Disappointed with iPad for photography

[HalfOnWhole]

I recently got an iPad Pro (which has passed its return window already) am love many things about it (the obvious, I suppose), but am left disappointed in its inability to handle RAW photos for editing. I have a new Sony mirrorless body (a7rii) and was very much hoping that once I got the iPad and SD card reader accessory, that I could use it in the field for raw editing. It seems none of the Adobe apps really support the format, which is odd as I was sure I had read that at least one of them could.

Anyway, if anyone else out there has one and is using it for RAW editing (especially for a new camera body), please let me know how you're managing!

 

[sparksd]

Just today I tried a new app for editing my Canon RAW CR2 images - Filterstorm Neue - and it seems to work quite well, actually decoding the RAW image as opposed to using the embedded JPEG. This is the first app I've found to actually do this. I'm using a Canon 70D DSLR.

And here's an interesting recent article on the subject:

https://photoapps.expert/tips/2015/12/22/quest-viable-ios-raw-workflow

 

[darknyt]

I recently got an iPad Pro (which has passed its return window already) am love many things about it (the obvious, I suppose), but am left disappointed in its inability to handle RAW photos for editing. I have a new Sony mirrorless body (a7rii) and was very much hoping that once I got the iPad and SD card reader accessory, that I could use it in the field for raw editing. It seems none of the Adobe apps really support the format, which is odd as I was sure I had read that at least one of them could.

Anyway, if anyone else out there has one and is using it for RAW editing (especially for a new camera body), please let me know how you're managing!

First off, you sure you are past your return window given the extended Holiday return period?

Not that I'm advocating returning it, but just checking options.. . .

 

[0970373]

I use ShutterSnitch to import photos wirelessly, it keeps the jpeg/raw pairs are separate files. Now that iOS can import via the SD card & camera adapter, I still use ShutterSnitch to separate out the pairs and mark them accordingly. (iOS keeps the jpeg/raw pairs together as one in your camera roll.) You can also export the sidecar files of albums so that it can be matched to your Lightroom import - this way my photos are already stared accordingly. This app is worth every penny.

If I am doing edits on iOS, Photogene 4 is one. it isn't the most intuitive but it works for basic on the go stuff. I also use the original Filterstorm app. I haven't tried the Neue app as the other one works ok still. Though it seems to have become abandonware so that the dev can charge for it. Nothing wrong with that. I just wish the Apple would allow some sort of upgrade path for people who have already paid for original versions.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

First off, you sure you are past your return window given the extended Holiday return period?

Not that I'm advocating returning it, but just checking options.. . .

Agreed. If you got it at an Apple Store, you have until January sometime.....

 

[sparksd]

One of the difficulties of using an iPad for photo processing in the field is the support for offline storage when you don't have access to the Internet for cloud storage for a significant amount of data - such was the case for me on a recent one-week trip and will occur again for another week shortly and then for three weeks in May. I've managed to work around this by using a RavPower FileHub to support moving files from my camera's SD card to a USB hard drive. On the iPad, I can use FileBrowser to get the files to/from the hard drive to Filterstorm and the iOS Photo app. Convoluted but it does work. But working with GBs of files is not simple when it all has to be stored (and backed up) locally.

 

[moxxham]

I recently got an iPad Pro (which has passed its return window already) am love many things about it (the obvious, I suppose), but am left disappointed in its inability to handle RAW photos for editing. I have a new Sony mirrorless body (a7rii) and was very much hoping that once I got the iPad and SD card reader accessory, that I could use it in the field for raw editing. It seems none of the Adobe apps really support the format, which is odd as I was sure I had read that at least one of them could.

Anyway, if anyone else out there has one and is using it for RAW editing (especially for a new camera body), please let me know how you're managing!

Just saying,

The A7Rii is an amazing camera! I have the A7S! I haven't done any raw editing on the pro yet, but I will give it a go and let you know what I think

 

[hiddenmarkov]

It seems none of the Adobe apps really support the format, which is odd as I was sure I had read that at least one of them could.

Adobe on their LR page has the raw support being more a collarborative aspect of the mobile app with an actual puter based install. As I read it you stage stuff to iron out when on the puter. I have not tried that aspect to be honest. As was dragged backed to LR and not thrilled about it. It has to be on the MBP...my rebel without a cause streak says it doesn't have to be on my mobile devices.

New Nikon body not on the aperture support list and other options lacked lens profile support I need, plus Nik tools are a go to for me. Back to the darkside I went.

 

[sparksd]

Adobe on their LR page has the raw support being more a collarborative aspect of the mobile app with an actual puter based install. As I read it you stage stuff to iron out when on the puter. I have not tried that aspect to be honest. As was dragged backed to LR and not thrilled about it. It has to be on the MBP...my rebel without a cause streak says it doesn't have to be on my mobile devices.

