Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4817 results found
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A hotkey to make the Free Transform tool only transform fill patterns.
When dragging with the Selection or Direct Selection tools, or using the Rotate, and Scale tools to transform an object, you can hold down ~ to only transform its pattern fill. But the Free Transform tool doesn’t do this. Can we get it to do this?
(As with the Rotate, Scale, and Selection tools, holding down the other modifier keys whole holding down ~ should act as they normally do with the Free Transform tool.)
There is a ‘transform pattern only’ option in the Transform panel’s menu, but that’s a lot of clicks far away from the thing you’re actively working on, plus it doesn’t actually WORK. No, really, try it. Make a fill pattern, draw a shape with it, check 'transform pattern only', and watch the entire object be transformed along with its fill pattern.
(Actually it is the ` key, no need to hold down Shift to get a ~; I just usually refer to it as the ~ because that's easier to distinguish from the '/" key in many fonts.)
When dragging with the Selection or Direct Selection tools, or using the Rotate, and Scale tools to transform an object, you can hold down ~ to only transform its pattern fill. But the Free Transform tool doesn’t do this. Can we get it to do this?
(As with the Rotate, Scale, and Selection tools, holding down the other modifier keys whole holding down ~ should act as they normally do with the Free Transform tool.)
There is a ‘transform pattern only’ option in the Transform panel’s menu, but that’s a lot of clicks far away from the thing you’re actively…
12 votes -
Make Spiral as a live shape, editable after it has been drawn
It could be useful to have an option for adding segments, or changing decay, especially if it serves as a path for text.
12 votes -
Pin a document to Home screen
Have the ability to pin a document to the Home screen
12 votes -
Archimedean Spirals
Surely this should just be a default option for spiral drawing, in the current state of design i would imagine regular spirals would be used far more often than logarithmic, the current way to create them is lengthy and cumbersome.
Hope this makes it!12 votes -
Quick Apply in Illustrator (and all major Adobe apps)
There’s a neat and extremely useful feature in InDesign called Quick Apply (and I wonder why is it only there). It’s a quick and convenient way to find, select and perform any desired action whose name I know but am unable to find (within myriad of menus and submenus of panel options). Please add the same feature to all major apps.
12 votes -
Add Transform Again Individually / Transform Sequence Again / Sequence Again Individually commands, as in InDesign
Illustrator has Transform Again command (and it’s rather useful), but InDesign has three additional commands:
Transform Again Individually:
Applies the last single transform operation to each selected object individually, rather than as a group.Transform Sequence Again:
Applies the last sequence of transform operations to the selection.Transform Sequence Again Individually:
Applies the last sequence of transform operations to each selected object individually.
As described here: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/transforming-objects.html#repeat_transformations
Here is a video demonstrating the difference between these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4gLe9LeRKI
Sure, we have Transform Each as a workaround, but it doesn’t support custom pivots as tools do, and these are just faster.
If you like this request, take a look at these two as well:
— Rotate, scale, skew, transform selected objects separately: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/46268581
— Add a Step and Repeat Feature:
http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/39044275Illustrator has Transform Again command (and it’s rather useful), but InDesign has three additional commands:
Transform Again Individually:
Applies the last single transform operation to each selected object individually, rather than as a group.Transform Sequence Again:
Applies the last sequence of transform operations to the selection.Transform Sequence Again Individually:
Applies the last sequence of transform operations to each selected object individually.
As described here: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/transforming-objects.html#repeat_transformations
Here is a video demonstrating the difference between these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4gLe9LeRKI
Sure, we have Transform Each as a workaround, but it doesn’t support custom pivots as tools do, and these are just faster.
If…
11 votes -
Oval Radial Repeat
It would be very useful to be able to adjust the radial repeat to an oval radial repeat. Just like how you can change a radial gradient from a circular shape to an oval shape. Opens for lots of more possibilities and will be a huge time saver. Doing this manually is hard.
11 votes -
Allow to Move All objects and adjust their Spacing from both ends in Objects on Path
Objects on Path construct has several on-canvas widgets, allowing us to quickly eyeball some parameters interactively.
