photographer have been drawn to the iPad since the first model , hoping it can provide a mobile workflow when they ’re forth from their computers . TheiPad Propushes the bounds of tablets in interesting ways as a world-wide - purpose laptop permutation , but how does it deepen the photography game ?
redaction photos , specially with the addition ofApple Pencilsupport in some apps , is a definite improvement , though limitations in iOS keep the iPad Pro from achieving its full electric potential as a photographer ’s mobile fellow traveler .
Photo editing
It ’s impossible to ignore the beckoning illumination of that brilliant 12.9 - inch Retina screen , and the hope of nearly desktop - category processing power . raft of apps countenance you edit photos , such as standouts like Google’sSnapseed , Adobe’sLightroom mobile , VSCO , and of row Apple ’s own Photos app .
keep for the Apple Pencil , though , adds another horizontal surface of editing . Adobe’sPhotoshop Fixsenses press and slant using the Pencil for precise adjustment . For example , when you need to lighten up just one orbit of a mortal ’s face , or discreetly erase some historic period wrinkles , you do n’t need to wait until you ’re back on your Mac . ( Pixelmatoralso indorse the Pencil , though in my tests that give more to drawing than retouching . )
Before and after using the Apple Pencil to lighten up the right side of the face .
The ability to multitask in apps that patronage it can also be helpful . Lightroom Mobile River and Adobe Fix can run side - by - side , and they can both enter the same libraries via Creative Cloud Sync , enabling you to send an range from Lightroom mobile to Fix to perform some touch healing , a feature escape in Lightroom Mobile River .
Removing a bystander from a pic in Lightroom mobile ( leave ) using Adobe Fix ( right ) in Split View .
It’s still a RAW deal
One defect for photographers is unchanged : there ’s still no scheme - level keep for birthday suit formatted effigy . ( If your tv camera does n’t shoot in RAW mode , or you shoot only in JPEG formats , this compass point wo n’t restrain you back . ) The RAW files transfer to the iPad , but any edits you make are applied to the thumbnail preview the tv camera create to display on its LCD . So , when you edit on the iPad , you ’re not taking full vantage of the redaction possible action birthday suit formats offer . ( If you do program to edit , I urge hit in RAW+JPEG modality to work with a higher - solution master copy . )
The closest to a seamless experience is shoot new and using iCloud Photo Library . You do n’t edit the raw image itself on the iPad , but changes you make are applied to a JPEG version the Photos app creates and saveswiththe original . That edited version express up as the image on your Mac and other devices — it ’s not a separate copy , which is created when you edit in other apps . However , that JPEG becomes the edited version ; if you were to go on edit it in photo on the Mac , for object lesson , you ’d be do work with the JPEG version , not the RAW version .
Another thing to keep in mind , although it ’s not a surprise , is that the iPad Pro does n’t offer color direction or alternative coloration spaces — you get sRGB and that ’s it . ( This has been the pillow slip with all iPads . )
Organizing
I ’d hoped that the iPad would be a bang-up field pic - triage tool : import photo flat , sort and rate the images , and assign keywords — essentially , treat a lot of the less - exciting chore of make out one ’s picture depository library during the downtimes before you get back to a menage or spot Mac .
But for a variety of reasons , the iPad is n’t part of most work flow at that stagecoach . A poll I ran on myiPad for Photographers siterevealed that multitude are n’t bother to assign keywords or ratings to image on the iPad ; the prominent apps that enabled this , Photosmith and PhotosInfoPro , are no longer being updated . When you spell images , they ’re redeem in the Photos app , where you’re able to only mark shots as ducky and move them into record album .
If you primarily use Lightroom on the background as your editor of choice , it ’s more common to switch the model around : significance photos into Lightroom CC on the Mac , sync them using Creative Cloud , and then solve on rating and edit out the images using the Lightroom fluid app on the iPad at your leisure . The edits use non - destructively , and Lightroom bypasses the RAW matter by commute birthday suit images to Adobe ’s DNG ( Digital Negative ) format during sync .
The bright spot here is Apple ’s new Lightning to SD Card adapter , which stomach USB 3 speeds when transfer images from a store card to the iPad . In the past , I must admit , I ’d almost turn over up on importing via the Lightning port wine , because even lade thumbnails before importing is excruciatingly slow . Now , it ’s much faster : in one test I performed , bringing in just 40 RAW+JPEG pic tote up 1.5 GB took 30 sec with the new adapter , liken to 2:20 using the old adapter . ( The USB 3 speeds go for only to the iPad Pro ; the adaptor achieves USB 2 speed on other late iPad and iPhone models . )
A developing story
As with many thing about the iPad Pro , the superscript hardware is waiting for the software to catch up . Gradually , third party developers are summate Pencil funding for image retouching , which is a welcome jump forward . And all image editors do good from the speed gain enabled by the iPad Pro ’s debauched CPU . But the lack of RAW support in Io hinder pro and enthusiast photographers from developing workflow that avoid duplicating work or reckon on a Mac to get started .
Granted , iOS has always been designed for the broadest potential consultation , and even in a machine label “ professional ” that same foundation applies . Now that the iPad Pro is released , I ’m hold out hope that Apple will take military action to help it fulfill its potential .
