Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
- or
4721 results found
-
Double click Blend in Appearance to edit Blend parameters
Double click Blend in Appearance to edit Blend parameters.
Would be logical, doesn't it?
But nothing happens when double clicked.15 votes -
Delete unused empty layers
Would love to have the possibility to delete unused layers in Illustrator (like you can delete unused colors very quickly).
e.g. when you have 100 layers and only 10 layers have objects on them, but you don't want to delete every layer manually
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 -
Warnings Popup Manager
Based on this request:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/40535569-add-don-t-show-again-option-to-error-dialog-forSometimes we need messages such as 'You locked art won't be moved' as warning messageboxes, and sometimes you'd prefer them don't interrupt you. While the 'Don't show again' seems like a good solution, the only way to bring it back when you switch to the task that depends on this error message, is to reset ALL warnings.
Meanwhile, Ai can display messages as popups — like the 'All assets exported' (in green 'confirmtion' color) or 'Shape expanded' when live rectangle/ellipse is modified (in gray neutral color). I like these a lot. What if you change these alert messageboxes into yellow/orange popups? And somehow give us a way to manage all messages in a list? Like, I want these to be messageboxes, those to show popup and others to never show anything.Based on this request:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/40535569-add-don-t-show-again-option-to-error-dialog-forSometimes we need messages such as 'You locked art won't be moved' as warning messageboxes, and sometimes you'd prefer them don't interrupt you. While the 'Don't show again' seems like a good solution, the only way to bring it back when you switch to the task that depends on this error message, is to reset ALL warnings.
Meanwhile, Ai can display messages as popups — like the 'All assets exported' (in green 'confirmtion' color) or 'Shape expanded' when live rectangle/ellipse is modified (in gray neutral color). I like these a lot. What if you change…15 votes -
ADD "Relink to Folder..." to the Links panel as in InDesign
We have long kept an asset folder named The__PIT that has 1 copy of every file that has ever made it through Production so that if we bring up an InDesign IDML or INDD from any time in our history, ALL links are immediately restored using "Relink to Folder...". We need this same functionality with Illustrator. I understand that InDesign is a data based software and Illustrator is not. I also see that Illustrator does retain the file name though (which, as is noted in many other similar requests, does nothing as far as selecting a match within a CC Library)... Anyhow, isn't this enough info already to incorporate a one at a time "Relink to folder..." task? Definitely faster than relinking one at a time through a chooser. And still could be done all at once with a delimited internal array of multiple selected file names.
ThePIT has been one of my favorite additions to our workflow. It keeps duplication to a minimum (asset either filed or in ThePIT), repopulates assets whether the indd is from 2009 or 2020, and it allows us to archive all our indd's as idml's which are like 20x smaller & we never have to worry about relinking thanks to "Relink to Folder..." & The__PIT!
Illustrator layouts are becoming more popular at our agency and to have this functionality added to Illustrator would greatly improve efficiency, get all team members to adopt the same workflow, and free up tons of space compared to dev that is package based.
Our agency isn't large enough and doesn't have enough free people time to merit a full Adobe DAM solution. We are small & nimble AND outputting 5x the content we were capable of 5 years ago with the same number of staff, thanks in part to The_PIT and some other scripts and procedures I've implemented.
My agency closely guards the workflow methods I've enacted as they give us a clear advantage over other agencies. Our clients say as much.
Diminishing the gap in cross functionality between Adobe applications is crucial. The same features will never equate to the same usage. The Adobe apps are differentiated as much by personal preference, if not more, than anything else. It's only when a project in an app can't do something that's possible in another & moving the elements to the other app doesn't help either that the software shows its weakness. You can't copy and paste or drag and drop a placed graphic with a broken link from Illustrator to InDesign and retain a link that could be resolved by "Relink to Folder..." You can't do "Relink to Folder..." in Illustrator. There's no efficient resolution.
As to why I wouldn't just select "Relink..." and browse The__PIT...
That folder has thousands of files in it, it takes a seriously long time for the files to display in Finder. And sometimes, either by fault of OSX or Adobe's browse, the files don't display at all. You get the same result in InDesign if you try "Relink..." BUT with "Relink to Folder..." it's nearly instant. Even a document with more than 100 images. I guess it's the difference between Browse and relink compared to the data action of "GET in this folder, the file named this" which happens with "Relink to Folder..."Please respond with comments.
