Adobe Illustrator Versions By Year ((link)) Jun 2026

The first (though initially unsuccessful) version for Windows. Introduced text-on-a-path, charts, and graphs.

The Great Unification. After the 6.0 fiasco, Adobe rebuilt Illustrator from the ground up using the same code base as Photoshop. This was the version that migrated the UI to a standard floating palette system. adobe illustrator versions by year

The era. This version added transparency effects (drop shadows, opacities) but required a "flattener" for older printers. It also introduced the Art Brushes (painting along a path) and the Symbol Sprayer tool. For web designers, it added SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) export—a format that would become the standard for the modern web two decades later. After the 6

This decade focused on improving the user interface (introducing layers), color support, and catching the Windows version up to speed. and complex illustrations

Adobe Illustrator began as a companion to Adobe's PostScript technology, originally developed for the Apple Macintosh.

For over three decades, has stood as the industry standard for vector graphics editing. From its humble beginnings as a companion to Adobe’s revolutionary PostScript printing technology to its current reign as the king of logos, icons, and complex illustrations, Illustrator’s evolution is a fascinating journey through the history of digital design itself.