Adobe Adds Curves and Pen Pressure Sensitivity to Photoshop on the iPad
Adobe has released yet another update for Photoshop on the iPad today, adding two highly anticipated features: Curves, and the ability to dial in the pressure sensitivity of your Apple Pencil. Both are welcome additions as the mobile version of Photoshop continues to evolve.
When Photoshop on the iPad was unveiled last year, one of the biggest omissions was Curves. Photographers in particular use this adjustment a lot, and the fact that it was missing made Photoshop for iPad feel half-baked, at least where photo editing is concerned. That changes today.
The latest version of Photoshop for iPad adds a mostly full-featured version of the Curves adjustment. You can adjust tonal curves for all channels—overall, red, green, and blue—and you have the ability to make multi-node selections using either your finger or the Apple Pencil before dialing in your settings. Still missing is the ability to dial in your values numerically, as well as the eyedropper tool, but Adobe says these updates will ship “soon.”
The second major feature addition is Pencil Pressure Sensitivity: a slider that lets you dial in the pressure curve of your Apple Pencil on a range from “Light” to “Heavy.”
“Our slider uses optimized pressure curves to make your brushing experience perfect for you,” explains Pam Clark in the announcement post. “At the lightest end of the range you get greater pressure values applied with less force, while the highest end of the range gives you greater force to achieve maximum pressure.”
This is probably more applicable to artists than photo editors, but it’s still a nice addition that will allow you to rely more heavily on pen (or, in this case, pencil) pressure instead of manually changing the size or opacity of your brush.
Both updates are explained in more detail on the Adobe Support website. Click here for more on Curves, and here for more on Pencil Pressure Sensitivity. And if you want a list of all the updates that have been added to Photoshop on the iPad since it was first released last November, click here.
If you already have Photoshop for iPad, simply update your app to take advantage of the new features. If not, you can download the latest version from the iOS App Store here.