We have long kept an asset folder named The__PIT that has 1 copy of every file that has ever made it through Production so that if we bring up an InDesign IDML or INDD from any time in our history, ALL links are immediately restored using "Relink to Folder...". We need this same functionality with Illustrator. I understand that InDesign is a data based software and Illustrator is not. I also see that Illustrator does retain the file name though (which, as is noted in many other similar requests, does nothing as far as selecting a match within a CC…
15 votes -
Duplicate File
Like in Photoshop, I'd like an option in Illustrator to duplicate the entire file, opening the duplicate in a new tab.
15 votes -
Make Ligatures OFF by default and have a checkbox in Preferences > Type
Please make it possible to turn off all ligatures within the Preferences > Type dialog box, then make it Off by Default.
15 votes -
Start editing text hotkey
Whenever I want to edit a text, I have to pick a Text tool an click it, or double-click it with a Selection tool. Why would I need to click a text which is already selected?
Please, make Ctrl+Enter start editing selected text, as PS does now. If several text objects are selected, use topmost, or closest to the screen's center or cursor or give people an option to choose.
15 votes -
Chinese text hyphenation alignment for punctuation marks in Illustrator text box
Punctuation marks justified alignment on textbox.
Need to automate the text alignment in the textbox for Chinese characters.
Because it is very time consuming to do manual kerning for each characters reiteratively, whenever there is amendment to the text in the box.15 votesAs per the comment within, this can be resolved like this:
1. In Preferences > Type > enable Show East Asian Options
2. In Paragraph panel choose Avoid Head and Tail, Strict
Please comment back if it works or not for you.
-
Libraries - Add Ability to Drag-and-Drop Swatches from Library Panel to Swatches Panel
Add ability to drag-and-drop a color swatch from the Library Panel to the Swatches Panel.
The functionality exists in the Library Panel Menu, but can't be executed by drag-and-drop. Drag-and-drop swatches is a age-old UI convention in Illustrator and it feels broken that a user can't currently do this.
15 votes -
Smart/Adaptive Cross-Colorspace Swatches
It's industry standard to define brand colors in more than one colorspace. Usually you have at least PMS, CMYK and RGB definitions of each brand color you're deploying.
I'd love it if Illustrator (or the whole CC suite, as a matter of fact) would help this routine, like this:
Let's have a new swatch type: Cross-Colorspace Swatch. This special swatch type would enable the designer to define variations of the color in any/all color spaces, inside that one swatch definition.
Instead of defining say three different swatches, you would define one, saying: "This is Brand color 1. In cmyk colorspace it's C50M0..., in rgb colorspace it's R0G120.., it's Pantone code is PMS 20..."
This way, when you change your document's color space or paste into a document in another colorspace, for example, the Cross-Colorspace Swatch would automatically check if it has a definition ready for the target space, and override whatever default conversion rules with that definition.
For situations where it's not obvious which definition to use (for example whether you want to use the PMS or CMYK definition when your document is in CMYK mode) you would be able to force the swatch to use the version you want (say, PMS).
Further uses would include automations for creating captioned samples of the color in each colorspace, to help in creating brand books and such, for example.
It's industry standard to define brand colors in more than one colorspace. Usually you have at least PMS, CMYK and RGB definitions of each brand color you're deploying.
I'd love it if Illustrator (or the whole CC suite, as a matter of fact) would help this routine, like this:
Let's have a new swatch type: Cross-Colorspace Swatch. This special swatch type would enable the designer to define variations of the color in any/all color spaces, inside that one swatch definition.
Instead of defining say three different swatches, you would define one, saying: "This is Brand color 1. In cmyk colorspace…
15 votes -
Automatically push guides to a single layer
It'd be great to have an optional feature that pushes every newly created guide to a dedicated guide layer. I think many people work with an extra layer for guides on top of their layer stack to toggle visibility and lock, and manually collecting all guides gets tedious.
15 votes -
Set export options to default to the same folder the native is housed in
Set default export or save as locations to start in the same folder as the native Ai file as opposed to previous locations. It can be rather cumbersome when switching to an entirely new project, then exporting that project and having the 'save as' default to the entirely other project's recent save.
15 votes -
Metadata enhancements for artboard to invidual file (save/export)
Wish - Metadata enhancements
1) Document level metadata to be exported and added when artboards are exported as individual files
2) Ability to add overrides at artboard level for metadata, which on export is carried forward into the individual files generatedScenario:
I often create a series of images by using arboards, as they are related and worked on as a mini-project (e.g. series of icons, part of online learning story-boards, series of progressive diagrams etc.). I export these for use by individual staff, who use graphics in PowerPoint, Word, LMS, InDesign projects etc.
