I like to use Astropad with my usual full-sized Mac workspaces, with Astropad zoomed into the area where I want to draw or paint.

Having to choose among these compromises isn’t Astropad’s fault: they’re a natural consequence of trying to handle a large screen image on a much smaller display. It’s less of a problem with a larger iPad that’s closer to the size of the Mac screen, so the bigger display of the upcoming iPad Pro should benefit Astropad. If you leave the Mac workspace maximized but zoom Astropad to show just the part of the Mac screen where you want to draw or paint, menus and panels may end up beyond the edge of the iPad screen. I can create a small Photoshop workspace (left) sized for my iPad screen, and zoom Astropad to display that area on my iPad at a more stylus-friendly magnification (right). In Stylus mode Astropad expects you to connect a Bluetooth stylus, and if the stylus is capable of pressure sensitivity that Astropad recognizes, you’ll be able to take advantage of it in Mac programs where pressure sensitivity is enabled for the selected tool, such as a brush in Adobe Photoshop. But there’s no pressure sensitivity in Finger mode. In Finger mode Bluetooth isn’t used, Astropad only gets input from the touchscreen of the iPad or iPhone so you can draw using your finger or a simple compatible stylus. To minimize the lag between drawing a stroke and seeing it appear on the screen, connect using the cable option.Īstropad has two modes: Finger and Stylus. The two Astropad apps can talk to each over wifi, or through a standard Lightning-to-USB cable connecting your iOS device to your Mac. To set up Astropad you install the iOS app on your iPhone or iPad, and you also install a free Astropad application on your Mac. Astropad works more like a Cintiq it mirrors your Mac display to your iPad or iPhone display so you can draw directly on the image you’re looking at. The other type of Wacom tablet, the Cintiq, has a display built into the tablet. With the more common type, you use the tablet on your desk while watching the computer screen. The version for the iPhone is called Astropad Mini when I talk about the iPad in this review it also applies to using an iPhone with Astropad Mini.īefore we look at Astropad it’s important to distinguish the two general types of Wacom tablets. With an app called Astropad you can use an iPad or iPhone as a graphics tablet for a Mac.

Walk into a graphic design or photography studio and you’ll probably see a graphics tablet on the desk.

Astropad studio account