iPad -> Mac workflow (Pixelmator vs Affinity vs ??)

[kriista1234]

So I've been using Pixelmator (not Pro) for a few years now, after moving away from Photoshop once they went subscription and have been pretty happy with. It doesn't do everything, but does most of what I need.

I've been eyeballing getting an iPad Pro for doing drawing/design stuff with an Apple Pencil (and am eagerly waiting to see what announcements the immediate future holds), but I wanted to ask what the options are for having an iPad -> Mac workflow with modern day apps. More specifically, I want to be able to draw/sketch/brainstorm on the iPad and then move over to working on the Mac (and perhaps back) seamlessly. So without having to save/export/import each time I do this. I also don't want to use iCloud if possible (don't want to pay for another cloud service).

Do any of the (non-Adobe) apps let you move back-and-forth without needing to save/export/import? Does this happen natively with the Files app or via their own thing?

Any thoughts/suggestions?

 

[Momof9]

You should have 5gb? Free on icloud. I love Affinity Photo and designer.

 

[kriista1234]

Yeah there's some free stuff, but I just worry that if iCloud is the only conduit between iOS and Mac that it may get full and then have to upgrade etc...

So I'd want to do it natively.

 

[mox358]

Affinity Photo and Designer are the best options. I use this exact setup to edit files on my Mac and then continue editing the same files on the go via iPad Pro. I would agree with Momof9 and say you need some sort of paid cloud file sync, either iCloud or Dropbox, to make this seamless.

 

[kriista1234]

I got Affinity Designer a few weeks ago and been pretty happy so far, so that seems a good route.

I don't mind paying for a cloud service (I moved to sync.com from dropbox about 4 years ago and haven't looked back), I just don't want to pay for a second one just for this.

(I went with sync since everything is encrypted and the files are stored in servers outside of the US, plus I got really tired of dropbox making it difficult to share large files since people would have to add it to their dropbox (I don't know if this is different now, but that was the case many years ago)

 

[mox358]

I haven’t had any issues with Dropbox, but from a casual glance you should be able to use your sync.com account just fine with Affinity. Are you working exclusively on Mac or are you going back and forth between Mac and iPad Pro?

 

[kriista1234]

Ah nice, that's really good to know. I haven't checked sync.com integration with most apps as I primarily use it to keep all the important files across my computers in sync.

At the moment I'm only working on my Mac, but the idea is to incorporate the iPad Pro/Pencil into the workflow, I just wanted to avoid that being a point of friction.

 

[mox358]

Affinity on the iPad opens anything from the Files app, so as long as you can sync to it from your Sync.com app you should be fine. I use Dropbox and iCloud Drive both in this manner - save the files from my Mac to the cloud and open up on the iPad and it works great. The Apple Pencil support is awesome in these apps!