Note: InDesign docs are converted to PDF and posted online and images must contain metadata (WCAG 2.0 requirement), which is easiest sourced from XMP using an Object style applied to the graphics etc.
IOW: Metadata is always required to travel with all graphics so it's easily retrieved at any stage when an image is used. e.g. for copyright info, description (used for Alt-text), Title (used for Title/hover text), Credit Lines etc.Current Issue:
* I add metadata at document level (File > File Info) that would be 'global'.
* When I export artboards (Export > Export for Screens) to individual graphics: all the metadata is stripped and I have to manually add it again to each graphic.
That's OK if you export artboards only once... BUT when you go through a change process, I find myself repeatedly copying and pasting metadata from the host file (AI).Feature Request:
(1) Please add the metadata that's added at File level (File > File Info), to exported individual graphics (regardless of file format used for export)
(2) Additional feature request: The ability to override certain global metadata fields, e.g. I might export 6 maps of Australia, each with different state highlighted, I'd have certain global metadata fields (entered through File Info), but would want to edit some at artboard level to indicate WHICH state is highlighted.Wish - Metadata enhancements
1) Document level metadata to be exported and added when artboards are exported as individual files
2) Ability to add overrides at artboard level for metadata, which on export is carried forward into the individual files generatedScenario:
I often create a series of images by using arboards, as they are related and worked on as a mini-project (e.g. series of icons, part of online learning story-boards, series of progressive diagrams etc.). I export these for use by individual staff, who use graphics in PowerPoint, Word, LMS, InDesign projects etc.
Note: InDesign docs are converted to…15 votes -
Ability to switch how letters overlap
By default, when letters overlap, each following glyph is displayed above the previous one.
When using text effects or OpenType-SVG fonts, this can lead to disappointing results, like shadows on the wrong direction.
Would love to be able to toggle the order in which all glyphs of a specific text selection are rendered: above or below the previous one.
Could even use the extra space in the Character palette to include the feature button ;)
15 votes -
Allow to set custom default Transparency Flattener Options settings when saving EPS
There is no way to tweak said default settings.
Even you create custom document profile from document with tweaked settings, it still come up as default-default when you try to save project, created from this profile.More on this here, for example:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/245642515 votes -
Preflight
Please implement an integrated preflight function that works in the same manner as the preflight function found in InDesign.
15 votes -
Add persistent Swatch libraries to Workspace settings + maintained across upgrades
Allow swatch libraries selected as persistent to be stored as part of a workspace (including palette group & position), and make them persistent across upgrades. I'm tired of having to recreate my palettes every **** time there's some minor 'agile' upgrade.
15 votes -
Remember scaling per file in Save for web
I design for printing and use 'Save for web and devices' to have crisp images.
E.g. I can have document 300x900mm, and then I export it as 600x1800px and have my snapped sharp lines to stay sharp.
But 'SfWaD' always immediately renders image at '100%' (which is not 100% at all at Windows — it's an another problem to be discussed), and I get 850x2551.
When my dimensions are bigger, AI sometimes can't even render an image and I get error message and pink fill in preview area.
I try to draw ten times smaller whenever is possible to avoid this, but sometimes it's not convenient.'Export for screens' doesn't provide direct custom scaling, only integers.
Proposed solution is too remember scaling in 'SfWaD'. In example given it could stick to the 70,6% after pressing 'Done' button.
But it will still require AI to render at 100% anyway, so the second better way is to skip immediate rendering and letting user to set values first (you can set an option for it).I design for printing and use 'Save for web and devices' to have crisp images.
E.g. I can have document 300x900mm, and then I export it as 600x1800px and have my snapped sharp lines to stay sharp.
But 'SfWaD' always immediately renders image at '100%' (which is not 100% at all at Windows — it's an another problem to be discussed), and I get 850x2551.
When my dimensions are bigger, AI sometimes can't even render an image and I get error message and pink fill in preview area.
I try to draw ten times smaller whenever is possible to avoid…15 votes -
Align panel: Objects touch edges
I draw as well as design web layouts in Ai, and I spend a lot of time sliding objects around on a pasteboard and using Smart Guides to snap them next to each other so they're touching. I'd like to add a set of features to the align panel that allow you to select two objets, define the target object with a second click, and then define which edge of the objects you want them to touch on: top, bottom, left, right.
15 votes
- Don't see your idea?