Illustrator feature summary (April 2025 release)

Experience performance enhancements

Illustrator 29.5 comes with the following performance enhancements:

Menus:

• Top-level menus and context menus open and respond more quickly.
• Navigation in Type > Font and the context Font menu is smoother and faster.

Links panel:

• The panel offers a faster scrolling experience.
• The panel updates in real time when you modify embedded and linked assets—including those from network drives.

Effects: 

• Transform (Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform), Warp (Effect > Warp), and Blend (Object > Blend) apply faster.
• Effects render faster on objects with multiple fills and strokes.

Ideate and fill shapes with vector graphics

Generative Shape Fill, powered by the latest Adobe Firefly Vector Model, lets you easily fill shapes with detailed vector graphics in your own style. Select a shape and enter a brief description of the fill. You'll get multiple variations as output.

As you type, prompt suggestions give you creative guidance. You can adjust shape strength and detail, choose a reference style from your artwork, apply preset effects, and specify colors as needed.

Once you try out the variations, pick the one that best suits your artwork. You can edit and scale them as needed without losing quality.

Make patterns in unique arrangements

Text to Pattern, powered by the latest Adobe Firefly Vector Model, lets you ideate and create vector patterns effortlessly. Enter a brief description of the pattern, and you'll get multiple variations as output.

If you want ideas for your pattern, explore the sample prompts. You can specify colors, adjust the density level, and apply effects for a more fine-tuned output. 

Once you try out the pattern variations and find the one that aligns the most with your creative vision, use it as a swatch for future editing.

Create crisper scenes, subjects, and icons

Text to Vector Graphic, powered by the latest Adobe Firefly Vector Model, lets you easily create detailed vector graphics in your own style. Enter a brief description of the subject, scene, or icon, and you'll get multiple variations as output.

You can explore the sample prompts for inspiration. In addition, prompt suggestions guide you as you type, giving more depth to your ideas. You can adjust the level of detail, choose a reference style from your artwork, apply preset effects, and specify colors as needed.

Once you try out the variations, pick the one that best suits your artwork. You can create similar variations at any time without the need to remember the prompt or settings.

Explore enhancements inspired by your feedback

We're committed to continually improving to meet your changing needs. Based on your feedback, here are the enhancements to Illustrator in the April 2025 release.

Apply colors instantly with enhanced Hex code input

Illustrator now makes it easier to apply colors directly to selected objects using enhanced Hex code input. Navigate to the Color panel to set color codes using:

• Pattern-based auto-fill: Enter simple numeric patterns and Illustrator will auto-fill them as full hex codes. For example: 1 → 111111, 12 → 121212, 123 → 112233
• Decimal formats: Enter decimal values in any of the following formats and Illustrator will convert them to hex codes. For example:
  • 12,255,09 → 0CFF09
  • 12 255 09 → 0CFF09
  • 12. 255. 09 → 0CFF09
• CSS color names: Enter standard color names from a list of 148 colors and Illustrator will convert them to hex codes. For example: Red → FF0000 or Blue → 0000FF.  You can also type a part of a color name, like Ye for Yellow or Pi for Pink, and Illustrator will automatically fill in the corresponding hex code.
  

Add prefixes to artboard names during export for better file management

You can add file name as prefix when you export artboards or assets using Export for Screens, allowing you to easily identify them later.

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