Unlocking Efficiency and Creativity: Adobe Illustrator Custom Scripts

Are you an Adobe Illustrator enthusiast looking to enhance your design workflow and elevate your creativity? Dive into the world of custom scripts, where automation meets innovation, and discover how you can revolutionize your Illustrator experience. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the power of Adobe Illustrator scripts, providing you with invaluable insights and resources to supercharge your design process.

Adobe Illustrator is a design powerhouse, empowering artists and professionals to bring their visions to life. However, as projects become more intricate and deadlines tighter, streamlining your tasks and achieving consistency can be a daunting challenge. This is where custom scripts step in as your creative ally, helping you achieve more with less effort.

To install, right-click on each link and save the .jsx file into your scripts folder. On Mac, that will be /Applications/Adobe Illustrator [version]/Presets/en_US [or other locale]. On PC, that will be Computer > Program Files > Adobe > Adobe Illustrator (the version you are using) > Presets > (Your Language Folder) > Scripts. The scripts should show up under your File – Automation – Scripts menu.

Bulk Rename Artboards (BulkRenameArtboards.jsx)

This script opens a simple search and replace dialog to bulk rename your artboards.

Export Named Artboards to PNG or JPG (ExportNamedArtboardsToPNGorJPG.jsx)

Name your artboards then export them to individual PNG or JPG files. Keep all of your project assets in a single Illustrator file. This single script saved me years of my time. Credit to Matthew Ericson. According to ChatGPT: “As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, Matt Ericson was a data journalist and the Deputy Graphics Director at The New York Times. He was known for his work in creating interactive data visualizations and graphics that helped readers better understand complex topics through visual representation. Please note that there might have been developments or changes since then that I am unaware of. If you’re looking for the most up-to-date information, I recommend checking The New York Times’ official website or other reliable news sources.”

List Open Files (ListOpenFiles.jsx)

If you open a lot of Illustrator files without closing them, sometimes the windows get out of control, and the menu bar won’t show all of the files and it may truncate file names. This script will create a new blank Illustrator file and list your open files for you.

Open Multipage PDF (OpenMultipagePDF.jsx)

This awesome script will extract each page of a PDF file into its own artboard. This is useful for adding electronic signatures and other text to forms. It comes in especially handy if you don’t have access to a printer. There are all sorts of other things you can do with the extracted PDF depending on how the PDF was generated. Credit to Carlos Canto.