Lightroom classic and apple sidecar

[mb43188522]

Will Adobe make Lightroom Classic support Apple sidecar fully instead of just mirroring displays? I would like to use my iPad as a tablet (like a Wacom).

Marty

[TheDigitalDog]

This is a user to user support forum so no one here can addess your question (when) or if. 
You should go here and ask/request:
https://feedback.photoshop.com/topics/lightroom-classic/5f5f2093785c1f1e6cc40872?cType=IDEA&page=1

[Conrad_C]

Nothing is standing in your way to use Sidecar. It’s already been working for some time. If you set up Sidecar properly, it will work with no problem.

Have you done these steps already?

• Set up Sidecar to operate as a separate display, not mirrored. If it’s mirroring, click the Sidecar icon in the menu bar and choose Use As Separate Display. 
• Use the Displays system preference, Arrangement tab, to tell the Mac which side the iPad is on. 
• Move the Lightroom Classic window off the Mac display and onto the iPad display, as is normal between any two displays connected to the same Mac, with or without Sidecar.

If you have done all of those things, it should work.

Below is a picture of Lightroom Classic on the display of my old 2017 iPad Pro through Sidecar in macOS 10.15.7. You can see the blue Sidecar icon in the menu bar, and also the Sidecar sidebar on the left. I painted the red Adjustment Brush overlay in Lightroom Classic using the Apple Pencil on the iPad. You can see that I was able to vary the weight of the Adjustment Brush stroke in Lightroom Classic, by using Apple Pencil pressure sensitivity on the iPad display.

[mb43188522]

Thanks Conrad. See my reply to John.

Marty

[Luíza343061880gwf]

Hello, Conrad!

I've properly done all the steps you mentioned already, but still the apple pencil is not responding in the Lightroom Classic app. It works in all the buttons on the Sidecar sidebar, tough. Could it be related to the models perhaps? I'm using a Macbook Air 2020, with MacOS Sonoma 14.4.1, an Ipad Air 3, and an Apple Pencil 2nd gen.

Thanks for your help!

[JohanElzenga]

Apple Sidecar is a way to connect an iPad to your computer and make it work as a second display. That means that as far as Lightroom is concerned, this is just a computer with two displays. Whether this second display works as a mirrored display or as a separate display next to the first one, depends on what you set in the System Preferences - Displays. And that is supported in Lightroom Classic just like any normal secondary display is supported.

I do not see how Adobe could make this work differently. It would be up to Apple to do that. You may want to check out this however: https://www.duetdisplay.com I believe they do have an option to let your iPad work like a Wacom tablet.

[mb43188522]

Thanks for your reply John. I have tried LRC with my iPad as both a mirrored and separate display. In either case I can get the iPad with Apple pencil to function somewhat as a Wacom (eg. pressure sensitive). However, it seems that the problem is the LRC panes are not separable. So for example I have not found a way (in the Develop Module) to have the photo on one screen and the adjustments on another. This would not only improve my workflow (using the Apple Pencil makes selections for local adjustments easier), but would allow me to use my laptop with iPad as an effective portable editing setup.

I will check out your suggested link.

Marty

[JohanElzenga]

Of course you can't do that, because you can't do that either with Lightroom on a conputer with two real screens. That has never been possible, so it is also not possible by using an iPad as second screen.

[Conrad_C]

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@mb43188522 wrote:

However, it seems that the problem is the LRC panes are not separable. So for example I have not found a way (in the Develop Module) to have the photo on one screen and the adjustments on another.

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I use two displays with Lightroom Classic (which is why I like Sidecar on the road), and the closest you might get to what you want is to set up Lightroom Classic this way:

• Put the Lightroom Classic application window on the iPad. 
• In Lightroom Classic, choose Window > Secondary Display > Show. It should be on the Mac. (If it isn’t, open Lightroom Classic preferences, Display tab, and click the Mac screen as the secondary window location. 
• Make sure the Secondary Display window is set to Loupe. 

It will look more or less like this:

When configured that way, all panels and tools will be on the iPad, and the image will be in Loupe view on the Mac display. You can adjust options on the iPad, and see the effect on the big image on the Mac. However, it comes with these limitations:

• You will not be able to hide the image on the iPad, because the image is always visible in the main Lightroom Classic window. 
• You must edit local adjustments on the iPad, because local adjustments must be edited in the primary window. 
• The Develop module is a full gamut, highest quality rendering of the raw file plus edits. All other views, including Loupe, use a compressed Adobe RGB preview, so there may be slight visual differences from the Develop module. 

That’s probably the best you can do, the way Lightroom Classic works today.

Also, if you were hoping to use the Apple Pencil to edit the image on the Mac display, I don’t think it can do that, and that is an Apple limitation. Unlike a Wacom, Apple Pencil interacts directly with an iPad screen. Sidecar does not provide any way for the Apple Pencil to cross over into the Mac screen in extended desktop mode; the only way to do it is to mirror.

I own a Wacom tablet, so it is possible for me to throw the iPad and the Wacom tablet into my laptop bag, and when mobile it is possible to have the Wacom work across both Mac and iPad displays using Sidecar. That’s because the Wacom is not tied to the iPad; it’s a general Mac peripheral.

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@mb43188522 wrote:

I will check out your suggested link.

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Duet Display is great for older Mac systems that do not support Sidecar. However, I don’t think you will find any advantage it using it. The cheap version of Duet Display can use the iPad as another Mac display using a cable, but if you actually want to use an iPad as a secondary display wirelessly and with Apple Pencil will full pressure/tilt sensitivity, that requires a $30/year subscription…and that cost will not overcome the window management limitations of Lightroom Classic.

[mb43188522]

Thanks. I will see if you link gets an further insights into dual screen use on LRC.

Marty