Review: Photoshop Touch for iPad

Using a full version of Photoshop on an iPad has been, for many, a longtime dream. After being available on Android tablets for a while, those wishes are fulfilled with Photoshop Touch for iPad (though only iPad 2 and above). Those who have been wanting Photoshop should be delighted by how much functionality Adobe has built into its application. In performs very well and may cause some to rethink what kind of productivity is possible on a tablet.

Many editing options are available.

Those familiar with Photoshop will recognize its array of tools. Their placement was clearly rethought for optimal positioning on the iPad, as many icons are hidden behind others, much like drop-down menu items.

Several tutorial videos are included to assist those who are Photoshop novices. They are worth viewing for anyone intimidated by the variety of options. Those who want to just get started should not have any difficulty in playing around with Photoshop and picking up its nuances. In fact as a photo editing novice myself, I found that to be the most rewarding way to increase my skills.

Many of the basic Photoshop skills are here: erasing, brushing, controlling the contrast, cropping, brightness, and the ever-popular layers. It is ideal for anyone who wants to make some edits on the fly to present to a client, or for something as simple as tweaking a picture before sharing it across social networks.

A touch interface will always come with compromises with particular productivity situations. Photoshop Touch is no exception. There is an innately inferior kind of preciseness that will occur when editing with one’s finger instead of a mouse. Given this, some more sophisticated or minute edits will be better served on a computer.

If you are a first-generation iPad owner or find the tools here excessive, then consider Photoshop Touch Express. It is free, and has a smaller set of features that do work well for minor editing.

For those who find Photoshop Touch appealing, the ultimate question is if they should buy it. For iPad users jazzed by the idea of doing some substantial photo editing from an iPad, then by all means. While more expensive than iPhoto, it offers more robust features that are reminiscent of its desktop cousin. Photoshop Touch will not replace the work of professional photo editing with desktop software. However, it continues to demonstrate that with thoughtful app development the tablet can be used for powerful, productivity tasks.