New Nikon body not on the aperture support list and other options lacked lens profile support I need, plus Nik tools are a go to for me. Back to the darkside I went.

I use LR-CC as my primary post-processing app on the PC but I deleted it as useless from my iPad.

 

[macguy360]

I recently got an iPad Pro (which has passed its return window already) am love many things about it (the obvious, I suppose), but am left disappointed in its inability to handle RAW photos for editing. I have a new Sony mirrorless body (a7rii) and was very much hoping that once I got the iPad and SD card reader accessory, that I could use it in the field for raw editing. It seems none of the Adobe apps really support the format, which is odd as I was sure I had read that at least one of them could.

Anyway, if anyone else out there has one and is using it for RAW editing (especially for a new camera body), please let me know how you're managing!

According to many fanboys and reviewers, the iPad Pro benchmarks faster than Apple laptops. However, benchmarks aren't accurate because they don't take into account the deeper processing that laptop and desktop processors are capable of compared to tablet processors. This is evident by your experience with trying to work with raw files on your iPad Pro. Despite what many people think, the iPad Pro is not as capable at professional work as a macbook pro. I myself have a 13" macbook pro and I am able to edit raw files just fine as well as edit 4k video work that I shoot with my Samsung Nx1. The iPad Pro would slow to a crawl if you tried to edit 4k video with it lol.

 

[NT1440]

According to many fanboys and reviewers, the iPad Pro benchmarks faster than Apple laptops. However, benchmarks aren't accurate because they don't take into account the deeper processing that laptop and desktop processors are capable of compared to tablet processors. This is evident by your experience with trying to work with raw files on your iPad Pro. Despite what many people think, the iPad Pro is not as capable at professional work as a macbook pro. I myself have a 13" macbook pro and I am able to edit raw files just fine as well as edit 4k video work that I shoot with my Samsung Nx1. The iPad Pro would slow to a crawl if you tried to edit 4k video with it lol.

What are you talking about? This is a thread about file formats, it has nothing to do with processing power. The limitation is apps that accept RAW, not the ability to process it.

 

[sparksd]

What are you talking about? This is a thread about file formats, it has nothing to do with processing power. The limitation is apps that accept RAW, not the ability to process it.

Agree - even my Air 2 has no problem with processing 20 megapixel RAW files using Filterstorm Neue.

 

[macguy360]

What are you talking about? This is a thread about file formats, it has nothing to do with processing power. The limitation is apps that accept RAW, not the ability to process it.

If Adobe and Apple do not provide support for raw files, then the iPad Pro is hardly a desktop/laptop replacement.

When you have to do all sorts of work arounds just to make things work, it is hardly a professional device. It's just not there yet.

The reason Adobe and Apple don't provide support for raw photos is because the device isn't up to snuff performance wise.

 

[NT1440]

If Adobe and Apple do not provide support for raw files, then the iPad Pro is hardly a desktop/laptop replacement.

When you have to do all sorts of work arounds just to make things work, it is hardly a professional device. It's just not there yet.

The reason Adobe and Apple don't provide support for raw photos is because the device isn't up to snuff performance wise.

WTF are you talking about? Apple didn't provide support for flash, so under your criteria, an iPhone today isn't powerful enough.

How is installing an app that supports RAW a workaround?

 

[sparksd]

If Adobe and Apple do not provide support for raw files, then the iPad Pro is hardly a desktop/laptop replacement.

When you have to do all sorts of work arounds just to make things work, it is hardly a professional device. It's just not there yet.

The reason Adobe and Apple don't provide support for raw photos is because the device isn't up to snuff performance wise.

Adobe's reasoning on RAW support in Lightroom Mobile has a lot more to do with file management than processing power:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2014/04/the-field-triage-opportunity-for-lr-mobile.html

As I said, I can readily process RAW files on my Air 2.

 

[macguy360]

Adobe's reasoning on RAW support in Lightroom Mobile has a lot more to do with file management than processing power:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2014/04/the-field-triage-opportunity-for-lr-mobile.html

As I said, I can readily process RAW files on my Air 2.

I didn't say processing, I said performance. In the link you provided, Adobe admits that the iPad isn't able to handle uploading photos at a reasonable speed. This is a combination of the sd reader transfer speed and the processing speed of the iPad.

Adobe also admits that the limited storage capacity of the iPad limits how many files you can put onto the device.

The fact that Adobe and Apple do not support Raw photos means that you have to seek out a 3rd party app like Filterstorm Neue, which is hardly a competitor to Adobe the #1 software company photographers use.

For being such a "Pro" device, it sure seems like the fanboys have to jump to Apple's defense when the device doesn't perform for professional tasks like photography lol.

 

[sparksd]

I didn't say processing, I said performance. In the link you provided, Adobe admits that the iPad isn't able to handle uploading photos at a reasonable speed. This is a combination of the sd reader transfer speed and the processing speed of the iPad.

