Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4728 results found
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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 votesYou can assign your own custom shortcut to this command via Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts. Toggle 'Tools' to 'Menu commands' from the dropdown and search for 'Trim View'.
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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 -
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…
19 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.
19 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.
19 votes -
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
19 votes -
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.
19 votes -
Match Width or Height to Key Object
I would like a quicker way to match an object's width or height to that of another object. Currently I have to select the correctly sized object, copy the W value, select the next object, and paste the W value. This must be done individually for each object. A pain when you have, say, a dozen objects scattered around the artwork but you want them to all be the same size. I think it could work similarly to the "align to key object" tool.
19 votes -
Drop shadow distribution curves
Right now shadow is just blurred silhouette.
Please add option to tweak it's distribution, as PS does ('profiles').19 votes -
Make Smart guides optionally work with live text
Sometimes it is needed to snap to contour of live text.
Right now it requires to make a copy of text, outline it, snap to desired point/segment, delete copy.What if user could tick an option that allows to snap to live glyphs? or use 'Ctrl' modifier to toggle this mode on the fly? It would allow us to skip copying-outlining-snapping-deleting and boost the speed.
19 votesSnap to Glyph option, available in the View menu, released in the version 24.3 (2020), allows to snap to the live text as if it is outlined.
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Art brushes different weight value
Well, this is complex one.
As you know, a lot of people live in metric world.
It means they use 'cm-mm' instead of 'inches-points'.
I, for example, have all three major units set to millimeters — general, stroke and type.But each time I apply brush to anything, it gets weight '0,353 mm'.
Yes, it is 1 point. And every time I need to scale my brush twice as normal, I have to type in '*2' in the end of 'Weight' field instead of just typing 2.Worse, when I don't remember what weight it has now, but need to change it, knowing it. I have to switch to points for stroke or calculate it somewhere.
Even if I used inches — in fact, you can have fat-wide brush by itself, 10, 53, 0.64 inches or anything, and AI will show it as '1pt', when it's obviously NOT.
Because it's '1x'.
It is relative size, not absolute.
One time as wide as original.So why won't you change the way this value is shown in Stroke palette?
Let the weight of brushes be measured in relative units across all unit's setting.Make it an option, please.
Well, this is complex one.
As you know, a lot of people live in metric world.
It means they use 'cm-mm' instead of 'inches-points'.
I, for example, have all three major units set to millimeters — general, stroke and type.But each time I apply brush to anything, it gets weight '0,353 mm'.
Yes, it is 1 point. And every time I need to scale my brush twice as normal, I have to type in '*2' in the end of 'Weight' field instead of just typing 2.Worse, when I don't remember what weight it has now, but need to…
19 votes -
Soft selection (Selection drop off)
This already exists in many 3D applications (Maya, 3D Max, and C4d, for sure) and it's often treated, not as a separate tool, but as a setting in the regular selection tools. The idea is that you can set an gradient influence area where the points directly selected are affected 100% by transform changes, while everything else is affected by the changes but adjusted to the alpha percentage of the gradient at that point's initial location. I know that sounds like a mouthful, but it's very similar to how the mesh warp works (minus the having to convert anything and retaining full control of all your points individually at all times).
Here's a tutorial of how the tool works in Maya:
https://youtu.be/tl1utGRX9awThis already exists in many 3D applications (Maya, 3D Max, and C4d, for sure) and it's often treated, not as a separate tool, but as a setting in the regular selection tools. The idea is that you can set an gradient influence area where the points directly selected are affected 100% by transform changes, while everything else is affected by the changes but adjusted to the alpha percentage of the gradient at that point's initial location. I know that sounds like a mouthful, but it's very similar to how the mesh warp works (minus the having to convert anything and…
19 votes -
Refine (not revert to previous) zoom to selection
Now, 'Zoom to selection' zoom AND centers.
I think that zoom to selection should not center at all by default (and, of course, there should be an option to add centering to zoom). The selected art should stay where it is located in view, until zoom level is big enough so object will go outside current view — only then AI should move view to fit the art.
And there should be a tick 'Only for zooming in'.
19 votes -
Add ability to use fractional values for resolution everywhere
AI is used worldwide. Despite PostScript, based on points, based on inch, being de-facto a standard for most users, many people use metric system.
English inch, as you know, equals exactly 2.54cm.
This gives us, metric users, mantra for translating PPI into PPCM: 254ppi=100ppcmBut if we need lower value, such as 10 or 20 or 30 ppcm (working in scale with huge designs, such as ad bus wraps), we can't use it, because AI doesn't allow to enter fractional values anywhere inside! We can't use 50.8, 25.4, 76.2, Ai would round it to 51, 25, 76.
This will give us wrong result exporting rasters.That's why, until this change (fractional values) is made, we, metric people, won't have much benefit of large artboards' support you are thinking to implement.
Please, add support for fractional values for resolution everywhere.AI is used worldwide. Despite PostScript, based on points, based on inch, being de-facto a standard for most users, many people use metric system.
English inch, as you know, equals exactly 2.54cm.
This gives us, metric users, mantra for translating PPI into PPCM: 254ppi=100ppcmBut if we need lower value, such as 10 or 20 or 30 ppcm (working in scale with huge designs, such as ad bus wraps), we can't use it, because AI doesn't allow to enter fractional values anywhere inside! We can't use 50.8, 25.4, 76.2, Ai would round it to 51, 25, 76.
This will give…19 votes -
Make Ctrl+arrows jump to hyphen too
While editing text in Russian, I have quite many complex words separated by hyphen.
Pressing Ctrl+arrow ignores these and jumps to start and end of word.
Please add ability to respect hyphens while moving cursor with Ctrl+arrows.P. S. If you combine this with reported bug fix about Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End, it would be AWESOME
19 votes -
Option to put Properties Panel at the top of the workspace.
For those of us who find it more convenient for the Properties to be at the top of our workspace, we should be able to click and drag the properties panel into the default space along the top of the window.
19 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 Options (Expand, Release, Reverse Spline, etc.) in the Blend Options panel so that I can make or preview changes to the blend without having to click Object > Blend > Blend Options each time?
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…
19 votes -
Anchor point Smart Delete
Deleting an anchor point by default breaks up the shape of the stroke.
What about Smart Delete, that automatically adjusts nearest handles to save the shape of the stroke?
I dream about it from the CS3 version :)19 votesYou can do it natively now, by choosing the standalone Delete Anchor Point Tool and clicking a point with Shift held.
This is an obscure way, and you can vote to make it more accessible — please vote here
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Isolate Selected Objects without having to group them
In my work flow, I find I would like to isolate more than one object for something, and not necessarily a whole layer. Currently I have to group two or three objects first to do this. I'd like to see being able to isolate selected objects without having to group them first.
19 votes -
Option to "Show Transparency Grid" by default for all the files at all the time
I deal with a lot of white icons/svg and would like to keep the transparency grid on by default for all the files.
19 votes
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