Scale, mirror or reflect tools doesn't keep settings anymore

[#1]

Hi fellow illustrator users,

I have encountered a problem and I couldn’t find a solution. Mabye this is something really simple but google had no answers for me. My problem is the following:

A few month ago, my workflow was like this. When I had to scale, mirror or reflect an object, I would go to transform>scale and then type in the specific numbers I needed. This came in really handy when I had to scale other object with the same percentage. I just went to transform>scale again. But this time I didn’t have to type in the numbers again because they were still there from the last time, like Illustrator was saving them. This worked with reflect and rotate as well. Now when I do the same and want to transform an object again, the numbers in the box are something completely different. Sometimes it still works the way it used to do but most of the time I get some odd numbers. It’s like illustrator wants to help me by guessing what numbers I need next but they are never right. When I reflect an object horizontally, the next time I open the tool it suggests reflecting the object by 37,975°. When I turn an object by 30° and open the tool again it suggest I should now turn the object by -14,456° or something.

What is this and how do I turn this off?

Please don’t tell my about all the other ways to scale, rotate and reflect objects. Thanks

[#2]

Which version of Illustrator are you using?

You are saying that it sometimes works as expected. And sometimes not. Can you perhaps see any pattern that may help to reproduce the occurrence of misbehaviour and correct (expected) behaviour?

[#3]

I am using the version 25.0, which is the newest I think.

Yes sometimes it workes as expected but most of the times not. This is an example. First I scale an object by a chosen amount, in this case 50%. But when I try it again, the numbers have changed completely. It even jumped from even to uneven. 8 out of 10 times it does something like this.

I am from germany, this is why the text in the boxes is all german but i think the numbers show my point.

[#4]

We (3 workstations) are having the same issue using version 25.0. Most times the scaling jump from uniform to Non-uniform after previously using uniform scale as well as random scale percentages from previous inputs. 

Please help

[#5]

Did you reset the preferences when updating?

[#6]

Yes, I have reset preferences(Ctrl-Shift-Alt when starting illustrator) and still have the same issue. Also having the same issue on my home computer.

[#7]

Hi there,

Sorry about the delay. I am hopeful that the issue was fixed. If not, please try the suggestions shard on this page (https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/resolve-slow-performance-and-unexpected-behaviors-in-illu...) and let us know how it goes. 

Feel free to let us know if you still need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Regards,

Srishti

[#8]

Hi @Lasse5EEC 

hi @Srishti Bali 

This behaviour seems to be similar to:

Bug report: Transformieren > Spiegeln (Bug report: Transform > Mirror)

was reported as bug here:

Illustrator.uservoice.com | illustrator-desktop-bugs | Transform > Mirror does not work properly  

(There are more threads here in forum, mostly with Mirror, Scale or Reflect Tool.)

[#9]

Thanks for sharing the details. Please allow us some time to check this with Product team and get back to you.

[#10]

The next one:

Reflect tool doesn't keep settings anymore 

[#11]

And two other users here in this thread:

Tools not holding their settings 

[#12]

Illustrator 21

Zwischendurch kommt immer dieser Fehler, 

Ein Objekt wird  gespiegelt,  Achse VERTIKAL.

Das Objekt wird Kopiert, nochmal gespiegelt und er merkt sich die letze Einstellung und wird wieder auf die VERTIKALE achse gespiegelt. 

Dann zwischendurch plötzlich schägt er die Achse WINKEL vor.

So etwas ist mir in die alte Versionen nie vorgekommen.

ich arbeite den ganzen Tag mit Illustrator und so etwas ist auffällig.

[#13]

Hi @muntoni 

Hier ist das Community Forum. Das ist eigentlich nicht der richtige Platz für Bug-Reports.

Besser, weil unter Mitwirkung von Adobe-Mitarbeitern:

illustrator.uservoice.com search filter=mirror 

Weiterhin wäre es extrem hilfreich, die genaue Illustratorversion anzugeben. Und auch eine deutlich detailliertere Problembeschreibung, auf welchem Weg genau du spiegelst (per Shortcut, per Werkzeug oder per Menübefehl) und Screenshots vom Verhalten und manchmal ist auch eine Beispieldatei sehr von Vorteil.

[#14]

Hi  pixxxelschubser 

Werde ich mal dort posten, danke

auf jeden Fall Version 25.0.1

Normalerweise verwende ich schortcuts aber ich habe das auch mit Objekt> Transformieren> Spiegeln getestet

und das Problem tauch trotzdem auf.

Verbluffend ist weil das passiert nicht immer.  Aber Kommt vor wenn man viel spiegelt.

leider kann ich  hier keine Datei hochladen besteht keine Möglichkeit.

[#15]

Noch einmal darüber nachgedacht:

Sofern du die Möglichkeit hast, ein Screenrecording zu erstellen, dann dürfte ein Video deiner Vorgehensweise (auf Illustrator.uservoice.com hochgeladen) in Verbindung mit einer guten Fehlerbeschreibung am zielführensten sein.

