Sketchbook Pro on the Apple iPad – A Review...
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, in a cave on a remote island, not visited sketch-a-day.com or totally isolated from any kind of media outlet, you’ve heard about the iPad.
I’m a loyal Apple fan, but I admit, part of me was willing to wait on the next version of at least a few months to see what new apps and features would inevitably come out of the woodwork – that was, until I saw this – Sketchbook Pro for the iPad.
Say what you want about Apple, and the iCulture, the iPad is a really sweet device.
Everything is amazing and noone is impressed.
I think this Youtube clip pretty much sums up my sentiments about naysayers.
Still, nothing’s perfect about it, and I’ll address some drawbacks later on.
Design -
Stunning as always, Apple really has refined their design language and it’s been nice seeing the progression from early apple products to this portable sliver of a product.
I won’t go into too much detail, but here are a few things that stood out to me.
Remember that bezel people were complaining about before they even saw one?
Yeah that thing.
It actually works well in person, when holding one, and doesn’t seem too thick.
The UI feels refreshed even though it is largely based on the iPhone UI.
There are popup contextual menus that function as windows in the main window or active application at the time – this is particularly helpful if you’re trying to see what you’re doing while accessing some other function. more on this later with sketchbook pro.
The back’s all aluminum (anodized) with the black Apple logo on the back.
Interesting tidbit here – the design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but the black apple logo on the back functions as the wifi “window”.
The antenna is mounted there. (ifixit link).
Because of the simple and minimal design, it really becomes less about the hardware and specs and more about the experience.
Apple is selling an experience with this product – something which I haven’t seen successfully done in my opinion.
Agree or disagree, this is a beautiful object.
Function -
The iPad just works.
It’s like a giant iPod touch, and more.
It changes the convention of 'computer', but I’ll spare you any diatribe or soapboxing on what I feel the future of computing to be.
I’d rather cover myself in syrup and punch a hornet’s nest just for fun.
In any case, it’s an exciting and refreshing look at portable computing (not that tablets haven’t been done before).
If you’ve used an iPhone, iPod touch, or watched minority report (halfway joking here) the iPad should be pretty intuitive to use.
You turn it on and are presented with a field of icons representing some basic included application.
What really makes this thing sing is the availability of thousands, yes THOUSANDS, of decent quality applications through the iTunes App store.
Check out appshopper.com for updates on iPad applications.
Not only are there TONS of applications available, but they boot up pretty quickly.
It’s nothing compared to an iPhone in terms of speed and runs circles around my 3G iPhone.
I can’t say much for the 3Gs, since I don’t have one 
Battery life is also amazing.
I’m kind of a power management czar, so I never let it go down tooo much in battery life, but I haven’t seen it go down below 33% in battery life, and that’s with all day HEAVY usage, between my wife and myself.
Lastly, to answer probably one of the most asked questions from visitors to sketch-a-day.com and idsketching.com, there’s absolutely no pressure sensitivity, more on that later.
Finger or Stylus -
Before I even had the iPad in my grubby hands, I purchased a stylus.
I didn’t want to be left without one on launch day, when I would venture out and brave the lines to get an iPad.
TenOne makes a series of styluses including a sketch stylus that apparently has a smaller nub on the tip of the stylus.
It’s designed to mimic the finger and as such has a weird little nub at the end.
I really don’t know what it’s made of, nor do I like to touch it, but hey... it works.
When you use it for the first time, it drags a little on the screen.
I was anticipating being able to use a lighter touch with the stylus because of my experience with the standard, slippery Wacom stylus.
However, the pogo sketch stylus took a little bit more pressure to work.
In no time, I found my footing (or fingering) and was sketching fluidly.
I must say though, I’m not a “fingersketcher”.
I’m always amazed when i see what people have done with just a finger, but I do enjoy using the stylus to sketch with.
At times while sketching, I found myself using my finger to access the menus (naturally) or to fill in a larger area on the canvas with a brush.
Sketching on the iPad -
As I mentioned before at the beginning of the article, I was on the fence about purchasing an iPad immediately at launch until I saw a leak of one app in particular – Sketchbook Pro.
