Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
- or
4749 results found
-
Select Same / Larger / Smaller Size / Width / Height
The Select Same Color, Appearance, Opacity is quite helpful. Add a new option for Size. The area size of the current selected element would be calculated and then used to find other similar objects within the document that meet that same area size.
A tolerance up or down or range could be provided as well. It would also be helpful to offer a setting for "Select Anything this size and smaller/larger".
This kind of feature would be very helpful when attempting to clean up an illustration generated from a live traced sketch.
14 votes -
3D visualization of art
Ability to visualize the art on a 3D model.
Ability to make basic adjustments to 3D attribute.14 votes -
Auto save!!!!
I'm tired of loosing hours of work because my work is not automatically saved as it is in all other tools I use..
14 votes -
Make Drawing Guides Thicker
With the onset of 4K & 5K monitors, the red dotted guides have become incredibly hard to see. I would like to suggest that the guides be made thicker or that there be a way for me to increase their thicknesses in settings so they can be seen better.
14 votes -
Alt + Cancel Button will Reset to Default Settings
Click Alt + Cancel button will Reset settings to their defaults - specifically in "Transform Each" command ,I use this Command on a regular Basis where it has many Fields to be set to their default every time.
14 votes -
One time payment for package or product
This goes for all Adobe Products. I mostly use Illustrator. Bringing back a bundle, one time collection or individual services; one time payment instead of monthly.
14 votes -
Allow to collapse all items in Appearance panel
The Appearance panel looks somewhat similar to Layers, but it differs in many ways, excluding several QOL methods to deal with large amount of items.
For example, one can Opt/Alt-click a bracket next to a layer or a group in Layers to collapse unfurl all the children within it.
Sure, Layers miss just a button to do it as well, and there is a request about it here at UV (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42451084) — but Appearance just don’t have any method to collapse the items (and these do unfurl all the time — take a look at this bug report: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/49257335)
The panel just doesn’t have a root item anyway to use the same approach as Layers, since it allow only one level of displayed hierarchy, and nested appearances are navigated in a completely different manner — with double-clicks on 'Contents' and 'Group' rows...
Please don’t force us to scroll through the panel and collapse these one by one.
The Appearance panel looks somewhat similar to Layers, but it differs in many ways, excluding several QOL methods to deal with large amount of items.
For example, one can Opt/Alt-click a bracket next to a layer or a group in Layers to collapse unfurl all the children within it.
Sure, Layers miss just a button to do it as well, and there is a request about it here at UV (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/42451084) — but Appearance just don’t have any method to collapse the items (and these do unfurl all the time — take a look at this bug report: …
13 votes -
Reshape Tool’s markers don’t conform the Anchor Points, Handle, and Bounding Box Display Size' parameter
Reshape Tool is a rather hidden tool within Illustrator’s toolbox.
It never received any updates (as many other tools) in last decades, and got even worse thanks to one specific improvement.Illustrator today allows to increase size of anchor points, handle, and other control markers (referred below as just 'markers') with a dedicated parameter in the Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display section). It helps to transform and edit paths on higher DPI displays — a good feature.
...but Reshape Tool marks its control points with squares slightly larger than a normal point... a normal point of a smallest marker’s size, and this size does not change when we increase the mentioned parameter.
It makes the Reshape’s control points to be obscured completely when we use larger sizes for markers.
It makes it unusable for users who does not know how the tool works.And Adobe does not make learning it anywhere simple: try to search for 'Reshape Tool' at https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/ and fail miserably to locate it fast enough.
Try Discover (rather useless) and get only the position of the tool and no how-to articles.Here are a link to the dedicated article: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/adjust-path-segments.html#stretch-parts-of-a-path (it fails to load at me now though)
Here is a another link, form a Ai10 manual, with an image that somewhat explains the tool: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/393317/Adobe-Illustrator-10.html?page=9#manual
Finally, take a look at the attached GIF.
The frame around a clicked point with the Reshape tool is visible as the smallest marker’s size... and when I make the size larger, clicking a point with the tool just doesn’t change anything visually! The frame is completely obscured! The tool works, but new users will hardly understand how to make it work.Please fix it.
Reshape Tool is a rather hidden tool within Illustrator’s toolbox.
It never received any updates (as many other tools) in last decades, and got even worse thanks to one specific improvement.Illustrator today allows to increase size of anchor points, handle, and other control markers (referred below as just 'markers') with a dedicated parameter in the Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display section). It helps to transform and edit paths on higher DPI displays — a good feature.
