iPad Mini for photo editing

[allisonv7]

Does anyone use one of the latest iPad mini to edit files on the road?

Currently my home set up is a 27" iMac that does an amazing job. However, I find myself out of town shooting every few weeks. Sometimes I have pictures I want to edit when I'm away from home and I'm considering the ipad mini.

I'm also thinking about the 11" iPad pro but I'm wondering if it's overkill for what I need and if it's worth twice the cost of the Mini. Plus, I prefer the size of the Mini. But if it's going to be slow I would prefer the 11" pro. Cost is a factor, but functionality is the priority.

I'd be editing 10-20 RAW files/day in Lightroom (or maybe the Affinity app I keep hearing about) using an Apple pencil. I'm not interested in a laptop because I'm not a trackpad fan and before I know it I'd be lugging around a large charger and mouse.

I'm seeing tons of reviews for the ipad pro and I know it'll do the job, but nothing much on the mini so I'm interested in hearing if anyone has experience with it as a photo editor.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Why not the iPad Air? You get an improved display but at a more reasonable price. Plus you could get a keyboard cover for it eventually if you really wanted to. I wouldn’t personally want to edit on something as small as the mini.

 

[allisonv7]

Why not the iPad Air? You get an improved display but at a more reasonable price. Plus you could get a keyboard cover for it eventually if you really wanted to. I wouldn’t personally want to edit on something as small as the mini.

I've thought of that.... the reason for me to choose the Mini over the 11" pro would be for size. If I'm doing the 10.5" Air I might as well go with the Pro.

My main concern is if the mini has the power to edit photos well. I've never had an ipad before, let alone edited on a tablet, so some real-world experience from folks editing photos would be good information.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

What size RAW files? iPad handles them pretty well. I had edited 16MP RAW on the A10X version of the iPad Pro with no trouble. The A12 in the mini is generally faster than the A10X at everything. I don’t think performance will be a problem if your file sizes are reasonable.

Do you have an iPhone?

 

[sublunar]

Keep in mind that you'll be stuck with a Lightning port which only does USB2 for data input speeds. USB-C on the iPad Pros are the full USB3 and you get the flexibility to use proper USB-C peripherals too including USB-C chargers. As you're only editing a small number of files a day that might not take much of a difference to you. I believe the iPad Pros have much more RAM too if you're editing large RAW files.

 

[allisonv7]

What size RAW files? iPad handles them pretty well. I had edited 16MP RAW on the A10X version of the iPad Pro with no trouble. The A12 in the mini is generally faster than the A10X at everything. I don’t think performance will be a problem if your file sizes are reasonable.

Do you have an iPhone?

~30mb/photo

Yes, I do have an iphone. Maybe I could test run editing on there and it would be comparable to a Mini? I have an iphone 10.
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Keep in mind that you'll be stuck with a Lightning port which only does USB2 for data input speeds. USB-C on the iPad Pros are the full USB3 and you get the flexibility to use proper USB-C peripherals too including USB-C chargers. As you're only editing a small number of files a day that might not take much of a difference to you. I believe the iPad Pros have much more RAM too if you're editing large RAW files.

What would you consider large? My RAW files are about 30 mb/each. Normally I'm on my desktop and that isn't an issue.

I have thought about the Lightning port/USB-C port, but at this point I'm fairly neutral about it. I plan to just load what I would like to edit a few of my favorites each day so I can share them, I'm not looking to go through the whole library of the day's shots.

Really, if the pro came in a smaller size it wouldn't even be a contest. I definitely prefer the size of the mini though. But, if the mini is just going to be a headache because it lacks the power I'll need, I'd prefer to size up to the pro.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Yes, I do have an iphone. Maybe I could test run editing on there and it would be comparable to a Mini? I have an iphone 10.

Yes, that would be a good test. I think it would be fine. iPad handles RAW really well, IMO.

 

[Ray2]

I used a mini 4 for travel for 3 years. I now use a 9.7" iPad 6. Both with 128gb. Use Lightroom with the 20gb plan. I cull very aggressively (cull in Lightroom, I find it much simpler and quicker than trying to minimize imports to CC). A usual day is 80% to 90% of my images get trashed or, marked for trash but used initially for sharing, then get dumped.

1) Lightroom runs very well on the regular (non Pro) iPads. CC certainly runs quicker than any LR Classic install I've ever had from Mac Pros to Airs.