I never did get around to writing a review of Sketchbook Mobile for the iPhone.
I was a launch tester at the time, but I found it frustrating at times to sketch on such a tiny screen.
Sketchbook pro is no Sketchbook Mobile, and the iPad makes the experience much much more enjoyable, and to quote apple, it does so by “orders of magnitude”.
Sketchbook Pro (Autodesk Inc.) is priced at 7.99 USD for the iPad.
Some complained about this, but I think the price is decent for what you get, especially considering and comparing the price of the albeit more robust version for more full featured computers (priced at $100 USD).
When you boot up the application for the first time, you’re presented with a series of instructions on how to use the applications built in multi-touch shortcuts.
For example, to pull up the menu at the top of the screen, place three fingers on the screen, or to undo, either double tap in the lower left corner (just like the sketchbook mobile app for iPhone and iPod touch) or swipe three fingers across the screen to the left to undo.
I quickly raced through the instructions and I’ll be honest, in hindsight, I didn’t take enough time to read through the very helpful instructions about the gesture based controls for the UI. I was waaay too excited to site and read instructions.
In any case, I played around with a few gestures and finger combinations and before long, I was on my way to sketching.
The Sketchbook Pro UI
It’s pretty minimal, but you may be missing a few things from the desktop version.
For example, there’s no popup menu, lagoon, or even lasso tool (which I found a little strange given the larger screen and more powerful processor).
What you do get is a lineup of tools that pretty much get the job done.
That said, I much prefer sketching on the larger iPad screen than the smaller iPhone screen.
When the menu bar is activated, you’ll find a button to see your Gallery, add a new sketch, info about the program, undo and redo shortcuts, brushes, symmetry, brush mode/shape tools, zoom to fit to screen, layer transform and layers buttons.
One thing I do wish however is, that the menu could be “pinned”, or remain persistent as you're sketching.
I found it annoying to have to keep using the three finger tap to bring up my brushes all the time.
Again maybe I’m missing something from the walkthrough, but this process of pulling up brushes or menus got to be a bit laborious after a bit of time.
Brushes
You get 5 panels of 15 brushes each for a grand total of 75 standard brushes.
As far as I can tell however, there’s no way to make custom brushes on your own.
Hopefully this will change in a future version.
My personal favorites are the airbrush, ballpoint pen, and the chisel marker for knocking out colors.
The other brushes on panels 3-5 seem a little gimmicky, but I’m sure they could have their uses at some point.
Even though you can’t make a new custom brush and save it for later, there are enough settings for each brush that can be activated and modified to get the feel you want.
In my testing, I didn’t mess with all of the brushes or settings, but I found, with enough tweaking, you can get a nice faux taper to the lines – handy if you’re trying to mimic pressure sensitivity and taper.
It seems to be done in the software, similar to the way you’d taper a brush in Photoshop when using a mouse or trackpad.
*Update – there’s a smudge tool if you’re into that kind of thing, but no blur tool in the brushes included.
Layers
Layers in Sketchbook Pro for the iPad are activated on the toolbar, and show up in a popup menu.
It’s not persistent and goes away when you’re done and back to sketching.
Unfortunately (and fortunately) you’re limited to 6 active layers at any given time.
I suspect that this is done in an effort to be efficient with memory or processing power.
In any case, I didn’t find it too much of an issue for me, and it became more natural as I adapted my desktop/laptop + wacom workflow to this more portable platform.
You can adjust transparency on layers, but there are no blending modes ala Photoshop or Painter.
I do miss that, as I tend to use those settings in Photoshop and Painter a lot.
Layer deletion and changing the layer order are both simple and intuitive.
Other Tools / Info -
Shape tools are included in the package, however, it’s not done with the same implementation as Sketchbook Pro for Win or Mac.
While on a Win or Mac you can sketch on a path using the ellipse or line tools, Sketchbook Pro for the iPad only allows you to draw the shape as part of your sketch.
If you were looking forward to sketching on paths, it’s time to brush up on drawing with your shoulder!
Layer transformation can only be done with the aspect ratio intact.
