8 Best Apple Pencil Apps.
The iPad itself is an impressive device, but when paired with the Apple Pencil, its potential grows by leaps and bounds. The Apple Pencil is one of the most impressive digital stylus ever to hit the market. To truly experience how versatile this stylus is, you need to use it with the right app.
Below are the eight best Apple Pencil apps that showcase the power and functionality of the Apple Pencil better than any other.
Create ( App Store
If you’re an artist, you’ll need Procreate on iPad. This powerful Apple Pencil app is perfect for graphic designers. It works great with your finger, but Apple Pencil takes it to the next level with palm rejection technology and pressure sensitivity.
By simply tilting the angle you hold your Apple Pencil at, you can change the line from a large nib, perfect for filling voids, to a smaller, more precise nib for nailing those small details.
At just $ 10, the Procreate boasts a lot of power at a low price point. There are dozens of different brushes and patterns to choose from, and the ability to import your own. Procreate is flexible enough to be used for professional work, but it’s also fun to just draw.
Astropad ( Store
Apple Pencil seems like an easy option for graphic artists, but there is still no good way to integrate using it with a drawing tablet. Astropad turns your iPad into a Wacom-style tablet that you connect directly to your Mac.
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Astropad is developed by former Apple engineers. Think of it as a third party side-by-side application that works with Photoshop, Illustrator, Affinity Designer, and many other powerful graphics applications. Perhaps most impressive is that it connects wirelessly to your Mac. No complicated Lightning cable required.
It’s a bit pricey for $ 30, but a one-time purchase is definitely worth it for someone looking to get serious graphics on their iPad.
Shapr3D ( App Store
Shapr3D is a CAD modeling application for the iPad. It manages to deliver the level of precision needed to work with CAD, thanks to the low latency of Apple Pencil. All you have to do is draw the lines using the precise snap-to-grid system, and then you can get even more precision by entering the exact angle you want.
Shapr3D is offered as a free program, but only so that users can learn the basics. The free version is limited to low-res textures and only two exportable ones. If you want to access the full version, this will require a monthly subscription of $ 25.
Shapr3D mimics SolidWorks in many ways, but all the necessary tools are not immediately displayed on the screen. Actually Shapr3D uses a relatively clean interface. Move the camera with your finger and use Apple Pencil to draw the model. Once completed, the model can be exported and integrated into more fully functional applications.
Apple Notes ( App Store
Are you surprised? The default note taking app in iOS already has Apple Pencil integration. In the Notes app, you can draw, write, draw, and more. All you have to do is click on the pencil icon to open the toolbar.
Apple Pencil lets you use your notes like a real notepad and write by hand. The reason this app is so useful is because you can open it by simply tapping the iPad lock screen with a pencil to take quick notes and jot down your thoughts.
uMake ( App Store
uMake is a powerful 3D painting application. It lets you draw drawings in 2D and then translate them to a 3D plane using smart symmetry controls, but it also lets you draw in 3D space.
The app removes most of the guesswork when creating art, smoothing out lines and softening traces of inexperience to ensure a great end result. While uMake is not the most powerful application and not the most suitable for professional work, it is great for concept art.
Pigment ( App Store
Most of the Apple Pencil apps on this list are geared towards creating art, but Pigment is all about relaxation. It is one of the best coloring apps for iPad and offers thousands of different paint by number templates. In the midst of a busy week, focusing on choosing the right color can be a meditative experience.
The pigment can be used for free, but there is an additional subscription service. Pigment Premium gives you unlimited access to every design in your library and removes watermarks from any shared images. If you want to have fun without stress, try Pigment.
Flow by Moleskine ( App Store
Moleskine notebooks are popular with creatives for their quality design and ease of use, and Flow is no exception. This app provides you with a document with which to take notes, sketch, create mind maps, and more.
One of the unique features of the Flow app is that documents are not limited in width, allowing users to pan around the document and expand thumbnails and notes. It also gives you the ability to create your own instruments with just a tap.
Flow is free to use, but you can pay for a subscription to access cloud storage and remotely back up all your documents.
Note ( App Store
Notability is a great note-taking app for writing or typing more naturally with the keyboard. It allows users to easily switch between the two input modes, but its true strength lies in audio recording.
Notability allows users to record audio in the background, making it ideal for taking notes during a lecture. The application marks page breaks, which makes it easy to export notes as PDF files later.
What’s your favorite Apple Pencil app? Let us know in the comments below.
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