GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

My current iPad Air bit the dust and I’m looking at the new iPad Pro. I plan on taking a trip soon and wanted to leave the computer at home. My question is this: Can I get accurate edits using LR CC? I currently use LR Classic and Photoshop. I read that Photoshop is now available for iPad. Does anyone have experience using this combo? Also, what about the iPad Air (3rd generation)? I searched this site and only found posts on this subject from 2015.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

I have PS Express (series of pre-sets with sliders in categories), Photoshop Fix (seem to be stuck in a tutorial so don’t use), Photoshop Mix (same comment), Photoshop (not free, 1 month trial, small Adobe Cloud), Lightroom for iPad (seems promising). I don’t do much image editing anymore.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

My ipad pro is about 3 years old and the Adobe programs work well on it. I have not used an Ipad air, don't even know what it is or how it is different from the pro. Yes, LRCC and Photoshop work on the ipad, and you can move your edits back to your regular computer, though the transitions are not entirely painless, and it may take a while to figure out a workflow that suits you. LRCC is great, and you can do just about anything on it that you'd do on LR Classic on your computer. Photoshop for ipad is still pretty young and lacks a lot of the features I use on my desktop, but every version gets a little better. You will need an Apple Pencil to get the detail in editing that you probably want. There are other pieces of Adobe software that are also fun to use in conjunction with the CC suite, including Photoshop Mix, Photoshop Fix, Adobe Sketch, Photoshop Camera, Adobe Capture, Adobe Scan, Adobe Fresco, and the old favorite Photoshop Express. Moving an image back and forth between all these can be challenging and some routes are circuitous but they offer lots of editing choices if you can be patient enough to find routes between them.

I generally use the ipad rather than a laptop when I'm away from home, then integrate everything back into my home computer when I return. But there's different ways to use the multiple device approach, and you'll have to find what works for you.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Before the Pro’s came out the Air’s were top of the line. What and how your iPad can do things depends on the iOS you have installed. The high numbers have bug fixes and the basic operations remain the same, for the most part.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Thank you for this very detailed and informative response. It’s exactly the kind of information I need. I think I’ll need to learn how to take advantage of the mobile Lightroom since it works with the desktop Lightroom, now called LrC. I’ve tried some of the apps you mentioned. I also tried LRCC mobile when it first came out but didn’t like it. Nothing works quite as well as the Classic Lightroom. With all the upgrades it is supposed to be better.

However, I am open to using other non-Adobe apps. The latest LR update really messed up my catalog and it took me a week to fix it; but that is another topic and I will start a new post about that fiasco.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Do you edit on your iPad? If so, the Pro or the Air? I would most likely only do light edits on an iPad. I’m better at “getting it right in the camera” than I used to be!

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

I’m primarily interested in the iPad for a way to store photos while on vacation, and then to view and edit them during my down time at night. I just didn’t know if the iPad Pro was that much better than the iPad Air. Then there is the question of which keyboard cover to get and, of course, I would want the iPencil! If anyone has used the new iPad Pro for this, I would be very interested in what they thought.

I will be going to Best But to look at my options. An Apple store is an hour drive from me.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

I would be interested in your LRCC to LrClassic workflow.

Baysitter11 Loc: Cincinnati

Piggy backing on that response, too.

DaveC Loc: Illinois

I am quite adept at Photoshop on Windows. I also have a iPad Air, but don’t use it much for photo editing. I am planning to buy the latest iPad Pro and gradually (as Adobe continues to update it,) move everything over to the iPad Pro.

I’m mainly posting this so as to keep informed of updates to this discussion, but would also be interested in comments and thoughts as to my plan.

JanSIrons Loc: Central Illinois USA

My 2013 MacBook Air just died ... it was a 4 GB/256 version that Apple tells me cannot be used in conjunction with Lightroom. I was using an external hard drive for Lightroom. New specs from Apple for Lightroom seem to be 16 GB for Lightroom & Photoshop. You can get a MacBook Air with 16 GB but it's a special order. My new MacBook Pro is the same weight and size (well, the Air was 3.0 lbs and the Pro is 3.1 lbs) with considerable more ram and storage. I'm still using the same external hard drive for LR.

NOTE: The new Apple Airs/Pros DO NOT HAVE NORMAL USB PORTS - OR SD CARD SLOTS! This caused me a bit of consternation but you can buy adapters. I have an adapter that has a USB to thunderbolt as well as an SD to thunderbolt. Both are working well so far.

I've not tried the IPad for travel, although it would be a major weight savings!

PauHana Loc: Tucson, AZ

Could you share information as to how you load images to your iPad and transfer to other storage, like an external hard drive? Or recommend a good resource for such information? I travel a lot and would like to leave my laptop at home. I would like to view images on the iPad, do some simple edits and convert from RAW to Jpg. I would like to be able to transfer images from the iPad to an external drive or simply duplicate the images from the iPad to the drive. Thanks for your help.

ashriverguy Loc: Rural Minnesota

I use an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to do all my editing and am very happy with the results. Although, if a photo needs REALLY serious work or you have many to do a computer might still be a better choice. Go to an Apple Store and talk to them and they will set you straight on compatibility issues and which model you need.
It’s the same price wherever you buy it.

Skate Loc: Kilgore, TX

The IPad Pro is prefect for me while traveling - I can check and answer emails/texts etc. while on a trip, US or overseas. I take pictures during the daily travels - then cull, edit and save them on the iPad at night. Then send them to anyone else on the tour/trip - the next day via air drop or email. I have the larger iPad so they can really see the clarity of the pictures and can really enjoy them more......

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I use an Apple SD card reader meant for use on the ipad, download my pictures into LRCC on the ipad, edit as I wish. If I have good internet service, I sync to my Adobe cloud. If I don't have internet, the sync has to wait till I get home. I have a particular folder set up on my photo external drive at home to receive the sync'ed photos and import them into LR Classic. THIS IS ESSENTIAL.

Once I'm home, regardless of whether the photos are yet synced or just getting started syncing, I open LRCC on the ipad, open LR Classic on the computer, and leave them to discuss their business. Depending on how many photos, your wifi, and other factors, this could take a few minutes or a couple of hours, but when it's done, all your photos from your LRCC on your ipad and the edits you've made will appear like magic within your LR Classic program.

Once I'm sure everything is safely copied over and backed up, I then delete the photos from my Adobe Cloud because I'm not interested in buying enough storage from Adobe to keep everything there, but everyone's preferences are their own. Deleting from the cloud will delete them from LRCC but NOT from LR Classic, which is safely held on your own drives.

I also keep my photos on the camera cards as a second backup until I'm home and have everything safe and sound.

Here's a search result for what I do, which may be a little different from what you want to do but it should get you started.

https://www.google.com/search?q=use+ipad+for+temporary+storage+while+traveling+and+sync+with+lightroom+classic&oq=use+ipad+for+temporary+storage+while+traveling+and+sync+with+lightroom+classic&aqs=chrome..69i57.12196j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8