Using iPad as photography tool
It’s been almost two years since I sold my Mid-2012 MacBook Pro because I had an offer that I could not turn down, as the upgrade to an 27 inch iMac had been stuck on my mind for quite some time. Until I had to proceed with the purchase of this iMac, I had to spend some time editing on my iPad. This experience made me rethink of my workflow in such a way that the iMac purchase actually never happened. And, in this post, I will explain how I proceeded without a laptop or desktop but only with an iPad.
Hardware I use:
- Fujifilm mirroless camera(s) with built-in WiFi
- iPad Air 2 16Gb
- iPhone 7 32Gb
- Apple Lightning SD adapter
- Apple keyboard
- SD card
Software I use:
- Fujifilm App
- iPhotos
- Partially iCloud service (explanation follows)
- Affinity Pro
- VSCO
- Pixelmator
Settings I came up with.
iPhone
- I have an iCloud subscription for 250Gb of space and storage optimization option on. This can be frustrating if your internet connection isn’t fast enough though.
iPad
- iCloud photo update is turned off as its low resolution copies will need also around 2Gb of space (this is how much it takes on my iPhone because I have approx 16k photos in total). In general, I keep my iPad very simple with only some of the apps that I truly need in order to have more space for importing images.
My procedure
First of all, I perform an in-camera selection. Meaning, a first cleaning and deleting of pictures that might either be shaky or out of focus or I just don’t like. As I can convert and manipulate simple settings with RAW files in camera, I do some enhancements and a JPEG is created.
Next step is to transfer them into the iPad. This can be done in two ways, and it depends on my needs and the output I would like to have from every single photo.
- The first way is by using the Fujifilm App and, via WiFi transfer, I can send files directly to my iPad. Although those files can only be JPEGs. So, I use this way for the photos that don’t need much post editing.
- In case I need to edit the raw file I choose:
- The second way. By plugging the SD card to the Lightning adapter, you can import RAW files. (Yes you can edit RAW files on iPad too). The problem is that the native Photos app does not discriminate the JPEGs and the RAWs. So you have all formats in one place.
A second clean up is performed after all the photos I want are in the iPad. This happens because there are, in some cases, photos out of focus or slightly shakey or just not meet my expectations.
If you open the VSCO app, at the import screen you can see whether an image is RAW or not.
After having left only the ones I need, I start editing on Affinity or VSCO or both. Sometimes I use Pixelmator if I need to add any flares or such foolish effects. VSCO filters are applied mainly for social media usage such as Instagram etc.
As soon as all the changes, deletions and corrections are in place, I transfer all of those final photos to my iPhone and, if necessary, I create an Album. Then the images are uploaded to the cloud.
The Pros of it
A huge advantage I found is that I do not keep many photos. Before ditching my MBP I used to save all the photos I was capturing. Meaning the ugly and the wrong ones as well. With that way I was having 200 images saved but only the 50 were good because I did not care about the size.
Next, and the best experience for me ,is the fact that you can “touch” your photos. Specially while editing, cropping and straightening an image. Also when removing blemishes.
Edits can be performed everywhere you wish. iPads are so portable and powerful nowadays that, unless you are a pro, you will not face any problems. (Although there are some professionals that recommend iPads too).
There is no need for a desk. You can edit on a couch, on a chair, in the bus, in the train or in a hammock far far away from home.
The Cons of it
The small memory capacity is a problem. I have learnt how to deal with it but I have to have it always on my mind and work accordingly.
I do miss the geotagging within the iPhoto app. Hope they will bring it on iPad’s iOS someday. Maybe there are some workaround solutions but that means third party extra apps and I do not like adding more steps to the procedure.
It may take a long time to get used to the new setup and, if you are determined, then you need to spend some money for the apps you’d like to buy. And some can be pretty expensive.
A bigger dilemma
Buying an iPad or build a Hackintosh (or CustoMac)?
If I suppose that you are going to spend the same amount of money, then the CustoMac will be stronger. Performing updates faster and batch processing is gonna be a joy. But you will lose portability. There will be more cables and it will occupy some space on a desk. If space is not a problem, or working on a desk is your thing, then it’s fine. The value in the long run for me is the most important factor nowadays, meaning that:
If you compare the resale value between an iPad and a Hackintosh setup PC, you will realise soon that the second option will be the most expensive one in the end.
And a Conclusion
So, you can say that I use the iPad as an editing tool and I never keep any photos stored there. The iPad Air 2 is still capable of editing photos as JPEG and RAW files. I would not recommend it for professional use but, for hobbyists: it still can do your thing.
Once you find the way that fits your needs, it will be an easy routine. You could travel very light without losing or leaving power behind.
But you cannot compare it to the way you’d work on a laptop. This transition needs time. Hope you won’t regret it.
In the end there is no dilemma for me.
After surviving, creating and moving forward for two years with the small capacity of the iPad Air 2, I didn’t have to think much about my next upgrade. It would be an iPad Pro. So I moved forward with buying this powerful tool and some parts of my workflow now move faster or can even be skipped due to its larger capacity. It is only one week old and I need to gain some experience with it. Therefore some review about what has been better or worse will come later. If you wanna read it let me know in the comments below.
But you can still purchase an iPad Air 2 and survive editing photos as a hobby. Then, if you like it, you may upgrade to a better version of it.
Disclaimer: All above comments, beliefs and ideas represent only me on a personal level. I did not write any of these on behalf of someone else nor I had any kind of contact with Fujifilm, Apple or third party shops to write down anything of the above. Hope you enjoyed it. If you have anything to ask, feel free.
