10 Free and Extremely Useful Illustrator Scripts
Tricks | September 16th, 2008
Illustrator has a plethora of tools at you disposal. Even with all these tools, there is always going to be something missing. This is where scripts and plug-ins come in to help. With scripts and plug-ins you can perform tasks that Illustrator cannot complete on it’s own. There are a great deal of resources out there and in this post you will find 10 free and useful scripts for Illustrator!
Scripts?
Illustrator supports scripting from AppleScript, Visual Basic, JavaScript, and ExtendScript. When activated, these scripts perform operations within Illustrator or may involve other programs such as word processing, spreadsheet and database programs. You can use some of Illustrator’s scripts, downloaded scripts, or create your own scripts. For more info on scripting in Illustrator, check out the scripting documentation in the Adobe Illustrator CS3/Scripting folder.
Installing Scripts
Download the desired script to your hard drive. Once download, place the script in the Adobe Illustrator CS3/Presets/Scripts folder. Once copied to this location, the script will appear in the scripts submenu. In Illustrator, go File > Scripts to find your script.
Close All Paths / Close All Selected Paths
Go to Download (download will start automatically)
I draw with the pencil and brush tool all the time and sometimes forget to close my paths. With this script, you can close all open or all selected open paths. This script comes in handy when creating illustrations for stock illustration sites because of the vector requirements.
Divide Text Frame
Created by John Wundes
This script is simple but powerful. With this script you can divide multi-line text fields into separate text frame objects, making it easy to separate lists, navigation items, and more.
Join Text Frames
Created by John Wundes
This script will rejoin broken text frames or selected text frames. Great if you open a pre-CS illustrator file or need to combine a couple of text frames together.
Fleurify
Created by John Wundes
This script will create flowery shapes from basic shapes. Great for creating interesting patterns, logos, and experimenting.
Metaball
Created by SATO Hiroyuki
This script will create connecting arcs from shapes you have drawn. Very useful when connecting basic shapes to create more complex shapes for logos, icons and illustrations.
CMYK to Pantone v.2
Created by John Wundes
This script will give you the closet match of a PMS color from a selected CMYK color.
Vary Hues / Randomize Colors
Created by John Wundes
This script will randomize and vary hues for a selected color.
Save File With Timestamps v.3
Created by John Wundes
Go to Download (scroll down the page)
This script will rename the current open file, save the file, close and re-open the file with a new timestamped name. This script helps you keep track of multiple file version. This script has saved my butt a couple of times!
Circle
Created by SATO Hiroyuki
This script will create a ellipse with a specified amount of anchor points. This might seem simple, but it greatly increases your ellipse editing ability for creating brushes, complex shapes and more. Illustrator has a function where you can add more anchor point to an object, but you can’t specify how many extra point you want to add.
Swap Objects
Created by John Wundes
This script will swap the positing and size of two selected objects.
Suggestions?
These are the scripts that I find useful, but was there something I missed? What do you use?
Thank You! Very juicy stuff!
REALLY useful post, thanks a lot!
As always, great stuff here. A lot of them seem so simple, yet I think most of us neglect to take full advantage of our applications. Thanks!
Anyone know of a script that adds Freehand’s Join function to Illustrator? In Freehand, when two objects’ endpoints are overlapping, they can be Joined into a single object. (A single object can be split into two by Unjoing at an anchor point, also.)
I sorely miss this tool in Illustrator.
Matt,
If you select both overlapping anchor points of two different paths with the Direct Selection Tool and go Object > Path > Join, you can join the paths. If the anchor points are on the same path you can just use the Selection Tool then Join. I not that experienced in Freehand to know if this is what you are trying to accomplish or not. Let me know if that helps.
Wow, these are all great. Thanks for posting.
Awesome collection of scripts! I’ve never used them before, but I’ll certainly be using the Close Open Paths and Pantone one for designing tees. Any clue on whether these will work in CS2?
Byte,
Most of the scripts should be compatible with 10 and later.
Jesus! Great!
this scripts made my day!!
CMYK to Pantone v.2 and Save File With Timestamps v.3 RULZ!!!!
Wow! Thank you so much! as written before, the CMYK to Pantone is a great find!
