Full Photoshop for iPad (again)

[ultrachrome]

Sorry, I know this has been asked before but I don't see it being asked recently. 

I'd like to buy a new computer that has a touchscreen and can run full photoshop and my thought was to buy the latest greatest iPad pro but now I'm realizing full Photoshop isn't possilbe. Before I make my decision and move onto something like a more expensive Wacom StudioPro, is there something in the works that will mean we can use full Photoshop on the latest iPad Pro.  I need colorization, spotting and custome actions.

I don't know if this is an Adobe issue or an Apple issue. Whatever it is, I wish it were sorted out.

[Conrad C · Accepted solution]

---

@ultrachrome wrote:

I don't know if this is an Adobe issue or an Apple issue. Whatever it is, I wish it were sorted out.

---

The main issue is that a touch-first UI like iPad OS can’t assume that a mouse and keyboard are connected, but many parts of 30-year-old Photoshop were designed for mouse and keyboard only. So every feature in Mac and Windows Photoshop that assumed a mouse and keyboad are present must be redesigned for touch, with a bigger, finger-friendly UI (no tiny controls), and any keyboard modifiers must be converted to a touch modifier. Also, iOS handles things very differently under the hood, so often the basic code has to be modified and retested too.

That is a big job, so Adobe had two choices:

They could rewrite Photoshop for touch, first with a small core set of features, and build out the rest of the features over time as staffing and budget allow. This is the route they have taken, but because the initial feature set is small (the iPad version still does not have the features I need), the iPad version has a screen where they tell you what’s next and how to request yours (see picture below).

Their other option would be to not release a version for iPad OS until the majority of Photoshop features were converted to a touch-friendly UI. But if we had to wait for all that, chances are the iPad version would still not be released yet.

So Adobe took the first option: Get something basic out, and at least let people use that while they build it out, even if it’s not yet good enough for you and me. The first approach has the advantage of letting Adobe validate and refine their general approach to touch UI, before expanding iPad Photoshop into the more advanced/niche features.

This is the same approach Apple has taken with all of their Mac-to-iOS rewrites. Everybody complained about the missing features in the initial rewrites of iMovie, Photos, Keynote, etc. but over time Apple has added back enough old features that most people are happy again.

This screen shot is from the current version of Photoshop for iPad OS, so you can get a sense of where they are heading next. Maybe your favorite features aren’t on there yet, but any company has to prioritize their time based on what they think is going to satisfy the most people first. Although the list below still doesn’t totally match up with what I need.

[ultrachrome]

Wow!...Great answer🙂

Looks like for me the options are going to be Wacom Mobile Studio Pro, Microsoft surface Pro 8 or possibly even a Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 which is an interesting oddball that allows some touchscreen editing.

[OpticalSensations]

I wish I could believe that this is what is restraining Adobe. I can't see budget and personel constraints being the bottle neck. Affinity Photo is absolutely wiping the floor with Adobe Photoshop. They have a far smaller budget and staff. The best I can tell, Adobe does not care enough to make it a priority. Or, Apple has asked them not to, so that it does not cannibalize their MBA and MBP sales. Whatever it is, it is embarrassing for Adobe, when Affinity has what they have in the product, when they have such a realatively small bank and crew. Sad Adobe, sad. 

[Lisa28539293ph68]

They have plenty of staff. They just let them work from home. I have neighbors who work at home for Adobe. I'm pretty sure they aren't being very productive.