Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
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4783 results found
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Add ability to hyperlink text (properly this time)
In June of 2023 the Illustrator team fixed a old bug with hyperlinks added through Attributes panel being dropped while exporting as PDF.
The team thought of it as a solution to this request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/40418827 — and marked it as such.I do not agree.
The solution is nowhere final, done in the most basic way possible, merely a bug fixed, like if no-one in the team did try to make it useful at the level of today's standards.
— A partial text selection can't be made into a hyperlink.
— No widgets are given on the canvas to see if an object has a hyperlink assigned or not, and to open the link directly from the canvas (with or without a modifier).
— Attributes gives no way to jump to a previous/next hyperlink in the document.
— The 'browser' button uses the IE browser, not the assigned one at the OS level.
— If I cover an object which has a hyperlink assigned, with another object that has another hyperlink, the area they shared together is overtaken by the one which is below, and not according to their z-order.
— 'Polygon' image map option does not work, the object gets a rectangle area still. The sacred knowledge about creating polygonal image maps in Ai is long lost, and the only mention the official manual has about it is here (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/slices-image-maps.html) — but it never actually tells how to create these. Surely not via rectangular-only slices. It should just happen automatically, and it does not.
— What about automation? To have the links to be auto-tagged, like this solution for InD does (https://www.id-extras.com/products/hyperlinkpro/)?
— What about auto styling, like InD provides?
— Will we be able to fine tune the look of the Character’s 'Underline' option? Nobody places lines this close to text anymore on web.So yes, this should be made BETTER.
In June of 2023 the Illustrator team fixed a old bug with hyperlinks added through Attributes panel being dropped while exporting as PDF.
The team thought of it as a solution to this request: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/40418827 — and marked it as such.I do not agree.
The solution is nowhere final, done in the most basic way possible, merely a bug fixed, like if no-one in the team did try to make it useful at the level of today's standards.
— A partial text selection can't be made into a hyperlink.
— No widgets are given on the canvas to see…53 votes -
【寸法ツール】オプション設定内への要望
Illustratorで簡易図面を描く事が多い為、Beta版で追加された「寸法ツール」はとても便利な機能となるはずなのですが、現状では重要な機能が足りておらず図面という用途では使用できません。
【要望1】「先端位置」の選択が寸法ツールオプション内で出来るようにして下さい。
現状では矢印のスタイルで「●（矢印21）」などを使用した際に、寸法補助線に対して線の芯に「●」の中心が配置されず、2本の寸法補助線の内側に収まる形で表示されてしまいます。
【要望2】単位選択時に、「単位自体は表示させない」というチェック項目を付けてください。
通常長さの寸法を入れる図面では、1つ1つの寸法線に単位は記載しません。数字だけを記載します。
単位（㎜を使用するのかcmを使用するのかpxを使用するのか等）はアートボード全体で統一する為、1つ1つの寸法線に記載せず、1つのアートボードに対して「寸法の単位は㎜です」等を1カ所に記載する場合の方が多いです。
※ただし、直径（φ）・半径（R）・角度（°）の記号に関しては常時表示が必要です。【要望3】寸法線に対する数字の位置改善を希望します。
寸法線の数字は縦線に対して線の左横、横線に対して線の上に配置されるのが望ましいです。改善、または選択可能にしてください。
以上3点の機能改善を期待しています。
53 votesAs per the comment inside, an ability to hide units for dimension objects is introduced in AI Beta build 28.3.0.47.
No more news so far on other parts of the request.
Speaking of which — if possible, please try to report/request one entry per post, to better track all the feedback. Thanks you for your participation.
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Clear / Delete recent from Recent files and File > New
As you know, Illustrator keeps exported images in the File > Open Recent Files list.
So if I export 20 TIFs from a single document — they will all will be listed there.This is dumb, and there are multiple requests to stop this:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests?query=recent%20filesThere are also requests to be able to clear that list (guess why there is a need for this).
But we should also be able to remove positions from the list one by one.
Use cases:
1. I renamed a file and now I can’t open it via this menu
2. I moved the file and now I can’t open it via this menu
3. I have files with long names that Ai truncates and I know I will need only the third, for example, and want to delete others so they do not eat up space and confuse me in the futureThis also should apply to File > New modern dialog.
As you know, Illustrator keeps exported images in the File > Open Recent Files list.
So if I export 20 TIFs from a single document — they will all will be listed there.This is dumb, and there are multiple requests to stop this:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests?query=recent%20filesThere are also requests to be able to clear that list (guess why there is a need for this).
But we should also be able to remove positions from the list one by one.
