Feature summary | Photoshop on the iPad (October 2021 release)

Learn about the new features available in Photoshop on the iPad in the 2022 releases (version 3.x).

Photoshop on the iPad | Other 2022 releases

Photoshop on the iPad

October 2021 release (version 3.0)

Camera Raw file support

Ever wanted to edit raw files on an iPad while on the move? With this release, you can do just that quickly and effectively in Photoshop on your iPad.

Camera raw file formats have unprocessed data from a digital camera’s sensor. You can use the various controls in the Camera Raw mode to process and interpret the raw image data for your photo in Photoshop on the iPad.

Camera Raw file support

To open and adjust your photos, do the following:

  1. Tap Import and open from the home screen in Photoshop on the iPad and select a desired raw photo. You can also tap the Place  icon from the toolbar on the left side of the canvas to open a raw photo. 
  2. In the Camera Raw mode that opens, you can choose to Edit the image data for your raw photo manually or apply Auto adjustments.
  3. By choosing the Edit option above, you can edit the raw image data manually using controls organized under different panels that you can expand or collapse ─ Light, ColorEffects, Detail, and Optics.
  4. Tap Done once you've finished applying edits.

Your raw photo with applied edits can now be imported as a smart object or as a pixel layer. By default, your edits get imported to a new cloud document as a Camera raw smart object. For now, you cannot go back to the Camera Raw edit mode in Photoshop on the iPad. 

To learn more, check out Work with Camera Raw files.

Smart Object support

With this release, Photoshop on the iPad allows you to work with Smart Objects, just as you would on your desktop. Smart Objects preserve an image's source content with all its original characteristics and enable you to apply non-destructive edits to any layer.

Smart Object support

To convert a layer into a Smart Object in Photoshop on the iPad, choose a layer in your image then do any of the following:

  • Open the Layer Properties panel > Select Convert to smart object
  • Open the Layer Actions panel > Select Convert to smart object

For now, editing a smart object is not supported on the iPad yet. However, you can open your cloud document with a smart object that you created on your iPad and edit it on the desktop application as needed. At the top of the Layer Properties panel, you will see a dialog that conveys the same message.

To learn more, check out Create and work with Smart Objects.

Share for commenting

Sharing your designs and creative work with your teammates and stakeholders just got easier with Photoshop on the iPad! You can easily generate a link to share your cloud documents and add and receive feedback comments.

Share for commenting in Photoshop on the iPad

To generate a shareable link to your cloud document and add/view comments, do the following:

  1. Open a document in Photoshop on the iPad. By default, documents you open within Photoshop on the iPad are cloud documents. 
  2. Tap the Invite to Edit icon ( ) in the top right corner of the app to open the Share document panel
  3. In the Share document panel, tap Change in the Link access section to set the link properties in the Settings panel that opens:
    1. Only invited people can access
    2. Public: anyone with the link can view
  4. For those having a link to your document, you can choose whether they can Comment or Save a Copy
  5. Once done, go back to Share document and click the Send link button at the bottom of the panel. Tap Copy to copy your link to the clipboard. Your document link is now ready to be shared!

You can tap the comments icon to open the Comments panel and directly start typing your feedback in the Write a comment... box or view the comments provided by other people. Currently, Photoshop on the iPad doesn't allow authoring or viewing pins and annotations. 

To learn more, check out Share files and comment in-app.

Lighten or Darken image areas with Dodge and Burn

Set the right exposure for your images by brightening or darkening specific areas with the Dodge and Burn tool.

Dodge and Burn tool

To work with the Dodge tool or the Burn tool, do the following:

  1. Tap the Dodge tool from the toolbar or long-press the Dodge tool to reveal more tool options and then select the Burn tool.
  2. In the tool options bar that opens, choose a brush size, exposure, and hardness for dodging or burning. 
  3. In the tool options, tap the three dots icon to bring up the Dodge settings or Burn settings panel where you can set - Range, Roundness, and Angle. You can also choose to enable the Use pressure for size and Protect Tones options.
  4. Paint over the image area you want to lighten or darken. The more you paint over an area with the Dodge or Burn tool, the lighter or darker it becomes.

Other changes and enhancements

Canvas projection

You can now mirror your screen using AirPlay and project your Photoshop canvas only. To project your canvas, simply navigate to the App Settings > General and enable Canvas projection

To know more, see Manage app settings.

Updated system requirements

With this release, the minimum required iOS version to run Photoshop on your iPad is updated to iPadOS 14. To learn more, check out System Requirements | Photoshop on the iPad.

Fixed customer-reported issues

This month's update brings enhancements and fixes for some customer-reported issues. For detailed information, see Fixed issues in Photoshop.

 Adobe

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