I found no way to skew things to my liking.
You rotate and scale by pinching or rotating two fingers on the touch screen.
Symmetry sketching is snappy and works pretty well. I cranked out a couple rough symmetrical sketches in no time.
I don’t use symmetry much, but I imagine this will be a godsend for some.
I mentioned the smudge brush before, but again, some people may like this.
Resolution for sketches seems to be limited to the iPad’s screen size – 1024×768 pixels – small and definitely not high enough resolution to print say big 11×17 inch pages, but big enough I imagine printing on an 8.5×11 inch piece of paper would look decent.
Import/Export
This has been one of my main gripes with not only the program, but the iPad.
I’d like an easier way to transfer images to my laptop or desktop.
Sometimes it’s necessary, though blogging using the wordpress app on sketch-a-day.com does tie in my completed sketches as long as they are in the right place.
In Sketchbook pro, images aren’t automatically saved to the iPad’s photo library.
You are required to access the built in gallery, then export in two ways – to the iPad’s gallery as a PNG file or you can email the file to yourself as a PSD (yes, layered!) or as a flattened PNG file with transparency.
Yes, there’s also built in functionality in iTunes to transfer files, but I couldn’t seem to get it to work.
I’m no coding expert, but think it has to do with the file names (that pesky colon might be the culprit).
I’m sure this will be fixed in an update, at some point, as others have had the same issue as well.
For now, I’ve just been emailing the files to myself a very slow 5 at a time.
Cintiq or not Cintiq?
I’ll be straight with you here – the iPad is no Wacom Cintiq, but I actually think that’s a good thing.
I’ve never been a fan of Cintiqs – the cables, the heat, the external box, and the sheer mass of the larger size has always been a MAJOR drawback for me sketching on one.
I gave them a shot, but I always found myself reverting to my trusty Intuos 3 for sketching.
I wanted to like it, but I never fell in love with the product as much as I loved the idea.
The cheapest Wacom Cintiq comes in at $999 – $1199 USD, while the iPad rings in at half the cost for the entry level model – $499 USD (Price varies with model).
Despite the lack of pressure sensitivity, the choice is pretty clear.
I was on the verge of replacing my old Intuos tablet with a new one, until I saw Sketchbook Pro + the iPad.
For about $200 USD more, I could have highly portable web browsing, media playing, portfolio displaying, sketchbook that is thin and stylish.
No longer would I need to have a box, usb plug, large adapter, and dvi cable just to have an on screen sketching experience.
It doesn’t get hot and there are no wires coming out of everywhere.
Sure, there are a myriad of tablet PC’s out there, but none, in my opinion, have been executed as elegantly as the iPad.
Again – I’m not trying to flame bait here, but I think Apple has a winner here.
As Steve said, it needed to do SOME things well and boy does it do them well.
People seem to love it or hate it, but that usually changes when you see one in person.
My recommendation is to go see one in person.
Go to an Apple Store or Best Buy, see how it feels and works and if you like it, then go for it.
It’s a wonderful product I look forward to continually using in my workflow.
61 Responses to “Sketchbook Pro on the Apple iPad – A Review”
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Source: http://laughing1wolf.blogspot.com/2010/08/sketchbook-pro-on-ipad.html
I don’t understand your gripe with Cintiqs and comparing it to the ipad?
I love my cintiq, its the best thing I have ever bought since my Intuos tablets.
Since getting a small cintiq it already paid for itself in the first job, my work in concepting has improved and my work flow is so much faster.
Whilst I was working in-house and from home in the evenings, I had no issue with unplugging one or two plugs and shoving the thing in a bag.
Simplicity doesnt make everything better, and in the case of the ipad, it seems like they have gone as simple as possible and therefore missed out on lots of tech specs…
I mean not having two items open at once?
How do you look at reference images at the same time as sketching.
This isn't a tool to replace anything in an artist’s day to day working life, its actually just a toy to put next to all the vinyl toys on your work desk.
For me, as an artist…i'd much rather save my money.
By the way, your industrial drawings are brilliant!
Love them.
Now microsofts “Courier”, and HP’s alternative might be viable usage for me
Excellent write up!