Use cases:
1. I renamed a file and now I can’t open it via this menu
2. I moved the file…53 votesWe have rolled out this functionality in v 30.4
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Folders in Symbols, Graphic Styles, Character/Paragraph Styles panels
Option to create and manage groups of multiple elements inside Symbol panel, Graphic Styles and Paragraph Styles panels, just like we already have in Swatches panel.
53 votes -
Color wheel
MagicPicker is great. What about making something similar from the box?
53 votes -
Performance of overprint preview mode and GPU preview mode
Hi Team,
Im form a print and packaging industry.
- we frequent work in overprint preview mode but when we switch to overprint preview mode we feel death slowness in the illustrator performance and also checking for the seperation preview is also very slow.
it take minimum of 3 to 8 second to zoom in the artwork
- some time in GPU preview mode we see a red strip above the rulers
Please have a look at the snap shot for our system specifications
and I use Illustrator V23.0.1
53 votes -
Create Tables
Create tables by anyway, it shouldn't have much options, such a simple table (simple borders), instead i have to draw lines to get a view of table.
53 votes -
Keyboard shortcuts for Bold and Italic text
It would be useful if, while typing/editing text, there was a keyboard shortcut to add BOLD or ITALICS - highlight the word, hit CTRL + B to bold, for example.
53 votesHappy to share that you can now format your text using the following keyboard shortcuts :
Shift + Ctrl (Win) / Cmd (Mac) + B (Bold) / I (Italic) / U (Underline)
You can also customise these shortcuts from the keyboard settings
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GET RID OF THE REVERT HOTKEY!
The hot key for Revert is WAY too similar to the hot key for Save As in Photoshop and I lost an entire day fo work saving after finishing a project. The fact that that can happen accidentally, even with the approval button is INFURIATING!
53 votes -
Make Pathfinder work with groups properly
Allow for the Pathfinder to operate on groups of objects as if the group were one object. Possibly its own pathfinder function.
If I am working with a group it is understood that I want to work with those items as one object. However, when using the pathfinder to minus front, and the object below is part of a group it just deletes the entire group along with the portion of the top object that I wanted to get rid of. When would that be useful? This will also be posted as a bug, because that is how I view this.
Allow for the Pathfinder to operate on groups of objects as if the group were one object. Possibly its own pathfinder function.
If I am working with a group it is understood that I want to work with those items as one object. However, when using the pathfinder to minus front, and the object below is part of a group it just deletes the entire group along with the portion of the top object that I wanted to get rid of. When would that be useful? This will also be posted as a bug, because that is how I view…
53 votes -
Allow users to set direction for X and Y axes
Several versions ago Adobe decided to flip Y-axis, so origin now is placed TOP-left instead of BOTTOM-left, as it was before.
They say it was done for compatibility with Photoshop and InDesign, which both have y-axis going down.I think that breaking people's workflow, deciding only ONE direction is right, was wrong.
InDesign is a publishing software, it works with a flow. I don't know anybody who reads from bottom to up (RTL — yes). When you move an object there, you don't move it up, you move it backwards
Photoshop is raster graphics editor, it works with a readable grid of pixels, which are written from top left (we see it every time when images load slow in browsers). Using Photoshop since version 5 I never experienced any trouble with axis going down, because it just never mattered! I retouch photos mostly. People, who uses it for drawing web-design (!) are still OK, because web pages go down. Anyway, PS even hasn't precise move dialogue controls.
And of course, the fact y-axises go one direction, is just a coincidence (when there is only two variants for y-axis to go — it's highly occasional) — because these two programs care for different fields.But Illustrator is about vectors.
Y-axis goes up in Cartesian coordinate system.
We move objects up meaning up here.
It was a consistency for the sake of consistency.
It was convenient for devs and not end users.
It was a mistake to do.
Adobe should have asked users to vote about denying common sense.
And Adobe should never ever ever had not given users ability to flip it.In fact, there IS a way to make y-axis to go down, as it was before: you have to manually set flags in prefs file:
/isRulerIn4thQuad 0
/isRulerOriginTopLeft 0BUT it causes Move dialogue to be broken (I also have this bug reported). And since there is such an ability and I can flip it in Prefs file — I will fight for an ability to work fully (the worse thing Adobe can do now — is to kill this opportunity).
I don't ask for ruler origin to be changed to bottom left by DEFAULT, NO, Adobe already had given us an opportunity to change this by editing flags! The ideal outcome would be just a switch in Preferences within AI (and a bugfix for Move dialogue that is set upon existing and approved behaviour).