Viel Erfolg.

[#16]

ich habe nun das Problem weitergepostet...

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/42177418-transf...

dort ist ein sample file

[#17]

ein screen record habe ich auch dort gepostet. 

danke!

[#18]

@muntoni  wrote:
… ein screen record habe ich auch dort gepostet …

Ich sehe dort -> illustrator.uservoice.com | Transform > Mirror does not work properly  leider nur deine sample file mirror.ai

[#19]

kann ich leider hier nur mit Youtube anzeigen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMOjQCta0LQ

das hochladen vom dem Video hat nicht geklappt.

[#20]

The link to your YouTube video posted there should suffice.

Could you keep us “up to date” please?

---

Der hochgeladene Link zu deinem Video sollte völlig ausreichen.

Könntest du uns vielleicht „auf dem Laufenden“ halten?

[#21]

This changed on a recent release, and I don't know why. It used to be that I could press "o" - hit enter, and reflect the selected object. This would keep the setting that I used previously. For example, if I selected "Vertical" - it would stay vertical until I selected a different option. Now however, it just does any random number and never keeps the previous setting. What is different? Has anybody else noticed this? Is there a fix?

[#22]

Hi @michaelm1109555 

This behaviour seems to be similar to:

Bug report: Transformieren > Spiegeln (Bug report: Transform > Mirror)

was reported as bug here:

Illustrator.uservoice.com | illustrator-desktop-bugs | Transform > Mirror does not work properly  

You can also vote there.

(There are more threads here in forum, mostly with Mirror, Scale or Reflect Tool.)

I will collect yours and future posts here in forum:

Scale, mirror or reflect tools doesn't keep settings anymore 

Because of: this post was visited by Adobe Staff member @Srishti Bali 

[#23]

Hi All,

Ever since updating my Illustrator, the tools I'm using are not keeping the same settings as the previous time I used the tool. For instance, I use the reflect tool a lot. I almost always use reflect vertical as I make technical drawings. However, each time I use the tool it reverts to "angle" and some crazy angle (that probably no one uses) appears and I have to stop and select the reflect vertical tool. 

For rotate, I need to use 90 degree and 45 degree angles. It will show up with a number such as -13 degrees. This slows me down tremendously as I have to create hundreds of these angles just for one drawing. I wouldn't care so much, but Illustrator used to keep the setting as previously used. Hence I organize my work accordingly. I hope this feature isn't something Illustrator has taken away.

Please help! Thanks!

[#24]

It sounds to me like your preference file has become corrupted. If you had the setting for importing previous preferences and settings checked when you updated the program then that may be the key to your issue. Using preferences from a previous version often causes performance problems as the code used for the new version will differ from the previous version. I have found that starting each new version of Illustrator with the default preferences and then adjusting things all over again usually leads to better long term performance—despite the inconvenience of doing so.

To trash your preferences and resttore dafaults:

For Macintosh Users: The User Library folder in which Illustrator’s preferences are stored is hidden by default on most Macintoshes. To access it make sure that Illustrator is closed and click on the desktop to launch a Finder Window (Command-N).With this window in column view follow the path User>Home folder (it’s the folder with an icon that looks like a house—it may have the user’s name rather than “Home”) and click on the Home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. “Library” will now appear within the Home folder. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the folder called “Adobe Illustrator <Version #> Settings” (earlier versions of Illustrator might just say “Adobe Illustrator”) and the file called “com.adobe.Illustrator.plist” and delete both that folder and that file. When Illustrator is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

For Windows Users: You can try the quick way of resetting on a PC which is to hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift when launching Illustrator and respond affirmatively when asked if you want to reset. There have been some recent reports that the window asking if you want to reset is not popping up but that the prefs are being reset anyway. If this works great but if it doesn’t you may have to manually delete them.

To do so: On Windows 7 and above the preference files are hidden. To find them go to the Control Panel and open Folder Options and then click the View tab. Then select “Show hidden files and folders” or “Show hidden files, folders or drive options” in Advanced Settings. Then delete (or rename) the folder at the end of this path: C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [version number]\ Settings\<Language>. Make sure that Illustrator is closed when you do this. When you relaunch the program it will create new preference files and the program will be at its default settings.

The advantage of manually deleting preference files is that after you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, you can create copies of your personalized “mint” preference files (make sure that you quit the program before copying them—that finalizes your customization) and use them in the future to replace any corrupt versions you may need to delete.

[#25]

Hi @ellen-kidpik 

This seems to be similar to:

Bug report: Transformieren > Spiegeln (Bug report: Transform > Mirror)

was reported as bug here:

Illustrator.uservoice.com | illustrator-desktop-bugs | Transform > Mirror does not work properly