How to use the iPad for Creators?
The iPad has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It seems like it could be great, but I never understood the goal of the iPad. This question has become even more apparent since the onset of adding the M1 and now the M2 chip. There is so much power in such a small device, but it seems held back by the software. After researching, I realized that the iPad is perfect for content creators! It's lightweight and portable, making it easy to take with you on the go, and the large screen makes it ideal for editing photos or creating illustrations. Although there isn't an app for every niche, there are niches for which the iPad is ideally suited. First off, Why an iPad and not a MacBook Pro?
Many Mac and iPad users have asked, can an iPad replace a laptop? The answer is yes, but. As with everything, it depends on your workflow and what you need to be. With every software and hardware update, the iPad is getting closer to being a computer. Since 2021, the iPad Pro lineup has been powered by the Apple M1 chip, which is insanely powerful and efficient. Even with the limits of iPadOS, the iPad can handle a ton of what you throw at it, including multitasking, external monitor support, and graphic-intensive gaming. So who should use an iPad as their primary computer? Well, it makes the most sense for three types of people: Illustrators, Photographers, and Content Creators.
Illustrators
When it comes to illustrators, the iPad is a no-brainer. For starters, the Apple Pencil is the best stylus on the market and works brilliantly with the 120-hertz refresh rate of the iPad Pro. From sketching for a logo or mockup to digital water painting, there is an app for every illustrator. Using Apple notes to draw an idea is super fun and easy. There are many colors and brush types to choose from, and even a ruler be a little more precise. Apple Notes is built into the operating system and can easily be shared across devices to share your work with collaborators.
Once you get a sketch, you can bring it into one of the many apps designed with illustrators in mind. One of those apps is Procreate. Procreate is a raster-based illustration application with multiple layers, brush types, and tools to make drawing fun and easy. You can even share your artwork in a Photoshop-compatible file for enhanced fine-tuning on a desktop computer. If designing logos is more your thing, you can use Adobe Illustrator for iPad, which mimics the desktop version and is the most equivalent to its desktop counterpart of all the Adobe iPad apps. Adobe Fresco is another excellent alternative to Procreate and syncs with many other Adobe apps in the ecosystem.
Photographers
Hands down, Adobe Lightroom for the iPad is a game changer for photographers. If you haven't tried editing photos on the Retina HDR screen of the iPad Pro while using the Apple Pencil, you are missing out. Lightroom allows you to edit your raw images, use your presets, and share them on the go. Using a Thunderbolt SD card reader, you can quickly transfer your photos straight from your camera to your iPad in the field, edit them, and showcase them on the beautiful screen to your clients.
Content Creators
While the iPad experience may be limited in some video production tasks, it is perfect for the content creator and editing short social media-style videos on the go. Yes, there is no Final Cut Pro for iPad (yet), but there are cable apps for editing your short-form content. Apps like Adobe Rush, CapCut, or LumaFusion. LumaFusion is currently the best at editing longer videos on the iPad. It offers multitrack editing, effects, titles, stabilization, and color grading tools. Later this year, the biggest news was announced that Da Vinci Resolve would be Coming to iPad, further elevating the iPad video workflow for longer-form projects and color grading.
When considering whether the iPad can replace your laptop, you need to consider your workflows and the type of work you are doing. You might discover that the iPad can revolutionize your creative side and push your limits to new heights. Portable creativity is here to stay and only getting better.