...but Reshape Tool marks its control points with squares slightly larger than a normal point... a normal point of a smallest marker’s…
13 votes -
Dimension tool improvements
The dimension tool is a really helpful thing but some improvements would be appreciated.
As stated in other posts, please include the possibility to add user defined scalings, including decimal numbers like 1:1.5 and other ones, like 1:15.
According to ISO standards, the dimension text should sit above the lines, as viewed from the right. This would be a great option, because at this moment I don't use this tool regularly because of this.
When dimensions are too small, there should be an option to move the text away, either to the right or the left. Of course this can be done afterwards but the whole thing has to be expanded to move the text. Maybe this could be improved somehow.
Arrowheads with small dimensions now overlap. It would be better to revert them to the outside if necessary.
Architectural diagonal slashes are missing from the list of arrows and stroke endpoints. Those would be great!
See attached file for details ...
The dimension tool is a really helpful thing but some improvements would be appreciated.
As stated in other posts, please include the possibility to add user defined scalings, including decimal numbers like 1:1.5 and other ones, like 1:15.
According to ISO standards, the dimension text should sit above the lines, as viewed from the right. This would be a great option, because at this moment I don't use this tool regularly because of this.
When dimensions are too small, there should be an option to move the text away, either to the right or the left. Of course this can…
13 votes -
Shortcut to toggle visibility of Contextual Task Bar
It would be useful for this tool to allow the user to hide/show this Contextual Task Bar using a single keyboard shortcut.
13 votes -
The Dimension Tool needs to have live updates
I like the new dimension tool, but it's not very helpful unless it updates the displayed dimensions when the size of the dimensioned object is changed. It should stay attached to the selected points when the size of the shape is changed as well.
13 votesThe Beta 28.4.0.7 now create live dimension objects, that track and follow the changes to the measured objects: resizing, rotating, moving...
As for now, moving only dimension breaks the link and expands the dimension (hopefully will change, and break the link only).
Moving an object with its related dimension currently expand the dimension as well (hopefully won’t do it either).
Please test the change and share feedback — it helps a lot!
-
Drag and drop to replace linked image with another one
Allow users to drag and drop an image from the computer to replace (relink) an existing linked image while maintaining its size, position, and appearance attributes
13 votes -
An object with a freeform gradient fill makes the coloring control in the tool panel switched to None
In the tool panel we have three indicator buttons, which show the current type of fill/stroke for the selection — Fill, Gradient, None.
Illustrator switches it to None, when an object with a freeform gradient fill is selected.I can understand why it probably happens. Since freeform gradients are not technically gradients, and using this mode converts an object into a dynamic container for generating a triangular mesh, it makes sense for Illustrator to not display the proper indicator here — the container has no fill... but it makes no sense for a user. It is you who decided it’s going to be a gradient, it is given to use as a button in the Gradient panel, it should display the proper button in the coloring controls then also. Please make this consistent and respect your own rules.
In the tool panel we have three indicator buttons, which show the current type of fill/stroke for the selection — Fill, Gradient, None.
Illustrator switches it to None, when an object with a freeform gradient fill is selected.I can understand why it probably happens. Since freeform gradients are not technically gradients, and using this mode converts an object into a dynamic container for generating a triangular mesh, it makes sense for Illustrator to not display the proper indicator here — the container has no fill... but it makes no sense for a user. It is you who decided it’s…
13 votes -
Appearance and Gradient panels need a better way to signal 'No selection'
Very often, working on a complex appearance, we accidentally loose the object selection, and the stack we edit remains unassigned.
The panel then gets 'No selection' in the top row... but if the attributes stack is long, this line can get hidden if you scroll the panel down.
Then, if you select something else, all your changes get lost.The workaround now is to be vigilant (ha) and save your appearance as a temp style before you select back the art you wanted to edit appearance for in the first place.
A better solution would be to make the 'No selection' row fixed (or maybe make it fixed always, not only when nothing is selected, to make it consistent).Very often, working on a complex appearance, we accidentally loose the object selection, and the stack we edit remains unassigned.
The panel then gets 'No selection' in the top row... but if the attributes stack is long, this line can get hidden if you scroll the panel down.
Then, if you select something else, all your changes get lost.The workaround now is to be vigilant (ha) and save your appearance as a temp style before you select back the art you wanted to edit appearance for in the first place.
A better solution would be to make the 'No…13 votes -
Make Recolor work with Repeats
Recolor does not do anything if you apply it the an piece of artwork inside of a Repeat object, and is completely unavailable when a whole Repeat is selected.
