -
Customizable splash screen
Adobe marketing team decides what to display as splash screens. Sometimes the choice is great, and sometimes is not, much more often, to some of us.
And since the Illustrator splash screen is what we see often, and it obviously influence our thought and mood, we’d like to have options to customize it.
We can access the image ourselves, all of them are stored along with other version for different resolution screens at
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2022\Support Files\Contents\Windows\aiccsplash.png (on Windows)
and packed in the application in Contents\Resources\ (on Macs),
but this feels like a hack.What if we can have:
A) a loading interface that takes an image provided and updates the resources
B) an ongoing challenge, where every enthusiast can submit an artwork, using a hashtag or something similar, and the most upvoted gets picked for the next splashscreen
C) an algorithm that picks an artwork randomly and automatically from the Behance top, each time Ai launches, with customization options, like Windows can do for its desktop wallpapers
B) an option to turn off the image at all (some prefer CS3 style)Creativity for all, right?
Modding is creativity.#bringbackthevenus
Adobe marketing team decides what to display as splash screens. Sometimes the choice is great, and sometimes is not, much more often, to some of us.
And since the Illustrator splash screen is what we see often, and it obviously influence our thought and mood, we’d like to have options to customize it.
We can access the image ourselves, all of them are stored along with other version for different resolution screens at
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2022\Support Files\Contents\Windows\aiccsplash.png (on Windows)
and packed in the application in Contents\Resources\ (on Macs),
but this feels like a hack.What if we…
18 votes -
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.18 votes -
Create a Collapse All Layers button (with an assignable hotkey)
Currently you can collapse (or expand) all sub containers by Alt key clicking on the little arrowheads on the left-hand side of the top level container items. It would be great if we had a button we could click that collapses (or expands) everything.
Bonus points if this could be called by an action or script!
18 votes -
Cluster / group small increment edits like nudging as one "move" in History to undo
In Photoshop, when a user nudges an object by holding down an arrow key for an interval of time, PS clusters that series of nudges as one "move". Then the user can undo all of the nudges at once with one "Undo move" command in the History panel. Since Illy doesn't have a History panel (and why is there no History panel? Don't like it, don't use it.), it's impossible to undo all of the nudges with one "Undo". Please make Illy treat nudges like PS does.
18 votes -
Allow us to customize/choose features/controls/order in Control panel
A Feature that can be used by any Tool or Panel which is most common (like Fill & Stroke), that should not be active in the both (Control Bar & Properties Panel )sides at a time.
When Text Object is selected by Arrows.
If you have selected Text by using Arrows/Selection Tools, you should have good options in the Right Click's menu, like Spell Checking which is logical according to selection.
It would be also better if these features will be added in Control Bar by replacing redundant Features Like Fill & Stroke which can be used by Panels and Tool Bar or These Options (Spell Checking) according to selection (Text) should be in the Properties Panel with the properties of current tool selected/Active, (hope Properties Panel would be converted into Tools Properties Panel)A Feature that can be used by any Tool or Panel which is most common (like Fill & Stroke), that should not be active in the both (Control Bar & Properties Panel )sides at a time.
When Text Object is selected by Arrows.
If you have selected Text by using Arrows/Selection Tools, you should have good options in the Right Click's menu, like Spell Checking which is logical according to selection.
It would be also better if these features will be added in Control Bar by replacing redundant Features Like Fill & Stroke which can be used by Panels and…18 votes -
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 the eyedropper preferences.
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…
18 votes -
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。18 votes -
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).
18 votes -
Select same, with multiple selectable attributes and customisations
When using the Select Same feature we need a lot more options, like all objects with the same transparency effect AND opacity AND tint AND line weight etc, that can be selected from a list of attributes. Same sort of list as the options list for the Eyedropper Tool (see screenshot).
It should be split into sections that allow vectors graphics selections as above, but also things like selecting all linked items that are the same file AND the same size AND rotation AND opacity.
Selecting all text in a certain colour, font, size, style so they can be updated en masse would help too (overlapping with another suggestion here).
You can then tick as many as you like before performing the select using your chosen filters. A preview mode would be useful too, so you can see what you're picking up.
Once set, selected filters should be saveable and accessable from a scrollable list alongside the filter window for instant selection without opening a save / load screen.
Finally, each select same filter window should have an option to add / subtract from the current selection, so selctions can be stacked / refined.
This would be a huge time-saver when updating many files with similar changes whether to update embedded elements, for corporate image updates or technical changes like minimum line thickness.
When using the Select Same feature we need a lot more options, like all objects with the same transparency effect AND opacity AND tint AND line weight etc, that can be selected from a list of attributes. Same sort of list as the options list for the Eyedropper Tool (see screenshot).
It should be split into sections that allow vectors graphics selections as above, but also things like selecting all linked items that are the same file AND the same size AND rotation AND opacity.
Selecting all text in a certain colour, font, size, style so they can be updated…
18 votes -
Workspace Management (Update/Save Current Workspace, etc.)
Please can Adobe implement a proper Workspace Manager in Adobe Illustrator that is identical to Adobe InDesign.
Currently if you want to replace a Workspace you have to type the name of the Workspace in so that Illustrator asks you if you want to replace it? In Adobe InDesign you can select the Workspace from the drop down so there is no need to type anything in.
I hope Adobe can make their Workspace Management the same across all their applications.
18 votes -
Make an option to show points' handles when part of the path is transformed live
I often modify part of the path or single point with basic tools. For examples, it's quite convenient to select one point and rotate it, if I want to change the angle of it's handles, or scale it, if I want both rotate and scale. Unfortunately, AI hides handles when I drag my selection with a chosen tool. It makes sense in general, but I would like to have an option not to hide it, so I could see where my handles are all the time of transformation.
18 votes -
Add reference point locator for symbols
Symbols only have registration point. Fine, store it. Use it as default for scaling-rotating and so on. But why I can't set reference point for transforming it as I want, and as I can for EVERYTHING else?! What, AI can't calculate it's left top coordinate or what? Why can't I flip it over the left edge, for example? Why can't I even COPY it's top left coordinate?
Shh, calm down.
18 votesThis can be done with Transform panel’s flyout menu — disable 'Use Registration Point for Symbol' option.
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Make an option to show text sections with 'No break' applied to them
'No break' is a goo thing to have, but it's invisible even when Hidden Characters are on. Make something for those who have to work with text in AI to see these sections
18 votes -
Add option to Always update links
Sometimes I make a lot of changes within linked images. AI always asks if I am to update links, and I'd like to have this dialogue temporarily switched off (but enable it later)
18 votesAs per Neeraj: it is possible to control the update behavior of links — automatically or manually. Go to Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard > Update Links.
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An option to limit Select > Same / Object commands to the current or specific artboards
I would like the ability to use the "Select" tool to select similar items that appear only on one artboard. Illustrator will now select all similar items throughout the document, on all artboards. I need to be able to select similar items on a single artboard without affecting other artboards. This would save me a tremendous amount of time.
18 votes -
Batching actions can't access files through Windows file shortcuts
If user has a folder with shortcuts to files in different folders and try to batch this folder, AI can't see files. It would be great if it could.
18 votes
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