Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4783 results found
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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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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 -
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 -
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 -
Search for tools by name when editing the toolbar
When editing the tools that are in the toolbar we are confronted with a big panel full of tools. The recent update that categorizes them and allows for a grid view is very helpful. However, I still find myself scrolling down and up trying to find the particular tool I would like to add to the toolbar because it's so easy to miss it. If there were a little search bar at the top where we could type the name of the tool we are trying to locate to pair down the options it would be a much nicer/quicker experience.
18 votes -
Rearrange artboards on canvas accordingly to their order in the Artboards panel
If you use artboards to have pages, swapping wo of them could be a nightmare.
So:
1. Allow Ai to rearrange artboards on canvas as the order of items in Artboards panel suggests
2. Add Swap Selected artboards maybe, when exactly two artboards are selected18 votes -
Delete all saved selections
There is no way to quickly delete all the saved selections (displayed in the bottom of the Select menu, once you saved them via 'Select > Save Selection...').
You have to do it one by one, which is a torture.Also you can’t just right-click a name of it right there in the menu and say 'Delete' — because you have no context menu for top menu items. You do not like context menus in general.
18 votes -
Different Customizable Shape Gradient Constraints
Much like the flexibility of the radial gradient feature, it would be incredibly helpful to have a similar tool to make gradients, but one that does not constrain you to a circle or ellipse. Yes, AI provides the freeform gradient tool and the gradient mesh tool, but these are often a little finicky and time consuming to use. One can also use the blend tool to attempt a freeform gradient. All of these are far too complicated for creating such simple gradients. I propose that a customizable shape gradient tool is implemented. Like the other gradient tools, one would create the shape, then apply the gradient fill. However, for each gradient stop, you could create and move a dotted gradient boundary. The color would radiate from the first custom shaped stop to a custom shaped second stop. Here is an example of what I mean: (please excuse the rushed illustration)
Much like the flexibility of the radial gradient feature, it would be incredibly helpful to have a similar tool to make gradients, but one that does not constrain you to a circle or ellipse. Yes, AI provides the freeform gradient tool and the gradient mesh tool, but these are often a little finicky and time consuming to use. One can also use the blend tool to attempt a freeform gradient. All of these are far too complicated for creating such simple gradients. I propose that a customizable shape gradient tool is implemented. Like the other gradient tools, one would create…
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 -
Extend path tool
I make carpets, and I alway need min. 10 cm extra design for fitting or if the carpet shrinkts in production. For Illustrator artwork, I need to extend all paths, smoothly or naturally outside the border of the design, without changing the existing design.
What I'd like is the bezier extension as shown in this clip from Vector Scribe plugin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlriFIrSoDU18 votes -
Bevel and Emboss effect
This is something i've waited for years and it's a feature that Photoshop had for decades, was introduced in InDesign 2.0. Even FreeHand MX featured it in 2001... but it never came to Illustrator.
When will we count with the Bevel and Emboss effect?Why not all the Effects InDesign has featured too on Illustrator?
It will add a great bang of options to AI...I let a screenshot of it on actual InDesign CC
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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