Dumb questions about the iPad

[Olaf_ZG]

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Hi all, have some dumb questions about the iPad, and hope some could help me.

My phone is a 12mini, love its size, but watching images on it is rather pitiful. For processing I have a macbook, insert cards, download, process. I bought the latter recently so I am rather new to the apple world.

Soon I will go on a longer trip, but won’t take my laptop with me: don’t like editing/processing while on holidays.

I am thinking of buying an iPad (simple one, the 9 probably) as reading LUF would be much nicer on it.

Questions:

1. Is it possible to download my cards to/via the ipad?

2. If yes, is it better do download then directly tonthe cloud or do I need an ipad with bigger internal memory?

3. I have the basic LR/PS subscribtion, is would you suggest me to switch to cloud or is snapseed enough for very basic edits to entertain social media?

4. As i understood, the ipad can function as a second screen next to the laptop. Could it function/replace my basic wacom?

5. Do you suggest me to buy a pencil for this or not?

Thanks.

[Pyrogallol]

Buy a pencil, some paper and a film camera. Then you don’t have to worry about carrying anything electronic with you.

[marchyman]

1) Might depend upon the iPad.  I have an iPad Pro and with the appropriate adapter can import the contents of the the memory card to the iPad or copy the contents from a memory card to a USB thumb drive.

2) Because I have the option of copying to external thumb drives I may do that instead of importing everything into LrCC and relying on the cloud (can't be sure I'll have access) or paying for an iPad with gobs of memory.  However, moving images is very, very slow, especially the large DNG files put out by my M11.  Importing the same files into LrCC is much, much faster.

3) LR/PS subscription lets you use LrCC on your iPad.  At least mine -- the $10/month plan -- does.

4) Yes you can use it as a second screen.  I do that sometimes, using the iPad as an adjunct screen with my desktop.  No, it can not replace your wacom. 

5) I have a pencil.  I rarely use it.  You might be different.  I don't edit on my iPad unless away from home and even then only if there is an image I *need* to share immediately.  That is rare -- most trips I take are short and image editing can wait until I get home.  I do not take the pencil with me when traveling.  Your needs may be much different from mine.

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by marchyman

[LocalHero1953]

6 hours ago, Olaf_ZG said:

3. I have the basic LR/PS subscribtion, is would you suggest me to switch to cloud or is snapseed enough for very basic edits to entertain social media?

 

Your LR/PS subscription should allow you to install LR CC on your ipad. Place your edited images in 'albums' and they will then show up back home as a 'collection' when you open Lightroom Classic. You can then transfer them to your LR Classic library (drag and drop). You don't need extra cloud storage to do this. This the good side of Adobe.

LR CC albums map to LR Classic collections, but bizarrely LR CC folders are ignored, and not treated as collection sets by LR Classic (and vice versa: LR CC does not recognise LR Classic collection sets). This is the bad side of Adobe!

[zeitz]

iPad storage is too small to save all the images I take, for instance at an auto race.

I synchronized files through Abode's cloud.

LR is quite good on the iPad.  PS is poor on the iPad; I was very disappointed.  There was not even a Camera Raw Filter in PS.

An iPad can be used as a second monitor, but it is not as straightforward as just connecting second monitor.

I did not like my iPad Pro so I got rid of it.  I never used the pencil at all.  I bought a cheap real monitor to handle my second monitor functions.

I think a MacBook Air is a better choice for photographers traveling light.

[Jeff S]

I treat digital as I did film, substituting SD cards for film stock.  Save all until I get home, process and edit there on a properly calibrated screen, and print.  No cloud, no computer devices, no online edits or sharing.  Life is simple, and still rewarding.

Jeff

[GFW2-SCUSA]

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2 hours ago, Jeff S said:

I treat digital as I did film, substituting SD cards for film stock.  Save all until I get home, process and edit there on a properly calibrated screen, and print.  No cloud, no computer devices, no online edits or sharing.  Life is simple, and still rewarding.

Jeff

Yes! Of course, this is so simple. SD cards are fairly cheap especially compared to a new iPad and you can carry a dozen in a tiny space. The only down side is if you want to use the internet and find the wee screen on the phone difficult. Thanks, Jeff for pointing out the simple way to solve this problem. 

[irenedp]

8 hours ago, Jeff S said:

I treat digital as I did film, substituting SD cards for film stock.  Save all until I get home, process and edit there on a properly calibrated screen, and print.  No cloud, no computer devices, no online edits or sharing.  Life is simple, and still rewarding.

