Sidecar: how come no one mentions pressure sensitivity?

[aevan]

Sidecar is great, it works really good and it's one of the things I'm most excited about in Catalina.

However, as I mentioned here before, Pencil pressure sensitivity is way off. There is a sort of expected pressure level, how much you need to press your stylus against the screen/tablet to get a thicker line or more opacity. Wacom, Apple Pencil (in iPad apps like Notes, Procreate, CSP, Fresco, etc.), Ntrig - all have similar behavior.

But in Sidecar, you have to press really hard to get a stronger result. For example, when you draw with what I'd call regular pressure, the lines in Photoshop are barely visible (when using a pressure-sensitive brush, ofc). The same in many programs, like Zbrush or Clip Studio (which is also present on iPad, and the pressure with the same Pencil is much different on native iPad version then when using Sidecar).

This is really problematic, I mean, if anyone wants to use the Pencil in Sidecar, you have to manually adjust the pressure curve in programs that have this option (and then it works normally), but the apps that don't (and many don't - Photoshop is one of those, even Zbrush is a little bit complicated in this regard) - this is a real issue.

My question is - we have 4 developer betas and no one is talking about it. Like, if you go to iMore, a site that always covered the artistic usage of iPads and Pencil related stuff - it doesn't mention this at all. They have a nice article about Sidecar, they explain it fully - and yet, they seem to not have an issue with this.

How come? I mean, is this really not bothering anyone? And I'm talking about Wacom users here, artists, etc. A lot of people tried the beta, a lot of people demonstrated Sidecar in YT videos, how come no one is talking about this problem?

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

How is the sensitivity on Astropad and the other one I cant remember the name...Luna?

 

[aevan]

How is the sensitivity on Astropad and the other one I cant remember the name...Luna?

Much better. To clarify - it’s not the sensitivity, the sensitivity is technically the same, it’s how this sensitivity is mapped to a value (opacity, size, etc). This is called the pressure curve and a lot of apps have it (including iPad apps like Procreate). This is easily fixed with the ability to adjust this pressure curve (Clip Studio on the Mac and iPad has it, for example) - when you adjust it in the app, it’s just as good as Astropad and Sidecar shines.

Astropad Studio (the “pro” version) has the ability to adjust the curve outside apps themselves, Wacom tablets have the same option. But even in Astropad Standard, it’s a lot better.

But this is not a matter of preference or small adjustments, it is definitely bad in Sidecar. Take a regular painting brush from Photoshop CC 2018-2019 and it will barely register without pressing really hard (you have to press much less with a Wacom tablet for the same result). The same is in Clip Studio, only there you can adjust the curve and then it’s great. Not every app has this option, though.

My fear is that Apple thinks this is ok and thinks developers should adjust their pressure response to Sidecar. While this is certainly possible, I would much prefer it if Apple followed standards set by Wacom and others (heck, even their own iPad apps like Notes) or give us the option to adjust the curve. Perhaps, with the correct API support, this will be possible with 3rd party apps. Still, it’s a bit worrying. Especially since it’s such an easy fix on Apple’s side. I sent the feedback, but whether they will listen is another story. This is why I’m curious that no one mentioned this.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Much better. To clarify - it’s not the sensitivity, the sensitivity is technically the same, it’s how this sensitivity is mapped to a value (opacity, size, etc). This is called the pressure curve and a lot of apps have it (including iPad apps like Procreate). This is easily fixed with the ability to adjust this pressure curve (Clip Studio on the Mac and iPad has it, for example) - when you adjust it in the app, it’s just as good as Astropad and Sidecar shines.

Astropad Studio (the “pro” version) has the ability to adjust the curve outside apps themselves, Wacom tablets have the same option. But even in Astropad Standard, it’s a lot better.

But this is not a matter of preference or small adjustments, it is definitely bad in Sidecar. Take a regular painting brush from Photoshop CC 2018-2019 and it will barely register without pressing really hard (you have to press much less with a Wacom tablet for the same result). The same is in Clip Studio, only there you can adjust the curve and then it’s great. Not every app has this option, though.

My fear is that Apple thinks this is ok and thinks developers should adjust their pressure response to Sidecar. While this is certainly possible, I would much prefer it if Apple followed standards set by Wacom and others (heck, even their own iPad apps like Notes) or give us the option to adjust the curve. Perhaps, with the correct API support, this will be possible with 3rd party apps. Still, it’s a bit worrying. Especially since it’s such an easy fix on Apple’s side. I sent the feedback, but whether they will listen is another story. This is why I’m curious that no one mentioned this.

Thanks for the explanation. Maybe they are prioritizing it as just a second screen for using tools and in a future version some improvements. In which case system preferences would need the options for the pressure curves etc

 

[subjonas]

Quick question. Everything I’ve read has been clear that if an application supports a stylus, it will “just works” in Sidecar with the Apple Pencil. But it’s less clear when it comes to pressure sensitivity and tilt. If it works with Wacom pens, does that mean pressure sensitivity and tilt will automatically work the Pencil in Sidecar or does the developer need to activate it?

 

[whatlarks]

It's 2023 and the problem still does not fixed.