iPad mini usability

[johnpdoe]

Hi,

 

I see that Affinity recently started supported iPad minis (5) for the first time. Every review/article I can find out there, showcases Affinity Photo in either iPad, iPad Air or iPad Pro, but there are pretty much no notes on how it looks/works/performs on an iPad mini.

Can I ask if any of you is using Affinity Photo in an iPad mini to do intermediate/pro level work and how are you finding the workflow?

Is the interface too cluttered in the smaller screen or can you comfortably zoom in and use all the tools?

Any shortcomings or dealbreakers for making an iPad mini the main Affinity Photo device?

 

Thanks a lot!

[Dan C]

Hi johnpdoe,

Welcome to the forums

23 hours ago, johnpdoe said:

Can I ask if any of you is using Affinity Photo in an iPad mini to do intermediate/pro level work and how are you finding the workflow?

I don't personally use the Mini 5 very often, so I'm hoping other users can chime in here with their experiences - however I've used the Mini 5 for a variety of testing and I've personally never found the screen size/slighter lower specs to affect performance or workflow speed noticeably.

23 hours ago, johnpdoe said:

Is the interface too cluttered in the smaller screen or can you comfortably zoom in and use all the tools?

There's no UI size options currently, but again I personally find that all tools are easy to access and use without error & you can hide the UI at any time to maximise the workspace. I've taken a few photos using my phone of the Mini 5 running Photo, with a Magic Mouse 2 for scale -

Of course, you can always purchase an Apple Pencil (gen 1) for use with the App, as this can make more precise actions (such as drawing/colour selection) easier and I personally believe drawing with the Apple Pencil is one of the best 'Pen-like' experiences that I've tested.

23 hours ago, johnpdoe said:

Any shortcomings or dealbreakers for making an iPad mini the main Affinity Photo device?

We've included as many of the desktop features in our iPad apps as possible, but there are still a few things (such as customisable keyboard shortcuts & macro creation) that isn't available on the iPad currently, but we certainly hope to implement in future updates.

Could you confirm the type of workflow you'd like to use in Affinity Photo for iPad so I can confirm these features/functions are all available in the current build? Many thanks in advance!

[Ashcat_]

I have an iPad mini 5 and an iPad Pro 12”. At both devices I use the pen (1e gen). At the iPad mini I draw mostly a quick sketch or a part of a drawing when I’m on the road. I put all the files made in Affinity at the iCloud so I can always load them at any device. 

[johnpdoe]

@Dan thanks a lot for the comprehensive answer. Looking at the product in the iPad mini for scale helps a lot. I'm planning on using the apple pen too, so I think it should be ok.

In terms of workflow, I am still trying to build one!. I am a new user to affinity. I'll be getting that iPad and getting into it in a couple of weeks.

 

Thanks a lot for your help! This is pretty much what I needed.