Adobe Photoshop for iPad: companion or substitute to the desktop version?

Adobe Photoshop is now available on Apple iPad tablets as well as on the other devices. When it first made its debut - November 2019 - everyone thought that would set an end to the personal computer era. But is it really so? More than one year later, we have enough material to analyze the pros and cons of Adobe Photoshop for iPad and throw our conclusions.

A nearly full version of the editing program

• minimize unnecessary tools
• show only specific options depending on the selected tool.

Considering the difficulties of switching from mouse and keyboard to touchscreen and pencil, the whole look had to be redesigned. The toolbars of Adobe Photoshop for iPad are smaller, in order to leave more space on the screen to work. There is also the possibility to use the full-screen mode, leaving a small icon available for tool swaps.

New touch controls have been added to the features for the new tablet version of Adobe Photoshop. For example, it’s now possible to open the layers panel just by pinching with two fingers to zoom.

As for now, Photoshop for iPad is just a nearly full version of the desktop editing program. In fact, it still doesn’t include many features. Although, according to Adobe statements, the plan is to eventually bring the same tools for the two versions. However, Adobe wasn’t more precise about the possible date in which the complete update will be available.

So if you’re looking for a specific feature, you may need to wait some time while using the desktop version. For example, as for now, you won’t find anywhere in Photoshop for iPad the dodge and burn tools. Since Adobe is aware of the power of user feedback, feel free to contact them. Let them know about the features you’re missing the most and you might see them in the next update!

What Photoshop for iPad includes

• Editing pictures without using different layers would be a nightmare. Luckily, Adobe didn’t forget them in the iPad version, which allows you to add or delete layers, add, delete or intersect layer masks, adjust the layer opacity and edit the blending mode. However, given the reduced size of the screen, navigating layers feels different. You can open the layers panel just by pinching with your fingers to zoom.
• ADJUSTMENT LAYERS. To add an adjustment layer, you just need to tap on the Layer Properties and then on Add Clipped Adjustment. By doing so, you’ll be able to add a mask for adjustments, like brightness, contrast, levels, hue/saturation, color balance...
• You can easily make selections in several ways. You can either use the lasso, quick selection, the circular or rectangular selection tool or tap on Select Subject. You can also define more precisely your selection by using the refine brush, which you can find in the Selection Toolbox at the bottom of the screen.
• You can find the clone and healing tool.
• BASIC TOOLS. We’re talking about the paintbrush, fill and tool, crop, transform and rotate tool. Without them it would be impossible to actually work.

What is still missing

• curves
• content-aware fill
• layer effects and smart filters (except for the Gaussian Blur)
• image resizing tool
• dodge and burn tools
• frequency separation
• warp tools
• select object
• magnetic lasso
• liquify and sharpening tools

Conclusion

Overall, we can agree that - as for now - Adobe Photoshop for iPad can be considered more as a handy tool to use together with the desktop version, than a substitute for it. However, the plan of Adobe is to bring the same features to both the versions. For sure the iPad version still has a long way to go before it can be considered as a replacement of the desktop version, but with some good customer feedback it can be a quick process. So stay tuned!

If you want to download Adobe Photoshop for iPad and be part of its possible transformation into a desktop version’s replacement, you can do it by clicking on this link.

Image Credits: Adobe