Looking to edit photos using a drawing tablet? We offer tips on how to choose the right tablet for photo editing.
Using a drawing tablet for photo editing may not sound at first like the most intuitive thing in the world. However, it’s a medium that’s become hugely popular. From professionals using Wacom tablets to make precise skin and hair retouches, to casual shooters using the Lightroom iPad app to fine-tune their photos on the go, a tablet can be a huge asset to practically any photo editor.
In this guide, we’re providing a few practical tips for anyone who thinks they might want to edit photos on a tablet. If you’re trying to narrow down which is the best drawing tablet for you, and which is the best photo editor to use it with, here is a good place to start.
Fair warning – photo editing on a tablet, any tablet, takes some getting used to. You may even hate it at first. However, if you make the right choice of tablet, and stick with it through those teething troubles, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself wondering how you ever lived without it. With that said, let’s take a closer look at how to choose a drawing tablet for photo editing.1. What type of tablet do I need for photo editing?
Drawing tablet come in three main flavors (we’ve compared graphics tablets vs pen displays vs tablet computers, if you want more detail):
Graphics tablets – digital drawing surfaces which need to be plugged into an external display.
Pen displays – digital drawing surfaces with their own built-in screens. The top-end tablets used by professional designers tend to fall into this category.
Tablet computers – a generic term covering iPads, Samsung Galaxies, Windows Surfaces, etc.
The key question to answer is whether you want a tablet to augment your existing editing setup or one that can operate independently for on-the-go retouching. All graphics tablets and most pen displays need to be plugged into a computer that’s running your editing software, while tablet computers and some high-end pen displays can run the software independently.
So, if you want something for editing on the go, get a tablet computer like an iPad. If you want something to complement an existing setup, i.e. you’ve already got a good laptop or desktop that runs your photo editing software, then a graphics tablet or pen display is the better way to go.2. Is a drawing tablet good for photo editing?
The answer to this question is not a blanket “yes”.
