My Wish list for new Illustrator functionality

[a_ron999]

Maybe solutions exist already for some of these ideas...  I've been keeping a log every time I think of something for the last month. Could we see these in future versions of Illustrator? What do you think?

1. toggle on/off *all* appearances globally with one keystroke (not having to do this clicking through individual appearance panels).
   
   
2. a button that would automatically refresh appearances globally (sometimes after transforming or scaling mapped extrusions, the change doesn't appear unless you manually hide/show 3D effect in appearance panel)
   
   
3. when editing stroke weight or dashed line fields in the stroke panel, it is impossible to exit the focus of the panel via keyboard short cut (similar to CMD+SHIFT+A on the artboard). You must manually click out of the stroke panel to get back to work.
   
   
4. When using the direct selection tool on a "fill with no stroke" or a "stroke with no fill" the active attribute should self-detect whether to be a stroke or a fill. For instance: If I am clicking on a solid black square with no stroke it should automatically make "fill" the active attribute. Currently it defaults to what you had previously made active... which is a hassle when you are trying to quickly edit colors and stroke widths. I am constantly having to undo and hit X to swap them when I get it wrong.
   
   
5. ability to colorize / color-code document tabs so moving between documents is visually easier when you have a lot of tabs open
   
   
6. More freedom with assigning keyboard shortcuts. There should be no disallowed combinations (For instance, why must tools be a single letter?) or forcing you to use function keys only.
   
   
7. Edit symbols live on the canvas without having to click into the symbols panel in isolation mode.
   
   
8. In transparency mask mode, there is currently no way to exit mask mode via keyboard shortcut. You must physically click the mouse somewhere on the canvas. Make this mode exitable similar to how you can exit isolation mode within groups.
   
   
9. Placing vector smart objects into Photoshop that use Illustrator's 3D effects (rotate, extrude & bevel) creates an unwanted hairline/outline around layers that overlap. Especially pronounced when gradients are part of the equation. Illustrator can turn off this problem natively with "View using CPU" however the pasted smart object in Photoshop cannot.
   
   
10. When using a gradient along with Illustrator's 3D effects (mostly rotate), huge amounts of processing power are used trying to render in real time. I wish there was a way to turn off preview by default or wait until edits are made before displaying the gradient rather than rendering them after any incremental adjustment.
    
    
11. Ability to immediately abort a transformation or effect that is consuming too much processing power.
    
    
12. Toggle "Scale Strokes" on/off by keystroke without having to go to the Transform Each panel.
    
    
13. New feature: "send a point along" move an anchor point a specified distance along a line (not X,Y axis but along an existing path). For lengthening line segments that are at odd angles without having to manually snap it to a smart guide.
14.  

[Mike_Gondek · Accepted solution]

1 command Y once

2 command Y twice

3 hit escape

4 Make your changes in appearance palette

5 Adobe does not like  adding any colors to highlight items they want neutral, was suggested many years ago for layers palette and transparency palette

6 Make an action to choose tools and assign a different key

The forums are for individual questions and monitored by the public, Adobe may never see your suggestions. You should submit them here.

[a_ron999]

Howdy

1 command Y once

Maybe I've changed the default but this just selects a similar appearance. I am looking to turn off/on appearance. (The eye icon in the appearance panel, next to each FX.)

2 command Y twice

Doesn't work for me. What is the menu command so I can find this in the keyboard shortcuts?

3 hit escape

Thank you! Fantastic. This was so maddening in my keyboard workflow.

4 Make your changes in appearance palette

I do use the appearance panel for strokes and fills and mostly gradien overlays, however this is not effective (at least for me) for a rapid production workflow. Having to use the appearance panel for everything seems like an added step.

5 Adobe does not like  adding any colors to highlight items they want neutral, was suggested many years ago for layers palette and transparency palette

Oh well.

6 Make an action to choose tools and assign a different key

True. Actions force you to use a function key + Shift,command. Function keys are not my favorite.

Thanks for the suggestions. #3 will make my day.

[Mike_Gondek]

For my part you are welcome.