Illustrator Splash Screen History

Adobe Illustrator 2026 version 30 (2025-10)

August  2026, version 30.8: Select easier, new pattern and gradient swatches

July  2026, version 30.7: Blend panel

June  2026, version 30.6: Relink at once, alignment and spacing keyboard shortcuts

May  2026, version 30.5: Concept to Vector, Rewrite by AI, check credits, Prompt to Edit AI, align centers, manage projects from Homescreen

April  2026, version 30.4: Expand images AI, remove image background, edit Gen AI text directly

March 2026, version 30.3: AI Auto Select and Style Reference, Turntable renders 2D into 3D views, Export for Screens > cloud storage

February 2026, version 30.2: AI partner models enhancements, TIFF in Export for Screens, Export to Adobe Cloud storage, Scale using relative or absolute values

December 2025, version 30.1: AI partner models available

October 2025, version 30.0: Enhanced font browser, Enhanced gradients and presets and color picker, Snap line endpoints to tangents and Snap perpendicular, Right-clickable, lockable, colorable artboards, Right-click artboard management, Projects in home screen

Adobe Illustrator 2025 version 29 (2024-10)

August 2025, version 29.8: Faster performance, copy Hex values, better Smart Guides snapping  with enhanced Snap to Grid and Snap to pixel, Snapping Quick Access panel

July  2025, version 29.7: Add or duplicate or rename artboards faster, see the active artboard, apply gradient based on existing fill, recent colors, search preferences, accessibility features

June 2025, version 29.6: Generative Expand, performance enhancements, Pencil tool draws in real-time, duplicate shortcut repeats artboard actions,  place onto select artboards, rearrange artboards enhancements

April  2025, version 29.5: Performance and workflow enhancements, Generative AI enhancements

March 2025, version 29.4: Faster menus, Retype panel enhancements, flexible Hex input

February  2025, version 29.3: Faster file import, effects processing, and layers panel

January  2025, version 29.2: New Document dialog enhancements, Export for Screens supports AI and EPS, distance guides, eyedropper color picker

November 2024, version 29.1: Tips and shortcuts in the Help Bar, Gradients/patterns in swatch groups, Create Swatch Info, Object > Ungroup All, Monospaced Full-Width Forms

October 2024, version 29.0.1: Objects on Path, Image Trace improvements, Gradient detection, Project Neo (Beta), Mockups improvements, Text to Pattern density level, Generative Shape Fill, Text to Vector Graphic, Reflow Viewer Asian fonts, Scale the artboard and artwork, Create Gradient from Swatches panel, Knife tool with smart guides

Adobe Illustrator 2024 version 28 (2023-10)

August 2024, version 28.6 security patch: Security patch, contextual Task Bar, language support for Retype, Image Trace panel > Expand, Save custom document presets

July 2024, version 28.6: Generative Shape Fill, Text to Pattern, Text to Vector Graphic, Mockup panel, Retype, Faster Pan and Zoom

May 2024, version 28.5: Relink missing files automatically, Sort linked files by size , Move Illustrator files between systems seamlessly

March 2024, version 28.4: Text to Vector Graphic enhancements; Retype enhancements; improved pan & zoom)

February 2024, version 28.3: Dimension tool enhancements; Live Star shape; Retype enhancements; pinnable contextual task bar; enclosing mode for marquee selection; keyboard shortcuts for text formatting (bold, italic, underline)

January 2024, version 28.2: Text to Vector Graphic enhancements

December, 2023 version 28.1: Measure and plot dimensions with Dimension tool (beta); unembed multiple images; Links panel adds Delete button

October 2023, version 28.0: Text to Vector Graphic (beta), Mockup (beta), Retype (beta) converts to live type, The Smooth Slider, Share for Review

Adobe Illustrator 2023 version 27 (2022-10)

December 2022, version 27.9: Generative Recolor now in 100 languages and commercial use; enhancements to Retype (beta)

December 2022, version 27.8: Gather feedback on specific artboards; Experience improved accessibility with VoiceOver (macOS only)