Jeff

Same here. Can’t agree more. 

[bill_murray]

8 hours ago, Jeff S said:

I treat digital as I did film, substituting SD cards for film stock.  Save all until I get home, process and edit there on a properly calibrated screen, and print.  No cloud, no computer devices, no online edits or sharing.  Life is simple, and still rewarding.

Jeff

+1   By all means have a simple iPad to browse the internet and this forum... . you can always take "secondary" photos with your iPhone mini then airdrop them to the iPad to play at processing them with LR, and share them with friends / family etc. Save your M11 / Q2 photos to process fully on your Macbook when you get home. 

[Olaf_ZG]

Thanks all for feedback. Seems that the ipad wont be really useful with offloading cards nor will replace a wacom, so its function will be reading only. A simple version will do than.

 

[jaapv]

LR mobile on your phone will automatically upload to the Cloud and your photos will automatically appear in LR on your desktop IIRC. 

[Simone_DF]

On 6/11/2023 at 7:35 AM, Olaf_ZG said:

Thanks all for feedback. Seems that the ipad wont be really useful with offloading cards nor will replace a wacom, so its function will be reading only. A simple version will do than.

 

I am of the opposite opinion. I do have an iPad Pro, and use it exactly as a laptop replacement for when I am travelling. I offload photos directly to the iPad via a SD card reader (be sure to get one with a fast reading speed, they are not all the same) directly into Lightroom, I then cull the photos. I also do some editing in LR mobile, but due to the limited functionality compared to the desktop version, I leave the most complex tasks to when I'm back home. I do have a pencil and I find it really useful, it's much more natural to use than a mouse or a trackpad, in my opinion. Another advantage of the iPad is that you can turn it vertically and use the whole real estate for vertical shots. And you can buy a screen protection film that is slightly rugged and simulates a "paper" feel, which is perfect for the pencil. 

[AZach]

2 hours ago, Simone_DF said:

I am of the opposite opinion. I do have an iPad Pro, and use it exactly as a laptop replacement for when I am travelling. I offload photos directly to the iPad via a SD card reader (be sure to get one with a fast reading speed, they are not all the same) directly into Lightroom, I then cull the photos. I also do some editing in LR mobile, but due to the limited functionality compared to the desktop version, I leave the most complex tasks to when I'm back home. I do have a pencil and I find it really useful, it's much more natural to use than a mouse or a trackpad, in my opinion. Another advantage of the iPad is that you can turn it vertically and use the whole real estate for vertical shots. And you can buy a screen protection film that is slightly rugged and simulates a "paper" feel, which is perfect for the pencil. 

My exact workflow as well, the latest generation iPadPro is really rapid and uploads the files in the background during the initial culling and edits. 

[LBJ2]

On 6/10/2023 at 10:17 AM, Olaf_ZG said:

Hi all, have some dumb questions about the iPad, and hope some could help me.

My phone is a 12mini, love its size, but watching images on it is rather pitiful. For processing I have a macbook, insert cards, download, process. I bought the latter recently so I am rather new to the apple world.

Soon I will go on a longer trip, but won’t take my laptop with me: don’t like editing/processing while on holidays.

I am thinking of buying an iPad (simple one, the 9 probably) as reading LUF would be much nicer on it.

Questions:

1. Is it possible to download my cards to/via the ipad?

2. If yes, is it better do download then directly tonthe cloud or do I need an ipad with bigger internal memory?

3. I have the basic LR/PS subscribtion, is would you suggest me to switch to cloud or is snapseed enough for very basic edits to entertain social media?

4. As i understood, the ipad can function as a second screen next to the laptop. Could it function/replace my basic wacom?

5. Do you suggest me to buy a pencil for this or not?

Thanks.

I've been using Lightroom regularly on the iPad Pro since 2018. I can tell you that Lightroom has come a long way since adding many advanced editing features on a regular basis. Mobile has always been a zippy editing performance experience too. I can answer most of your questions with YES except the Wacom experience as I've never used a Wacom. But I do use the Apple Pencil to edit on the iPad. I find 1TB on the iPad is a comfortable safe space for me particularly on long distance travel with limited access to WIFI. I also use a tiny external USBC SSD ( SanDisk Extreme Pro V2) for an additional backup layer. 

The one main advice I can give after so many years is that Lightroom on the iPad is a Mobile workflow and Not a desktop or laptop workflow. It requires learning and adjusting to a mobile workflow e.g., time and effort and learning a new approach compared to what we may have done for years on a desktop/laptop. With in my opinion Cloud being an advantage over catalogs ( Not everyone agrees). 

