Category Archives: Apps

Astropad 2.0 faster now: use iPad Pro as Cintiq

For those anxiously awaiting, today’s the day the new Astropad 2.0 is being released. Some improvements:

The Liquid engine, developed by Astropad, is now 3x faster and the company has managed to lower the pixelation by a while lot. The polling rate is much faster to correct issues with latency and improve images. It’s also now using way less memory so you can work longer and not run down your power so quickly. The pressure curve has been improved. Gestures are now available on more programs., including ArtRage, Clip Studio Paint, Mischief, Affinity Designer and Photo, Lightroom, and Sketcbook. You can now auto-hide the cursor. And, the UI has been given an overhaul.

Astropad turns your iPad or iPad Pro into a Cintiq-like input device and allows you to use any programs that are on your Mac. It’s available at the iTunes store. For OSX only.

 

Duet Display app turns iPad into “Cintiq” for Mac or Windows

Duet Display turns iPad into a “Cintiq” for Mac or Windows

Like the Astropad app, Duet Display is an app, created by former Apple engineers, that turns your iPad or iPhone into an input device or second monitor, and it’s now made for both Mac and PC. It works without lag because uses a USB connection rather than Wi-fi. (you can use your Lightning Connector to USB).

First, you download it to your Mac or Windows PC from the Duet Display site, then go to the iTunes store to download the app for iPad. It works with all iPads running iOS7 and up, and all Mac and Windows computers (laptops and desktops) running OS X 10.9 or Windows 7 and later (though I have written them to get clarification on whether it’s OK for Windows 10 as their site says 8.1, so I will update this post after I hear back). Apparently, using a Retina MacBook with it can spike CPU usage.

You can still use graphics tablets and Cintiqs attached to the computer at the same time.

With the Duet, the iPad still won’t give you pressure sensitivity or palm rejection unless you use certain drawing styluses and apps; these use Bluetooth.

More info at duetdisplay.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCcCOnw2-zk

Astropad: Turn your iPad into a Cintiq?

Astropad app gives your iPad Cintiq-like powers

This week saw the Astropad app launch. Its pitch is that it can “turn your iPad into a professional graphics tablet.” Now your iPad becomes an input device.
It works over wifi or a USB. It can handle up to 60 frames per second, fast enough for animation and video (though not for sophisticated gaming, but you wouldn’t create or play those on the iPad).
ipadcintiq

To use Astropad, you need a Mac that runs 10.9 (Mavericks) or later and any iPad running iOS 8. Watch a video here.

It’s using your iPad as a graphics tablet/input device–so what’s on your Mac will be mirrored on your iPad.

Pressure sensitivity is dependent on your having the iPad styluses that are best for art, as well as the apps that give you the sensitivity.

Besides regular iPads, it works with the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil.

If you use an iPad Pro, you’re getting a lot of the functionality of a Cintiq, though it doesn’t do all the same things.

It would be nice if Apple itself made more iPad and Mac compatibility, but it took the Astropad developers, who run an independent studio, to do it. Perhaps next comes a way of hooking up Android tablets.

You can download a 7-day trial from the Apple store.

Duet Display is an iPad app that’s similar but works with both Windows and Mac.