Adobe’s Photoshop Touch apps for iPad are now available

By Adam Rosenberg May 10, 2011

adobe-eazel — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Adobe announced last month that it would be bringing a new set of of Photoshop-connected apps to the iPad App Store, and those apps are now here. Previously, there was only Photoshop Express, a features-light (very light) image editing app that is outclassed by just about every other similar app out there. The new PS apps all offer something a little bit different, but they at least represent a first step toward a properly full-featured tablet treatment of Adobe Photoshop.

There are three apps in this new crop: Adobe Eazel, Adobe Color Lava and Adobe Nav, which sell for $4.99, $2.99 and $1.99, respectively. There’s no package deal for buying the set or trial versions, but each app serves a very specific purpose.

Eazel is probably the most “play”-oriented of the three, as it is essentially a finger-painting app. The physics of real-life painting are applied to your creations, with “wet” and “dry” mixtures possible. All three of the new apps are able to connect with Photoshop CS5 in different ways; in the case of Eazel, users can send creations directly to the desktop application and even have them re-rendered at a higher resolution. Color Lava is similarly finger-painting oriented, turning your tablet into a virtual painter’s palette and allowing you to mix different colors to create new ones. Those colors can then be accessed directly within Photoshop CS5.

Nav is the odd app out, as it is designed more to streamline processes and doesn’t serve any purpose if not linked up with Photoshop CS5. The app is best described as a touch-based remote control for the desktop software. Fire up Nav to access a customizable CS5 toolbar and manage open documents (up to 200) on the desktop side. You’ll need to use the mouse and keyboard to do any actual editing, but the app can handle the rest. To connect Nav, or any of the three new apps, with CS5, both the iPad and your computer will need to be on the same network. Connectivity with Photoshop versions CS4 and earlier is not supported.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Mobile

There’s something Apple isn’t telling you about the new iPad Pro

A render of the front and back of the 2024 iPad Pro.

Earlier this year, I bought a new MacBook Air. It was the entry-level 13-inch trim with an eight-core graphics engine. If my budget allowed, I would’ve loved to go with the higher-end M3 version with a 10-core GPU inside.

Spending a few hundred dollars for the higher RAM and storage configuration automatically gets you the more powerful M3 variant. Conversely, you can’t just pay more for an M3 version with a beefier GPU. If you want the best performance possible, you have to pay for the higher storage/RAM models. It’s an infuriating and darn expensive situation, but that’s how Apple rolls.

Mobile

I don’t think Apple wants me to buy the new iPad Pro

Someone using the new M4 iPad Pro with a creator app.

There are days when I am proud of the things I create, and then there are days like today when I watch an Apple iPad Pro reveal event. Seeing what the new 2024 iPad Pro can do made me feel like the things I’ve creatively achieved are the equivalent of holding a piece of chalk in my clenched fist and scratching a stick figure onto a cave wall.

I simply would not get close to what it’s capable of, band there’s still a tiny, slightly mad part of me that really wants one of these spectacular new tablets, particularly as it’s still the only way I can get a personal must-have tablet feature. Except, if I also want all the kit with it, the top-spec iPad Pro model will definitely cost me more than $2,000, potentially even up to $3,000. Am I mad enough to spend that much on an iPad?
Go Pro or go home

Mobile

Apple has quietly killed its cheapest iPad

Three 2021 iPads are stacked on a table.

The iPad lineup has received a price bump after Apple quietly killed its cheapest iPad model. Apple’s 9th-generation iPad used to cost $329, but has been discontinued. At the same time, the company has reduced the 10th-gen iPad’s starting price by $100, which means it’s now priced at $349. As a result, getting the cheapest iPad means you'll now spend $20 more than before.

The 9th-gen Apple iPad was launched in 2021 with the A13 chipset and Apple's Center Stage featur,e but retained the same old design with the already-old Lightning port and home button. With Apple moving to a USB-C port on all devices to comply with EU laws, it was inevitable that Apple would discontinue the 9th-gen iPad this year. The iPhone SE remains the only Apple product with a home button and a Lightning port that's still available in the company's lineup.