Illustrator v29.2.1 | Performance Boosts, New Presets, Distance Guides, and More!

[Anshul_Saini]

Hello everyone!

Adobe Illustrator 2025 (version 29.2.1) is here! Enjoy faster image handling, improved effects processing, and enhanced Layers panel operations. Discover new document presets, export artboards in AI/EPS formats, use Distance Guides for precision, and access the Eyedropper tool directly from the Color Picker.

Update now to elevate your workflow and unleash your creativity!

Update the App Try out the latest Features and Enhancements in Illustrator.

Update Illustrator

Enhanced Performance for a Faster, Smoother Workflow

Illustrator v29.2.1 delivers significant performance enhancements, including faster image import, export, and embedding; improved effects processing for Photoshop filters and rasterization; and seamless Layers panel operations like hide/unhide and panel navigation. Work smarter and faster with these updates! Check out this page for more details!

Discover enhancements based on your feedback

We are dedicated to continuously improving to meet your evolving needs. Based on your feedback, here are the enhancements included in the October release of Illustrator. 

Tailored Document Presets for Every Design Need

Explore new Branding and Social Media document presets, alongside updated Mobile, Web, and Print templates optimized for modern design standards. Customize your workflow with adjustable preset views in the New Document dialog. Note: New templates may take up to 72 hours to appear post-update. Check out this page for more details!

 Streamlined Export for AI and EPS Formats

Effortlessly export artboards and assets in AI and EPS formats using the Export for Screens, enhancing flexibility for your design workflows. Check out this page for more details!

Accurate Placement with Distance Guides

Align and space objects with precision using Distance Guides. These guides show the real-time distance and relative position as you hover over an object or empty artboard while holding Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows). Check out this page for more details!

 Convenient Eyedropper Tool in the Color Picker

The Eyedropper tool is now integrated within the Color Picker, letting you sample colors directly from the canvas without needing to close the panel. Check out this page for more details!

Fixed Issues

Illustrator v29.2.1 also includes several bug fixes. Take a look here.

We’d love to hear from you!

Try out the v29.2.1 and let us know your thoughts. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need more tips!

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[alice_7271]

Hello, are there known issues with Adobe Illustrator's (v. 29.2.1) animated zoom and real-time drawing and editing capabilities when working on a Dell Precision 7680 with an RTX 5000 Ada graphics card? I've been experiencing massive lagging issues in performance when I have these two options checked.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @alice_7271,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with GPU performance in Illustrator. Would you mind performing a clean reinstallation of the GPU drivers (Intel / NVIDIA / AMD) and setting the Graphics Preference to High-Performance for Illustrator (https://adobe.ly/4gWxIBY) and checking if it helps?

If the problem persists, kindly confirm if Illustrator behaves this way when working with specific files, system report (https://adobe.ly/4afZdUm) and a screen recording of your exact worklow so I can investigate further.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[AdrianSnigel]

Me and my collegue has experienced this aswell. it makes it really har to work. it's as if all my files, even recently created once are super heavy and cluttered

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Adrian28705805r0r1,

Are you using a Windows computer? If yes, please try the suggestions shared above and check if it helps. If you're using a Mac, try running Illustrator under a different administrator account (macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[simonh5504215]

I'm keen to use your Share Document feature, but currently it's useless for this reason: the vast majority of the time in Illustrator I'm working in CMYK mode to do packaging and other print materials (and I'm sure millions of users world-wide are doing the same). The PDF that Share Document puts out displays incorrect colours in a web browser. To fix it, you HAVE to force the PDF to RGB on the export then it will look correct. 

[rashigarodia]

Freezes on launching in Macbook. Also, it's a slower version and doesn't respond to a lot of actions. 

[Monika Gause]

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rashigarodia  schrieb:

Freezes on launching in Macbook. Also, it's a slower version and doesn't respond to a lot of actions. 

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I'm using it on a Macbook and it works just fine. When was the last time you rebooted the computer or reset the preferences (which will erase all your settings)?

How much RAM is installed?

[rashigarodia]

I restarted my system yesterday and reset the preferences as well. still the same issue. 16GB Ram and 286GB free space available as of now. Don't know whats happening

[Danny51]

The dashed line tool still has a bug, it's now been at least SEVEN YEARS since this first occured. It's such a basic function and the (very tedious) workaround is now also no longer working.  Please cosider this for the next update!

[Monika Gause]

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Danny51  schrieb:

The dashed line tool still has a bug, 

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Which dashed line tool are you referring to?

[Danny51]

This tool, in the stroke options. I will not register changes made to dash and gap lenght and jump to previous values as soon as I click away from the field.

[Monika Gause]

That is not a tool, but the stroke panel.

Can you please describe step by step what you are doing?

I have never seen the problem you describe. Also haven't seen it mentioned in this forum.

Did you already post it as a bug report on Uservoice?

[Danny51]

Hey, sorry it's been a while. So here's what happens:

I want to create a dashed line, so I change the gap value to my liking and it shows a live preview, but then jumps back to a non dashed line as soon as I click somewhere, while the gap field turns blank. I hope this screen recording makes it clearer:

[Srishti Bali]

Hi @Danny51

Apologies for the delayed response. I tested this on my Windows machine using the latest version and was able to replicate the behavior. Could you confirm if you're experiencing this issue on version 29.3.1 as well?

Regards,

Srishti

[Danny51]

Yes, I'm also using 29.3.1.
It's not a new bug though, I dates back a few years.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Danny51,

Thank you for sharing the details and the short GIF. I understand how frustrating this must be, especially since the issue has persisted for so long. I’ll connect with our product team to check if this is already being tracked or if we need to raise it as a new issue.

We appreciate your patience, and I’ll keep you posted on any updates.

Best,

Anshul Saini

[terri0888]

I just updated my Illustrator and photoshop.

cannot PRINT files from Illustrator now.. tried several times.. have to shut it down to get out of this.. cannot cancel. even shut my whole syste down once. can print from photoshop..??

[Monika Gause]

There have been several reports of crashes when printing with that version.

But it doesn't seem to be a general issue. If you need it solved fast, try and install version 29.2

[Anshul_Saini]

Hello @terri0888,

Our product team has rolled out a backend fix for this problem. Would you mind relaunching Illustrator v29.2.1 or reinstalling v29.2.1 in case you downgraded it and confirming if it helps resolve the problem?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Anshul Saini

[powerful_curiosity5911]

After upgrading to Illustrator v29.2.1, JPEG exports are now in the Exif format, and I can no longer output them in the JFIF format.
Due to the requirements of the software I am using, I need to save JPEG files in the JFIF format.
Could you please provide a solution for this issue?

[naps2]

I am excited to see how the performance boosts enhance efficiency. The new presets and distance guides seem like  great tools for more precise designs. Looking forward to exploring the improvements!

[oleschwander]

I don't know if it's an Illustrator problem, but it's terribly annoying that the Illustrator window falls behind the other programs :::!

[Anubhav M]

Hello @oleschwander,

Would you mind sharing more details, like the version of the OS/Illustrator and if Illustrator behaves this way when you have a specific application open so I can better assist you?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[oleschwander]

Thanks a lot Anubhav. I use the latest  Mac OS and the latest Adobe CC apps. But I think it's a general problem - an Adobe bug. The Illustrator window can't get in front of e.g. Photoshop. It's really annoying and time consuming.