Selectator for Illustrator
Isolate Layer Selection – A Missing Feature for Illustrator Users
If you’ve ever wished Illustrator behaved more like Photoshop, Blender, or After Effects when it comes to selecting objects, this script is for you.
By default, Illustrator doesn’t offer a true layer isolation for selections — making it frustrating to perform a clean box selection without grabbing elements from other layers. This script fixes that.
What it does:
With a single click, it isolates the currently selected layer, allowing you to use rectangle (box) selection and other tools only within that layer — no accidental selections from layers above or below.
Ideal for:
✅ Users coming from Photoshop, Blender, or AE
✅ Clean vector workflows
✅ Precision selection in complex illustrations
Why it matters:
This small utility bridges a huge usability gap in Illustrator’s layer management, saving time and frustration in daily work.
⚠️ Compatibility Note:
This script has been tested only with Illustrator 2022 on macOS.
Compatibility with other versions has not yet been verified. I’ll update the supported versions progressively based on user feedback — feel free to reach out if you test it on a different setup !
Two JSX scripts for Adobe Illustrator: First script – Locks all objects and layers except the ones currently selected by the user, allowing truly isolated editing and precise selections. Second script – Unlocks everything to restore the document to its original state. These scripts can be assigned to keyboard shortcuts for a seamless workflow — instructions on how to do this are included in the help file.