Hands-On With the iPad Pro Apple Pencil

[xterratop]

Not everyone needs 'full Photoshop'. Not every 'professional' is a professional photoshop artist. Far fewer people need full Photoshop than use full Photoshop. Lots of Photoshop conscripts are desperate for alternatives. I've been using Photoshop for over a decade, and any chance I get to use something else, (Mari on desktop, Procreate/Sketchbook on iPad) I take it. Either for better features, or more streamlined workflows. Photoshop isn't the be-and end-all, its just the lowest common denominator, and/or the best at heavy photo manipulation. Plenty of apps are actually better at sketching, or painting, or photo processing, or other work. And of course, Photoshop is rental only.

I agree about 'not everyone needs full photoshop'. About a year ago, I was part of a market research group for Adobe. At the time, I had the first versions of the Adobe Touch Apps that were slimmed down versions of their desktop apps. They asked me what I thought of their apps and I told them that although they were fun to play with, they have no relation to the desktop software. In other words, it didn't fit my workflow and that there were no benefits. So, they came up with their new apps. The Adobe touch apps that you see today are a result from this research. I had suggested (and I'm sure a few other professional graphic designers like myself suggested) that they make these apps as a slimmed down version of the primary desktop apps BUT that they would be part of the creative workflow process. For example, if you use Adobe Fix, after you make your adjustments and edits, you can then push it to your desktop Adobe Photoshop.

As for Photoshop, its a very powerful program that many think they know how to use. There are multiple ways of adjusting various parts of your file. But what people don't realize is how much you can integrate something like Adobe Illustrator with Photoshop and then use your design in a page layout program like InDesign, etc. As a professional graphic designer and photographer, I've interviewed many creative candidates to fill job positions in my field of work. The one thing that I see the most is that they really don't know how to maximize the software. Although the end product looks great, I ask the technical questions to the candidates and investigate if they used the program the most effective way. I would sometimes look at their design file and study it. Many candidates only know the basics and sometimes its very hard to find an artist who really knows the ins and outs of Photoshop and how to maximize the creative tools in this program.

And you're right, Photoshop is not the "end all, be all". There are tons of cool touch apps out there (i.e. Procreate, Paper, etc.) that are great for anyone's creative workflow.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I've never drawn in my life. I've never had a desire to draw. I'm pretty terrible at drawing.

The Apple Pencil kind of makes me want to learn to draw. Something about the technological nature of it is alluring. However I'm not about to spend $1k to scratch this itch.

 

[Macronym]

Please don't compare it to Wacom. Wacom's sensitivity is million times better, and it has pen incline detection, which really makes it a professional product. And Wacom pens start from $30, up to $70 for advanced models. Apple pencil is a toy

The Wacom stylus that costs $30 is nothing, but a dumb pen which doesn't have any pressure sensitivity, nor tilt (that is how it's called and not "incline"), nor any other control. Their most expensive stylus, the Intuos Creative II costs almost $90 and only features pressure sensitivity, no tilt whatsoever. It seems your Wacom styli aren't "professional" after all.
Considering all of the above, one wonders what was the intent behind your clueless post...

Anyhow, the main thing that kills me here is the battery. How could they not pull off something more than that when a comparable (if not better) pen can go orders of magnitude longer...

I'd say the relevant point here is that there isn't any comparable pen for the iPad.

The problems with the iPad pro and pencil for me are that firstly the pencil will be rendered useless by updates - in three year's time the built-in obsolescence lag

Progress and built-in obsolescence are two different things. You are free not to update your software.

the iPad will never really be "Pro" with no accessible folder structure for storing work projects and the like, it's just too locked down for anything remotely complex.

People really seem to have some very strange interpretations of the word "pro".

 

[zakarhino]

Professional comic artist PJ Holden disagrees with you.

PJ's a friend of mine, and says the iPad Pro plus Pencil is easily the equal as a drawing experience of a 12" Cintiq.

Well that's great and I'm glad artists love it. I'm just sharing my opinion based on my experience with the thing; I'm well aware other people (including great artists) disagree.

 

[iPadCary]

The Pencil sends messages to sensors built into the iPad Pro.
Currently only the iPad Pro has those sensors.
Maybe Apple will see fit to include the sensors in smaller iPad models in the future.

