Preferences > Keyboard Increment in 29.7

[jmyjazz]

For years (and years), I’ve been hitting Command+K to bring up Preferences and immediately change the keyboard increment. The input box for keyboard increment used to be auto-selected, allowing me to type a new value without any extra clicks.

In the just-installed version 29.7, Command+K still opens Preferences, but now it auto-selects the search input instead. Is there any way to restore the old behaviour?

Personally, I use search only occasionally, whereas I change the keyboard increment multiple times a day. This change feels like a step backwards in terms of productivity.

[Lorelynn219941164iiw]

Hello,

I have exactly the same problem. I work on Illustrator all day long and use this shortcut thousands of times a day. It's just not possible to have this search bar.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @jmyjazz,

Thank you for sharing the details. I completely understand how this change impacts your workflow, especially if you adjust the keyboard increment multiple times a day.

I've shared this with our product team and checking whether this was an intentional change or a known issue. I'll update you here as soon as I hear back from them.

Appreciate your patience, and thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Abhishek

[jmyjazz]

Many thanks Abhishek!

[Ton Frederiks]

I can see the problem, the best way to report it is at Adobe Uservoice:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/

[Egor Chistyakov]

Reported at UserVoice now: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/50255313

[Lorelynn219941164iiw]

Does anyone know which version doesn't have the modified font issue but also doesn't have that annoying search bar, please?

[Monika Gause]

Which Search bar are you referring to?

[Lorelynn219941164iiw]

This : 

[Monika Gause]

Most people have asked for it. I would assume it has come to stay.

[Lorelynn219941164iiw]

But many people also use the “keyboard increment” tool hundreds of times a day. The fact that this tool is no longer automatically selected instead of the search bar is really a loss of productivity.

[Monika Gause]

Keyboard incrment is available in the Properties panel. You could also install the free plugin DirectPrefs to have  the keyboard increment at hand.

If you want it changed in Illustrator, I would suggest you vote for the feature request posted by Egor.

[jmyjazz]

Really? Who exactly are you referring to as ‘most people’? What data supports that? No one is saying search shouldn’t exist – the issue is that there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for it to be auto-selected when opening Preferences, especially when it overrides a long-standing and efficient way to adjust a key tool.

[Doug A Roberts]

Naturally, if something has been one way for a long time, and one day it changes, workflows are going to be affected.

Consider the perspective of a new user though. If you enter Preferences, would you expect some specific preference field to be focussed rather than the search bar?

[Lorelynn219941164iiw]

We're not talking about removing the search bar, just leaving the keyboard increment selected by default as it has been for years.

[Doug A Roberts]

I didn't mention removing anything either.

[Kurt Gold]

Well, one may counter that new users would not even know what to search for …

However, Windows users can just hit the Alt key + Underlined letter to activate the Keyboard Increment field.

What I do not like about the new Search field is: When using one of the two bright user interfaces, the blue highlight colour in the dropdown menu (search result suggestions) is way too dark, therefore the suggestions in black coloured type are nearly illegible. Seems to be optimized for the dark user interfaces with white type.

[Ton Frederiks]

You can comment on this feature request:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/501...

Or here

for those who want the focus:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/50114175)

Or here

for those who don’t want the focus:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/50255313-keyboa...

[frankyfrancesca]

Command+K for changing the increment is something I do hundred+ times a day as a professional graphic artworker since 1987. PLEASE ADOBE, REVERT THIS CHANGE. I COSTS ME SO MUCH EXTRA TIME A DAY!

[Monika Gause]

It's no use posting it in this forum. Support the Uservoice report. There your vote counts.

[DeadMoroz1]

Totally agree! This is perhaps my most used feature in Illustrator. Search should not be the default selection in preferences menu. Rolling back my upgrade.

[Doug A Roberts]

Out of interest, what are those who change this setting 'hundreds of times a day' doing?

I don't think I've ever changed it.

[Lorelynn219941164iiw]

Personally, I work in packaging, and I may need to move elements of a specific size from one side of my cutting path, and this changes with every job I do. And generally, there are several sides of different sizes on the same cutting path, so I have to change it all the time. It's ingrained in the way we work to constantly change this increment.

[DeadMoroz1]

I'm one of them. Every time I have to move objects at a specific distance I change increment to do it precisely and effortlessly. Have not counted but I believe I use Ctrl+K close to 100 times a day.

[Doug A Roberts]

Could the Move dialogue help instead?

Select object > Enter