Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4700 results found
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Please turn the eyedropper into a cursor for multiple text formatting
Indesign allows you to drag over multiple words within a text box, or over various different places to apply a text attribute with the eyedropper tool. ie, the eyedropper when hovered over the text actually becomes like a cursor, so you can just swipe over the text to apply the attribute. Please can Illustrator have this same feature. Otherwise we have to use the cursor to locate the word, then shift+arrow right to highlight it, then click to apply. It's a bit annoying and time-wasting. The eye-dropper turning into a cursor when hovering over text is much more useful.
16 votes -
I'd love for the pathfinder to be able to cut up bitmaps, avoiding having so many extraneous paths in a complex file
It would be nice if I could embed a jpeg or some other graphic format and then be able to use the pathfinder tools to change the shape of the image. Seems doable as the graphic imports as a path that happens to be filled with pixels rather than a color or pattern. The main reason I'd rather use the pathfinder for this over a clipping path is to reduce the number of paths in a complex document. When there are many elements in a file, having a lot of clipping paths makes the structure of the file difficult to parse due to the use of paths that have no stroke or fill.
It would be nice if I could embed a jpeg or some other graphic format and then be able to use the pathfinder tools to change the shape of the image. Seems doable as the graphic imports as a path that happens to be filled with pixels rather than a color or pattern. The main reason I'd rather use the pathfinder for this over a clipping path is to reduce the number of paths in a complex document. When there are many elements in a file, having a lot of clipping paths makes the structure of the file difficult to…
16 votes -
When outlining dotted lines with "aligns dashes", unnecessary anchor points are generated
When dotted lines with “Aligns dashes to corners and path ends, adjusting lengths to fit” are outlined , unnecessary anchor points are generated in the circles at both ends.
When performing detailed processing to create artwork, I sometimes outline dashed lines. So, unnecessary anchor points are an obstacle in such processing.
Although there are workarounds, I hope that users will get clean outline results without any ingenuity.Workaround:
(A)
1.Double-click anywhere in the stroke with Width tool to add a new width point.
2.Execute “Expand Appearance” , “Outline Strokes” or “Flatten Transparency”.(B)
1.Drawing strokes in accurately calculated length with “Keep exact dash and gap length” .
2.Execute “Outline Strokes” or “Flatten Transparency”.---Japanese Translate---
「コーナーやパス先端に破線の先端を整列」を有効にした丸い破線をアウトライン化すると、両端の丸に不要なアンカーポイントが生成されてしまいます。
細かな処理を行うために破線のアウトライン化をする際、不要なアンカーポイントは作業の妨げになります。
回避策はありますが、ユーザー側が工夫をしなくてもきれいなアウトライン結果が得られるようにするべきです。回避策：
（A）
1.「線幅ツール」でストロークのどこかをダブルクリックし、新しい線幅ポイントを追加する。
2.「アピアランスを分割」、線をアウトライン」または「透明部分を分割・統合」を実行する。
（B）
1.線の長さを正確に計算してから「線分と間隔の正確な長さを保持」を使って破線を描画するWhen dotted lines with “Aligns dashes to corners and path ends, adjusting lengths to fit” are outlined , unnecessary anchor points are generated in the circles at both ends.
When performing detailed processing to create artwork, I sometimes outline dashed lines. So, unnecessary anchor points are an obstacle in such processing.
Although there are workarounds, I hope that users will get clean outline results without any ingenuity.Workaround:
(A)
1.Double-click anywhere in the stroke with Width tool to add a new width point.
2.Execute “Expand Appearance” , “Outline Strokes” or “Flatten Transparency”.(B)
1.Drawing strokes in accurately calculated length with…16 votes -
Touchpad Gestures recognition for Windows
Same gestures as on Mac should be on windows (now that its possible to zoom in and out on a lot of applications in windows 10) - like pinch to zoom and pan
16 votes -
Allow Illustrator scripts to run in background
I use a script to package a lot of ai files at once. Currently, the Illustrator window needs focus to run the script, or else the script will pause. If Illustrator could do this by itself in the background, it would eliminate the need to wait for the script to finish.
16 votes -
Create symbols from Global Edit
Global Edit is great, but it should have a way to make the globally selected items into multiple instances of a symbol. Once you start Global Edit, as long as the individual items qualify as being instances of the same symbol, that option should be made available to you.
