The App That Every iPad Pro Artist Needs-- Discussion

Everybody knows about Procreate, possibly because the App Store has featured it like CRAZY ever since the iPad Pro came out. It was and still is easily the best iOS art app. There are lots of reasons why-- here are just a few of them.

1. Workflow

Procreate is super special because it was not only built specifically for the iPad, but it was also designed specifically for the iPad. You'd think that is pretty fundamental, but you might be surprised at how many art apps on the App Store miss the target by a long shot. Their problem is usually that they are trying to replicate standard desktop apps like photoshop, and think that the more like photoshop it is the better. Procreate knew that the workflow would be completely different on an iPad, and figured out how to make that experience the best one possible.

2. Pro Features

Custom brushes, advanced layer options, and humongous canvas possibilities-- Procreate clearly has the professional digital painter in mind.

3. Community

An active community is key, I think, to a good program. From collecting helpful tips and tricks for using some procreate, to suggesting ideas for improvements, Procreate's forums are just wonderful.

And yet, there seems to be a trend within the suggestions section, that I don't think Procreate is recognizing, nor do I think they neccassarily should. This trend goes something like this:

1. Please make a text tool

2. Please make a text tool

And, last but not least:

3: PLEASE MAKE A TEXT TOOL! PS. HOW HARD WOULD IT BE?

The problem with these complaints- I mean, suggestions- are that they don't really stand with Procreate's foundation. As is, Procreate has a very specific customer in mind: a digital painter. They don't want to clutter up their amazingly simple interface with tools that not every single one of their customers will use. And I agree with that completely, except for one problem-- There isn't an app as good as Procreate for the group of artists that need a text tool, aka the comic artists. To make a comic on the iPad pro you have to use multiple apps to get what you want and those apps just aren't as well designed as Procreate. 

Whoever creates an amazing app that makes creating comics on the iPad even more of a joy than using a desktop app will be a very very rich person indeed. And so, obviously, I am trying to figure out ways to do just that. The point of this post is to start up a discussion with the comic artists out there about what they would like to see in an app specifically designed for making comics. Also, I have a few fairly revolutionary ideas of my own, and want to see what you guys think. Here they are:

Layers

Sketching Layer

When you open a new canvas, you are already on a sketching layer. The basic idea of a sketching layer would be that when you are on it, it automatically hides all the layers above it, but when you are on a layer above it, wether it be another sketch layer or not, it's opacity is automatically lowered by 50 percent. This is also helpful if you want to import a sketch, or if you want to make an animation.

Inking Layer

When you are finished with your sketch, you can make a new "inking" layer. This layer is an automatic reference layer for the layers above, and just like a sketch layer, it has its own pen tool and color that you set when you first make the layer.

Regular Layer

Just a normal layer, and even if you have multiple the color stays the same throughout switches.

Tools

Eraser - Tap and hold to clear layer/selected (Also have an block eraser option for removing whole lines/segments at once while inking)

Smudge - Tap and hold to blur layer/selected

Paint - Tap and hold to fill/gradient layer/selected

Select - Tap and hold to select layer contents

Text - Tap and hold to edit text on layer (?)

Gestures

Double tap on tools to bring up options for those tools. Double tap on layers to bring up layer options. Tap and hold on tools also does an action (such as clearing the layer/deleting selected if you tap and hold the eraser.) Tap and hold layers to move and group them. Two finger tap to undo, three fingers to redo. Two finger swipe up/down to move up/down a layer.

Exporting

The option to export all layers as separate images at once. This would be helpful for animation and I am sure a bunch of other things.

Misc. Stuff That Procreate Doesn't Have

Unlimited canvas

Lazy mouse

LAYER GROUPING

Bluetooth keyboard support??

Voice commands?????

Easy/quick horizontal flip access

Go wild! Throw out your craziest ideas! This is a community brainstorm session.