I know quite a lot of highly valuable people from Adobe forums who still votes for y-axis go up:
CarlosCanto (he even wrote a script to undo your unexpected making, https://forums.adobe.com/message/3859338)
JETalmage (you should have seen this post back in 2009! https://forums.adobe.com/thread/497089)
Jacob Bugge and all other people who agree with them in comments.Nobody among my colleagues I know personally likes this. And only two of them having spoken about it at forums. Imagine how many just cry silently.
Xara allows to flip axes.
Canvas allows to.
Inkscape seems to be able too.
Affinity can't, but YET.Please.
Several versions ago Adobe decided to flip Y-axis, so origin now is placed TOP-left instead of BOTTOM-left, as it was before.
They say it was done for compatibility with Photoshop and InDesign, which both have y-axis going down.I think that breaking people's workflow, deciding only ONE direction is right, was wrong.
InDesign is a publishing software, it works with a flow. I don't know anybody who reads from bottom to up (RTL — yes). When you move an object there, you don't move it up, you move it backwards
Photoshop is raster graphics editor, it works with a readable…
52 votes -
You cannot add a Freeform Gradient to the Swatches Panel
FREEFORM GRADIENT, the new feature in Ai CC 2019. You can create amazing gradients, however, you cannot save any free form gradient created to the Swatches panel or the Cloud Library... why?
Its a great feature, however, it makes for so much extra work if you want to use any free form gradient you create in one file, in another file or project in the future... it would be logical to be able to save this new style of creating gradients to the CC Library and to one's Swatches Panel.
51 votes -
Isometric (triangular) grid
Please give us the option to display an isometric grid. Currently you always have to build one from scratch wich can be very tiring ...
Given the fact that isometric drawings have gained quite some popularity and you see them rather often on websites, it would be nice to have better tools to create these graphics, among them a proper grid.
Gravit Designer already has such an option:
51 votes -
Live Corners should be more live
It's too easy to "break" a live corner in Illustrator.
Compare how resilient a live corner is in Sketch versus in Illustrator. In Sketch, the original anchor point is available for manipulation no matter the corner rounding value.
In Illustrator, translating a rounded corner in any way is highly likely to expand it to a raw bezier curve.
Thus in Illustrator, if you want to edit your path at all, the best practice is actually to reduce all corner rounds to zero before making any edits. Then edit the path, and then restore the rounding values. To accomplish this, I end up annotating my own corners so I remember what values to put back in the corner field.
This is a very tedious way to work. Illustrator team, this is probably my number one complaint about Illustrator right now.
It's too easy to "break" a live corner in Illustrator.
Compare how resilient a live corner is in Sketch versus in Illustrator. In Sketch, the original anchor point is available for manipulation no matter the corner rounding value.
In Illustrator, translating a rounded corner in any way is highly likely to expand it to a raw bezier curve.
Thus in Illustrator, if you want to edit your path at all, the best practice is actually to reduce all corner rounds to zero before making any edits. Then edit the path, and then restore the rounding values. To accomplish this, I…
51 votes -
Illustrator does not embed a color profile when exporting artwork to PNG format
When exporting to JPG format there is option to select color profile and an option to embed the chosen color profile in file. There is no such support for PNG files and I find many times I am asked for a transparent PNG file for print work and am unable to embed color profile.
51 votes -
Make Free Distort tool work with images
Free distort doesn't support many object types.
Please make it work with images, both linked or embedded.
I have to use envelope distortion (with embedded only, breaking link with image) each time I need to distort an image within AI.51 votes -
Find Font window panel - expandable/resizable and searchable
Please simply allow the Find Font window panel to be expandable/resizable. Difficult to tell between the different weights on long font names such as:
Helvetica Neue LT Extended Heavy
vs
Helvetica Neue LT Extended BlackThe panel needs more horizontal space or even a tooltip to pop-out the full font name.
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51 votes -
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Visible keyboard shortcuts for actions
In photoshop you can see the keyboard shortcuts for a created action right behind the action in the action-window. Why isn't this possible in illustrator?
51 votesWorks as requested starting from the version 27.3
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For complex artboard setups: Artboard groups, folders, labels, hide/show toggles and other enhancements to the Artboards window
Currently the Artboards window lists all artboards in a single numbered list. The only customization available for the list is the ability to renumber the artboards. A helpful enhancement to consider: Add the ability to organize artboards list into nested groups and folders. For more complex situations, features like color coding with custom labels, and tags and filters could be helpful. To help de-clutter complex overlapping artboards, it would be helpful to be able to toggle the view on and off for artboards similar to how layers can be shown or hidden.
51 votes -
Merge anchor points
I'd like an option to merge two anchor points into one on a shape/path. This would make cleaner paths and objects.
51 votes
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