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Why Photoshop on iPad Isn't Good Enough (Yet)
Photoshop is great on an M1 Mac, but mobile takes time
By Charlie Sorrel Charlie Sorrel Senior Tech Reporter Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for 13 years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 12, 2021 03:54PM EST Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Software & Apps Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Key Takeaways
iPad Photoshop gets new features, but the competition is far ahead.Adobe has updated Photoshop to run natively on Apple Silicon Macs.It’s fast. Really fast. Eftakher Alam on Unsplash Photoshop now runs on Apple’s M1-based Macs, and by all accounts, it is fast. Photoshop continues to be king of the desktop. But what about the iPad? Adobe’s Pam Clark says that the rejigged version of Photoshop for Apple Silicon Macs runs an average of 1.5 times faster, with some features feeling "noticeably faster" and "substantially faster." So, it’s faster. Photoshop on iPad also gets some improvements to how it handles your cloud-based documents. Solid updates both, but isn’t Photoshop for the iPad running a little late compared to indie photo-editing apps? Maybe, but that’s because you’re getting all of Photoshop. "To take such a recognizable product—and brand—and reimagine it for the mobile world took an incredible amount of thinking and effort," an Adobe spokesperson (who declined to be named as they were speaking on behalf of the company) told Lifewire via email. "To preserve the app’s iconic UX, we took on the significant challenge of building Photoshop on the iPad using the same code base as Photoshop on the desktop." Photoshop On iPad
Since the iPad launched in 2010, Adobe has had a few cracks at bringing versions of Photoshop to the tablet, but none of them tried to bring anything close to the entirety of the frankly iconic (and monolithic) application to mobile. Then, at the Adobe MAX conference in November 2019, Adobe launched "real" Photoshop for iPad. Under the hood, it was indeed the same as the desktop version, but its features were severely limited. Even today it is far from the desktop version. You can layer up and retouch your images, and use powerful layer-based masks, but the majority of Photoshop’s tricks—its filters and powerful image-mangling tools—are absent. What, then, is the point? Unsplash The point is mobility. Cloud sync lets users take their work anywhere, make simple changes, and show them off to clients. They can access "full PSD files, even with thousands of layers," says the spokesperson. "Just this simple ability has been enough. [Photoshop on iPad has] gained significant traction among creatives, with more than a million downloads as well as millions of cloud documents created since its release," says the spokesperson. Meanwhile, the competition is speeding ahead. The Alternatives
Photoshop might still be the big cheese on the desktop, but there are plenty of more powerful options on mobile, many of them fully compatible with your Photoshop files. What’s more, some of these apps are available for a one-time purchase instead of being subscription-based like all Adobe’s apps. Affinity Photo bills itself as a "genuine desktop-grade, professional photo-editing app," and that’s an accurate description. Affinity Photo is also available for the Mac and Windows, just like Photoshop, and already packs in just about any photo-editing feature you might need. The main difference is that Affinity Photo for iPad looks a lot like Photoshop on the desktop—small icons and an interface that’s better navigated with a mouse or an Apple Pencil. Photoshop might be severely limited on iOS, but Adobe has designed it for a touch screen, and its UI departs significantly from the desktop version. To take such a recognizable product—and brand—and reimagine it for the mobile world took an incredible amount of thinking and effort, "Some of the software and hardware limitations this project needed to overcome included a new OS to compile and run on, slower CPU and less RAM, a smaller screen, and touch input," says the spokesperson. Another great iPad photo-editing app is Pixelmator Photo, which is more of a replacement for Adobe’s Lightroom rather than Photoshop. This, too, manages to pack in all you need for editing your images for publication, and it does it all in a very touch-friendly UI. The app even uses your existing Photos library, so there’s no importing or exporting required. The Future of Photoshop
Photoshop is still the go-to app on the desktop, and despite slow progress, the iPad version is pretty great. Adobe has proved that it can be nimble—the M1 Mac-compatible beta of Photoshop was available when those computers launched. In the end, all the great competition forces Adobe to make a better product. Meanwhile, most of these pretenders to the Photoshop throne pay homage by mimicking Photoshop’s long-established keyboard shortcuts, which makes trying them out almost trivial for the professional user. Either way, the customer is the winner. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 Shows That the Future Is ARM, Not Intel Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M1, 2020) Review: Apple’s Impressive M1 Chip Rises To New Heights The 5 Best Alternatives to Photoshop for Android What Is Photoshop? The Best Mac Desktop Publishing Software of 2022 iPad Pro (2021, M1) Review: Desktop Performance in a Tablet 10 Best Free Photo Editing Programs iMac M1 (2021) Review: A Visual Refresh and the Powerful M1 Chip The Best Google Pixel Apps of 2022 How to Convert PNG to PDF The 10 Best Camera Apps for iPhone in 2022 The 5 Best Chromebook Photo Editors of 2022 The 9 Best Apps for Fixing Blurry Pictures iPad Pro vs. Surface Pro What Is a PSD File? A Beginner's Guide to Mobile Apps Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies