Is the basic iPad enough?

[steveash]

I am thinking of getting my first iPad to accompany my Mac. I do some fairly heavy photoshop work and would like to explore the possibilities of using an iPad occasionally either as a tablet with sidecar or stand-alone for retouching, dodge and burn etc. As this is a bit of an experiment I am thinking to get the basic model and then upgrade later if I like it and need the extra power/screen inches. Is this realistic or is it going to struggle with my 40 mp images?

 

[duanepatrick]

You should aim for the device that fills your needs. iPad Pro 12.9" is my recommendation.

Checked your insta: Nice edits. Love it.

 

[steveash]

Thanks! It is tempting to go all in but I can't be sure it is going to work for me until I've tried it.

 

[whiteonline]

Are you using creative cloud?
I have the 12.9 pro and use CC. It's great for what you are looking to do (basic stuff). I use a Z7 and it flies with the 47mp images. Editing (people call culling here it seems) is especially convenient. Photoshop mobile is not quite there however, so I'd temper any excitement on that front.
I find other workflows kind of janky if you are looking to sync retouch between desktop and mobile.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Our iPads are the most heavily used devices in the house. The base iPad has 3GB of RAM, which may be an issue with 40MP RAW files, not entirely sure. Still, the performance on all the modern iPads is great, and I think you’ll love it once you get going. I also went for a time editing up to 20MP files on a 2018 12.9” model, and performance was fantastic. Affinity Photo on iPad is a great and powerful app.

 

[Ray2]

I purchased a gen 6, 9.7” ipad as an experiment. 128gb, $399. I wanted to move a material amount of editing to the iPad using Lightroom. No experience with PS. I’ve used iPads for occasional editing work during travel since the iPad 1. On older, lesser, iPads I’ve edited D800 files and Fuji (just as cpu intensive as the D800 files) for years. I can only say do it.

With Lightroom I cannot see where buying a Pro could be quicker other than the import function. I’m hardly funds constrained yet have zero plans to upgrade to a Pro.

 

[steveash]

Thanks everyone. I think my question is answered.

I’m using CC but only the basic 20gb at the moment. I really don’t expect to use an ipad for sorting/culling images for now although I am open minded.

A top spec iPad Pro would be lovely I’m sure but I’m trying to avoid spending laptop money until I’m sure it is going to work for me. It sounds like the base iPad will be enough to at least get a taste. It has 3 mb ram and even the original smaller pro only had 2mb.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

You might consider stepping up to the Air. It has a laminated display (LCD is glued to the glass), the wider gamut, and TrueTone. Might be a worthy upgrade over the base for photography work.

 

[steveash]

You might consider stepping up to the Air. It has a laminated display (LCD is glued to the glass), the wider gamut, and TrueTone. Might be a worthy upgrade over the base for photography work.

I did wonder that but I think if I was going to spend that much I might as well go the whole hog and get the Pro. If I get the basic one and grow out of it I can easily hand it down to family members. What difference does the laminated display have by the way?

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

It’s a little hard to describe. The laminated display means there’s no air gap between the LCD and the touch panel glass. The Air has a laminated display, the base iPad does not. It’s something you can live without, but reviews say that if you want to use the pencil heavily, then you will really appreciate the laminated display. All your modern smartphones have a laminated display, and I believe even iMacs and MacBooks have a laminated display.

Laminated vs non laminated tablet : What is a laminated display?

Modern devices comes with laminated displays. In this laminated vs non-laminated screen comparison we will know how modern display is different than old one

essentialpicks.com

 

[Fishrrman]

I guess for some, a tablet is enough.

But being the old codger that I am, I need a keyboard, a mouse, AND an actual finder-like "file system" that I can manipulate "from the desktop"...