The iPAD PRO MAY BE A GAME CHANGER FOR PHOTO RETOUCHING

As we sit in the afterglow of all of Apple's announcements yesterday, I'm pondering the newest iPad. Apple's iPad Pro just might be a game changer for all kinds of people, and in particular, for photographers.

The iPad Pro has an incredible 12.9 inch screen. Apple claims that the display is the largest and best screen of any of their products. The 2732 x 2048 pixel screen is insanely amazing packing a total of  5.6 megapixels. By far, the new iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad yet. Apple even claims that it's more powerful than 80-90% of PCs sold in the last year. This new iPad is so powerful, it can run 3 4K video streams at once. There are many desktop computers, mine included, that struggle with that.

There's a smart keyboard, for those that prefer to type that way. It acts as a cover as well. But the most exciting accessory is the Apple Pencil. It's only $99 and from the looks of it, could turn your iPad Pro into something similar to a Wacom Cintiq. The Pencil can detect position, pressure, and tilt. The claim is that it's so precise, you can actually touch a single pixel.

All the players are in place. There's a great new iPad and a stylus to compliment it. Now, we just need some solid editing apps and this could really be a game changer for photographers and retouchers. Unfortunately, there are none. Adobe is promising "Adobe Fix", but there's no indication of where or not there will be any support for layers. They claim is can edit a 50 megapixel image.

If there is support for layers, then this iPad Pro will be everything that I'm looking for in a mobile device to add to my workflow. If not, then I will heave a huge sigh, shed some tears, and probably get a Cintiq or even a Surface. I'd love to stick with Apple, but I won't force it. Apple has laid the groundwork for a fantastic device. Let's see what the developers can create to compliment it.

ADOBE'S NEW MOBILE PHOTOSHOP

Photo manipulation and Photoshop are synonymous. The word Photoshop has even transformed into a verb in our modern, daily vernacular, sort of like Google. We say things like, "Photoshop that..." or "It's been photoshopped...". Interestingly enough, as common as the word has become, those that use it are confined to mostly technologically, artistically, and photographically inclined individuals. Makes sense though. It's pricy, it takes a ton of man hours to learn and use it well, and generally speaking, you're tied to a desk when you use it.

For the common user that's always on the go, that just doesn't work. In order to keep an audience, one has to find a way to keep it mobile, or at least offer something that's actually usable while on the go with less fuss. There are so many options out there for mobile image editing and Adobe is trying to be the top choice. In October, during the Adobe MAX conference, Adobe will be announcing it's latest version of Adobe Photoshop for mobile. If you've used the current version, you've probably come to the same conclusion that I have. It's crap. There's nothing special about it, and it sure doesn't appeal to the professional. But before you go getting too excited, it seems that the latest version will be set to bridge the gab between the amateur/casual user and the pro.

A preview video was released not too long ago and it looks pretty nifty-neat. Things like spot healing, cloning, smoothing, painting, and even liquify have been added to the lineup. No word on layers, yet, that I'm aware, but it would makes sense that there was some kind layer functionality. We'll see.

Personally, I'm excited to see what Adobe brings about. I've discovered that more and more that I want and need some kind of workflow option for "on-the-go". If I can get something that keeps my travel load light and easy to lug around, then I'm a happy camper. The idea of having something powerful on a tablet is so very appealing. Let's hope that's on the way.