I – like you were on the fence until I saw SBP for the iPad.
I don’t have one yet but I think it won’t be long…
My biggest hangup was SBM for the iphone.
I thought the potential was there but it was just a bit to frustrating for me.
It was better with the pogo sketch but just not fast enough.
From the sound of it this might just work though…
Very exciting…
I still need to post a video to show how snappy it can be.
You need to do a video plzzz i am in the need of seeing one... lol .
Thanx for the review made me get one even more now... lol .
Rav
Thanks for the comments!
Don’t get me wrong, I still have an intuos for working at the desktop.
What I meant to get across is, the iPad is a great portable sketchbook.
I still never liked Cintiqs though, personal preference.
I’ve seen some amazing things done on them, though!
As for the Unicorn (Courier) we’ll see . . . and Slate, if it’s built on Windows 7 and running on an atom processor, it might struggle with modern PC Applications.
So we’ll see.
The thing the iPad has going is simplicity of OS and efficiency.
Not the fastest processor running it all, but it’s doing lighter lifting with a lighter OS.
I dunno what kind of Cintiq Adele is using, but I swear mine is made of Ununoctium.
It never leaves my workstation.
I too am an apple fan, and own both a macbook pro and an iphone.
I was equally excited to hear about the sketchbook pro + ipad but never held the idea the ipad would take over the role of a Cintiq.
Instead, I see the ipad taking over the role of my tattered paper and pencil sketchbook.
I want to feel like i'm living in 2010.
I'm anxious to see if your shiny new toy still seems fun and useful six months from now, when i make my decision.
Personally, the ultimate device for me would be a modbook pro… too bad they cost almost $5,000
Great review. I’m having similar experiences with SBP on my iPad.
I love my Cintiq, but I hope to use the iPad as a sketchpad too!
I’ve tried emailing myself the images too.
I thought it was very cool you have a choice between PSD or flattened PNG.
Can you explain the line and ellipse tool, I don’t understand what you mean
It just draws an ellipse.
You touch to start and drag to finish the ellipse.
I’ll be putting together a video walkthrough hopefully this week sometimes (fingers crossed)
This alone justifies the iPad to me.
Question is now, does one wait until V2 comes out??
http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?lang=en&pid=164
“Pressure-sensitivity with 512 levels
"Create natural-looking pen, brush, and eraser strokes.
"High resolution of more than 2000 dpi allows you to work with pin-point accuracy”
Aaaaand very expensive
oh it’s true ^.^°
[...] wird dabei fast alles, von Stiften und Papieren bis zum Zeichnen auf dem Apple iPad; von der ersten Ellipse bis zum Finden des eigenen Stils. Auch der wichtigste Tip wird nicht [...]
Do u guys think that the Ipad could replace the wacom someday?
I got a bamboo at the moment but I’m thinking about getting an intuos4 but when I saw the Ipad, I got unsure.
[...] ideas and making quick notes on projects.
Also in the app store is a stripped down version of Sketchbook Pro.
The software is a bit clunky but still (seems like) a fairly robust tool for quick sketching and [...]
it sounds like the ipads battery is pretty decent from your review.
One of the things I was wondering though was if anyone knows if there is a screen protector available for the ipad yet?
That layer of film that goes over the screen that many ipod touches and iphones have.
Also does anyone think this would hinder stylus use in terms of it sticking to the plastic or change the texture to be to slippery.
Does the app allow you to place an image?
Good question.
I should have mentioned that, but yes, you can pull images in – not as you’re working, but rather initially at the beginning of your workflow.
ah soo you think photoshop could come out with an app for this app?
apple ipad?
I really hope so!
That would be awesome.
Thanks for the good review.
I draw on Wacom Cintiqs and Intuos tablets everyday, and have ordered an iPad 3G for this same purpose.
I was in the Apple store drawing with a Pogo Sketch Adobe Ideas, which is neat, but not as good as Sketchbook Pro (yet), but it’s free and vector based (scalable).
The iPad will serve as a mobile, creative supplement to my digital art studio, as well as a portfolio marketing tool.