December 2022, version 27.17: Search & filter Layers enhancements; screen reader support for toolbar drawer

December 2022, version 27.6: Generative AI recoloring (beta); Retype font identification (beta); Image Trace improvements; search & filter Layers; export as WebP; retain hyperlinks in exported PDFs

December 2022, version 27.5: Performance improvements to Smart Guides and Live Editing

December 2022, version 27.4: Share for Review improvements

December 2022, version 27.3: Easier Intertwine selection areas; Image Trace improvements; 3D improvements; Type 1 font EOL; Reuse asset export settings; stability fixes

December 2022, version 27.2: Stability bug fixes

December 2022, version 27.1: Taper and twist 3D objects, Preview color and opacity realtime, Convert bullets & numbering to text

October 2022, version 27.0: Intertwine, Share for Review, Paste between AI and ID, Quick Actions, 3D object formats

October 2022, version 2, Illustrator on iPad: Enhanced touch shortcuts, Save and rename a document, Snap-in gradients, Reset appearance shortcut

Adobe Illustrator 2022 version 26 (2021-10)

August 2022, version 26.5: Warnings for Pantone colors and Type 1 fonts

July 2022, version 26.4.1: Bullets and numbers lists, History panel, 3D features

May 2022, version 26.3.1: 3D features, AVIF format support

Feb & March 2022, version 26.2.1: 3D features

October 2021, version 26: Place linked cloud documents, HEIF and WebP support, Share for commenting, Variable width strokes, Auto-activate fonts, Select same text. Discover panel

October 2021, version 2, Illustrator on iPad: Blend objects, Vectorize, Shape Transform tool, Paint Brush tool, Share for commenting, Place linked cloud docs, Rulers and guides, Adobe Capture

Adobe Illustrator 2021 version 25 (2020-10)

June 2021, version 25.3: Rotate view

February 2021, version 25.2: Share access and edit Cloud docs, Snap to Japanese glyph, System compatibility report, Stability and performance

January 2021, version 25.1: Radial Repeat, Grid Repeat, Mirror Repeat

October 2020, version 25.0: Recolor artwork Adobe Sensei, Enhanced Cloud document features, PS embedded in AI in Cloud document, Versions of Cloud documents, Make available offline, Smart glyph snapping, Align to glyph bounds, Align text vertically, Set actual font height

Adobe Illustrator 2020 version 24 (2019-10)

August 2020, version 24.3: Snap to glyph & align to glyph bounds, Vertical text alignment, Font set size variations, Unlock objects on canvas

June 2020, version 24.2, Cloud documents, 100x canvas area

March 2020, version 24.1: Real-time drawing and editing, Artboards between documents, Enhanced free distort tool, Improved toolbar

November 2019, version 24.0: Path simplification tool, Shift key + Remove Anchor Point tool, Auto spell-check, Background save and export, In-app troubleshooting support, Faster pixel-effects rendering, Onboarding learning resources, Greater stability, faster performance, Freeform gradient improvements, Recolor Artwork in freeform gradients

Adobe Illustrator CC 2019 version 23 (2018-10)

September 2019, version 23.1:  Improved path simplification; faster drop shadow, inner/outer glow, and Gaussian blur effects; improved file save/open on networks and removable media; Performance improvements.

February 2019, version 23.0.2: Lock for the New Customizable Toolbar; Rotate dialogue box does have default focus on the rotate input widget; constraint angle with the Shift key to draw linear and radial gradients; stability enhancements.

