So you’ve got your hands on a shiny new iPad? Or perhaps Santa left you with some money that would go towards apps on iTunes? Or maybe you really just want something to enhance your workflow. It doesn’t matter, this app needs to be checked out.
Imagine Adobe Illustrator, strip it down to its core features and add a layer of touch controls tuned for the iPad – now you have Inkpad. With some time you can create some beautiful vector works. I use it for only smaller pieces but, as shown below, the developers show below a mushroom drawn entirely from the app. In this post I will be discussing the pros and cons of this very interesting app as an enhancement to your workflow.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Firstly, what is it? Inkpad is an app for creating and editing vector artwork on The iPad. It gives you a tool palette with the pen tool and some basic shapes. You can create and edit paths in pretty much the same way you would in illustrator on a desktop. You also get a colour palette with which you can store your colour scheme. Furthermore, gradients, fills and shadows are available.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The app doesn’t stop there, it hides some powerful features in its crafted interface, features such as masks and pathfinder tools (eg. Unite / Intersect etc), import & export SVG files and layers. Exploring the app reveals these features tucked away in the three menus at the bottom left of the screen. I sometimes feel these could be turned into friendlier interface buttons with a more careful design for the sake of speed as the menus are quite full; remembering where a certain tool is can be difficult, especially for infrequent users.
I do love the fact you can import and export SVG files. This is a feature many had waited for in an update after the app launched; but now it is here it means you can start a project on illustrator, view it and make small edits on the iPad and then transfer it back via email, iTunes or Dropbox and continue it on the Adobe package. (or any vector program that opens SVG’s)
So what can you do with it? The vector drawing tools are quite powerful. The classic pen tool is available (without it, would it truly be a vector creation program?) you draw out as many points as you need and alter the handles as you go or afterwards with the arrow tool. The app also enables you to break the handles for sharp join for two curves through a clever use of multitouch. Furthermore, point addition tools, scissors, join and outline tools are all available. The app includes an extensive font library that you can add to through iTunes. Oh, and you can convert text to shapes too. It sure isn’t short on useful features.
But does it work? You might think that using a touch screen for detailed vector artwork might not be great from an accuracy point of view; you’d be right. A finger on the screen really isn’t great but the app does what it can to help you out with some auto alignment. You can also setup a grid with snapping options, but that isn’t always ideal. I find this app best for creating smaller ‘plans’ or ideas that can be taken to a desktop machine and expanded upon properly. Alternatively, it can be used for making smaller changes to files imported from the computer, but really it is better the other way around.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
It handles performance very well. I’m using the original iPad and it renders the graphics out quickly. The only slow moments are when you resize or zoom the screen, it turns the artwork into an outline for speed and then redraws it properly; but this really isn’t a problem as it happens almost instantly.
I highly recommend this app. If you can get around the fact you won’t be working with the accuracy you are used to and need to spend a little more time adjusting your pen drawn paths, it is for working with when a computer is just out of arms reach. Import/export options, layers, powerful vector tools and portability; not bad for £5.49.
