We've been largely positive about the iPad Pro's potential as a serious drawing tool here at Creative Bloq – but let's face it, it's not a Wacom Cintiq. However, the makers of one of the latest iPad Pro apps reckon that they can make it so.
Astropad, created by ex-Apple engineers Matt Ronge and Giovanni Donelli, consists of a pair of apps – one for your iPad and one for your Mac – that enables you use your iPad with a pressure-sensitive stylus (or your finger if you prefer) and draw directly onto Photoshop – or any other app you might prefer – on your Mac (see our iPad Pro 2017 review).
With Astropad you can connect your iPad to your Mac either over your wi-fi network or via USB and use it as a second, touch-sensitive display.
And now there's an iPad Pro-optimised version. Here's what's new...
- Support for both the iPad Pro screen size and Apple Pencil
- Advanced stroke tuning to remove stray points
- Support for tilt on the Apple Pencil: the angle of the Pencil is fed into your Mac for more accurate brush simulation
- Custom pressure curve specifically for Apple Pencil
- Further reduced latency, especially for Macs that have dual graphics cards
- Improved image quality, so the image on your iPad Pro is crisper
"We think the iPad Pro is incredibly exciting for artists everywhere," says Astropad's co-founder Matt Ronge. "It's an incredible multipurpose tablet that just by launching our app Astropad, can replace pen displays from Wacom that cost thousands."
Like this? Read these:
- Creatives react to the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil
- 8 iPad apps that make the most of Apple Pencil
- Free Photoshop brushes every creative must have