October 2018, version 23.0: Freeform gradients, Global editing, Visual font browsing, Show similar fonts, Show recently added fonts, Fonts classifications, Basic toolbar, Presentation mode, Trim view is preview mode, Scalable user interface, Faster zoom, Content-aware crop, Actual size preview, Puppet warp enhancement, Home screen, Enhanced properties panel, Animated zoom outline mode, License stock images, Asset export panel enhancements

Adobe Illustrator CC 2018 version 22 (2017-10)

March 2018, version 22.1: Increased anchor point and handle sizes; import multi-page PDF files; support for CSV data source files; live SVG paste; locked items do not move with artboards by default

October 2017, version 22.0: Properties panel, Puppet Warp tool, Select multiple artboards, Align & distribute artboards, Variable OpenType fonts: OVAR, OpenType SVG fonts in colors, Touch Bar support, Apply stylistic sets to text, Enhanced export experience, Share text in Creative Cloud Library, Microsoft Surface Dial support, Hover font attributes in Control panel, Improved text caret, Triple-click selects paragraphs, Spot to process color conversion, Action panel scripts preserved, New swatches are now global, New Document dialog improved, Path > Join in different groups

Adobe Illustrator CC 2017 version 21 (2016-11)

April 2017, version 21.1: Bitmap cropping added; start screen loads faster; color theme panel redesigned; stability enhancements

November 2016, version 21.0: Enhanced user-interface design, Fill with placeholder text, Place text into a shape, Font search filtering, Live font preview, In-context alternate glyphs, Pixel grid alignment, Zoom to selected object, Type menu special characters, Keyboard shortcuts for white spaces, Apply styles with one click, Search Adobe Stock assets, Bug fixes, Stability enhancements, Performance enhancements

Adobe Illustrator CC 2015 version 20 (2016-06)

November 2015, version 19.2: enhanced Smart Guides, CC Charts removed

July 2015, version 19.1: Stability fixes

June 2015, version 19.0: Enhanced CC Libraries linked assets, Start and Recent Files workspaces, Shaper tool, New Live Shapes, Dynamic Symbols, Smart Guides & hints, New SVG Export options, Touch workspace enhancements, 10x faster zoom, pan, scroll, 10x greater zoom to 64,000%, Safe Mode, Recover data in your files, Curvature tool, Shape Builder tool, Pencil tool auto-close, GPU performance, Adobe Comp CC mobile, Illustrator Draw mobile, Adobe Shape CC mobile, Adobe Brush CC mobile, Adobe Color mobile, CC Charts preview

Adobe Illustrator CC 2015 version 20 (2016-06)

Another splashscreen

Adobe Illustrator CC 2015 version 19 (2015-06)

Another splashscreen

Adobe Illustrator CC 2014 version 18 (2014-06)

October 2014, version 18.1: CC Libraries, Touch Workspace, Curvature tool, Join tool, auto type area resizing

June 2014, version 18.0: Collaboration: CC Libraries panel, Curvature tool, Join tool, Area Type auto-sizing, Live shapes modifiable, Pen tool preview, Anchor point enhancements, Snapping updates, Close paths with better control, GPU performance (Windows), Typekit, Welcome screen, Pencil tool fidelity setting, Text enhancements, Actions panel, SVG enhancements

Adobe Illustrator CC 2014 version 18 (2014-06)

Another splashscreen

Adobe Illustrator CC 2013 version 17 (2013-06)

January 2014, version 17.1: Live Corners, updated pencil, path reshaping, Typekit integration, custom tool panels

June 2013, version 17.0: Live Corners, Enhanced Pencil Tool, Reshape segment workflows,Working with Typekit fonts, Perspective Grid, Windows support HiDPI, Pen-pressure support, Custom Tools Panels, Share settings and preferences, SVG workflow enhancements, What’s New dialog, Fill & Stroke proxy enhancements, Opt/Alt resize artboard from center, Esc key cancels zoom, ruler, guide, etc., Place command Cmd+Shift+P, Layers panel state tracking, Layers panel cursor enhancements, Transparency panel scrubby opacity

Adobe Illustrator CS6 2012 version 16 (2012-05) codename Ellora

May 2012, version 16.0: Mercury Performance System 64-bit app, Pattern creation generator, New Image Trace engine, Streamlined interface, Gradients on strokes, Expanded color spectrum panel, Scale strokes and effects on the transform panel, Tools tear-off and dock both vertically and horizontally, Inline editing in panels, Faster Gaussian blur, Type panel improvements, Workspace with rooms concept . Control panel is more efficient, Photoshop layer comp support, Transparency panel highlight