Is it better or worse? Just depends if you consider the mobile experience advantageous and worth your time to learn and adjust. E.g., some consider mobile a travel only solution.

Personally I use both mobile and desktop/laptop simultaneously. Advantages to both for respective scenarios. Sometimes I just like to sit on the sofa and edit photos on the iPad with the pencil. Very different experience than the same with a laptop IMO. 

I also use Leica Fotos app as part of my Leica workflow quite a bit on both the iPhone and iPad. The Leica Fotos app has also come a long way IMO and I probably use this app more in my workflow than others as well.

If you have 32 minutes: 

Also:

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by LBJ2

[Olaf_ZG]

Once again, thank you all. Lots of useful advice here, and the posts of @Simone_DF and @LBJ2 made me think:

The last time I did my long exposure seascapes, the looked great on the screen from the camera, but at home quite some unsharpness was present: either camerashake and or lens not being sharp at infinity. Basically, 80% of my work was not useable.

Though for sure I might not process my images on holidays, a check in the evening would not be bad to avoid issues from the last time.

On top, at home, editing on the couch is sth to consider as I don’t like to sit behind a computer after a working day.

My computer will remain my main source for serious processing, but for quick work the iPad might not be bad.

The pro version is too expensive though (to me), so I will go with an air64 plus pencil2 and the cardreader. It’s some hundreds more than the 9, but that one would be mainly used for reading, so I guess the extra money might be of good value.

[Simone_DF]

@Olaf_ZG be sure to get a UHS-II compatible card reader for improved importing speed. I've been using this one for a few years now, you can find it on Amazon and most retailers.

https://www.westerndigital.com/en-ie/products/accessories/sandisk-extreme-pro-uhs-ii-usb-3-0-type-c-sd-card-reader-writer#SDDR-409-G46

[Olaf_ZG]

In the end I went with the mini. Main thing will be reading, and to check certain images on spot, and as bonus sone processing.

The regular version is really big and heavy, and not as portable as I like.

[hansvons]

12 hours ago, Olaf_ZG said:

In the end I went with the mini.

 

That's an interesting decision, I could have made as well. I have the M1 16” MacBook which is an amazing piece of gear. A regular iPad would be too close in terms of size, but usability is considerably less. Not much to be gained. The Mini, however, has a high portability but still more usability than an iPhone. Kind of a great compromise. 

[Qwertynm]

I would have chosen the mini as well if it had the M1 chip inside. Got a great deal on a M1 11" Pro 256gb and took that instead. Just came back from holidays and all the pictures I culled on my iPad are already synced to LR Classic - fantastic. No more taking cards out of cameras and no fear of losing images - just straight upload it into the cloud and you're good. 

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Hallo,

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[mmanda]

On 6/15/2023 at 3:27 AM, Olaf_ZG said:

Once again, thank you all. Lots of useful advice here, and the posts of @Simone_DF and @LBJ2 made me think:

The last time I did my long exposure seascapes, the looked great on the screen from the camera, but at home quite some unsharpness was present: either camerashake and or lens not being sharp at infinity. Basically, 80% of my work was not useable.

Though for sure I might not process my images on holidays, a check in the evening would not be bad to avoid issues from the last time.

On top, at home, editing on the couch is sth to consider as I don’t like to sit behind a computer after a working day.

My computer will remain my main source for serious processing, but for quick work the iPad might not be bad.

The pro version is too expensive though (to me), so I will go with an air64 plus pencil2 and the cardreader. It’s some hundreds more than the 9, but that one would be mainly used for reading, so I guess the extra money might be of good value.

I bought a iPad Pro refurbished. It cost half of a brand new one. Is plenty fast enough and has a 12 month warranty.  Something to consider?  Mine is the iPad Pro 4th gen and is plenty fast enough.  I only use it actually. But I’m a lazy photographer editor. And am in the process of trying to find some presets I like to simplify things further.  You can even buy refurbished pencils.  Apple wants us to think we need brand new - we don’t! 
 

best thing is iPads last many years. So they can be a good investment. As long as you don’t drop it.  I just used mine to write notes whilst doing an online course and it was brilliant!  If you are into journaling or want to document your trip you’ll also enjoy it - pencil is good for this. 
 

iPad mini might even suffice.  Depending on the refurbished provider you might be able to try the mini knowing you can return it for a larger tablet if you find it too small. 
 

edit - oh you bought one! Cool. Enjoy! 

Edited July 1, 2023 by mmanda