16 votes -
Allow Custom Brick Offset Values in Pattern Maker
The 9 fractions included in Brick Offset are not always enough to align patterns properly. When bricking a pattern, to achieve the acquired random look of a pattern, paths may need to be repeated just so it evenly fits within one of the fraction presets. The fractions are sometimes only off by a slight degree, that would be perfectly symmetrical if one were allowed the ability to adjust their own decimal chosen. Part of the confusion may also stem from complex patterns where they are difficult to update, as well as sorted fractions where Illustrator otherwise uses decimals. By size order they would be 1/5, 1/4, 1/3, 2/5, 1/2, 3/5, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5 currently organized in the following order 6th, 1st, 2nd, 7th, 3rd, 8th, 4th, 5th, 9th. Perhaps fractions are more to show how the item would display and should be represented by a graphic, but where trying to slightly increment or decrement an offset, there is some math to be done since these are not sorted in sequential order either.
The 9 fractions included in Brick Offset are not always enough to align patterns properly. When bricking a pattern, to achieve the acquired random look of a pattern, paths may need to be repeated just so it evenly fits within one of the fraction presets. The fractions are sometimes only off by a slight degree, that would be perfectly symmetrical if one were allowed the ability to adjust their own decimal chosen. Part of the confusion may also stem from complex patterns where they are difficult to update, as well as sorted fractions where Illustrator otherwise uses decimals. By size…
16 votes -
Let's add Vasily Hall's name to the Ai credits?
These never get added for some reason, so I'm going to try once per day to put it up here:
As you may be aware, Illustrator has a natively build CSV-import feature for variables now. This wouldn't have come if Vasily didn't undertake the effort to create this feature as a script, 3 years prior. https://github.com/Silly-V/Adobe-Illustrator/blob/master/Variable Importer/VariableImporter.jsx
His contribution was:
1. User research, connecting with users from all over the world to get a sense of whether anyone even wants to import CSV files and use graph variables.
2. Naming convention syntax for visibility and graph variables.
3. Logical mechanism for adding individual graph states within CSV record cells.
4. A multitude of LinkedIn articles on variable data usage.
5. A collaboration with a video author to produce the Lynda.com tutorial on variable data.
6. Discovering bugs within the native variable data feature.Over a 3-year and ongoing timespan, the amount of effort is not insignificant, therefore my feature request is to add just a few pixel's worth of data to an Illustrator build, in form of the name "Vasily Hall".
Would it put tremendous budget strain on the company to add this name to the credits? It would seem to be a very small cost to bring some sense of integrity back to the software and corporate handling of its development.
These never get added for some reason, so I'm going to try once per day to put it up here:
As you may be aware, Illustrator has a natively build CSV-import feature for variables now. This wouldn't have come if Vasily didn't undertake the effort to create this feature as a script, 3 years prior. https://github.com/Silly-V/Adobe-Illustrator/blob/master/Variable Importer/VariableImporter.jsx
His contribution was:
1. User research, connecting with users from all over the world to get a sense of whether anyone even wants to import CSV files and use graph variables.
2. Naming convention syntax for visibility and graph variables.
3. Logical mechanism…16 votes -
Editable text underline feature as available in Indesign
Illustrator is the industry standard application for the packaging design and artwork industry. I don't think that this was the original plan for Illutsrator but this is now just a fact of life and millions of users around the world in the packaging industry use this day in day out for very technical builds where printer specifications must be taken into account. There are hundreds of features that could be added to make our lives easier as we work the lack of certain features to get it to do what we need. But the most glaring ommision for many of us is the lack of editibilty of the text underline feature in the character menu. Because it is not editible we usually have to create vector underlines for text so that we can ensure the thickness of the stroke will meet a printers minimum specification. This often causes inconsistency in positioning across ranges and we have to manually edit it everytime text is amended. It also means that applying any automation for text with underlines is impossible. Please Adobe, make a packaging artworker very happy.
Illustrator is the industry standard application for the packaging design and artwork industry. I don't think that this was the original plan for Illutsrator but this is now just a fact of life and millions of users around the world in the packaging industry use this day in day out for very technical builds where printer specifications must be taken into account. There are hundreds of features that could be added to make our lives easier as we work the lack of certain features to get it to do what we need. But the most glaring ommision for many of…
16 votes -
Select objects above / below current layer / object
Under the select menu I would like to see added an option to select all layers that are above/below the current layer. In my use case this would be best in the context of the current artboard.
For example, this could be used to select everything about a semitransparent overlay layer in web visuals showing a popup element.
16 votes -
Make Perspective grid tool work with smart guides
I can't set proper perspective grid without controls of grid snapping to specific points in my art.
Setting this up is ridiculous .
There is no 'Preview' tick in 'Define grid' dialogue.
You can't symmetrically stretch symmetrical one-point perspective grid.
You can't custom drag vanishing lines.
