 A Virtual Sketchbook In
Your Pocket!
Creative inspiration can grab an artist's imagination at the
most inopportune times. No paper? If you have an iPhone or iPad,
and the Adobe Ideas 1.2 App, then there's no problem! The
Adobe Ideas 1.2 App is a fun vector-based sketchbook App for iPhone
and iPad. It's also a major upgrade from the previous version.
Adobe Ideas 1.2 is a free download from Apple's iTunes App Store,
with a "Layers" function add-on (which I highly recommend)
available for under $5.
The best feature of this handy App…it turns your iPhone into a
take-it-anywhere sketchbook in your pocket. Although the
Adobe Ideas 1.2 App is available for both iPad and iPhone, it is
better suited for the iPad, as you can utilize a stylus.
Being restricted to finger-painting was one of the downsides to
using the Adobe Ideas 1.2 App on my iPhone. The bottom line: it's
difficult to draw an accurate, detailed sketch without a
stylus…especially if you have long fingernails, or wide
fingertips (I belong to the latter category). With that said, for
this review, I went the iPhone route.
As always, Adobe does provide several solutions for the above
dilemma. The first: Adobe Ideas has the option to enlarge your
drawing space up to nine screen-sizes of the original, simply by
utilizing the zoom feature (a quick two finger movement on the
screen easily reduces or enlarges your image).
The second helpful feature for making it easier to draw with an
iPhone is the multiple Undo Tool (allowing you to undo, and redo,
up to 50 times). Thirdly, it's especially convenient to clean up
even the smallest "whoops moments" using the erase tool,
which works on individual layers (another reason to purchase the
additional Layers add-on).
The fourth helpful feature for iPhone finger-drawing is the
ability to change the line width with the Size Tool. Lastly, if
your lines are a bit wiggly as you draw, the vector-based Adobe
Ideas 1.2 App has a built-in automatic line smoother.
The Adobe Ideas 1.2 Toolbar
I love an intuitive toolbar. Yet, nearly all drawing programs
(including Adobe's) are renowned for their steep learning curves.
What truly makes Adobe Ideas 1.2 unique is the fun-factor. Adobe
has taken the frustration out of learning this tiny, but powerful
App, by turning 'Learning-How-To-Draw,' into 'Just-Draw!'
The Toolbar
The Organizer has multiple functions. You can organize your
"Ideas" by adding, deleting, or even duplicating images. You can
also organize your "colors" by creating color themes from the Photo
Color Extraction function. The Organizer is also the gateway to the
"About and Settings" screen, where you can change the position of
the toolbar, and accept (or decline) Adobe Usage Tracking. Located
in the upper corner of the Organizer is a "new" banner. The new
banner takes you to the "What's New" in Adobe Ideas 1.2, and the
"purchase Layers add-on" screen.
The Hand Tool allows you to explore the image you are working
on, while the "new" Move Tool allows you to actually move, rotate,
and/or scale an individual layer. On the subject of moving, Adobe
Ideas 1.2 now allows you (within the Organizer) to reposition the
toolbar's location to either the right or left side of the screen
You can even become a magician and make the toolbar vanish by
tapping the X, and reappear by tapping the white tab (located on
the top corner of the screen).
An important feature, especially drawing with an iPhone, is the
ability to hide the toolbar
My favorite new feature has to be the Layers function. You can
add up to 10 drawing layers, and one photo layer per sketch. Layers
can also be controlled individually within your sketch: delete a
layer, make a layer invisible, change the layer's opacity, or
switch the layer order. Anyone who works in Adobe Illustrator or
Adobe Photoshop will love this new feature.
With Adobe Ideas 1.2, you can easily add new layers, hide and/or
delete individual layers
But wait, there's more…you can also reposition, scale, and/or
rotate individual layers (Note: the Photo Layer is not "editable,"
but you can change the opacity). I can't imagine using
Adobe Ideas without the new Layers function add-on.
Using the Photo Color Extraction feature
Next to the Layers function, my favorite feature is the Photo
Color Extraction tool. The random color feature works as a "smart
color picker," that automatically selects colors from a picture in
your iPhone (or iPad) photo gallery. You also can manually move
each of the five "picker selections circles" around your image to
create a unique color palette. If the colors from your images are
not exactly what you are searching for, you still have the option
to use the familiar Adobe Color Palette from the toolbar.
Select from the Adobe Ideas 1.2 Photo Color Extraction color themes
~ or Adobe's Color Palette
Other New Features
One of Adobe's ongoing themes has been "ease of sharing." So, I
was not surprised to discover that Adobe Ideas included VGA output
as a new feature. Along with an Apple VGA adapter, VGA allows your
work to be viewed, and shared, with others on a larger computer
screen or projector. This seemingly small addition is a big
improvement, especially for students and lecturers.
Although this is an artsy App, one of the most
important new features is invisible. Adobe has amped the speed on
the Adobe Ideas 1.2 App. What does this mean to the user? If you
accidently close the App before saving, or exit Adobe Ideas to
answer a can't-miss-phone-call, Adobe Ideas' reengineered, faster
saving process, allows you to get back to sketching without loss of
data.
Saving your work has never been easier: create a screengrab and
save to your mobile device's photo album; use the Adobe Ideas
"camera" button and save within your "Ideas Organizer" as a JPG; or
email as a PDF format, that can then be opened and tweaked within
Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.
 Purchasing
Layers
Purchasing the Layers add-on was both frustrating and confusing.
Although the Adobe Ideas 1.2 App is available from Apple's iTunes
App Store as a free download … you can search for hours (which I
did) on the Adobe website, or on Apple's iTunes App Store, without
finding instructions on how to purchase the optional Layers add-on.
I finally discovered that you can only purchase the $4.99 Layers
add-on from within the Adobe Ideas 1.2 App, and of course,
only after you have downloaded the Adobe Ideas 1.2
App.
Conclusion
With 10 fully functional Layers, an innovative color palette
picker, opacity options for sketching and layers, 50 levels of
undo, as well as the vector eraser … the Adobe Ideas 1.2 App
provides the perfect venue to allow your imagination to soar, no
matter where your creative ideas strike.
- Official Adobe Ideas 1.2 Site
- Adobe Ideas 1.2 App: Free Download
- Layers add-on: $4.99 USD (can only be purchased
inside the Adobe Ideas App)
- Currently Adobe Ideas 1.2 is only available for: iPad, iPhone 3
or 4 (including the Retina display), and iPod touch. However, Adobe
is considering support for additional mobile devices.
All supporting images are copyrighted All
Rights Reserved.
Images cannot be copied or reprinted without written
permission.
|
Get to know industry
leaders and professionals
Comments