Adobe also admits that the limited storage capacity of the iPad limits how many files you can put onto the device.

The fact that Adobe and Apple do not support Raw photos means that you have to seek out a 3rd party app like Filterstorm Neue, which is hardly a competitor to Adobe the #1 software company photographers use.

For being such a "Pro" device, it sure seems like the fanboys have to jump to Apple's defense when the device doesn't perform for professional tasks like photography lol.

Actually, I'm an Android fanboy - I can attach a USB HDD directly to my Asus TF700T and readily process RAW files on it with apps other than Lightroom because Lightroom works the same way on Android. My workflow there is exactly the same as on my laptop and the 3rd party apps are as capable as Lightroom.

 

[sparksd]

For my own purposes, one of the greatest shortcomings of any mobile device for serious photo processing is the display - I want a 20+" monitor/display that can be calibrated.

 

[PattyMc]

The above mentioned link/article was written in April 2014, long before the IPad Pro release.

 

[sparksd]

The above mentioned link/article was written in April 2014, long before the IPad Pro release.

True. But head over to Adobe's forums and you'll see that they haven't changed their philosophy on RAW imaging workflow with Lightroom Mobile.

 

[whtrbt7]

I've been using the iPad Pro for RAW processing on a lighter basis. The RAW converters on iPad are currently only ok. Apple RAW is basically pulling JPG info out of the RAW in order to get the initial image. This means that there is less ability to edit the file like if you were converting using ACR on an x86 machine. Photogene and Filterstorm Neue support RAW conversion but the results IMO are still a bit meh. I prefer to import to iCloud, export onto an x86, convert using DxO to JPGs using Prime noise reduction and smart lighting, and then importing the JPGs back into iCloud for local editing/post. The iPad pro is perfectly capable of handling different RAW formats, it's just that the results are sometimes kind of mucky. ACR isn't really my cup of tea since it basically pre-processes the image flat and then you have to dial in all the adjustments by hand. For those of you who use Lightroom all the time, you can basically edit your RAWs in the Lightroom app and sync over changes to your Adobe cloud account. The issue with Lightroom for iOS is that it only does some of the things that x86 version can do.

 

[whtrbt7]

I just really want DxO to make Optics available for iOS so it can convert RAWs more proficiently locally on iOS. That would solve a lot of workflow stuff for me. Nobody says you can't use existing apps to process RAWs, it's just that I prefer a specific workflow and processing over what is currently available.

 

[sparksd]

I've been using the iPad Pro for RAW processing on a lighter basis. The RAW converters on iPad are currently only ok. Apple RAW is basically pulling JPG info out of the RAW in order to get the initial image. This means that there is less ability to edit the file like if you were converting using ACR on an x86 machine. Photogene and Filterstorm Neue support RAW conversion but the results IMO are still a bit meh. I prefer to import to iCloud, export onto an x86, convert using DxO to JPGs using Prime noise reduction and smart lighting, and then importing the JPGs back into iCloud for local editing/post. The iPad pro is perfectly capable of handling different RAW formats, it's just that the results are sometimes kind of mucky. ACR isn't really my cup of tea since it basically pre-processes the image flat and then you have to dial in all the adjustments by hand. For those of you who use Lightroom all the time, you can basically edit your RAWs in the Lightroom app and sync over changes to your Adobe cloud account. The issue with Lightroom for iOS is that it only does some of the things that x86 version can do.

You mean use the Lightroom app on a Mac or Windows machine and synch the results of those operations, correct? The iOS Lightroom app can't do anything with RAW files.

 

[whtrbt7]

You mean use the Lightroom app on a Mac or Windows machine and synch the results of those operations, correct? The iOS Lightroom app can't do anything with RAW files.

Yes sorry, the RAW has to be uploaded to Adobe Cloud first before anything can be done with the image in the iOS Lightroom App. It's one of the limitations of Lightroom Mobile iOS App right now. I hope they at least remove that limitation. By comparison, my iCloud photos to OSX to DxO Optics back to iCloud Photos seems about as clunky. I just want DxO Optics on iOS to convert the RAWs to JPG after some light preprocessing on iOS. It would keep me from needing my OSX DxO processing.

 

[sparksd]

Yes sorry, the RAW has to be uploaded to Adobe Cloud first before anything can be done with the image in the iOS Lightroom App. It's one of the limitations of Lightroom Mobile iOS App right now. I hope they at least remove that limitation. By comparison, my iCloud photos to OSX to DxO Optics back to iCloud Photos seems about as clunky. I just want DxO Optics on iOS to convert the RAWs to JPG after some light preprocessing on iOS. It would keep me from needing my OSX DxO processing.

Which really makes Lightroom Mobile useless. If I have the images on a desktop or laptop then I will do the processing there, not load them into the cloud for processing on an iPad.