Adobe Photoshop, the iPad’s New Killer App

You can have the best hardware but, without the software to use it, who cares?

One of the promises of the iPad and tablets like it is that you can get anything done, anywhere.

Of course, when it comes to the practice of actually using a tablet for productivity, many of us find its apps lacking when compared to desktop and laptop software.

That could all change very soon with Adobe’s release of the full version of Photoshop for the iPad.

In what can only be called a “killer app” for Apple’s platform, the new Photoshop for iOS promises all of the functionality and capabilities of the mainline version of the software. We imagine that, paired with other accessories, this software probably gives most photographers a ton of powerful tools to use right there in the field.

Geared towards iPad Pro owners, the introduction of Photoshop is to position the device as a true productivity tool. Given its price, we can see why Apple and co would want to do that.

The only real difference that people will notice is the changes made to the user interface (UI). Gone are keyboard shortcuts and in their place are a lot of touch-based functions to accommodate the tablet’s unique form of input. These changes are so that someone can totally use all of Photoshop’s features without ever needing a keyboard.

Probably most attractive to digital creatives is the app’s integration of Apple’s stylus for the iPad Pro. The stylus not only gives users a ton of productivity options but also allows for a lot of different editing functions to be performed with a level of precision almost greater than that which could be achieved using a mouse.

The full version of Photoshop should hit the iPad later next year with versions for other tablets to follow suit after that.