Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
4421 results found
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Mark starting points and directions for paths
We know nothing about where a closed path starts and which direction it has.
We can cheat it and apply an arrowhead or a brush to see that, but perhaps you just should mark the first points of paths with something else than a square? Like a triangle?
Come on, look at Corel Draw, look at Affinity Designer!15 votes -
An option to ignore strokes when using Fit to Artwork Bounds or Fit to Selected Art commands
Illustrator now always fits the current artboard respecting strokes and raster effects, as if the 'Use Preview Bounds' option is on.
However, disabling this option does not change the behaviour 'Fit to Artwork Bounds' or 'Fit to Selected Art' commands — strokes and shadows are still considered to be the bounds to fit.
This is not what a user wants in many cases, and geometric bounds are preferred instead.
We need Illustrator to either respect 'Use Preview Bounds' option — as Symbols do — or have another set of option for fitting command, to separately control strokes and effects.15 votes -
Rename linked file
If I want to rename a file which is linked to a file (for whatever reason), I have to perform a humiliating process: find a link in Explorer, rename it, return to Ai, wait until it finds out the file is missing, search for the file in a dialog.
When this would be so much faster just to right-click the file (on canvas or in Links panel) and do 'Rename linked file'.
And please consider the other similar request about renaming an embedded image:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/47013226-rename-embedded-image15 votes -
Select items in Layers in sync with objects on canvas
We have to work with a strange legacy dichotomy when making a selection in Layers is NOT equal to making a selection on canvas and vice versa.
No other vector application does it like this:
XD, Affinity Designer, Corel Draw, Figma, Xara, Inkscape...Other apps which have layered structures don’t do this also:
Photoshop, Blender, 3DS Max...InDesign and Illustrator are lonely black sheep in the flock of apps.
We need a mode (as an option) to be able to sync both selection methods.
Clicking an object on canvas should highlight the name of it in Layers.
Clicking a name…15 votes -
Cursor and path feedback for Scissors
We have to guess if we cut a path at all and if we hit the right path.
No highlight (OK, using Smart Guides helps, but Smart Guides does nothing if you also have Snap to Grid enabled!), no cursor change.It’s 2022, right? Clouds, integrations, Stock sales directly in files... Scissors are still used with a blindfold, in a dark room, in a midnight.
Also vote for this related issue:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/36111436-make-pen-and-scissors-tools-prioritize-editing-to — Make Pen and Scissors tools prioritize editing to a selected path15 votes -
Make Appearance work for Type objects
More specifically, with type objects, the Appearance palette just says 'Characters', without reflecting the current stroke and fill state of the object. New stroke and fill have to be added to make the Appearance palette useful.
15 votes -
Pan tool wrap
When you pan with the mouse button/wheel held down, the panning stops when the cursor reaches the monitor edges. This forces user to release mouse, move it all the way back and re-grab it.
In some other editors you can continue to move the pointer and it will 'wrap' around your monitor, going from the opposite side of it, until released.Basically you can pan until you reach the end of your table.
This mode will help those who have to work at scale and pan without unzooming. Please, add it!
15 votes -
Spring Loaded tools
Over in Photoshop, it's possible to hold the single-letter shortcut for activating a tool, and to then release the key to return to your previously-used tool.
In many ways, this is not useful in Illustrator, but in several, it's invaluable. The Zoom tool, in particular--I'd like to be able to hold Z, adjust the zoom, and release Z to be back on the selection tool (or whatever i was previously using).
The Hand tool already works this way: Take out a tool like Selection (v), and then hold spacebar to get the Hand tool. Drag the canvas around, then release…
15 votes -
Create a Collapse All Layers Button
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!
15 votes -
Tie a child shape to parent shape to keep it aligned to parent when resized
Hi everyone,
I posted this as a question in the Illustrator forum (here's the original thread https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/set-shapes-as-child-and-parent-objects-for-dynamic-box-designs/m-p/11688904?page=1#M256580) and was suggested to submit this as a feature request here.
