Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4749 results found
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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 -
Refine (not revert to previous) zoom to selection
Now, 'Zoom to selection' zooms 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 -
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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Snap shape to artboard or bleeds
When you draw a rectangle as a background color or border, you could snap to the edges of the artboard or snap to the edges of the bleed.
19 votes -
Display color values for named swatches when hovering
Illustrator automatically names swatches by their color values and displays these names when we hover over swatches in panels.
But if we rename a swatch, Illustrator displays just the name, but not the color formula.
InDesign does the opposite — always shows the color values when we hover, but not the name.I’d like to see both. Yes, I know that for the automatically named swatches it’d mean both the name made of values will be displayed along with the actual values... but you can solve it with the InDesign’s 'Name with Color Value' option for swatches.
18 votes -
Allow to nudge or rotate individual elements along the path for Objects on Path
Objects on Path needs more options and in its current setup is very limited in its usefulness. This tool feels like it's still in beta. Whilst it's good at doing the one thing it's designed to do, it's missing a lot of useful capabilities.
One of missing bits is the ability to nudge or rotate individual elements along the path.
Other two requests are:
1. Objects on Path needs an ability to keep orientation of objects relative to page/path, similar to blends — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48984890
2. Add an option to measure gaps between objects in Objects on Path by their bounds, not between centers — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48987905(Originally by Lewis Tsalis)
Objects on Path needs more options and in its current setup is very limited in its usefulness. This tool feels like it's still in beta. Whilst it's good at doing the one thing it's designed to do, it's missing a lot of useful capabilities.
One of missing bits is the ability to nudge or rotate individual elements along the path.
Other two requests are:
1. Objects on Path needs an ability to keep orientation of objects relative to page/path, similar to blends — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/48984890
2. Add an option to measure gaps between objects in Objects on Path by their bounds,…18 votes -
Effect dialogs need sliders
Illustrator's stylized filters need a more practical and dynamic UI.
Currently, stylized effects such as Drop Shadow, Feather, Inner and Outer Glow have an outdated UI and are not dynamic.
I remember that Gaussian Blur was not in the past either, but Gaussian Blur was updated years ago and these stylized filters were not.
I believe that these stylized filters deserve a more practical, faster and dynamic way of being adjusted, and I took the liberty of creating a UI suggestion inspired by the current Gaussian Blur UI.
What do you think, would it be possible?
18 votes -
Turn off Smooth Tool slider
I'm not sure if this is a bug or I just don't know what I'm doing so apologies if this is no the right place to post.
A few days ago I chose Object > Path > Smooth rather than using the Smooth tool as I normally do. A slider popped up which was actually rather useful. But now whenever I hold option to use the smooth tool (while using the Pencil), this slider dialog pops up directly over the area I am trying to see. Is there a way to turn this back off? Thanks!
18 votesWhile there is still no way to completely disable the Smooth panel when the Smooth tool is picked, the bar now remembers its position and better picks the initial location.
Please comment on this behavior and upvote if you think there still should be an option to not show it.
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Distribute Spacing options not available in keyboard shortcut list
When the Distribute Spacing options were added to the Align panel, they were not added to the Keyboard Shortcuts panel. They remain unavailable in v28.0.x. This is an oversight, obviously, that should not be hard to remedy but will make life much easier for those of us who rely on kbscs and/or auxiliary devices like Stream Deck, Logitech G-keys, or Xencelabs' Quick Keys, etc.
18 votesThe day has come. The latest 30.5.0.102 Beta adds Align To and Distribute Spacing commands into the Object menu.
These also work in actions, can get hotkeys assigned.
A shy message gets displayed when Align To mode is toggled to be sure it’s switched, and the Distribute Spacing dialog allows the set the gap value with the Preview option.
This is a lot, and it now completes the original request.
Please try, test, comment back, have joy!
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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
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