Participant

Answered

Move tool on iPad is not smooth and precise

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
January 13, 2023
7 replies
2657 views

Hi, I am using photoshop for iPad for several weeks so far however, I am into PS desktop for many years. The problem on my PS iPad version is, move tool does not move things smoothly. Once I try to drag a layer around, it moves 5-10 pixels on each drag. I cant do precise edits. I want to move my layers one pixel sometimes but I cant. Anyone has the same issue? Or is it just my iPad? Or maybe there is a setting that needs to be switched on?

iPadOS

Correct answer rileyc64506350

New iPad Pro here too.
Found a solution - but it's extremely annoying:

- You need to connect the keyboard
- When You on the right layer You want move hold command button

- click on nudge 1px ( and there's option up down left right)

Took me a while to figure it out.

Hope people will find that reply faster than I found it on the depth of reddit 🙂

E

erkerkerk

Participating Frequently

I first noticed this behavior in 2023 and I simply can't believe it's still happening in 2025. Why would Adobe not allow for pixel-perfect object moving in any version of Photoshop?

H

HEATH32172415h64f

Participant

There appears to be no way to disable the snapping occuring when using the move tool in Ps on the iPad.

This renders the application useless for me and my workflow. Why would this not be addressed? I can't be the only user who needs to move a selection by mere pixels vs. a large leap.
At this point I can't use Ps for iPad and I'll need to use Sketchbook Pro for this part of my work.

Does anyone have a work around or does Adobe understand the issue? Is there a plan to make an change/update?

E

erkerkerk

Participating Frequently

iPadOS 16.7.2, Photoshop 5.4. I'm glad to hear it works perfectly on newer iPads and will hopefully enjoy that when I upgrade later this year.

V

vitdev

Participant

It doesn't. I'm using it on the latest iPad Pro M4 and it's impossible to precisely align layers. Even if you copy and paste selection on top of the original layer, they are misaligned by a pixel or fraction of pixel and there's no way to align them.

R

rileyc64506350Correct answer

Participant

New iPad Pro here too.
Found a solution - but it's extremely annoying:

- You need to connect the keyboard
- When You on the right layer You want move hold command button

- click on nudge 1px ( and there's option up down left right)

Took me a while to figure it out.

Hope people will find that reply faster than I found it on the depth of reddit 🙂

E

erkerkerk

Participating Frequently

When can we expect a response or solution for this? When attempting to move a selection, it moves 5-10 pixels at a time no matter where I put my finger or Apple Pencil. It's not smooth. It's acting like it's snapping to something but I can't imagine what. The only workaround is to have a keyboard and use arrows to adjust one pixel at a time.

There's a reddit thread on this too: https://www.reddit.com/r/photoshop/comments/y4vwgq/how_do_i_turn_off_snapping_in_photoshop_for_ipad/

Very disappointing to see this is an unaddressed issue after a whole year has gone by.

ThreedomDesgn

Participant

Hi, this is a huge issue for me. I simply can't make precise small moves and layers snap to a pretty fixed chunky grid default. The ability to make small smooth moves is essential for professional and crisp layouts and design. Very disappointing. I don't understand why the development of Photoshop for iiPadOS is sooo slow in adding features. What makes it so difficult? No guides yet!! It's been 4 years since Photoshop for iPad was released. Meanwhile, Adobe Express for iPhone has a super handy 4 direction micro nudge button that is super useful. Priorities?

A

Annemiek5E0A

Participant

I have the same problem, using layers with drawings on a layer with a tif image. For now I switch to the computer, but indeed not very convenient. I would be interested to know if there is a solution.

Ranjisha Sengupta

Legend

Hi @Annemiek5E0A

Thanks for highlighting this. Are you still seeing this issue? Would you mind sharing your iPadOS and Photoshop versions? Did you try re-installing the application?

Also, clearing the cache files helps at times. We're here to help.