Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4700 results found
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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.
14 votes -
Support architectural standards for arrow styles for Dimension tool
When the arrow style #21 is written on a drawing, it is marked inside the dimension extension line. International architectural drawing standards require that the mark be placed at the intersection of the extension line and the dimension line. Please improve this.
14 votes -
Allow to close Perspective Grid widget with any tool active, not only with Perspective Tools
MANY users don’t know how to disable Perspective Grid.
They don’t know about the View > Perspective Grid > Hide Grid menu command, and don’t even try to search for it, because they think that little 'x' is the only way to hide it...
...but that button only works when you have Perspective Grid Tool or Perspective Selection Tool picked, and does nothing when you have some other tool chosen.
The button never looks deactivated and lie to us about being clickable.
This modality makes zero sense.
Please allow to click it any time with any tool.14 votes -
Rename embedded image
I want an ability to rename an embedded image.
Perhaps I don’t like the nonsense somebody else used to name it before embedding.
Or I just want to give it a name in Links, to be able to distinguish them better (and no, renaming an item in Layers does not do that).And please consider the other similar request about renaming a linked image:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/45706090-rename-linked-file14 votes -
Allow to set Shades, similar to how Tints work now
I'd like to see a Shade option added to global swatches. Currently, we have tint, which adds varying levels of white to the color until you reach 100% white. Shade would act in the opposite direction, adding varying levels of black until you reached 100% black.
I would envision this working by letting users click the "T" next to the slider in the color palette and having it switch to an "S", with the gradient changing from white on the left to black.
This would be helpful because I often find myself needing not only lighter hues to work with a color palette but darker ones as well. I rely on creating al new colors or multiplying a black shape on top of the current color one. This does add a layer of complexity to shape selection and color changes with global colors. A global shaded color would update as would any global tinted color.
I'd like to see a Shade option added to global swatches. Currently, we have tint, which adds varying levels of white to the color until you reach 100% white. Shade would act in the opposite direction, adding varying levels of black until you reached 100% black.
I would envision this working by letting users click the "T" next to the slider in the color palette and having it switch to an "S", with the gradient changing from white on the left to black.
This would be helpful because I often find myself needing not only lighter hues to work with…
14 votes -
Find color in artwork button in Recolor Artwork advanced dialog is useless when the object is too small
There is a button in Recolor Artwork dialog to fade all other colors but a clicked one, the rightmost button with a magnifier below the Current Colors list.
This fade does little help when the object with the chosen color is too small on the canvas, like in a complex illustration.
Zooming to these can be a solution, but it won't help if there are many of these specs with the color, so perhaps these objects should be highlighted with a flash of edges or in some other dynamic way to help to locate them.14 votes -
Add Preview tick to Average dialogue
Average dialog can be still confusing, and I personally often use a wrong option when I average points.
For some reason when I choose 'horizontal', I often imagine points to share the same X value, 'occupy the same position horizontally'... Same applies to Y. Sure, this is not what Ai mean, in fact it’s 'stick to the horizontal axis'.
I see both views as valid, and can’t learn it solid enough to never make mistakes. However, Ai can learn and add the sticky Preview checkmark, so I and others were able to see the result before they hit OK.
Ai can pull this off with 2022’s computing powers, right?
Average dialog can be still confusing, and I personally often use a wrong option when I average points.
For some reason when I choose 'horizontal', I often imagine points to share the same X value, 'occupy the same position horizontally'... Same applies to Y. Sure, this is not what Ai mean, in fact it’s 'stick to the horizontal axis'.
I see both views as valid, and can’t learn it solid enough to never make mistakes. However, Ai can learn and add the sticky Preview checkmark, so I and others were able to see the result before they hit OK.
Ai…
14 votes -
Drag tools from one toolbar to another
When I setup tool panels for various reasons), I can’t just drag it between tool panels.
The only way to do it now is to remove the tool first in the first toolbox and add it again in the second one. Each panel has its own Edit mode and tools get dragged only within an edited panel :(14 votes -
Allow Repeat to work on linked and embedded images
Raster images are immune for Repeat functionality.
Please make your new tools consistent and fully integrated to all existing ones.14 votes -
Please re-introduce 3D VECTORS
I know, I know, "3D (Classic)" is still in the Effect/3D and Materials" menu, but the "Classic" designation means it's on the chopping-block.