One of these is the starting position of the array along the path.
If the length of the array is shorter then the path, we can grab the rhombus marker and move all the objects together along, keeping the gaps.Another one is Space widget, which is located above the construct.
We can grab and make all the gaps shorter or longer at once.For some reason both treat the array as directional.
We need an ability to be able to move the array and scale the gaps from both sides, not only from on 'starting' object.
Please put another rhombus marker for the last object on path as well, and make the two Space widgets next to first/last objects instead of above them all.
(Originally by René Andritsch)
Objects on Path construct has several on-canvas widgets, allowing us to quickly eyeball some parameters interactively.
One of these is the starting position of the array along the path.
If the length of the array is shorter then the path, we can grab the rhombus marker and move all the objects together along, keeping the gaps.Another one is Space widget, which is located above the construct.
We can grab and make all the gaps shorter or longer at once.For some reason both treat the array as directional.
We need an ability to be able to move the array…
11 votes -
Display artboard captions when exporting artboards
Every time when i have multiple artboards and hit Save As, Ii don't know exactly which artboards i want to include, cause i don't know the specific number.
So i go back out of the save as dialog, pick the Artboard Tool and save again, now able to see which numbers i want to include. I would be less time consumption if it would show the numbers of the artboards always no matter which tool is selected, when there is a save as or export dialog started.11 votes -
Allow us to choose a preferable file format on Export or keep the last chosen one
Please create a hotkey for the "Export as" function. It would also be nice if I could set AI to always remember my preferred filetype instead of always defaulting to png.
11 votesLatest Illustrator builds now remember the chosen file format in the Export As dialog and keeps it between sessions.
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Allow to make sharp transitions using Width Tool
Width Tool allows us to set width markers on a path, to make its stroke’s outline blend between set cross-sections. We have some limited controls over these markers, we can make each side have its own width, we can snap them to points, but that’s it.
What we also need is way to make this transitions sharp, rather than smooth.
Look at the image attached.The path on the top is a stroke with a variable stroke profile.
The path on the bottom is a demonstration of what we want (an art brush actually).Sure, we can fake this behavior duplicating an existing marker close the the original (fighting the Ai’s urge to merge them). But if we expand these, this fake sharp transition generates a ton of points we don’t need, and it’s not actually a sharp point at all.
At the meantime, Ai has the Curvature tool, that allows to quickly toggle sharp/smooth for points with a double-click or Ot/Alt-click. Double click for Width tool opens Width Point Edit dialog, but Opt/Alt does nothing — make it toggle the transition type.
At the moment we have to build strokes like this with art brushes, which can’t be edited interactively on canvas, it’s a trial and error process. Adding sharp transitions to the Width Tool will make it much easier.
Width Tool allows us to set width markers on a path, to make its stroke’s outline blend between set cross-sections. We have some limited controls over these markers, we can make each side have its own width, we can snap them to points, but that’s it.
What we also need is way to make this transitions sharp, rather than smooth.
Look at the image attached.The path on the top is a stroke with a variable stroke profile.
The path on the bottom is a demonstration of what we want (an art brush actually).Sure, we can fake this behavior…
11 votes -
Change the cursor for Artboard Tool when a click is going to create a new object-sized artboard
When using Artboard Tool, you can do several things with a simple click.
1. Select an artboard under the cursor
2. Deselect an artboard if there is no artboards under the cursor
3. Create an artboard which size is the same as the object you click — but ONLY if the object is inside of the already selected artboard OR if the place you click is not inside of any artboard.This #3 case prevents deselecting artboards efficiently in cases when you don’t have 'naked canvas' inside of the viewport. And clicking is the only way to deselect artboards, since Deselect All command does not conform the mode — you can see details and upvote the problem here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/47070349
And because of that (and not only that), we need Ai to signal a click is going to create an artboard. Ai should modify the cursor to indicate this — and now it does not, AT ALL.
When using Artboard Tool, you can do several things with a simple click.
