Photo Editing on the Go with the Apple iPad Pro

HOW TO EDIT PHOTOS ON IPAD: GUIDE FOR PERFECT PHOTOS

If you need to edit your photos on the go, you can do it with the Apple iPad Pro. Developers created many paid and free photo editing apps for iPad users that allow enhancing images at a professional level. Read on if you want to learn how to edit photos on iPad like a pro. In this article, I will share useful tips and tricks that will help you make your photos more eye-catching.

1. Import Photos Directly from Camera with a USB-C Cable

When using the iPad Pro, you can quickly import photos using a USB-C SD card reader. Besides, you can connect your device with a camera via a USB-C cable. This option will come in handy for those who have a camera mounted on a tripod and don’t want to take it off during a photo shooting.

After connecting an SD card, go to the Photos app and select the corresponding option on the sidebar under the Devices. Choose an album that you want to import and select the photos that you need to copy. You can also select the Import All option.

Without leaving the app, create a new folder for RAW photos. You can organize them by year and create additional albums for specific types of photos. It’s better to name each album by indicating the date and theme of a photoshoot since it will make it easier to find your photos later.

2. Select the Photos Using the “Favorite“ Feature

If you take many photos, it might be difficult to select the best pictures for further iPad image editing and retouching. To avoid wasting your time when browsing through your collections of photos, make sure to use the Favorite feature in the Photos app that allows you to bookmark images that you want to enhance. What makes the iPad Pro one of the best iPad models available on the market today is that it’s fitted with the Liquid Retina display.

If you have one of the recent camera models, it might be impossible to open your RAW images with the Photos app. While the app allows you to store files in the newest RAW formats, a review thumbnail will be gray. 

To avoid this issue, shoot photos in JPEG+RAW. In this case, the app will use the JPEG file as the thumbnail. Besides, this application will automatically group photos in different formats, which will make it easier for you to browse through your collection.

You can outsource culling and post-processing to a professional photo retouching service. Thanks to it, you will save loads of time and receive enhanced photos more quickly.

3. Apply Basic Adjustments in the Native Photos App

After capturing a photo, select any of the tools available in the Photos app to enhance it on your iPad. With them, you can fix lighting issues, tweak colors, crop and rotate your images, apply filters and effects, etc.

Cropping and Rotating 

1. Tap a picture to open it in a full-screen mode.
2. Go to the Edit menu, select the Rotate Tool on the left, then perform any of the actions described below:

Crop manually: Tap the rectangle corners and drag them in any direction to select an area that you want to save.

Crop to a standard preset ratio: Find the Crop Tool at the top, then pick any aspect ratio you want to use. You will find different options at the bottom of the editing window, such as Square, 9:16, or 5:7.

Rotate: Select the Rotate Photo option to rotate your image 90 degrees.

Flip: Use the Flip Tool to flip the photo horizontally.

3. Select Done to save your image. If you don’t want to confirm the edits, select Cancel, and then tap Discard Changes.

Straightening and Adjusting Perspective

1. Select the Edit option, find the Straighten Tool on the list on the left, then select the effect that you want to adjust. You will find such options on the right: Straighten, Vertical, or Horizontal.
2. Move the slider to customize the settings. You can easily see which effect you are adjusting thanks to the outline around the effect button. Drag the slider in any direction, depending on what effect you are going to achieve. You can also easily compare edited and source photos by tapping the button.
3. If you like the enhanced photo, tap Done to save the adjustments. You can also cancel your edits by discarding changes.

Correcting the Exposure

To adjust the exposure settings, tap a photo thumbnail to view it in the full-screen mode. One of the most useful iPad photo editing tricks involves using the Auto Enhance Tool. With it, you can automatically edit your image by applying various effects. To edit your photo manually, make sure to select the Exposure tool on the left.

1. After selecting the Edit option, swipe up on the right to see a list of options that you can apply to make your image more polished. For instance, you can adjust Exposure, Brilliance, Highlights, and Shadows.
2. Once you have decided which effect you want to use, move the slider to any position to edit your photo. When adjusting the intensity of an effect, you will see an outline around a corresponding button. Thanks to it, you can understand which effect you are adjusting. After tapping the effect button, you can customize the effect to your liking.
3. When you are fully satisfied with the results, tap Done to save the image. If your image looks a bit off, it’s better to tap Cancel and Discard Changes.

Drawing and Adding Text

1. To view your photo in full-screen mode, tap it.
2. Select Edit, then select the Drawing Tool.
3. Add captions to your photo using the available drawing tools and colors. Tap on the Text to add text, shapes, or your signature.
4. Select Done to save your edits or cancel them if you don’t like the result.

Applying Filters

1. Select Edit, then find Filters on the left.
2. Find a suitable filter on the right, then use the slider to customize the effect.
   To compare the result to the source image, tap the photo.
3. Tap Done to save the result. If you don’t like the way your photo looks, tap Cancel, then select Discard Changes.

Reverting to Original

After enhancing your image and saving the result, you can undo your edits to revert to the source image.

1. Click on the enhanced image, tap Edit and Revert.
2. Select the Revert to Original option.

4. Perform Advanced Editing in Third-Party Apps

To perform basic editing, you can use a variety of tools available in the Photos app. However, in some cases, it might be better to use advanced tools to edit photos on iPad at a professional level. If you want to find an app with a range of pro-level editing tools that enable you to remove unwanted objects and perform other complex tasks, you can easily find a great third-party app for your needs. Here is a list of the best applications to choose from.

Adobe Lightroom – This professional software is widely used by experienced photographers. Besides a desktop version, it has mobile apps for iPhone and iPad, which makes it the best option for those who want to quickly enhance their images on the go. This app comes with an impressive choice of photo-editing tools and filters. In addition, it’s compatible with the Apple Pencil. If you have already used a desktop version, you will easily figure out how to use a mobile one since they have a similar UI design.

Snapseed – This app is perfectly suitable for enhancing RAW photos. It comes with a healing brush, cropping and WB adjustment tools as well as a variety of effects that will help you give your photo a polished look. Here, you will find a variety of effects that you can apply to your images to make them look like an old photo or grainy film.

Photoshop Fix – This is a perfect option for those who have already mastered Photoshop. You can use it to edit your images on iPad and quickly transfer them to the desktop version of Photoshop. This app has everything you may need for editing your images. With it, you can quickly adjust exposure, contrast, and saturation.

VSCO – If you are looking for an app with a huge collection of filters, this is your choice. It’s popular among photographers who want to add an analog film effect to their photos. You can use it to crop your images, adjust contrast and saturation, tweak colors and perform other adjustments. With the help of the Montage feature, you can create a collage using images, shapes, and videos. Besides, you can use 10 free and 200+ paid presets to make your photos even more eye-catching.

Facetune – This application is suitable for those who need to edit portrait photos. With it, you can retouch hair, skin, and eyes. Facetune has many tools that are similar to the ones you can find in Photoshop. At the same time, this app is more affordable. Since the available tools are quite advanced, you may need to watch a tutorial to master them.

Pixelmator Photo – Thanks to its AI-driven tools, Pixelmator Photo allows you to optimize your workflow by automating a variety of photo editing tasks. You can enhance your photos more quickly using an in-built collection of professional filters and presets that can be further customized to your liking. Besides, you can save your image to continue editing it at a later point.

Prisma – What makes Prisma different from other apps is that it allows you to turn your photos into paintings. By applying special filters, you can edit your images in a specific art style. For instance, you can use anime, Van Gogh, and pencil art effects. This free photo editing app allows you to upload your own effects as well.