A toy of course
So I’m glad to hear you’re pleased with Sketchbook Pro.
I’m sure future versions will facilitate a print res canvas.
Keep up the good art!
[...] you mean they're going to share audio from one line-out?
EDIT: Just stumbled upon this gem – http://www.idsketching.com/news/sket…he-apple-ipad/ __________________ Project Styx – Reactivated Project PC3 – Nearly Done Drop by at The Guild [...]
To me it seems we designers are too often enamored with anything Apple logo emblazoned.
Apple has championed design brilliantly and we owe them a debt of gratitude for elevating the status of our profession, but when a repackaged ipod touch comes out, and we sing its praises for innovation, I have to wonder where our heads have gone.
This tool is, as Spencer put it intelligently, a great digital sketchbook, not a performance workhorse.
I’m tired of people screaming “INNOVATIVE” when they see the iPad.
It’s not doing anything new, its only doing it bigger.
Give me pressure sensitivity and an open source product that offers flexibility, then I will scream “INNOVATIVE!”
Apple tries too hard to control its users.
Give people the option for a flexible or simple product, depending on the user’s needs/experience level.
Apple is teetering on stagnation, I think their dominance in innovation is on the edge of the abyss.
Apple needs to shake itself again, and reinvent.
i have a dell mini 9 with a 64gb SSD, and 2 gigs of ram, and win 7.
It cant run Sketchbook pro worth a shit.
At least with my ipad i could do stuff on it.
I should sell the mini 9
Thank you for a great article.
Been reading iPad reviews most of the day and stumbled on the Sketchbook Pro link and eventually ended here.
I consider myself a recovering drawer.
Meaning, during my industrial designer studies, 15 years ago, i used to be pretty good in concept illustration.
Sadly, a jump to web designer job put an end to freehand drawing and a mouse replaced the pens.
Three years ago i managed to talk myself a 21″ Cintiq at work.
All excited about the prospect of starting to draw again, i failed due to lack of time to learn everything all over again and ended up replacing the mouse but using it a very conventional way for layouts in photoshop.
Later followed the smaller Cintiq for home.
With that one i actually started to learn Corel Painter and loosen my hand for sketching.
That’s gone now and the big Cintiq sits on a shelf (unfortunately not capable displaying full resolution at the moment, ’cause i still need to figure out a cost effective way to split 27″ iMac’s only DiplayPort for projector & the Cintiq).
Making a long story shorter, i have one essential question about iPad & Sketchbook Pro.
My biggest disappointment when i got my first Cintiq was the lag between hand/pen-tip movement and the actual rendering of a line.
Back then it was hooked up to a G5 and obviously had too much number crunching going on.
I really want to liberate my doodling from the cord for good (biggest gripe for the small Cintiq for me), but don’t want the same feeling responsiveness wise.
So, is it more like really draw on a paper or more like swoosh around the surface and the watch the image magically appear after a split second?
Thanks again,
-gooster
PS. …an’ yes, a video would be awesome!
Thanks for the comment, and glad to hear your story!
Re the lag, it’s not too bad.
I haven’t been bothered by it at all, and I know what you mean by sketching on a slower computer, so I’d say there isn’t very much of it at all.
Gooster,
I have a G5, 2.7 ghz dually and a 21″ Cintiq.
I see absolutely no lag. I’m running Sketchbook Pro, Painter X, CS with it.
The majority of the time, I use Sketchbook Pro to sketch with and I love it!
I also have a Macbook Pro I got last Oct I use for SolidWorks!
But it has CS4.
Now I have the iPad and it is a sweet sketchpad with Sketchbook Pro!
I love it!
For me, I see no lag.
I love using the program, but I think it’s a waste of time when you can’t export at higher resolutions.
I assume it’s a memory limitation. I haven’t used the Brushes app, but from what I understand, Brushes records all your strokes so you can re-play the creation of your artwork on their companion desktop app, and export at high resolution.
I’d love for Autodesk to come up with something similar, or another workaround for exporting high-res.
Even an option to trade a few layers in exchange for higher resolution would be welcome. As an option.
