Illustrator History Panel...

[joedansk]

I've been reading that there is no History Panel in Illustrator even though it seems to be a commonly requested feature.  So let me get this straight... Adobe doesn't think that a history panel is necessary in Illustrator?  I get that I can ctrl-z to my hearts content... but what if I've done a string of changes that don't actually effect what I'm seeing on screen so I have no visual clue that I'm at the point I want to stop hitting ctrl-z.  Adobe would rather I try to figure out if I need to ctrl-z 6 times, 7 times, or 8 times or 9 times or 10 times?  Don't you think it would be a lot easier to have a history panel that we can look at and say "oh... that is the change I want to go back to"... Click... Done.  They'd rather we ctrl-z, check where we are, ctrl-z, check where we are, ctrl-z, check where we are, ctrl-z, check where we are and on and on and on?

Yeah... Makes sense.

[_scott__]

To date, no one has posted any valid reasons why a history panel is necessary. You can not have non-linear history in Illustrator the way you can in Photoshop. A history panel in Illustrator would be exactly what you've described... steps that undo would back up to.Do you really need a snapshot to tell you to go back one more step?

In addition, it would be filled with

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Would that really be a useful place to expend Illustrator resources?

[therabbit86ed]

This sounds like the History Panel in Photoshop when I create a clipping path with the pen tool... So really there isn't much difference. I rather Command+Z as many times as I want to than have a history panel

[Disposition_Dev]

i can understand that.. but if thats your perspective, then it wouldn't matter to you if a history panel existed. Seems like a lot of people here are telling OP that a history panel is a bad idea because they don't prefer it... 

to me... what you're saying here is akin to "why would we need a grid tool? you can just create a bunch of rectangles and then align and distribute them. i'd much rather do that than have a grid tool." If that's how you feel, that's perfectly fine.. But i don't think that's a good reason to say that tool shouldn't exist for those who do want to use it.

[Met1]

Wot, there's no history panel 11 years later?

[TheOnlyKingArthur]

How is this:

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Any different than this:

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???

I know I know. PS is non-linear, AI is not. I understand the whole linear history with AI and non-linear history with PS, and that's fine. Non-linear history aside, I find it extremely useful in PS to be able to quickly click back tens or hundreds of steps in history, essentially using the history panel as a list of undo/redo. In fact I use this far more often than non-linear history brush painting. What's wrong with adding this to AI? A visual list of LINEAR history steps that you can click forward or backward on without having to press Command/Ctrl+Z 147 times. How is this NOT useful?

Very few programs have non-linear history capability like Photoshop, but I can think of a handful of programs that provide a visual list of linear history steps with the ability to jump to any step in the list. I find this an incredibly useful tool and so do many others, which is why there are so many people baffled as to why Illustrator doesn't have this very common and very useful feature. Just search for "Illustrator History Panel?" and you get forum after forum post of users looking for this feature.

If Microsoft Word has this feature, then I don't want hear excuse after excuse about how Illustrator would have to be turned upside down to add this feature. That's all it is; an excuse. There is absolutely no reason it can't be added to every Adobe product. They may not be as powerful as Photoshop's history panel, but that wouldn't make it any less useful.

[_scott__]

Because painting in non-destructive. Moving a vector path is destructive in all cases.

A brush simply changes the hue, value, and opacity of a number of given pixels, that's all. Moving a path or deleting an anchor point would require a complete rewrite of the object, not just a few pixels.

The difference is in how vectors and rasters are constructed. As I've posted a raster image is just a group of pixels. It's fairly easy to change any one pixel to something else and store that data. A vector image is a group of mathematical calculations. You can not easily alter one part of a math equation and get the same result. If you have 2+1=3... change a single number but keep the equation correct? You just can't do it.

[TheOnlyKingArthur]

I know that. I said I know that in my post. I knew that before I ever starting searching for Illustrator's History Panel. I never expected to be able to edit history non-linearly in Illustrator, nor am I asking why it can't be done. FORGET about non-linear history in Photoshop vs. Illustrator, that's not what I'm asking. The questions is, how is it NOT useful to be able to instantly jump around a visual list of undo/redo steps without having to press Command+Z hundreds of times? Rhetorical question. It IS useful. That's why the feature exists in many other software packages. So the real question is; why don't Illustrator (and other Adobe products) have this feature???

[Will Chadwick]

You're not listening.

[Monika Gause]

ManOfNumenor  schrieb

You're not listening.

That user has stopped answering in this forum looooooong ago.

Also, as long as people are not marked "Staff" they are not Adobe employees and telling them they should implement a specific feature doesn't make that much sense.

You want a feature? Go to http://illustrator.uservoice.com and tell the engineers. There you can also vote for features. Make sure to outline your workflows in which you would use the feature. That way, if someone decides to actually implement the feature, it will be more meaningful.

[Doug A Roberts]

the relevant post is here:

Introduce Undo History panel – Adobe Illustrator Feedback

add your votes and voices.

[Doug.S]

Also helpful in a real history panel: make an option for users to "group" a series of repeated steps in a row into 1 undo step.

Much like PC taskbar option to "combine" . . . . to reduce a long history list.

Or better still; make the group fold/unfold with a triangle icon often used to roll-up/down a list.

