The iPad as a creative Ftool

We investigate whether the iPad can really cut it as a truly professional creative tool, or whether it's better enjoyed as a consumer toy

Ever since the iPad was announced, there has been much debate over its potential as a creative device. Some have dismissed the iPad as merely a tool for consumption and, for a multitude of reasons, a barrier to creativity; others have been less sceptical about it but are still to be convinced; while some have embraced it wholeheartedly.The iPad has the potential to help you be more creative and productive, and is also a great way to show off work to potential clients in its capacity as a mobile digital portfolio.

The iPad is hardly a desktop or laptop replacement as it stands, and the real workhorse applications aren't available for it. Add to the mix the lack of Flash support and you might be forgiven for wondering how on earth an iPad can fit into a creative professional's work at all. There are, however, a number of applications already available that, if not quite ready for commercial deployment, do point in the right direction. In addition, it's not always about creative work - the more mundane aspects of a project such as planning, resource management and accounting can all be done with the iPad.  

Antony Mayfteld, Senior Vice President of Social Media at iCrossing and author of Me and My Web Shadow: How ro Manage Your Personal Reputation Online, believes that the iPad is surprisingly adept as a content creation device, "it is very much a creative tool," he says, "I'm surprised by how much that's the case. It is comfortable to use in settings where you might relax, and the relationship with images and text is direct and more intimate somehow, with the mouse and keyboard removed from the relationship with the computer."

The iPad certainly is a new kind of device, and it may well take some time to bed down what exactly it's perfect for, but initial sales would suggest that it's going to be here for a while.

There are further benefits that the iPad has over a traditional laptop or netbook that, though minor, really change the way you interact with your work. Firstly there's the battery life and compact design; you have a battery that will last over a working day and, in most cases, you'll have less clutter to take with you when you're on the go. Second is the fact that you're holding the screen in your hands. It's a subtle difference, but it enables you to get closer to your work and, when showing stuff to clients, you really can put it in their hands,

"Many will find that its lightness, in every sense, makes for a good, portable toolkit that combines the freedom of paper with the benefits of working direct to digital," says Mayfield.
"The technology gets out of the way with the iPad, which is what creative work often requires."

You'd think that getting creative on the iPad might be a bit tricky.The interface has been massively simplified and the single-digit interface makes it difficult to be accurate. However, do a quick search for'paint'or'draw' in the App Store and you'll find a host of applications. There's no doubt that the apps are simple, but the minimalist approach is what makes them somewhat addictive. Adobe Ideas is as simple as they come, with a simple colour palette, opacity control and a single brush. However, for sketching out simple ideas it is incredibly powerful. Another is Sketchbook Pro, which takes the customisation options even further. Steve Caplin, digital artist and author of many books on Photoshop, swears by it already: "SketchBook Pro is a superb painting application, with a vast range ofcustomisable brushes and support for layers, which means we can build up images in stages without ever damaging the artwork irrevocably."

Of course, it's not just the painting and drawing apps that can be useful tocreatives. ISequence is a music sequencer that's great even for complex work. It's an eight-track sequencer with a host of instruments and effects, and Caplin is a regular user, Why?"Wlth a keyboard sporting nearly full-size keys, a step editor and a huge range of built-in voices, it's hugely entertaining and surprisingly powerful"he admits. We're sold.

 It's not a)! about producing content for people, however, and the iPad makes an excellent interactive notebook, and works well as a research or coding tool. Craig Granell is a designer, writer and musician, and has a few suggestions for tools that are prominent in his kit."J highly recommend that people download PaperDesk, which provides 'notebooks'into which you can type, sketch and record audio,"advises Granell."For catching up on reading, designers should get an Instapaper workflow going. Web designers should checkout FTPOnTheGofor on-the-move quickfire edits to website code."

There are of course much less creative tasks that the iPad can manage too - applications like Projector make it easy to plan the workflow of a project. No matter how complex your task, you can use an app like Projector to keep track of what resources are being used where, and monitor what's happening through the lifecycleofthe project. The iPad comes in useful for those'back of a napkin'ideas too, enabling you to record your thoughts quickly. "I find it best for stream-of-consciousness writing at speed, and also for planning or working out ideas, using the excellent iThoughtsHD, Outlinerand Omnigraffleapps," notes Antony Mayfield.

Many of you will have to send PDF proofs to clients, and here too there's already an app that can help. iAnnotate offers comprehensive PDF commenting tools, enabling you to comment and respond to clients no matter where you are. There are accounting and invoicing applications too, to help you keep track of what you're owed as well as what you've spent.

The listofthird-party applications available is quite large, although the built-in applications from Apple are definitely worthy of note. While managing your email and browsing on the go are things you probably take for granted, the Photos app can be used to create a very impressive mobile portfolio, and its ability to play videos also makes it an excellent platform for your work. In addition, Keynote is available and can output the feed to a projector for presentations.

The iPad is still in its infancy, but already it has made a departure from the supposition that it would be better suited to consuming information than creating it "I didn't entirety get it at first,"Craig Grannel admits. "The impact of the iPhone was immediate, and it banished other phones, music players and portable games systems, and soon became a kind of'hub'for basic work activity. It took a week or so before the iPad had anywhere near the same effect. Now I'm using it regularly, though, and I think it's an essential device to havearound,"lncreased use of the iPad in the real world will no doubt enable it to secure its position as a powerful, and maybe even essential, creative tool.

 In-depth  with an iPad app

 We take the magnifying glass to Adobe Ideas...


Adobe Ideas is a really simple application oti the IPad, but it's surprising just how powerful iL can be. At its heart, it's a single canvas with a single brush that can be made larger or smaller. There are four preset colour choices, though you do have access to a full col qui palette too (and you can set colour schemes from images).

There arc two layers available - one for painting and the uther for an image. Photos are imported directly from the album on your iPad and both layers can be toggled on or off. There's also opacity control over both images and individual brushstrokes. When you're done with your creation, you can email it directly from the application. There's even a multiple undo option for going back if you make a mistake.

Adobe Ideas really is the most basic of tools, but it's incredibly fun Lo use and more powerful (hail you might imagine.

 Q&A

Steve Caplin
Think that iPad is merely a consumption device? This freelance graphic artist bees to differ

Computer Arts: IPad - creative tool or consumer toy ?

Steve Caplin: The iPad is definitely a creative tool. Whedier it's being used for writing articles, jotting down sketches, composing music or painting finished artwork, the iPad's Luge display and supreme portability means creative urges can he satisfied on the go, wherever you happen to be.

CA: How has it changed your workflow?

SC : As a writer, I use the iPad to lake notes, to write short articles and to research features 011 the internet. As a digital artist, 1 can sketch layouts, find images online and prepare complex roughs. As a musician. 1 can record ideas as they occur to me, without having to wait until I'm back at my desk.

CA.- What specific benefits does the iPad have for the creative professional?

SC :  Like the iPhone, it enables us to work effectively away from our desks. Unlike the iPhone, we're not limited to a tiny scrccn; web browsing is a much fuller experience, and the iPad's faster processor means that even hrowsingWikipedia is snappier and more fulfilling than on the iPhone.