I think I’ll purchase brushes and review as well.
Seems promising!
I got to try out sketchbook pro on the ipad at my school today.
And here are my quick impressions.
CONS
- It’s not instantly obvious how to use the application.
- There is a noticeable lag.
- The menu (toolbar) can’t be accessed unless you tap the tiny circle near the bottom of the screen.
- Couldn’t figure out if there was a multiply layer option.
PROS
+ Even with my finger, it was really easy to use.
+ Changing opacity and brush size is easy once you figure it out.
+ Seeing what you draw while drawing is 10x much easier than drawing on the wacom intuos.
+ The simulated pressure sensitivity is believable and works well.
Only got to play with it for less than 5 minutes, so that’s my impressions for now.
I do like the idea of having a digital sketchbook, but 500$ for one is hard to justify.
————————————————————————————————–
@Spencer
I was wondering, how much space does one drawing take up?
Like a full on rendering, how big is the file, and is 16gigs enough for main use as a digital sketchbook?
Jaewoo –
Nice observations.
I couldn’t figure out the multiply layer thing either.
I haven’t gotten a drawing to be a megabyte yet, but most of the stuff I’ve been doing has been quick sketch stuff and not renders, so those may be bigger.
Still, I can’t see the files being TOO big.
Thanks Spencer!
I got another quick hands on today.
I have two more impressions to share with y’all.
1- You can bring up the menu/toolbars without tapping the tiny circle near the bottom of the screen.
Instead, use 3 fingers to tap anywhere on the screen and the menu/toolbars will show up.
2- You can save any image off of the internet by tapping and holding on the image, save to album.
So look for some paper textures and import them to sketchbook pro and you can draw on top.
Unfortunately, I still havent figured out or found out if there is a multiply layer option.
did I miss any comments about the lack of pressure sensitivity?
Or does the SBP software emulate that well enough?
thx
@Tyler,
Yep, you missed it :]
Here’s what I said in my short hands-on impressions:
PROS
+ The simulated pressure sensitivity is believable and works well.
How is it on printing?
And do you think it will be more worth it in a couple of months when they have the 3g one out for a while and maybe a camera on the next version??
I really want to buy one just for this program but Im Stuck!!!!!
I’d go try one out and see if you like it.
You can always wait for the latest and greatest thing, but with technology, things change so fast that you’ll always be disappointed at some point if that's your sole focus – waiting.
I say, go try one out, if you love it, buy it and be happy with it, and upgrade when you feel like you need to.
I love mine!
Officially you sold me.
You had me at Latest and Greatest.
Because that has been my big issue and the only reason I dont have a new toy yet. Ive been so stuck.
I hope it prints well, and Kind of hoping if there is something I cant do with sketchbook maybe I can take it into photoshop of my computer.
Damn, I use a Cintiq at work, but I’m really considering to trade my “Wacom penabled” tabletPC for an iPad… It would be a very nice portfolio as well though…… hummmmm
[...] comenzando salir poco a poco. Justo ayer, el editor de un blog amigo, Undodigital, me pasaba un link en el que se mostraba una aplicación para dibujar y pintar con el iPad, la cual, sinceramente me [...]
Hey I’m thinking about buying a graphic tablet.
But then iPad came.
So now in stuck between intuos4 wireless and iPad with pogo sketch.
And nobody did a review comparing these two.
Can you do it?
Lay down the pros and cons and post it in YouTube?
Not only it’ll be useful for a lot of us it will be a hit too.
There’s still not much discussion about this but I’m sure a lot of people are having the same problem I have.
@Varin
Hey, I cant make a video comparison review for you, but I do own a intuos4-wired and have played with the iPad w/sketchbook pro app (no pogo stylus, used finger)so I can give you my written thoughts comparing the two.
Intuos4 (PROS)
+ Slick device
+ Paper-like grippy surface
+ Comfortable stylus pen with REAL 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity.
+ 8 programmable keys with LED screen, which shows you what you programed them as.
+ 4 function scroll wheel
Intuos4 (CONS)
- Non 1-to-1 interaction of what you draw and see on the screen, disconnect = learning curve.