I design boxes in Illustrator for precise cutting in my Silhouette machine. The main problem I encounter with is when I make a box which its shapes are all perfectly aligned, but I then find that I need to tweak its interior size. When I'm doing so I have to re-align all the different pieces of the box shapes such as the spines, wings, etc, since there's no option to tie…
15 votes -
search and replace layers / artboards
Add a function to batchrename artboards and layer with suffix & prefix.
15 votes -
Ability to temporarily flip canvas horizontally (mirror view) for design checking
For illustrative purposes, it would be really handy to be able to temporarily flip the canvas horizontally as if in a mirrored reflection.
You would instantly see slight imperfections in a design in this new angle that was not previously noticeable due to one's specific viewpoint.
A lot of graphic programs do this to allow scrutiny from an alternate angle. InDesign and Photoshop do this already of course.
Thank you!
Michael
15 votes -
RAL Swatch Library
RAL Swatch library. We don’t need this for print or screen, but it is necessary to mark a plastic or metal with RAL colour when documentation is sent to manufacturing. Do something about it.
15 votes -
Path-to-path collision snapping
It would be incredibly useful to have, for example, two circles snap to each other not only at the anchor points but also at any point along the paths. This would help a lot when using Shape Builder tool, because at the moment most of the time you either get a tiny gap between the shapes (then the Shape Builder tool doesn't work), or the shapes overlap (then the Shape Builder tool leaves unnecessary anchor points which you have to meticulously fix).
15 votes -
Keyboard shortcut for Relink (Link palette)
One of the features I use very heavily is the Relink button in the Link palette. It has major advantages over the Place function:
1) it automatically replaces selected linked images (Place requires you to check the Replace checkbox, which becomes unchecked once you do any other Place that isn't a replace)
But most importantly,
2) It allows you to relink multiple linked images (replacing them in order from topmost to bottommost).Since there is literally no other way to replace multiple linked images in a single action (Place grays out the Replace checkbox if you have more than one…
15 votes -
Make Isolate work for components of a compound paths/shapes
Ai allows you to isolate a single path within document structure, but it only applies to groups. If you want to isolate a part of the compound path/shape — you won't be able to do it.
I fully understand that this requires Ai to decide what to do with art that is created at this isolation level, especially not ordinary paths: type, mesh, brushes... But this can be checked, both creation and pasting and dragging.
Speaking of compound shapes it would also mean that the boolean result will change.
Still, a very welcome feature.15 votes -
Artboard Dimension Limitation
One of the biggest complaints we hear from our franchisees is the artboard limitation of 227.541". Why is that the limit? Corel doesn't have a limit. Why Adobe? and why such an obscure number? I realize there is a PDF limitation of 200" so that is another issue.
15 votesThe maximal size of an artboard is limited by the canvas, which is limited to a 2^14 = 16384 points (16383, if you count from zero). It equals roughly to 227 inches or 577 millimeters.
Why this value? Because of math and a weighted decision the team had made long ago about storing coordinates, I assume.
Why is this still relevant? Because a lot of other stuff had been built upon this foundation. It’s extremely costly to make changes to this without making everything else crumble.
There is another request, now marked as completed, 'Remove Canvas Limit' — https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/20395555-remove-canvas-size-limit. To make it work, the team added an internal scale factor which allows 10x larger canvas, by removing one decimal space — which makes sense, since a user probably won’t need to deal with ten-thousands when working in tens of meters.
However, this request is still valid — but please…
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Allow custom keyboard shortcuts for custom Actions (beyond the F1-F14 keys)
I work speedily. Shortcuts are my thing. The F1 keys are a hard reach for me on my keyboard and I usually need to use my eyes to be sure I'm selecting the right F key. Why not just let the user assign a custom keyboard shortcut for each custom action?
15 votes -
Make live hint for the Eyedropper tool
Right now clicking with Eyedropper results in a blind result: until it's clicked, there is no way to predict what will be picked exactly. Why not to show properties to be picked in floating thingy next to the cursor? PS does it great in separate panel, why AI can't steal that?
15 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…
15 votes
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