Stop abandoning features half-way and finish the integration.13 votes -
Allow to define circle pie angles in percent, with snapping options
We can create pie angles in degrees, but there are cases when we rather more interested in percentage — pie charts.
Sure, we know math, and can multiple 360° by 0.7 to get 70%, and Ai supports this in its fields...
...but what about the tool? How about an ability to create these directly on canvas — with the snapping to a defined value, like 5% or maybe even 3.5%?13 votes -
Allow to reposition both ends of Gradient Annotator, similar to the iPad version
Please make the interactive Gradient Tool’s annotator work as in the iPad version, where both end nodes behave similarly.
On the desktop version, when one end is dragged, it moves the whole gradient around.
On the iPad, both ends can be moved independently.
It makes the tool counter intuitive!13 votes -
Intertwine needs a better way to display order operations rather than hiding them in a context menus
It’s not clear we can chose methods other than 'swap order' for cases when a freshly created intertwine zone has several possible solutions. Illustrator draws and edge around the current zone (quite poorly signaled, which is a different topic: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/45845602-make-intertwine-edit-mode-telegraphed-better), but then a single left-click just swaps and immediately ends editing the zone.
The fact we can click on the highlighted segment with a right mouse button and choose an order is not very obvious... because — let’s admit it — Illustrator can’t do context menus very well and we are not used to have anything really 'contextual' in it.
Sure, single click is fast, but not always enough in complex zones.
Intertwine should be able to not commit changes instantly for zones with multiple choices.Here is one example when even a pro user can’t crack it with their first attempt: https://twitter.com/coro46/status/1582367474837659655?s=20&t=nxj4qh3YSNpH6W0hpYrhuQ
Imagine new users trying to discover it on their own, without a guidance.It’s not clear we can chose methods other than 'swap order' for cases when a freshly created intertwine zone has several possible solutions. Illustrator draws and edge around the current zone (quite poorly signaled, which is a different topic: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/45845602-make-intertwine-edit-mode-telegraphed-better), but then a single left-click just swaps and immediately ends editing the zone.
The fact we can click on the highlighted segment with a right mouse button and choose an order is not very obvious... because — let’s admit it — Illustrator can’t do context menus very well and we are not used to have anything really 'con…
13 votesAuto-zones hover tips are much better now and solve the problem with understanding the reordering proposed.
-
Expanding Intertwine creates too many identical copies and doesn’t optimize them
If you expand an intertwine object (with the global Expand: Object command, since it does not have its own specific Expand), the one with a lot of zones, you get a ton of overlapped clipping containers with a reordered copies insides, one per each zone used.
While technically it’s OK, the amount of copies can be just absurd.
Some copies are identical and differentiate only by the location of their clipping masks. Perhaps Ai should track these copies and clip then not with separate masks, but a single compound path mask, when possible?The degradation is not so graceful with the current unrefined direct translation. Even if Ai stores these as separate copies inside of a live Intertwine, they probably should be 'compressed', to avoid bloating.
If you expand an intertwine object (with the global Expand: Object command, since it does not have its own specific Expand), the one with a lot of zones, you get a ton of overlapped clipping containers with a reordered copies insides, one per each zone used.
While technically it’s OK, the amount of copies can be just absurd.
Some copies are identical and differentiate only by the location of their clipping masks. Perhaps Ai should track these copies and clip then not with separate masks, but a single compound path mask, when possible?The degradation is not so graceful with…
13 votesIntertwine now tries to optimize the number of clips created when expanding.
-
We need custom made shapes to control Intertwines, drawn with other tools, like we can do with clipping masks
Intertwine, as I see it, is a control structure for dynamically generated clipping masks. The only way we can create zones to control these masks is to use pseudo-tools, activated with the specialized Edit command. This is fine for quick appliances, but is not so great when you need to make a precise work, with snapping, complex shapes and several iterations.
We got a Sax-a-Boom, but now we need a saxophone.
I would like to add any other shapes, created with any other tool Ai offers, as zones, to an existing or a new intertwine — like Live Paint allows.
We need better integration of this.
We need it to work for pros also, a tool rather than a toy.It has so much potential!
Intertwine, as I see it, is a control structure for dynamically generated clipping masks. The only way we can create zones to control these masks is to use pseudo-tools, activated with the specialized Edit command. This is fine for quick appliances, but is not so great when you need to make a precise work, with snapping, complex shapes and several iterations.
We got a Sax-a-Boom, but now we need a saxophone.
I would like to add any other shapes, created with any other tool Ai offers, as zones, to an existing or a new intertwine — like Live Paint allows.…
13 votes
- Don't see your idea?