1. Select an artboard under the cursor
2. Deselect an artboard if there is no artboards under the cursor
3. Create an artboard which size is the same as the object you click — but ONLY if the object is inside of the already selected artboard OR if the place you click is not inside of any artboard.This #3 case prevents deselecting artboards efficiently in cases when you don’t have 'naked canvas' inside of the viewport. And clicking is the only way to deselect artboards, since…
11 votes -
Buttons in Pathfinder panel should be disabled when nothing is selected
If you have nothing selected, Pathfinder still have all buttons active, despite clicking one will give out an error message.
What’s a point? Why shout? Why not display a shallow message (like the one we get when a live shape gets expanded)?
Why not disable the buttons in the first place when a selection is empty?11 votes -
Show 'Can’t join a path' message as a soft one
Modal dialogs are very dated. They grab attention, they interrupt workflows, they yell at you. Most times we don’t need these as loud as they are — a whisper is nice.
And Ai actually now has these, 'soft' messages, like the one we get when we modify a live shape — 'Shape expanded', at the top of the view, in a gray rectangle. Calm, non-intrusive, with auto-destruction timer. Nice!But there are other, legacy warnings and screams.
The most annoying for me persoanlly is the one I get when I try to join a closed path (just in case, to be sure it is closed), but Ai yells at me — 'you caaaaan't' — with a ding and a message and a text... just show the 'Path is already closed' soft message.Perhaps don’t mix all the cases together and display it as a huge page like you do. A user has a compound path within the selection? Tell it, and only if the user really has it. Same for other art types users can’t join.
I see an educational benefit in having it like this now... but look, if I enable 'don’t show this again' checkmark in this alert box, I won’t be able to see if I should join more or is it just enough.Modal dialogs are very dated. They grab attention, they interrupt workflows, they yell at you. Most times we don’t need these as loud as they are — a whisper is nice.
And Ai actually now has these, 'soft' messages, like the one we get when we modify a live shape — 'Shape expanded', at the top of the view, in a gray rectangle. Calm, non-intrusive, with auto-destruction timer. Nice!But there are other, legacy warnings and screams.
The most annoying for me persoanlly is the one I get when I try to join a closed path (just in case, to…11 votes -
Intertwine with Live Paint objects
It feels like a rare thing to do, but no — this is exactly what I needed recently, and it is forbidden, of course.
I had to expand my Live Paint group :(Please make sure all special plugin objects can work with each other.
11 votes -
Liquid Page Layout (Artboards)
I would love a "liquid Layout" feature like InDesign has for more easily converting artwork and pages sizes simultaneously.
There are many times I create posters on a 11x17 artboard and need to easily reduce the art and page sizes to 5x7 for flyers.
InDesign has had this feature for a long time and I feel it would definitely be useful to my workflow.11 votes -
Make clickable areas for eye buttons in Layers and Appearance as large as their sections
As demonstrated in https://www.instagram.com/p/CmhJOBNo-U3/
Clicking an 'eye' requires aiming, despite the area it is located in is pretty large. What’s a point of limiting the clickable area?11 votes -
Learn to Rearrange artboards with coinciding or nested coordinates
Illustrator will not rearrange artboards that are completely overlapping (that is, have the same dimensions and coordinates) and will ignore nested artboards, moving them along with their enclosing artboard.
It should be able to detect complete copies and give an option to rearrange smaller nested ones.11 votes -
Remake the Tools / Menu Commands dropdown in Keyboard Shortcuts into two toggle buttons
Dropdown lists just from two elements are pure evil.
Illustrator has one in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.What’s a point of having it? Don’t you have enough space on the x-axis to display both items at once and improve the discoverability of both options?
As if you were hoping to get another item in that list and never added... in30 years.Remake it into two conjoined toggle buttons, or at list in a radio-group (ugh), but just allow users to see both available options at once.
11 votes -
Display command assigned hotkeys in Discover panel’s search results
When you search for a command in Discover panel, Illustrator gives you the results, but never actually tries to educate a user further with teaching him assigned keyboard shortcuts.
Figma does it!11 votes
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