Work with precision, speed, and stability on large, complex files with the Adobe Mercury Performance System. Enjoy a new tracing engine, quickly design seamless patterns, and apply gradients to strokes.
Work fast and with rock-solid stability
Take advantage of a new performance system with native 64-bit support for Mac OS and Windows to power tasks that were often impossible, such as opening, saving, and exporting large files and previewing elaborate designs.
Easily gather and hand off Illustrator files
Use the new Package Files 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.
Features:
Work with precision, speed, and rock-solid stability on large, complex files in Adobe Illustrator CS6 software powered by the Adobe Mercury Performance System. A newly modern interface streamlines daily tasks. Enjoy a new tracing engine, quickly design seamless patterns, and apply gradients to strokes.
Adobe Mercury Performance System
Work with precision, speed, and rock-solid stability on large, complex files thanks to a new performance system that powers Illustrator CS6. With native 64-bit support on Mac OS and Windows you can access all the RAM on your computer to easily open, save, and export large files and preview demanding designs. Just about everything feels faster and more responsive.
More about the Mercury Performance System
New Package Files
Use the Package Files 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.
New unembedded images
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.
Links panel enhancements
Efficiently track and access complete information on any artwork placed within an Illustrator file, directly from the Links panel.
Pattern creation
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.
New Image Trace
Convert raster images to editable vectors with a completely new tracing engine. Get clean lines, accurate fitting, and reliable results without using complex controls.
New efficient, flexible interface
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.
Gradients on strokes
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.
Inline editing in panels
Efficiently edit names in layers, swatches, brushes, artboards, and other panels directly in the panels themselves without using intermediate dialog boxes.
Gaussian Blur enhancement
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.
Color panel enhancements
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.
Transform panel enhancements
Quickly access the popular Scale Strokes and Effects option, thanks to its new availability in the Transform panel.
Type panel improvements
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.
Dockable hidden tools
Tear off and dock previously hidden tools, such as the Shape and Pen tools. Dock tools horizontally or vertically for a more efficient workspace.
Workspaces with rooms
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.
Control panel enhancements
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.
Transparency panel improvements
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.
True white canvas color
Set your Illustrator CS6 workspace canvas to white for fast color sampling when you need to quickly grab a pure white.
Tech specs
System requirements
Windows
