#Slide ruler software
Ambient Design’s ArtRage far outshines Adobe’s fairly simple applications in features, and also has a very slick software ruler that can be extended and rotated - complete with a realistic set of pixel and inch markings. Autodesk’s Sketchbook application works with active stylus devices, and provides a fairly complete set of drafting tools, even including a software ruler. As cool as they are, they’re not the only way to do digital sketching with cool tools. Ink and Slide sell for $200, and require an iPad. Line even offers a software version of the Slide ruler capability, so you can experiment with it before you decide whether to shell out money for the hardware version.Īlternative solutions for digital drawing They require a Creative Cloud membership - but even the free level is sufficient, so you don’t need to spend any money. Fortunately both applications are free to download so you can try them out yourself. One nice feature of Line that it shares with its much bigger brother Illustrator, is an ability to project perspective grids for easy perspective drawing. Adobe has been continuing to tweak their interfaces and add features right up until release, so I’m not going to try to give you an exhaustive list, but basically they are very smart applications that provide an elegant interface for basic drawing.
#Slide ruler full
Since Ink and Slide are unique hardware, and Adobe hasn’t shipped its developer kit for them yet, using them to their full capability means using one of Adobe’s two new drawing applications for the iPad - Line and Sketch. Ink connects to your Creative Cloud account, so you can store your favorite color palettes online and have them for use wherever you have your Ink.Īdobe Line and Sketch: Companion software for Ink and Slide Ink connects over Bluetooth to allow its button to work, and enable it to support personalization. While it is technically not a true active stylus, Ink’s pen tip does use some electronics, allowing its small tip to trick the iPad into thinking that it is a full “finger” touch. I’m a huge fan of pen-based computing, so it didn’t take much to convince me that, as a more precise way to write or draw, Ink would be a useful addition to the iPad. I was fortunate enough to have Ink, Slide, and pre-release software to use for a couple weeks prior to launch. Adobe Ink is a cleverly-designed version of an Adonit Bluetooth-enabled stylus, and Adobe Slide is a unique “digital ruler” that works with Adobe’s new iPad applications, Sketch and Line. Today that changes with the roll-out of two new accessories designed to play into the surging demand for mobile digital tools.
Adobe has long dominated the business of providing software tools for creative professionals - but it has always shied away from hardware.