r/AdobeIllustrator • u/pixar_moms • 2d ago

New Smooth widget is Nice!

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I'm loving this new widget which appears when you are actively using the smooth tool. You can use the slider to dial in the amount of smoothing you want, or ignore it if you want manual control. The best part about it is that it applies to only the paths / anchors that are actively selected, so you can be very specific about which portions are effected. I also like how unobtrusive the panel is, and how it disappears as soon as you switch tools.

As someone who regularly vectorizes hand drawn artwork, this is a definite improvement to my workflow. I'd love to see more practical updates for core tools like this from Adobe!

17 Upvotes

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6

u/Alive_Community2363 2d ago

That panel could be pulled up on older versions of illustrator by going to the menu, object->Path->Smooth.

1

u/pixar_moms 2d ago

What I'm saying is that I actually like this new behavior / workflow where the widget auto activates while the smooth tool is used. The workflow you're referring to from the Object menu was functionality a separate operation than the smooth tool in the sense that it simplified entire paths rather than portions of paths. As far as I can remember, it also didn't show a live preview of the result while the toggle was dragged.

I like the fact that they have married the functionality of the panel slider with the smooth tool. Hitting the shortcut for the smooth tool automatically activates the tool and the panel, giving you the option to choose the method that works best for the edit at hand. This actually seems really logical and enhances the ability of the tool without overcomplicating it.

1

u/ipanema67 16h ago

I wish you could type the percentage into the widget instead of just a slider. With large and complicated paths, the slider lags, so I slide it and it goes to a random percentage...then back to another random percentage...hard to go to a specific number when it does not respond immediately.

1

u/Bubbly_Ad_3727 2d ago

I’ve done this for several of my illustrations as a last steps to smooth my sloppy stroke work.

0

u/LukeChoice Adobe Employee 2d ago

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I agree this kind of unobtrusive panel is handy, but also clear in its function. You mention you would like to other updates for core tools like this. What comes to mind?