Illustrator CS6 / Features

Use the Package feature to easily hand off Illustrator files to production by automatically collecting the necessary fonts, linked graphics, and a package report in a single folder.

Quickly unembed images that have been placed and embedded into an Illustrator file for quick edits or for use outside Illustrator. Automatically link them to their extracted PSD or TIFF files.

Efficiently track and access complete information on any artwork placed within an Illustrator file, directly from the Links panel.

Easily create seamlessly tiled vector patterns. Experiment freely with different types of repeating patterns that can be edited at any time for maximum design flexibility.

Convert raster images to editable vectors with a completely new tracing engine. Get clean lines, accurate fitting, and reliable results without using complex controls.

Take fewer steps to accomplish daily tasks in a new, streamlined interface. Enjoy inline editing of layer names, precise color sampling, and UI brightness that's smoothly adjustable to match other Adobe tools.

Apply gradients to your strokes — along the length, across the width, or within the stroke itself — all with complete control over gradient placement and opacity.

Efficiently edit names in layers, swatches, brushes, artboards, and other panels directly in the panels themselves without using intermediate dialog boxes.

See that Gaussian Blur and effects such as Drop Shadows and Glows are applied significantly faster than before. To improve accuracy, preview directly on the artboard rather than in a dialog box.

Sample colors faster and more precisely using an expandable color spectrum in the Color panel. And now, copy and paste hex values into other applications more quickly.

Quickly access the popular Scale Strokes and Effects option, thanks to its new availability in the Transform panel.

Use arrow keys to change fonts in context for selected text. Glyphs for caps, superscripts, and more can now be accessed in one place — from the Character panel.

Tear off and dock previously hidden tools, such as the Shape and Pen tools. Dock tools horizontally or vertically for a more efficient workspace.

Move fluidly from workspace to workspace with support for rooms. Achieve consistency across your work areas and maintain layout changes until you actively reset them.

Quickly find what you need in a more efficient Control panel, now with consistency across options, anchor point controls, clipping masks, envelope distortions, and more.

See more detail in your images and text, and in the Illustrator user interface, when working on high-resolution displays, including the new Retina display on MacBook Pro.*

Create and work with opacity masks more easily, thanks to the new Make Mask/Release button that now displays the masking functionality in the Transparency panel.

Set your Illustrator CS6 workspace canvas to white for fast color sampling when you need to quickly grab a pure white.