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Doug.S  schrieb

Also helpful in a real history panel: make an option for users to "group" a series of repeated steps in a row into 1 undo step.

Much like PC taskbar option to "combine" . . . . to reduce a long history list.

Or better still; make the group fold/unfold with a triangle icon often used to roll-up/down a list.

Add that to the uservoice page. No one will ever find it in this thread.

[Andrеy]

> Also helpful in a real history panel: make an option for users to "group" a series of repeated steps in a row into 1 undo step. Much like PC taskbar option to "combine" . . . . to reduce a long history list. Or better still; make the group fold/unfold with a triangle icon often used to roll-up/down a list.

Doug_S-8jL39s, "option for users"? "A series of repeated steps"? "Into 1 undo step"? What are you talking about? What menu items, toolbar buttons, drop-down lists do you mean? I do not see any of you listed in the Adobe Illustrator 2020 interface.

[Will Chadwick]

Thanks for the link. It redeemed your post. I have voted. There are only 19 votes there for this feature.

As to replying to someone who has 'stopped answering this forum looooooong ago,' it isn't likely or necessary for me to investigate a users activity or status on a forum before I make a comment. And it is also not necessary that someone be an Adobe employee for me to tell them that they are not listening. Adobe employees do not have a corner on being boorish- in fact the actual Adobe employees I have talked with at Adobe conferences have been really helpful people. Also, when replying on Adobe's forums, I have the right to talk about how I would like to see a product improved with other people who have the same views. That is the actual meaning and purpose of 'forums': to discuss.

[default8az7hzqbc8wr]

This makes zero sense. There is a ctrl-z, so what is the difference? It is just a visual list of ctrl-z steps. 

[JGarrou]

My sentiments exactly! If Microsoft can let me jump backwards 25 steps, why can't Illustrator? What is "non-linear" about trying something, hating it, and backing up? How about Non-carpel tunnel by avoiding all of the ctrl-zs?

[Ilkhan28]

İf its a unnecessary use of Illustrator resources, then why did they give the feature to Photoshop and not Illustrator?

[_scott__]

Ilkhan28 wrote:

İf its a unnecessary use of Illustrator resources, then why did they give the feature to Photoshop and not Illustrator?

You obviosuly have not read this thread.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Scott believes that a vector program is not a workable app  for a history panel.

Even though Fireworksb has one that might serve as  model.

I admit illustrator is quite different than FW but I think the way you use FW  history panel to create an action

and the ability of Illustrator to record actions indicates that it is possible.

[TheOnlyKingArthur]

Well Scott, you and others have obviously been avoiding the question. The question is not, "Why doesn't Illustrator have a Non-Linear History panel like Photoshop?" But rather, "Why doesn't Illustrator have a History panel, like many other programs?"

Yes we know that Illustrator cannot have non-linear history like raster graphics progams do because it is a vector program. However it CAN have a history list of steps, like many other non-raster graphics programs do.

The two common arguments against a history panel in this thread and elsewhere are: "I've been using Illustrator for x number of years and I've never NEEDED a history panel..." Or "It's NOT POSSIBLE for Illustrator to have a history panel like Photoshop, becuase it works differently than Photoshop."

I have two things for those people who say they don't need or want a history panel; If you don't need or want to use a history panel, then DON'T. The option always exists in Adobe products to turn panels on and off. Everyone has different workflows that they prefer or are most efficient at. It won't effect your workflow at all if a history panel is added to Illustrator. You would still be able to continue using Cmd/Ctrl+Z if you prefer it that way. Just because a feature added to a piece of software isn't useful or practical to you, doesn't mean that it's not useful to others.

As for the other argument that a history panel is not possible, that is just completely WRONG. A Non-Linear History panel like Photoshop's might be impossible, but a History panel is very possible.  It exists as of right now in many software programs including; After Effects, Premiere, Encore, Soundbooth, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Solidworks, 3DS Max, Blender, Audacity, Nuendo, all Microsoft Office products and tons of other software, all of which are not raster graphics programs like Photoshop. It even exists in... wait for it... Adobe Flash. Which is, you guessed it... A VECTOR based program.

The pitiful arguments against a history panel in Illustrator are null and void. There is not a single good reason why it is not a feature of Illustrator, expecialy since almost every other Adobe product has this feature, except Illustrator. With so many programs implementing this feature, (including vector based ones), it is obviously both very possible and very useful.

[_scott__]

It's been answered.

Becuase all a history panel would do is show the next undo operation. Which is pointless.

Some simply refuse to accept basic logic.

[TheOnlyKingArthur]

If it was pointless, then why does it exist in: Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Soundbooth, Adobe Encore, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Flash, etc. etc. etc. ???

Some simply refuse to admit when they are wrong. You are wrong. Period.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Yes Scott is mistaken o n this issueandsimple cannot picturw hoq this would work. But once Illustrator has it he will champion the feature

[_scott__]

Wade_Zimmerman wrote:

Yes Scott is mistaken o n this issueandsimple cannot picturw hoq this would work. But once Illustrator has it he will champion the feature

Very doubtful.

[Abuse removed by moderator. Please follow the community guidelines to be kind and respectful.]