Introducing Contextual Task Bar in Illustrator - Quick Actions when you need them!

[Anubhav M]

Introducing Contextual Bar in Illustrator, available for version 27.9 and later.

Hello everyone, 

We're excited to announce that Contextual Task Bars are now available in the latest release of Adobe Illustrator.

   Note: Contextual Task Bars are only available for Illustrator version 27.9 or later.
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The Contextual Task Bar is a floating bar that provides the most relevant next actions for the object you select in the object's vicinity. The Contextual Task Bar ensures that your focus remains on the object you're working on.

You can move the Contextual Task Bar around to where you want it to be. You can also reset its position or hide it by selecting More options.

   Note: The Contextual Task Bar is currently available only for limited object types.

Some Example Cases include:

Recolour Artwork You will now have the option to quickly recolor your artwork when selecting a grouped object

Text Options Effortlessly modify your text's size, style, or font with the assistance of the Contextual Task Bar.

Path Options Swiftly execute alterations to your chosen path using the Contextual Task Bar, streamlining your path-editing process.

Image Trace Choose the raster images within your project, and with the aid of the Image Trace contextual menu, transform them into vector graphics effortlessly.

Learn More about the Latest Features in Illustrator:

Text to Vector Graphic (Beta)

Generative Recolor

Retype (Beta)

Contextual Task Bar when selecting an Open Path, a Closed Path and Multiple Objects

Tips and Other Menu Functionality

• Show Properties Panel
  You can quickly switch to the Full Panel for the Quick Action you are working on to have access to more controls and features by choosing Show Properties Panel from the “More menu”
  
  

• Reset bar position
  The context bar moves with you as you work on the canvas, keeping relevant tools at your fingertips. If you would like to reset the position, you can do so from the “More menu”.
  
  
• Hide bar
  You can always hide the bar if you’d like to remove it completely or temporarily from the canvas. If you’d like to re-open the bar at any point, go to Window > Contextual Task Bar

Known Limitations:

• On duplicating an object using the Contextual Task Bars, we cannot use the "Ctrl/Cmd + D" keys to duplicate our previous action.

Share your Feedback We're excited to hear your opinions and welcome your feedback on the Illustrator UserVoice!

Open UserVoice

Thanks,

Anubhav

If you've found value in this post, a friendly upvote would be fantastic. Your thoughts are even more precious – share them with us in the discussion!

[CarlosCanto]

It looks promising, I'd love to have the ability to add our own tools in it, including buttons to run Scripts

[m1b]

Yeah Carlos! That would be quite powerful. Or a step further... show custom commands (eg. script buttons) that appear when the selection passes a *custom* criteria (the criteria could be scripted—eg. a function, given the selection). This would allow the CTB to show options only if a "special" item was selected, eg. slug info group.

This makes me wonder if the SDK has access to the Contextual Task Bar. If so, perhaps someone could make a plug-in that did this.

[chanaart]

Like the post and the information. I think the new Imge Trace panel is a bit confusing. 

[Jess Telmanik]

Agreed, we at least need the expand button back in the panel.

[Aimée299385694d1j]

I've added a request for this here. Please upvote! 🙂

[Daniel Kramer]

Looks exciting!

[Imaginerie]

Great updates!
Things I can think of that would go in the new bar:
Simplify, when a path is selected.
The last effect used, to re-apply  (Not critical though)

Create a mask when a new path is created

[shalowater]

i dont like it its distracting . how do i turn it off? please & thank you

[shalowater]

nevermind . duh . thanks 

[Lilybiri]

Great! Maybe take into account older users with bad eyes? More contrast between text and black background (or customisable color scheme)?

[Monika Gause]

It follows the UI settings you have selected in the preferences. Mini is set to the lightest and the task bar has a high contrast.

[Lilybiri]

Danke schön. I always have to dabble a lot in those Preferences for that purpose. At least it is possible in AI and PS, but not... in Captivate and the new version causes me headaches.

[ndcgraph]

I would LOVE it if the Contextual Task Bar popped up immediately when using the Pen Tool or similar path editing tools. The "Edit Path" button in the Contextual Task Bar is great, but I have to switch to the Selection Tool before the task bar shows up (after drawing an object and closing the path with the Pen Tool). I could also just immediately select the Direct Selection tool after closing the path and edit the path right away. Something to consider... thanks!

[Anubhav M]

Hello @ndcgraph,

Thank you for reaching out and providing us with your valuable insights. We greatly appreciate your feedback, and we will make sure to share it with our product team. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[Alextizze]

I find this Contextual Task Bar very useful!

It would be nice if when you insert an image into Illustrator, there are the vertical flip and horizontal flip actions.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Alextizze,

That's a great suggestion! The Contextual Task Bar is indeed a useful feature, and having the vertical flip and horizontal flip actions when inserting an image into Illustrator would be a valuable addition.

To help make this idea more visible to the Adobe Illustrator team, I recommend upvoting the feature request on UserVoice and leaving a comment explaining your thoughts. The product team actively monitors UserVoice for user feedback and feature requests, so your input can make a difference.

Here's the link to upvote and comment on the UserVoice suggestion: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/938463-illustrator-feature-feedback/suggestions/47290175-co...

Your participation in the UserVoice community can contribute to the improvement of Adobe Illustrator. Thank you for sharing your idea!

best,

Anshul Saini

[jason26451021lcgi]

The concept is really cool, but the placement is terrible. Is there any way to adjust how far away it is from the object being edited? It's always way too close and I have to move it or turn it off to maintain my workflow.

[Monika Gause]

Currently you can either put it into a fixed place or hide it, but there's no way to enter a relative positioning. You might want to ask for that here: https://illustrator.uservoice.com