You just can't set is precisely.I have to build everything manually.
16 votes -
Live preview of gradient (while dragging)
Whenever I'm using the gradient tool I wonder why I can never see the appearance of the gradient while dragging it. resulting in having to tweak it at least a couple of times before I'm content.
16 votesIllustrator now displays the appearance of the gradient interactively when you drag it, but only when GPU preview is on.
Make sure it is on in Preferences > Performance > GPU Performance, that you View > Preview on CPU / GPU Preview is correctly toggled, and that you are not using Overprint Preview.
If the issue still persists with all these checked — please comment back.
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Make ImageTrace Like CS5 LiveTrace
ImageTrace may use less points but it completely gets rid of any ink bleed when tracing inked line art. The ink bleed was achievable with CS5 Live Trace but once ImageTrace was introduced it's not possible to achieve with any setting.
Please make ImageTrace great again, it was great as CS5 LiveTrace. Unbeatable. At least make CS5 available through Adobe CC subscription if nothing else.
I know I'm not the only one, please upvote if you feel the same way and miss the accuracy of CS5 LiveTrace.
16 votes -
Circles in Illustrator are not accurate
The circles in Illustrator are flawed and here's why.
I discovered a major bug in Illustrator CC. The circles in Illustrator are not accurate. This is the case regardless of whether you use the ellipse tool or the arc tool. Make a circle. Check the dimensions to make sure it's accurate. Draw a radius line at 0º. Copy it 3 times and rotate the copies 90º,180º and 270º. When all of the copied lines are put on the center of the circle, they all touch the inner edge of the circle perfectly. However, Copy the 0º line and rotate it 45º. Put it on the center of the circle. It doesn't touch the inner edge of the circle. Copy the 0º line and rotate it 18º. Put it on the center of the circle. It’s even farther away from the inner edge of the circle. The circle is flawed.
Here is another way to see that the circles are not accurate. Make a hollow circle. Copy it and change the color of it's line. Rotate the copy 18º. Put it onto the original circle. They do not line up accurately. I spent an hour with an Illustrator expert while he had control of my computer through the support portal. He came to the same conclusion as i did. For some reason the circles in Illustrator are not perfect. He has spoken to his superiors and they are giving this issue priority. They were very happy that i told them about this and will hopefully solve the problem. For those of us that must have perfect geometry in our work, this is a very important issue.The circles in Illustrator are flawed and here's why.
I discovered a major bug in Illustrator CC. The circles in Illustrator are not accurate. This is the case regardless of whether you use the ellipse tool or the arc tool. Make a circle. Check the dimensions to make sure it's accurate. Draw a radius line at 0º. Copy it 3 times and rotate the copies 90º,180º and 270º. When all of the copied lines are put on the center of the circle, they all touch the inner edge of the circle perfectly. However, Copy the 0º line and rotate it…16 votes -
Allow linked content within symbols
It would be nice to create symbols with linked content that would update when the linked content changes. Currently you have to embed anything within a symbol, images for example.
16 votes -
Alt+click on Expand button in Pathfinder palette to release compound shape
I have to release compound shapes quite often. Each time I have to use palette menu, which means two precise clicks.
Why not to change 'Expand' button to 'Release' when Alt is pressed, to revert it's function and let users quickly deconstruct shapes?
It's one of JDI things.16 votes -
Turn a layer highlight into an object selection
It's often simpler to highlight entries in the layers panel than it is to select the objects on the artboard.
e.g. you could just click the first and shift-click the last in order to hightlight many consecutive layers.
It would be really efficient if those highlighted objects could then be turned into a selection on the artboard (for transforming the elements or whatnot).
16 votes -
Star live shape, with on-canvas controls, better tool
Better Star tool, with side widgets to change the number of points, the rays’ length, etc.
Possibility to re-edit anytime the number of points in a star.
Also, the possibility to adjust the thickness of the star "arms".
(like Freehand was doing long time ago...)16 votesStar is now a live shape and available in the all the public builds starting from V 28.3.0.
You can now customise your star in any way you like; may it be changing the no of sides, corner angles, or even the corner radius.
Please try it out and let us know what y'all think !
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"Divide objects below" with a group
"Divide objects below" (what I call "cookie cutting") with multiple objects that are from a group, all at once . If I want to cut a pattern (let's say, giraffe spots) out of a shape located below, I should be able to divide the object without having to do it for each individual spot. If the spots are already grouped together to form a pattern, that pattern should be able to divide all at once.
16 votes -
Master page
It would be great if Illustrator had a master page like InDesign.
For us who design more then one page for client proofs.16 votes
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