Please do not get rid of 3D VECTORS! Adobe Dimensions used to be so completely awesome (it was simple, easy and perfect) and that was made "Classic", too. 3D vectors are far superior for illustration than all the trendy raster stuff.
PLEASE BRING BACK 3D VECTORS
Thank you!
14 votes -
Background Export (not save)
Ai now can save documents in background (partially, but still) — it saves a lot of time.
InDesign, on the other hand, can export in background (well, some file types).What if exporting process go in background too, leaving Ai unlocked?
14 votes -
Add copy/apply choice to Offset Path
Most of the time, when using the Object > Path > Offset Path tool, I need to replace the original path, rather than add an offset copy of it. Currently, this requires me to offset the path (often multiple at once) and then delete the existing paths.
It would be much easier if Offset Path offered the same choice of "OK"(Apply and replace original path) and "Copy" as the transform tools.
14 votes -
Rotate artboard with all objects, when the orientation of artboard changes or directly on canvas
It's possible to rotate the artboard, but the objects are still on their old positions.
I found the is a button to bind artboard and objects for MOVING the artboard together. Why does that not work for rotation?In the mean time I have written a small JavaScript to solve this: https://www.behance.net/gallery/125369255/Javascript-for-Illustrator-RotateArtboard
I hope, we can use a rotation of an artboard with it's objects soon in AI.
– Jens.14 votes -
tabs and text options
Tabulations should be embedded in the tex box and appear only when you press on the box and disappears when you click somewhere else. By default, it should also resize and follow the tex box on screen at all time without requiring you to click on the magnet to put it back where it belong.
Also, the text options of Illustrator are lacking some very useful options that only exist in InDesign. I understand that Indesign is THE BIG SOFTWARE FOR TEXT, but honestly for smaller text oriented documents, I often use Illustrator because it's faster to operate. So, some features exclusive to InDesign should be ported to Illustrator like the possibility to create quick bullet points and to change the space between the border of the box and the text. Good job though for recently adding vertical alignement 😉 .
Tabulations should be embedded in the tex box and appear only when you press on the box and disappears when you click somewhere else. By default, it should also resize and follow the tex box on screen at all time without requiring you to click on the magnet to put it back where it belong.
Also, the text options of Illustrator are lacking some very useful options that only exist in InDesign. I understand that Indesign is THE BIG SOFTWARE FOR TEXT, but honestly for smaller text oriented documents, I often use Illustrator because it's faster to operate. So, some…
14 votes -
Support SVG Tiny P/S
Support SVG Tiny P/S :: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-svg-tiny-ps-abrotman/
This is part of the work on BIMI (bimigroup.org), but we hope that this format will have a wider use case. It's a smaller profile than Tiny. The format may change in the future, but perhaps initial support could be created.
14 votes -
One tab-over between Width and Height in New Document window
In New Document window, I am used to typing a numeric dimension for Width, then pressing tab once to enter a dimension for Height. In the current version, if you press tab after entering Width, it goes to the unit of measurement first instead of to the Height. It feels unintuitive.
14 votes -
Where is Project Lincoln?
I notice that there isn't even an option to comment on the ridiculously archaic graphic tool in Illustrator that hasn't been updated, as much as I can remember, since the early 2000s.
WHERE IS PROJECT LINCOLN? Why is this such a black box for Adobe? Why do you not address this AT ALL?! I don't know if you've been paying attention, but there is a LOT of data going around these days and we could USE SOME @#$%ING HELP!
UPDATE THE GRAPHING FUNCTION!!!!
14 votes -
Ability to change the Canvas size after a new document is created (normal to large and vise versa)
The new expanded large canvas size is great, but I think there should be an option to change the canvas size from the standard one to the expanded large one after a document is created instead of having to create a new document.
14 votes -
Perspective mode for Free Distort effect
Free Distort effects, being a bit outdated with it's detached preview window, comes out Super Tool with Stylism plugin installed. But it could do so much better if there would be a tick, that turns distortion into a perspective one, as the tool with the same name allows to do. That would allow us to distort stuff live in perspective (and omit using overcomplicated Perspective Grid for small tasks).
14 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…
14 votes
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