- Paper-like grippy surface, wears down your nibs FAST.
- Expensive for good size, 8×6 = $400!
- Small doesn’t have LED screens.
- Strictly for drawing and comes with a mouse.
Before I go to the iPad, you must be aware of how powerful your pc or mac is.
Because if your computer is slow, then you WILL have lag when using the intuos4.
iPAD (PROS)
+ Can be used for other things other than sketchbook pro, if you wanted.
+ Simulated pressure sensitivity works really well.
+ 1-to-1 interaction.
+ As evidence of Spencer’s artwork, you can get some really good sketches and work.
+ Ability to save any image off of safari and into your iPad photo album.
+ Ability to import images.
+ Useable using finger only.
iPAD (CONS)
- Noticeable lag
- User interface is confusing at first, and not as intuitive as it could have been.
- No multiply layer feature.
- 6 layers max, or so I hear.
- NO REAL pressure sensitivity.
Honestly though, i think it really boils down to two things.
1- Your skill level.
2- How willing you are to learn the medium you are working with.
If you are a beginner, I think the iPad is more than enough.
And might actually get you faster results because of its 1-to-1 interaction, unless you opt for a more expensive cintiq.
But if you are already a professional or fairly good at digital painting, I would recommend the intuos4 because of its real pressure sensitivity and programmable keys.
You also get the ability to do more in photoshop or a similar program.
Thank you!
That is really useful.
I appreciate it.
I have decided to go with intuos.
But I will make sure I get my hands on iPad when it comes here (I live in Thailand and apparently we’re still waiting.)
The other thing you left out in your pros and cons list is, the iPad is truly portable.
The Intuos is superior with pressure sensitivity and having the full use of Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop.
But the iPad excels at portability.
You can’t take the intuos and computer to Starbucks.
Well, you can if you have a portable, but it’s a bit of a hassle.
With some skill and practice, you can actually get results pretty close to what you can do with a full Mac or Win.
And it’s excellent for the portable usage and doing looser concept work to pretty tight sketches.
And you didn’t say that you can use the Pogo stylus.
Great addition Xidor!
Yea, the iPad is like a portable sketchbook which is actually a huge advantage, especially when you just thought of something cool and want to quickly visualize the concept.
Can’t do that with a intuos4, and carrying a tablet pc isn’t as convenient.
Oh and another pro is the battery life of the iPad versus a laptop.
I hear the laptop gets around 10 hours?
I could be wrong though.
I actually own the intuos4 wired, 8×6 and personally my skill level is pretty amateurish on the wacom.
I rarely touch it, which sucks because of how much money I spent on it.
I was condsidering the ipad as well when I saw the Sketchbook Pro app.
But I also needed a new laptop.
I found the Fujitsu Lifebook T4310 tablet, with Wacom capacitive touch screen!
This thing puts the ipad to shame!
You get a multi-touch screen by Wacom (yes you can use your fingers), with pressure sensitive stylus, plus all the funtionality of a mid-level laptop, 350 GB hard drive, 2.2 processor, and 4 GB RAM.
And its cheap at $1150!
Sketchbook Pro is amazing on this thing, and it doesnt get too hot.
I’m surprised this machine is not on more designers’ radar, it’s like having a Cintiq machine that's completely portable and self-contained.
So I think the ipad will have some amazing apps, and those will continue to be the main selling point for many.
But for those looking for a great tablet with a Wacom multi-touch screen for sketchbook pro, check out this Fujitsu.
Its pretty RAD!
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/06/fujitsus-multitouch-lifebook-t4310-tablet-makes-quick-work-of-m/
Emanster That WAS my other decision… only the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini-Notebook
The smaller one.
But I’ve been told lately that they are all POS when it comes to durability.
I mean they run on windows… over 100 bucks a month just for decent virus protection…
A girl I went to school with said all lifebooks are crap…
Good for the first few months then poof…
Angry customer.
I dont know if its true tho.
I would assume if it isn’t on the radar for most graphics people, this would be the reason… 100% if its true that is…
How long have you had yours?
