MacLife - USA (2020-03)

Creative

iPad apps

If you’re after a photo editor,

Snapseed (free) may suffice,

or Pixelmator Photo ($4.99) if

you need more features. Until

Photoshop on iPad matures,

Affinity Photo is the comprehensive

professional image editor of choice.

(See our Group test in ML #160.)

Not to be confused with the

email app, Adobe’s three

Spark apps create template–based

social media graphics (Post), video

clips and slideshows (Video), or

simple web pages (Page). If you

don’t have a CC plan, unlocking full

customization is expensive.

There are loads of great

sketching, drawing and

painting apps for the iPad and

Pencil, but for those who need

vector drawing with a full range of

pro features, Designer is in a class

of its own. For quick scribbles, just

use iPadOS’ Notes app.

The Photos app can trim clips,

and iMovie adds fun features,

but LumaFusion enables serious

video production, editing imported

footage on a multitrack timeline.

Preview on an external screen and

export edits to Final Cut Pro X.

LUMAFUSION

$29.99 luma-touch.com

AFFINITY DESIGNER

$19.99 affinity.serif.com

ADOBE SPARK

Free (IAP) spark.adobe.com

AFFINITY PHOTO

$19.99 affinity.serif.com

Image rights from top left: Serif, Adobe, Serif, Luma Touch, Apple.

Excel on the iPad is... diļerent. On

the Mac, I hit “@” in a cell and conĽrm

the function I want from the list that

pops up as I start to type it, which

then shows me its syntax. On the

iPad, nothing pops up until I tap the

Formula Builder icon at the left. I can

then pick a function, and the syntax

is inserted ready for me to tap and

replace, like in Numbers.

I miss the Esc key: hunting for

a Cancel icon isn’t as immediate. And

while it’s great to annotate sheets

with the Pencil, there are no page

layout controls. At least you get to

choose scale and orientation for

AirPrint. Pivot tables, a particularly

useful Excel feature, can be viewed in

existing documents, but you can’t

create them on the iPad.

WEDNESDAY

On the train to the city for a lecture.

Slipped into my overnight bag, the

iPad is distinctly lighter than a

MacBook Pro (MacBook Air users

won’t notice so much diļerence).

I remember to pack the charger,

Smart Keyboard and, at the last

minute, the Pencil. Why is there no

receptacle for the thing?

Using the iPad and Smart Keyboard

on the train’s seat–back table is

awkward, but no more so than the

MacBook Pro. Having answered

a batch of emails, I have some

PDF proofs to mark up, so I open

them from iCloud Drive in the Files

app and tap the Markup icon to use

the Pencil. It’s a task almost

impossible on a MacBook, but perfect

for the touchscreen. Markup doesn’t

work with .docx Ľles, so these have

to be opened in Word and marked up

with its Draw tools. The app also

supports Track Changes for

text amendments.

I’ve booked into one of those hotels

where you trade a central location for

a room the size of a matchbox. The

only place to work is on the bed, and

1

Import to Photos

Unlike in macOS, there’s no option

to trigger import automatically when

you connect an SD card or camera to

your iPad with the relevant adaptor.

Open Photos yourself and tap Import

at the bottom right.

2

Select photos

The attached storage is previewed.

If you don’t want to Import All, wait for

thumbnails, then check individual pics

(drag horizontally, then vertically, for

multiple pics) or tap Select or

Deselect for each date.

HOW TO Import photos and other files

COMMON PROBLEM TWO

Any logins and passwords you’ve

allowed macOS to autofill should

be transferred to your iPad, saving

hassle. Make sure Keychain is

activated on your Mac in System

Preferences > Apple ID (or iCloud)

and on your iPad in iCloud under

your name in Settings.

???

Feature

36 MAR 2020 maclife.com