What you need to know
- Adobe has shown off Illustrator for iPad for the first time.
- The app won't be ready until 2020.
- You can sign up to get early access, though.
After releasing Photoshop for iPad earlier today Adobe has now also shown Illustrator for the first time, too. The app won't be ready until sometime next year, but you can sign up to be notified of when that will be. And you might even get early access, too.
Adobe says that it is "committed to enabling creativity anytime and anywhere." And as part of that it's slowly but surely bringing all its heavy hitters to iPad. Illustrator is a big deal for those who can actually draw, unlike me. And Adobe reckons that it will be able to make the iPad version of the app take full advantage of a tablet interface.
What's our vision for Illustrator on the iPad? We're still in the early stages, but fundamentally, we're reimagining the Illustrator experience from the ground up to take advantage of the unique capabilities a tablet offers in terms of touch and Apple pencil. We've connected with thousands of designers to understand how they could use a tablet in their creative process. A few core concepts we're focusing on include:
There will of course be support for Apple Pencil, that much is table stakes at this point. But Adobe says we can expect some other features that take advantage of Illustrator running on an iPad. Being able to take a photo of a sketch and then have the app help transform it into vector shapes is something that sounds super cool. And because the whole thing will be backed by Creative Cloud, all of your work will go with you wherever you go.
Adobe isn't saying when this will all come to life other than a vague 2020 release window. I've already signed up to get early access and if you'd back yourself with a pencil I'd suggest you do the same.