I said month I meant year on the virus protect. Im pretty sure its year
I own a Fujitsu Lifebook T2020, it’s currently more powerful than my desktop, so I’ve been using it as my primary computer until my desktop is upgraded.
It’s been a VERY trustworthy system as far as I could tell.
It’s strange your friend has that problem with Fujitsu, because their notebooks, though not the most powerful system in their same class, are known to be reliable, and from my experience, I am in total agreement so far.
I havent had my Lifebook for long, but we have had one at my office that has held up very well for use with evaluations and stuff like that.
The new TH700 Lifebook looks very cool as well!
The only drawback i see is screen size for doing larger photshop and illustrator work, but you could easily plug it into a larger monitor.
And Windows 7 has been blazing fast so far!
I LOVE it!
side note: my buddy who just bought an ipad is having major buyers remorse with the announcement of the TH700.
Go LIFEBOOK!
[...] [...]
[...] Darn awesome sketching app for the iPad.
Check out a review here: idsketching. [...]
[...] http://www.idsketching.com/news/sketching-on-the-apple-ipad/ [...]
Ugh, got my ipad, got the app, and now my ipad is useless to me because of this wifi problem.
Really the sketch program works great for what I wanted to use it for.
But its not worth the wifi problem.
Goodbye ipad
Sketchbook Pro is a good application but I just wanted to share with the readers that I am not less impressed with ArtStudio which also has an edge detection function that can be used to achieve a result that’s similar to Photoshop’s Magic Wand.
It also has UNLIMITED zoom capability that enables the achievement of very accurate line graphics where this is needed.
All in all–closest to Photoshop that I’ve seen so far.
I would be happy to see a review of this program here.
I can also report to those interested that I have purchased and tested three different styluses for the iPad (Pogo Sketch, Mybat and iClooly).
Found the Pogo Sketch very good all around but for pure sketching the iClooly stylus is even better.
The tip is not a sponge as on the Pogo stylus but a small brush so it glides almost with no friction on the screen, perhaps with just a slight loss in pointing precision (although I am sure one can get better with time).
Again–it is a matter of personal preference, I find the Pogo stylus friction and pressure a bit on the high side and now use the Clooly stylus for sketching.
Don’t even consider the Mybat stylus.
It has a rubber tip that has so much friction it’s useless except for iPod/iPhone tapping.
I hope this helps…
Hi Guys,
Just wondering if anyone has heard of a similar app for android devices?
There’s a lot of hype about android tablets being released soon, possibly cheaper than the ipad.
I am currently considering buying an ipad mainly for the sketching possibilities but would be interested to see what the competition has to offer
Cheers
Nice review!
Check mine at the below link..
Gear Lust (part one) iPad –first impressions
http://mousejockey.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/hello-world/
Like so many other Apple users I’m enamored with each deliciously-designed product that they release.
But I understand what they are doing to us – they are changing the way we think, compute, consume and buy.
As a futurist and early-adopter of most technology I’m ok with these changes.
But Apple seems to be single-handedly launching us into new markets long before the public knows what to do with them.
On one hand it’s the entrepreneur’s dream to have a new wild-west to conquer. But as consumers we are easily tricked into putting money back into Apple, AT&T and so many other companies’ products to feel like we are on the cutting edge of technology in this brave new age of computing.
My first impressions of the iPad are exactly these thoughts.
It’s not a matter of is it cool (it totally is) or do I want one (couldn’t wait.)
It does everything I wanted and more.
It’s got a few limitations I find frustrating.
But once I got my hands on it I was drinking Apple’s kool aid once again and didn’t put it down for about 14 hours.
Below is a brief review of the product and some initial impressions of the philosophy behind the technology, some questions about productivity and some excitement about the possibilities.
Great read
I’m totally convinced on the iPad’s credentials as a digital drawing tool.
You can check out some of my iPad artwork uploaded at iPad Doodler: http://www.ipaddoodler.com/
I’ve found Sketch Book Pro to be by far the most competent and professional drawing app (closest to a mobile version of a desktop Photoshop).
So much so that the iPad’s now become a tool I use everyday for my graphic design work.