Adobe Announces 'Ink' Stylus and 'Slide' Ruler Duo, New Mobile Apps

[MacRumors]

Adobe today announced the launch of a new suite of mobile apps and accompanying hardware that includes its Adobe Ink digital pen and its Adobe Slide digital ruler. Previously known as the "Mighty" stylus and the "Napoleon" digital ruler while in development, Adobe's new tools were created in partnership with Adonit, the company behind a line of popular styluses.

Adobe's three-sided aluminum Ink stylus is pressure sensitive and connects to Creative Cloud, allowing users to access photos, color palettes, drawings, and more, while drawing within Adobe's mobile apps. Adobe Slide, the ruler that accompanies the stylus, is designed to enable precision sketching, including straight lines, perfect circles, and balanced shapes on Apple's iPad.

The Ink and Slide are complemented by two new iPad apps, Adobe Sketch and Adobe Line. Sketch is a social sketching app for free-form drawing, with a set of simple tools (pencil, ink pen, blending markers, and eraser) and Behance integration to share sketches with the creative community. Line allows iPad users to create precision drafts and drawings, with a reimagining of traditional tools like rulers, T-squares, and shape templates.

Along with Line and Sketch Adobe is introducing Photoshop Mix, an iPad app that interfaces with Photoshop on the desktop and makes it easy for users to do masking and compositing of images. It's a simple way to create masks on a touch screen, which can then be transferred to the desktop version of Photoshop. It is able to open PSD files and it includes features like Content Aware Fill and Camera Shake Reduction.

There are also new Creative Cloud apps for the iPhone and the iPad, which allow Creative Cloud members to access and manage their files and assets from their mobile devices. Finally, the mobile version of Adobe Lightroom, initially available only for the iPad is now expanding to the iPhone.

Adobe's new apps have been built using the Creative SDK, which is currently undergoing private beta testing but will be released to developers in the future, allowing for additional apps that will be able to take advantage of Adobe's new hardware and Creative Cloud connectivity.

Adobe has also updated all of its Creative Cloud apps for the desktop and introduced expanded Creative Cloud profiles to improve connectivity between mobile devices and apps.

Ink and Slide, Adobe's new hardware tools, are sold in a set and are available immediately from Adobe.com for $199. Ink and Slide are currently limited to U.S. customers only, but Adobe has plans to expand availability in the future. Adobe's new apps, Sketch, Line and Photoshop Mix will all be from the App Store today for free, as will the new Creative Cloud app and Lightroom for iPhone. Download links below:

- Adobe Line [Direct Link]
- Adobe Sketch [Direct Link]
- Photoshop Mix [Direct Link]
- Lightroom for iPhone [Direct Link]
- Adobe Creative Cloud [Direct Link]

Article Link: Adobe Announces 'Ink' Stylus and 'Slide' Ruler Duo, New Mobile Apps

 

[JoEw]

This hardware looks very promising, all we need is a 12" iPad Pro

Review for Ink Pen: http://www.macworld.com/article/215...he-ipad-stylus-market-with-ink-and-slide.html

 

[technopimp]

I'm pretty sure they shouldn't be laying an aluminum pen on the iPad screen. Those things scratch easily enough as it is.

 

[2457282]

I gave up on Adobe a while back and do not have any of their software. Does anyone know if they have improved in quality or is everything they do still buggy and full of security holes?

 

[macduke]

I've been waiting a long time to get my hands on Project Mighty. I'm trying to order it right now but their website seems to be jammed. I'm using the link from the MacWorld story as the MacRumors link is broken at the moment.

Why does the MacRumors story say $100 but the MacWorld story says $200?

 

[jclardy]

The Adobe link doesn't seem to be working?

 

[iolinux333]

Kinda cool. I'm not an artist but I'm envisioning lots of folks sitting around sketching with these very soon.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I think this is an exciting product. Interfacing with Photoshop is a nice touch and I wonder to what point it can replace or compliment a Wacom, if at all.

I'm pretty sure they shouldn't be laying an aluminum pen on the iPad screen. Those things scratch easily enough as it is.

Hmmm. You do realize that this is just a product shot, right? Not to mention, who cares?

I gave up on Adobe a while back and do not have any of their software. Does anyone know if they have improved in quality or is everything they do still buggy and full of security holes?

Which software specifically? If you can isolate which software you had issues with perhaps others can weigh in on your grievances.

 

[nagromme]

The Mix app looks interesting although I already use the DisplayPad app as a "poor man's Cintiq" for Photoshop.

And in the absence of a real wacom-style stylus accessory from Apple, I'm always interested to see new stylus solutions.

