Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard for vector graphics. If you are a designer, you likely interact with its .ai file format daily. The history of Illustrator is defined by three distinct eras: the early "PostScript" era, the "Creative Suite" (CS) era, and the modern "Creative Cloud" (CC) era.
This was the last version before the massive UI overhaul. It added support for TrueType fonts and the pathfinder tool. The Creative Suite Era (2003–2012) illustrator versions list
The first version to require a Creative Cloud subscription. It introduced the Touch Type tool. Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard for vector
| Version | Release Year | Code Name / Sub‑version | Notable Features / Changes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1.0 | 1987 | (First release) | Initial release for Macintosh. | | 1.1 | 1987 | – | Added text wrapping, basic PostScript. | | 2.0 | 1988 | – | Windows version introduced (2.0 for Windows). | | 3.0 | 1990 | – | Layer support, bezier curve improvements. | | 4.0 | 1992 | – | First Windows‑only version (later Mac 4.1). | | 5.0 | 1993 | – | Live editing, spot colors, gradients. | | 5.5 | 1994 | – | Last version for Classic Mac OS before 6.0. | | 6.0 | 1996 | – | Better file handling, CMYK preview. | | 7.0 | 1997 | – | Major UI overhaul, dockable palettes. | | 8.0 | 1998 | – | Pencil tool, smart guides, dynamic blends. | | 9.0 | 2000 | – | Transparency, PDF‑compatible output, SVG export. | | 10.0 | 2001 | – | Live effects, warp tools, symbols palette. | | CS (11.0) | 2003 | Cocoa | 3D effects, support for Adobe InDesign. | | CS2 (12.0) | 2005 | ROM | Live Trace, Live Paint, control palette. | | CS3 (13.0) | 2007 | Red Pill | Isolate mode, eraser tool, document profiles. | | CS4 (14.0) | 2008 | Room Service | Multiple artboards, gradient on strokes, blobs. | | CS5 (15.0) | 2010 | Ajanta | Perspective drawing, variable‑width strokes. | | CS6 (16.0) | 2012 | Ellora | New UI, 64‑bit only (Mac), image trace. | | CC (17.0) | 2013 | Rocks | Creative Cloud debut, touch‑type tool. | | CC 2014 (18.0) | 2014 | Frozen | Live shapes, bezier handles preview. | | CC 2015 (19.0) | 2015 | Gelato | Curvature tool, dynamic symbols. | | CC 2017 (21.0) | 2016 | Twenty‑One | New starter screen, variable fonts support. | | CC 2018 (22.0) | 2017 | Scooby | Properties panel, puppet warp. | | CC 2019 (23.0) | 2018 | Thunder | Freeform gradients, global editing. | | 2020 (24.0) | 2019 | Huge Monkey | Cloud documents, enhanced GPU rendering. | | 2021 (25.0) | 2020 | Quiet Dormouse | Recolor artwork, vertical text alignment. | | 2022 (26.0) | 2021 | Fierce Hamster | 3D & materials (beta), inter‑letter spacing. | | 2023 (27.0) | 2022 | Rapid Giraffe | Intertwine, share for review, contextual task bar. | | 2024 (28.0) | 2023 | Giant Panda | Retype (restore missing fonts), mockup tool. | | 2025 (29.0) | 2024 | Unreal Gecko | Improved 3D, AI‑powered object selection. | This was the last version before the massive UI overhaul