2) While USB-C is quicker, its the upload time to CC that takes time. Its the same no matter what you're using and thats generally slow and can be very slow. I could work on local only files but I like to chill after a day out so I walk away and let it do its thing.

3) I have always had an abundance of gear around the house. There's always a MBP or an Air that's around, my gf's typically comes along on trips. I've always preferred the iPad.

4) Import to Files, directly to the CC folder that's in there. You can then edit jpeg's. I created jpeg and raw folders so I quickly know where to go.

5) By far and away the biggest constraint are my eyes. For small batches of edits, a mini was fine. The 9.7" iPad is significantly easier on my eyes. Since I spend at least 4 to 6 months traveling each year, I find the the larger iPads are truly my laptop replacements.

6) I bought the pencil. I don't use the pencil. I prefer my finger, less stuff to travel with and keep charged. Same with a keyboard, hubs, backup drives, etc.

7) Unless you're doing critical work (in which case I'd suggest a MacBook Pro) develop some filters you can apply. I often develop a filter for each day. Lighting is generally the same. It saves me from making the same tweaks over and over again. When I'm on the road, pixel peeping gives way to speed.

8) Organizational skills help. Ask yourself what you plan to do when you get back home and tag/rate appropriately. I've been editing with iPads since the iPad I. I'm now at a point that all I do when I get home is a small amount of DAM and edit a handful of shots worth being keepers.

9) Backups are the SD cards. I don't do video and don't employ a machine gun approach to photography so this works fine for me. This approach may not work for you.

10) There are some good threads on using an iPad for photography on this site. If you haven't already, I'd suggest reading them. Beyond Macrumors, I can't say I've found much out there. Some good threads occasionally pop up on camera brand specific forums but finding them can be a chore.

 

[allisonv7]

I used a mini 4 for travel for 3 years. I now use a 9.7" iPad 6. Both with 128gb. Use Lightroom with the 20gb plan. I cull very aggressively (cull in Lightroom, I find it much simpler and quicker than trying to minimize imports to CC). A usual day is 80% to 90% of my images get trashed or, marked for trash but used initially for sharing, then get dumped.

1) Lightroom runs very well on the regular (non Pro) iPads. CC certainly runs quicker than any LR Classic install I've ever had from Mac Pros to Airs.

2) While USB-C is quicker, its the upload time to CC that takes time. Its the same no matter what you're using and thats generally slow and can be very slow. I could work on local only files but I like to chill after a day out so I walk away and let it do its thing.

3) I have always had an abundance of gear around the house. There's always a MBP or an Air that's around, my gf's typically comes along on trips. I've always preferred the iPad.

4) Import to Files, directly to the CC folder that's in there. You can then edit jpeg's. I created jpeg and raw folders so I quickly know where to go.

5) By far and away the biggest constraint are my eyes. For small batches of edits, a mini was fine. The 9.7" iPad is significantly easier on my eyes. Since I spend at least 4 to 6 months traveling each year, I find the the larger iPads are truly my laptop replacements.

6) I bought the pencil. I don't use the pencil. I prefer my finger, less stuff to travel with and keep charged. Same with a keyboard, hubs, backup drives, etc.

7) Unless you're doing critical work (in which case I'd suggest a MacBook Pro) develop some filters you can apply. I often develop a filter for each day. Lighting is generally the same. It saves me from making the same tweaks over and over again. When I'm on the road, pixel peeping gives way to speed.

8) Organizational skills help. Ask yourself what you plan to do when you get back home and tag/rate appropriately. I've been editing with iPads since the iPad I. I'm now at a point that all I do when I get home is a small amount of DAM and edit a handful of shots worth being keepers.

9) Backups are the SD cards. I don't do video and don't employ a machine gun approach to photography so this works fine for me. This approach may not work for you.

10) There are some good threads on using an iPad for photography on this site. If you haven't already, I'd suggest reading them. Beyond Macrumors, I can't say I've found much out there. Some good threads occasionally pop up on camera brand specific forums but finding them can be a chore.

Thank so much for the information, this was incredibly helpful! I'm really just looking for something I can use for a few days until I can get back to my homebase. Occasionally this would be up to two weeks, but even then I would expect editing about 10-20 photos/day of shooting just so I have some to share immediately as needed. I can do further editing and will organize my library post-trip.

 

[bijutoha]

I loved the intro, a great fun way to start editing on the iPad. I feel a great color correction in iPad Mini, cuz it has a P3 Wide Color Gamut Laminated Display. It’s smaller but mighty and easier to use handheld.