Thank you for the succinct answer.
Here's hoping iPad Mini 5 gets it and so will be useable with Apple Pencil 2.
The current one, while beautiful, is just a skosh too long for my taste.

 

[Poesn]

I'd really really like to see an article about taking notes with the pencil. wich apps to use and such.

 

[Gix1k]

I sure wish I had one right now to sell on eBay for $300.

 

[dannys1]

Why should I make my work more difficult? Right now I'm working on five project designs, each has a folder which contains 3DS Max, ai, Word, PDF, DXF, JPEG, Powerpoint and PNG files, my desktop computer can handle all that and all the associated programs with no problem, no fuss.

A "Pro" iPad that is essentially just a larger version of my iPad 2 would just make my work life vastly more difficult, couldn't even run half the programs I'd need to use and would have nowhere near the power required in the case of 3D rendering. It's just not very "Pro" in my eyes unless Pro means doing the odd presentation here and there.

i have those folders in Dropbox, which I can access the same way in iOS.

But yeah I would recommend you use an iPad for that sort of work anyway. I'll just be using mine soley as a giant touch controller for Logic Pro. Thats what I can a pro device, a niche one off use. Not a jack of all trades.

 

[ckeck]

I have used both and I can say the the Apple Pencil is far superior.

Not trolling...I'm primarily an Apple guy obviously...but I simply do not agree with this assessment after hours of use with both.

Maybe I'm missing something but so far I can't stand using the Pencil in comparison. Can you let me know where you feel it excels? What are you using it for? Would just like to get some more details.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Well that's great and I'm glad artists love it. I'm just sharing my opinion based on my experience with the thing; I'm well aware other people (including great artists) disagree.

You specifically said that it wasn't a suitable tool for artists… I'm just curious as to your basis for that assessment -- are you an artist?

 

[macduke]

From an artistic point of view, I wouldn't call a 13" tablet "giant" - it's pretty close to your normal old school A4 sketchbook, which I would certainly call portable - also given the decent weight of the iPad Pro. However, I do agree that a smaller tablet would be useful, trading a bit of more pan/zoom:ing for higher portability. NB though, that personally I find an A5 sketchbook a bit difficult to hold steady in the long run, so I wouldn't like anything much smaller, so say maybe 11". I suspect though, were you to ask most graphics artists, they'd want both the 13" (on the move) and something much bigger for studio work - in the A3 range - where Wacom unsurprisingly have other Cintiq options.

Yeah, I was hoping the Pro would be in the 11" range. That would be perfect—but I don't think Apple will make one that size because of further fragmentation without a big difference in size.

As for a bigger option—there was a patent several years back of an iMac that you could grab on the sides. It would detect your heartbeat and disengage the stand, allowing you to slide it down at a shallow angle. The UI would then morph from desktop to touch-based, and you could draw or do whatever you wanted on the giant 27" surface. That would be amazing and I would be willing to pay up to $500 extra just for a feature like that.

 

[dBeats]

I'm baffled that Apple didn't design an Apple pencil holder w/ the smart keyboard. Huge oversight IMO.

I know, I mean how in the world did people live all those years using sketch pads with no built in pockets on it to hold their pencils...

 

[thefourthpope]

The price for both aside, I just wish I could draw and could make use of these tools. Not to justify a purchase but because I have always wished I had the talent to create something from scratch the way I have seen some artists and animators do.

No time like he present, said someone equally frustrated by my drawing ability (by which I mean whether my sketches look like I thought they woul)

 

[netdoc66]

I can't understand why these "pencils" are being sent to retail outlets but not shipped to people who ordered them day 1. It's not fun like it used to be with the product launches how it was when Steve was still alive. Now it feels like Apple doesn't know what it's doing. I guess I have to fall back and treat Apple like Best Buy, just another company. #NoMagicHere

 

[doelcm82]

The price for both aside, I just wish I could draw and could make use of these tools. Not to justify a purchase but because I have always wished I had the talent to create something from scratch the way I have seen some artists and animators do.

Look for a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Read it and do the simple exercises in it, and you will find yourself drawing better than you ever thought you could, within weeks or even days.

You can find it on the iBooks store, but if you don't want to pay $19 for it you can probably find a used copy somewhere for a lot less. The book has been out (in various editions) for over 30 years.

 

[inhalexhale1]

With 50 lbs of rice in the back, yeah?