I notice you didn’t include the script I showed you a couple weeks ago:
Round Any Corner
This script makes it SO easy to round nothing but the anchor points you WANT to round - and to the exact radius you specify. Thanks!
Jesse
Portfolio
Blog
I LOVE ‘Round any corner’ that thing is awesome!
these look great! can you link a script to a shortcut combination? because the save script looks great but I like to shortcut it..
Do you know of a script that can convert area type to point type. When a legacy freehand file is opened in Illustrator, all text is converted to area type, it would be great to convert it to point type and then run the join text frames script.
The “Circle” script is nor available
… error on page
Guido,
You can record the script as an Automation and set a Function Key to the automation, pretty handy.
Ross,
I will keep an eye out for a type script like that.
Shir,
I updated the link for the Circle script.
cmyk to pantone rocks!
I think it’s metaball, but I’m gonna rename mine to meatball because it sounds delicious.
Ben,
Thanks for the catch. I must of just been hungry when writing!
Really great post Ryan! This is the best script post that I’ve seen. Everything is VERY useful! Thanks!
Thanks again for some useful tips!
CMYK to PMS is just woo hoo!
/H
I always come here to find ways to make work more enjoyable.
You never let me down.
Thanks!
Awsome post! Thanks for the valuable code. Does anyone know if it is possible to split a line consisting of 3 anchorpoints at the middle anchorpoint using a script? I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure that one out for a while now.
Dre,
Haven’t seen a script that would do this, I will keep an eye out. If I’m understanding what you wan to do, you should be able to do it pretty easily just with Illustrator. If the line is horizontal, create another vertical line and center it with the line you want to split with the Align Center button in the Align Panel and the press the Divide button in the Pathfinder Panel with both lines selected. This should create two separate paths. You will probably need to Ungroup the paths after you divide them.
Let me know if that was what you were looking for.
Hey again! thanks for the reply. Actually the reason I am looking for that ’scissors’ method is cuz I’m trying to build a script that’ll assist in creating animations. Say you draw a line using the pencil tool - use ‘add anchorpoints’ to populate the line with more points - then run a script that seperates the line into segments. After releasing to layers you’ve got a stepped animation. This would seriously shorten certain animation techniques in Flash projects. Anyways … it’s something I’ve been toying w/ for a while but I’ve hit a wall … but seems like such an obvious method to include in the scripting environment. If you have any eureka moments please keep me posted.
Keep up the good work
Great, very useful, big big big thanks!
Hello dear
I need to copy all fonts in a folder which I had used in my .ai file in illustrator and psd file in photoshop, I am searching any plug-in or script that can copy all used fonts in a news folder.
Can you solve my query?
Thanks
Subhash Khatri
CMYK to Pantone is already a part of CS3. It’s one of the functions in the Color Groups panel. I just used it yesterday, and it rocks too, once you figure out where it is in there. Adobe needs to make Color Groups a little more intuitive, but it’s worth the learning curve.
Wow this is awesome. I’ve used a few scripts in the past. Many of them crashed Illustrator, but were very handy. These are the kind of tips that are near and dear to my heart - thanks for the post.
Heroic !
Great tips!
THKS
thanks! that cmyk to pantone script will save me loads of time
These are SO great! Will save me tons of time! I just tried the join text frame to deal with imported text from a .wmf file and it rocked my socks! Thanks so much! I sure hope they will work in CS4 too…
This is great for future projects, but sadly not useful for my current project!
http://kelsocartography.com/scripts/
freehand tools that ai don’t has. Find/replace script,etc…
great post…
tnks
Thank you! Great ideas.
Glad not everything is in double-outlined fonts. It’s impossible to read!
very good, thanks
Extremely useful to me! I bookmarked it at first place.
you are on your game!! I love the Fleurify but really they are all great. My graphic designers will thank you.
Great post! very useful
Great list! My designer will be thrilled with the CMYK to Pantone script. Oh, and I second @Jesse’s suggestion of Round Any Corner - I use that one all the time.
What a brilliant collection of useful scripts!
Have you ever come across (or thought of creating) a script that automatically swaps the screen and color settings required for working for web and for print?
I work on both and is always such a pain to go through all the preview/col settings/convert for web sRGB thing.
just an idea!
still thank you for all these!
Haven’t heard of one, but I will keep an eye out.