Adobe Illustrator CS5 2010 version 15 (2010-05) codename Ajanta

May 2010, version 15.0: Perspective grid drawing, beautiful strokes, including variable width strokes; dashed-line adjustments; precise arrowheads; stretch control for brushes; corner control for brushes, Bristle brush vectors resemble natural brush strokes, Pixel grid aligned artwork for small mobile screens, Multiple artboards panel enhancements, Path join Cmd+J or Cmd+Opt+Shift+J enhancement, Round-trip editing with Flash Catalyst, Resolution-independent effects, Draw behind and inside shapes, Ruler origin in upper left, Symbol enhancements, Shape builder tool, Select behind

Adobe Illustrator CS4 version 14 (2008-10) codename Sonnet

October 2008, version 14: Multiple artboards / varying sizes, Transparency in gradients, Gradients exposed on-object, Blob brush tool, In-panel appearance editing, Clipping masks easier, Separations preview, Improved graphic styles, Smarter smart guides, Enhanced isolation mode, Tabbed document views, Enhanced user experience, Workflow Flex, Flash, InDesign, Better tool consistency across apps

Adobe Illustrator CS3 version 13 (2007-04) codename Jason

April 2007, version 13: Live Color / Color Guide, Integration with Adobe Flash, Drawing tool improvements, New Eraser tool, Faster screen redraw, Improved Control Panel, Document profiles, Crop Area tool, More transparency options, Non-destructive Live Effects, Align and distribute points, Text underline and strikethrough, Standardized interface, Multi-page PDF export 

Adobe Illustrator CS2 version 12 (2005-04) codename Zodiac

April 2005, version 12: Live Trace (replaces Adobe Streamline) and Live Paint, Photoshop filters and effects, Custom stroke placement, Photoshop layer comp support, Type underlining and strikethrough, Export to PSD with editable text, Improved color management, Spot color support, Control palette enhancements, Custom workspaces, Support for Wacom tablets, XMP metadata support, SVG 1.1 Web, Tiny (SVG-t), and Basic, Colorized grayscale, Macromedia Flash (SWF) support, Adobe PDF enhancements, Print overlapping tiles

Adobe Illustrator CS1 version 11 (2003-10) codename Pangaea/Sprinkles

October 2003, version 11: 3D effects engine, OpenType support, Character and paragraph styles, Template file format, Scribble effect, Columns & rows, Optical kerning method, Optical margins, Every-line composer, Custom tab leaders, WYSIWYG font menu, Path type option, Japanese type support, Save for Microsoft Office. This is the first version to drop the iconic Venus (Botticelli) art

Adobe Illustrator version 10 (2001-11) codename Paloma

November 2001, version 10: Magic Wand tool, Arc Tool, Rectangular Grid tool, Polar Grid tool, Flare tool, 7 Liquify tools, Envelope Distort, Symbol tools, Overprint Preview, Flattener Preview, Slicing tools, Live Compounding of paths, Flash SWF Export, Variables panel, JavaScript support. AppleScript support, Visual Basic support

Adobe Illustrator version 9 (2000-06) codename Matisse

June 2000, version 9: Nested layers, Blend modes expanded, Opacity masks, Clipping masks, Transparency palette, Appearance Effects, Graphic Styles, Export Layers to Photoshop, Overprint Preview, Pixel units, RGB and Web-Safe support, Simplify Path, Drop Shadow effects, Release to Layers command, Polygonal image maps, Save for Web, Export to SWF, SVG, Isolate Blending, Knockout Group

Adobe Illustrator version 8 (1998-09) codename Elvis

September 1998, version 8: File format import/export support, Actions palette, Scatter brushes, Calligraphy brushes, Pattern brushes, Pencil tool, Links palette, Gradient Mesh tool, Object bounding box, Enhanced eyedropper, Enhanced paint bucket, Smooth and erase tools, Smart guides, Photo cross-hatched filter, Interface improvements, Preview vs Artwork mode, Navigator palette

