Photoshop is coming to the iPad, and it is the real deal

Full Photoshop is coming to the iPad

Photoshop is coming to the iPad...and no, not in the "Express" form that is barely a step above built-in features.

Announced at Adobe MAX, Photoshop CC is coming to the iPad in 2019. While Adobe currently considers this more of a "companion" to Photoshop on a desktop or laptop, it has the potential to change the game for photographers and other artists that want true mobility.

While most digital artists are more than likely to have a stationary workstation at their office/home, there are those that prefer true mobility. These artists tend to harness the power of a workhorse laptop while keeping their files stored in the cloud. However, the mobility of computing has been shifting for quite some time.

With the introduction of 2-in-1's like the Surface and the push of the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement, photographers' options are increasing and the function-portability-ratio is changing. As Photoshop has always been a Win32 program, the Surface has maintained a step above the iPad in terms of functionality with iOS user forced in to other programs such as Pixelmator; these programs are certainly useful, but offer a different workflow and feature-set.

And now that is about to change.

With Photoshop coming to the iPad, Apple may be able to regain their popularity as the company focused on creators; this is an image Microsoft has been forcefully trying to take for several years now. While Photoshop is only one application, it is a crucial step in Apple's mission to make the iPad a true competitor to the Surface as well as a valid laptop replacement.

Photoshop for iPad will be coming in 2019 with a smaller set of features in version one; they plan to include a full feature set over subsequent versions. The interface will be touch and gesture friendly, and the PSD file format will be maintained via Cloud PSD. Adobe claims this format will be identical to current files, but is designed to prevent storage issues with local storing. Noticeably missing from the announcement, will the app come to Android or ChromeOS? Pixel Slate owners will likely be waiting for some love as well.