As for the ruler... my $4 stylus has a very good ruler: a box of Junior Mints. Pro top: don't eat the mints--an empty box is less rigid.

I gave up on Adobe a while back and do not have any of their software. Does anyone know if they have improved in quality or is everything they do still buggy and full of security holes?

That was never true. At worst, 40% of everything they do is buggy and full of holes

Hmmm. You do realize that this is just a product shot, right? Not to mention, who cares?

I care: laying or dropping your stylus on your work surface is an actual daily likelihood, not a contrived promo shot situation. I prefer zero metal on a stylus.

Which software specifically? If you can isolate which software you had issues with perhaps others can weigh in on your grievances.

I'll help start the list Photoshop, Flash*, their installers, and their whole software update system.

* Which remains useful for standalone interactive stuff that needs a fast turnaround for businesses that still use Mac or Windows.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Played around with the apps. Adobe Line is pretty cool even without the hardware.

The fact that it's limited to the Adobe apps are a no go for me. I find it ridiculous that they're now trying to sell us $100 styluses for different situations too.

 

[Ploki]

I had the Jot Script for a day and returned it, it just lacked in accuracy. Until Apple does something to favour styluses, the accuracy won't pick up.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but its just not as accurate as it could/should be.

All active fine-point styluses have wobbly diagonal lines across the screen, and thats the only problem. Too bad, if Ink would really be integrated with the iPad (as in, had a dedicated digitiser) this combination would floor even wacom.

Also,

http://www.adonit.net/jot/touch/

 

[Razeus]

Lightroom now for iPhone. Sweet.

 

[juanm]

Like most Adobe mobile apps, it serves the purpose of looking cool at Starbucks, so that everybody can see you sketching...
It's the digital version of a Moleskine notepad.

 

[technopimp]

I don't even see this announcement on Adobe's website, or any mention of the products.

 

[Renzatic]

It's the digital version of a Moleskine notepad.

Hey, having a Moleskine automatically makes you better at sketching and writing. It's what Hemmingway used!

 

[Southern Dad]

Steve Jobs just rolled over in his grave. I remember him distinctly saying that the iPhone and iPad did not need a stylus. At least it wasn't Apple that sold it.

 

[Renzatic]

Steve Jobs just rolled over in his grave. I remember him distinctly saying that the iPhone and iPad did not need a stylus. At least it wasn't Apple that sold it.

You all need to understand the distinction between needing a stylus to navigate the UI (bad), and having a pressure sensitive, fine point stylus for digital painting, sketching, note taking, and all other kinds of stuff (great).

Steve Jobs never said styluses are bad. He said smartphones and tablets that require a stylus to be used are bad.

 

[FrankySavvy]

PS Touch is far better then this Photoshop Mix, isn't it?

 

[mdriftmeyer]

$199? People truly are gullible, in the eyes of Adobe.

 

[apolloa]

Don't know if this has been posted, but here's a very good video demonstration of these new Adobe devices:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjQpG7mPy_w

 

[dork]

That stylus has 4 sides, not three

counting is hard

 

[Nevaborn]

There is a fascination with making a bunch of stripped down apps and calling them great at the moment when you could easily combine them in to one app. Though in this case it would still be a let down as there are far better drawing apps with a tone of deeper intergration and features.

As for stylus, it is this stopping me buying an iPad, I want to take my art fully digital but get frustrated with the lousy feel and lack of accuracy with current stylus and this lack of support by Apple means yes great art can be achieved but it is a lot harder than it needs to be.

The pen intergration of Surface Pro 3 almost got them a sale off me but when I look at it's intergration it is still a joke and the artistic support is not there but would rather a stylud that looks and acts like a real one and intergrates with Notes over an expensive less useful one that links to photoshop which itself has become a joke these days.

 

[vtrikoupis]

I'm pretty certain I know the answer to this, but will I be able to use the stylus in other apps other than Line and Sketch?

If I can use Ink in Paper by 53 for example, or even note taking, I'd find it a lot easier to spend this kind of money.

 

[macs4nw]

I wonder how well that 'pressure sensitive' part of these stylii (or is that styluses?) works? FiftyThree just the other day also announced that their 'Pencil' stylus will be upgraded with a 'Surface Pressure feature' once iOS8 is released.

If that feature works consistently and reliably, these could be great tools for graphic artists.

 

[rowspaxe]

This pen seems in the "foam tip" catogory--not unlike the paper 53 pencil--but a little thinner. What happens to all this third party stuff if apple ever adds and active digitizer? I thought i would miss my ipad buy surface is a pretty good for everything but apps--which I really never use. It seems like the pro 3 will take a year to catch up to wacom siblings.