Creativity Apps
Adobe Color Lava to SketchBook Pro
Adobe Color Lava to SketchBook Pro
Adobe Color Lava
$3
Photoshop users can now put their iPad to use as a palette to interactively blend colors as if they were paint and save them to swatches to use in Photoshop. It could be more responsive, but still it's a good companion to the leading digital art software package.
Algoriddim Djay
$19.99
Djay for iPad won't cut it for the advanced DJ, but it's a fun tool that lets you spin the (virtual) wheels of steel.
ArtRage
$6.99
Express your artistic side with this mobile version of the desktop painting and drawing tool. ArtRage lets amateur Picassos sketch, blend digital watercolors, and add layers, all from the convenience of your iPad.
GarageBand for iPad
$4.99
GarageBand for iPad may not (currently) be compatible with its desktop equivalent, but it melds in-depth recording, tons of loops, and Smart Instruments into one killer audio creation app.
Photoshop Express
Free
The iPad is perfect for viewing photos, but what if you want to make changes to those pictures? Adobe's Photoshop Express lets you crop, straighten, rotate and flip images, as well as add a variety of filters and effects. For fine editing you will still need to work on a PC, but for basic fixes this app is fantastic.
Pianist Pro
$9.99
This program is much more than the glorified touch-screen piano it appears to be. In addition to containing basic sounds for electric piano, acoustic guitar, and other instruments, it offers a special Scale Piano that locks the keys to specific scales (such as Minor Melodic Ascending, or Arabian). It's perfect for jamming or coming up with new compositions, even if you lack formal music theory training.
SketchBook Pro
$7.99
SketchBook Pro is a professional-level paint and drawing app with a staggering number of tools. It features 75 preset brushes, pencils, and pens, plus synthetic pressure sensitivity, numerous fill and draw tools, and support for up to six layers. The app also exports to Photo Library and even as layered PSD files, for further work in Photoshop or other processing.
