iPad for photo editing

LRussoPhoto · August 12, 2011

New to Mac's and so far I really like my iMac. Was thinking about getting an iPad to use in place of my pc laptop to take when I travel to upload and edit photos in LR3. I've looked on the apple site for info on the iPad and it looks like it doesn't seem to have a usb connector. So how would I get photos from my camera on the iPad? Also is the iPad just like a computer where I can download and use software, ie....LR3?

dbveto · August 12, 2011

I don't know but kbevphoto mentions using and iPad in his workflow http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=203333

ThatCanonGuy · August 12, 2011

I don't think the current ipads are very useful at all for photo work. First, the BIG thing is that they lack a crucial feature that Windows 95 had. It's called a file browser. There are 3rd-party apps that let you browse files (I think). Also, I think they sell some adapter that lets you connect your memory card to the ipad. No, you can't install programs like LR3 (that would be nice, Apple), but I'm pretty sure Adobe makes a stripped-down version of Photoshop that lets you edit photos on the ipad.

A big plus is that Datacolor recently figured out how to color-calibrate the screen. Before now, it wasn't possible. I think it's free if you have a Spyder.

cmason · August 12, 2011

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

New to Mac's and so far I really like my iMac. Was thinking about getting an iPad to use in place of my pc laptop to take when I travel to upload and edit photos in LR3. I've looked on the apple site for info on the iPad and it looks like it doesn't seem to have a usb connector. So how would I get photos from my camera on the iPad? Also is the iPad just like a computer where I can download and use software, ie....LR3?

The iPad is NOT like a computer, and you can not run Lightroom on it. There are several photo editing apps available, but unlike LR, they do change the image. The included Photo app does not have any editing capability.

You can purchase the Apple Camera Connection Kit, which includes a SD card adapter and a USB adapter. If you have CF cards, you can use the USB adapter to plug in a CF card reader.

I did this for one trip, and have never done it again: For one thing, the iPad I own is a 32 gb model. After apps, movies, etc I have about 3gb left. In order to use it as a photo editor, I needed to remove most of my usual stuff. And even then, shooting 4 and 8GB cards, I fill up the iPad fast. Downloading select images is tedious, and while its nice to show everyone the images, it takes a very long time with the iPad.

Editing is quite limited. I eventually decided to keep PS Express from Adobe, a free app that can be upgraded for cheap. It gave me basic editing and suited my needs. But in the end, I ended up with a bunch of edited JPEG images that were useless later in LR, so I just ended up using the iPad as a viewing device.

There were other family members with laptops with me, and they all asked for copies of photos. One of the more frustrating things you will ever do with an iPad is try to get photos from it to another device. Email is not an option with the # of images. I eventually found an app called Photosync that worked OK, and could be shared with other laptops fairly easily, but it is a significant pain.

You will be much better off with a laptop. Save the iPad to use as a reading device, gaming, and casual email/websurfing.

BTW, there was an article the other day that mentioned Android tablet sales at a bigbox store. The person was buying an Android tablet, and the sales person was grilling him about what he wanted to use it for. Eventually the sales person admitted that they were selling hundreds of the Android tablets, but that around 90% were being returned, because people got them assuming they could replace a laptop, and returning them when they found they could not run their chosen software, print, etc.

LRussoPhoto · August 12, 2011

Thanks for the info, back to saving $$ for a laptop, lol.

theprincereturns · August 12, 2011

Simple rule: All tablets are great for consuming content but horible for creating or editing content (email/twitter/facebook aside). If you want to showcase pictures to a client a iPad might suffice (small screen though). But forget it if you are looking for a replacement editor.

Zerodog · August 13, 2011

Laptop. I dig my lenovo 201. 12" screen and I have had up to 6 hrs on the battery running lr3. And 10 doing web surfing

Derickko · September 12, 2011

Couldn't say better. iPad is an advanced reader with the Internet connection and some professional apps. But still its functionality isn't the same as of a laptop.

ThatCanonGuy · September 12, 2011

Actually, tablets are gonna get really good for photo editing. Because Microsoft says that when Windows 8 comes out next year, it's gonna run on desktops, laptops... and tablets. HP, Dell, etc. Imagine a full-blown version of photoshop, bridge, Win Explorer, etc., on a tablet! It's like a portable Cintiq. Windows 8 will be touch-capable, but it will work excellently with a traditional keyboard and mouse. I think Microsoft said "touch-first" design. And this Windows will be very different than previous versions. A whole new Start screen. Also, with a Win8 tablet, you can (theoretically) prop up the tablet and put a keyboard in front of it; bingo, a laptop. I can't wait

Of course, these tablets are going to cost more than traditional laptops, and not perform as well for the price, but you gain a lot of portability and functionality.

colourbox · September 12, 2011

ThatCanonGuy wrote: »

I don't think the current ipads are very useful at all for photo work. First, the BIG thing is that they lack a crucial feature that Windows 95 had. It's called a file browser.

I don't use an iPad for this, but lack of a file browser is hardly a problem, and not at all a deal-breaker. Why? Millions of us already use programs like Lightroom and Aperture to import and edit photos while not having to work with a file system browser during import and edit. Today's applications are designed to provide a UI to the photos that is superior to the file browser in that it is photographically oriented. On import, we do not have to hunt for the photos because the photo importer finds them, pre-organizes them at import based on a preset customized to our preference, and after import lets us organize them further based on useful photographic criteria, not based on a creaky old desktop file browser designed for 1990s office files.

The iPad app Photosmith follows along in this idea. It is a photo organizer for the iPad that lets you bring in raw files, edit metadata and sync to Lightroom. Again, not using a file browser because that would be too clumsy to efficiently complete the tasks needed.
http://www.photosmithapp.com/index.php/photosmith-the-grand-tour/

Given all this, I still don't use an iPad for field photo work because it's too expensive for too little storage and capability. I was only away for a couple of weeks this summer but took over 64GB of photos, meaning I wouldn't have been able to back up all cards if I brought the most expensive iPad. So I brought the laptop, which let me back up, edit, and upload, with plenty of disk space to spare.

iPad for photo editing

Comments