Haha, of course.

 

[SSDGUY]

I know, I mean how in the world did people live all those years using sketch pads with no built in pockets on it to hold their pencils...

They all died young. I just know it.

 

[StoneJack]

Pencil is going to become a must-have accessory for any graphic artist, just the same way Mac was a must have for desktop publishing. Mac and Adobe propelled original Macs to stardom in 80s and history is going to repeat, this time in mobile. After few years Android clones will catch up, but until then the tilt and pressure sensitivity of Pencil, sensor-backed ipad pro will become a true mobile art platform (add some software).

 

[Macronym]

A "Pro" iPad that is essentially just a larger version of my iPad 2

Which is a bigger version of the iPad mini, which is a bigger version of the iPhone. Yes, a bigger screen does make a difference in usability.

couldn't even run half the programs I'd need to use and would have nowhere near the power required in the case of 3D rendering

That is precisely why all these ideas about "full MacOS", "full Photoshop" and whatnot are so nonsensical.

It's just not very "Pro" in my eyes unless Pro means doing the odd presentation here and there.

Pro means that somebody will use it for paid work. It does have a definition. There are hundreds of professions out there and it will be perfectly useful for most. Actually, your case (which is the same as mine, incidentally) is the exception here.

 

[gsmornot]

Look for a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Read it and do the simple exercises in it, and you will find yourself drawing better than you ever thought you could, within weeks or even days.

You can find it on the iBooks store, but if you don't want to pay $19 for it you can probably find a used copy somewhere for a lot less. The book has been out (in various editions) for over 30 years.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look for the book.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Well, my Pencil arrived yesterday (and, for all my moaning, the order said 19-26 Nov, and it turned up on the 20th) and, typically, I've only had time for the briefest of plays with it using Procreate.

Since 1998, I've owned a CalComp Drawing Slate II, Wacom Intuos 3, Cintiq 12WX, 21UX and 24HD, and the iPad Pro/Pencil combo is hands-down the best drawing experience of anything I've used. Hope to find time to get Astropad running next week and see how it plays with MangaStudio.

 

[itbeme]

You can even dump everything on your own local NAS (if you want higher performance (locally) and more privacy) and have access from in from any device at home. Having files tied to a device is a pain in the neck.

Of course, when doing compiles (or it would be kinda slow), you want your files local, but a sync directory from an outside source can work for that. The fact people are doing things across many devices makes the traditional one location way of doing things very inconvenient.

Thank you. I have been using these "alternatives" (DropBox, Box, OneDrive, WDMyCloud NAS) coupled with either their own clients or apps like Documents for a few years now already. These comments about "no file system" demonstrate typical ignorant non-sense one finds on the Internet. There are endless possibilities for those that want so desperately cling to Finder. You can even meta-tag files if you like. The biggest file system that exists is the one we use everyday - the Internet. A non-issue if I ever heard of one.

 

[Coarseman]

100 dollars....hahahahaha...to this day that joke still kills me. What a terrible product.

Peanuts.
If this thingy can save me the tons of paper notes I have to carry with me for my meetings, I am buying two of them in a heartbeat-just to be safe in case one breaks.

Most of you guys on here focus on the creative use on the pencil, but the reality is that the vast majority of the users of the Pencil will be the business.
Taking notes, drawing sketches etc.-this thing is PRICELESS!

That's why Apple should put some more efforts into their Notes app-different styles of paper would be very nice addition..

 

[Tech198]

Thank you for the succinct answer.
Here's hoping iPad Mini 5 gets it and so will be useable with Apple Pencil 2.
The current one, while beautiful, is just a skosh too long for my taste.

ok,, if u don't mind those ipads to increase in size either. ...

its like trying to cram thousands of sweets in ya gob...... u can try, but will come out.. than go in.

 

[StoneJack]

Peanuts.
If this thingy can save me the tons of paper notes I have to carry with me for my meetings, I am buying two of them in a heartbeat-just to be safe in case one breaks.

Most of you guys on here focus on the creative use on the pencil, but the reality is that the vast majority of the users of the Pencil will be the business.
Taking notes, drawing sketches etc.-this thing is PRICELESS!

That's why Apple should put some more efforts into their Notes app-different styles of paper would be very nice addition..

thats interesting. Didn't think much about it, but how about handwriting recognition?