Adobe Illustrator version 7 (1997-05) codename Simba

May 1997, version 7: Adobe UI, Tabbed and Dockable Palettes, Transform Palette, Align Palette, Photoshop Pixel Filters, Rasterize, Punk, Bloat, Free Distort, Layout Grid, Vertical Type Tools, JCK support, Multiple Masters Instance Creation, Smooth Shading Gradient Blends, Linked Images, RGB color support, ICC Color Management, Separations Preview, Web-safe colors, Image Maps, GIF89a export

Adobe Illustrator version 6 (1996-01) codename Popeye

February 1996, version 6: Includes Adobe Dimensions, Includes Adobe ScreenReady, Includes Adobe Gallery Effects, Drag n drop to Adobe PageMill, New plugin API, Support for Photoshop filters, Filter menu, Ink Pen tool, Path Patterns, Tools palette, Control palette, Align palette, Eyedropper tool, Math in numeric fields, Support for TIFF and PSD files, Export to TIFF, Snapping palettes, Object > Expand, TrueType support

Adobe Illustrator version 5.5 (1994-06) codename Janus

June 1994, version 5.5: Mac only, Increased Zoom Range, Improved Text Handling, Multiple Artboards, PostScript Level 2 Support, Color Management Improvements, Enhanced Gradient Tool, Graph creation, Layers, Live editing in preview mode, Spell checker, Find/replace text function

Adobe Illustrator version 5 (1993-06) codename Saturn

June 1993, version 5: Mac only, increased Zoom Range, Improved Text Handling, Multiple Artboards, PostScript Level 2 Support, Color Management Improvements, Enhanced Gradient Tool, Graph creation, Layers, Live editing in preview mode, Spell checker, Find/replace text function

Adobe Illustrator version 4.1 (1993-01) codename Kangaroose

January 1993, version 4.1: custom Grids, Edit in Preview Mode as well as wireframe view, interface modeled after Photoshop, graph tools, anti-aliased display support, bundled utilities including Adobe Type Manager, Adobe TypeAlign for modifying fonts to fit into custom shapes and along Bezier curves (later superseded by Adobe Type Twister and also later incorporated into Illustrator), and custom Type 1 fonts. There is also a version issued in 1995 that helped make Illustrator 4 run on Windows 95.

Adobe Illustrator version 4.0 (1992-05) codename Desert Moose

May 1992, version 4: a Windows version, custom Grids, Edit in Preview Mode as well as wireframe view, interface modeled after Photoshop, graph tools, anti-aliased display support, bundled utilities including Adobe Type Manager, Adobe TypeAlign for modifying fonts to fit into custom shapes and along Bezier curves (later superseded by Adobe Type Twister and also later incorporated into Illustrator), and custom Type 1 fonts

Adobe Illustrator version 3.0 (1990-10) codename Pegasus

October 1990 (version 3.0): This was a Macintosh version. It was also made for NeXT, IRIS, and Solaris operating systems

Adobe Illustrator version 2 (1989-01) codename Pinnacle

January 1989 (version 2): A built-in Windows Runtime Environment of Microsoft Windows, the PostScript Vector Engine on PC, the Bézier Pen Tool, the Auto-Trace tool, an Artwork window and a Preview window. No actual splash screen example found.

Adobe Illustrator version 88 (1988-03)

March 1988 (version 1.6): the Blend tool simulated gradient blends, the Auto-Trace tool, access to a full palette of over 700 standard printing inks and full Pantone Matching System (PMS) color profiles, Color Separations via Adobe Separator, custom Pattern Fills, and a freehand drawing tool

Adobe Illustrator version 1.0 (1987-03) codename Picasso

March 1987 (version 1.0): the original core features included the Bezier Curve Pen tool, a trace over an image workflow, a split window for drawing artwork versus a Preview window to render the drawing, core tools including the Pen, Scissors, basic shape tools for rectangles and ellipses, and the Hand tool for panning the artboard, integration with PostScript code, along with basic text and font controls