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The Best Apps for the Apple Pencil
Gone are the days of needing to use a third-party stylus with your iPad, where depending on the model or app, your experience could widely vary. Check out all these apps designed to take full advantage of your cool accessory.
Whether you're jotting down an idea, making a quick and dirty sketch, or finalizing a masterpiece, these apps will parter with your Apple Pencil to give you all the power and flexibility you need to get your concepts into the real world. They work alongside Apple's stylus to re-create that pen-and-paper feel to unlock your creativity with a minimum of hassle.
For those who want to take simple notes, draw sketches, or annotate photos.
This one burst onto the scene and immediately became the darling of artists and non-artists alike. It is just so easy to pick up and start using, with or without a stylus. Its free price tag makes it an absolute must-download, though of course, in-app purchases unlock even more features. It's simply beautiful on the iPad's retina display and a pleasure to use.
Why we love it
Paper is simple to use and comes packed with a ton of useful tools that make note-taking, photo annotation, and drawing easy.
For anyone who wants a complete art studio solution for their iPad.
You Doodle provides you with all of the tools that you need to draw on photos or add text. And with an Apple Pencil, you can get even more accurate results as you write the perfect note to go along with that photo of your best friend doing something silly. The app has a ton of features and tools to make the editing process fun and easy, and it's a great app for just having some fun with your images.
Why we love it
We like You Doodle because it is fun and simple to use. There is not much of a learning curve and you can get some great results in minutes.
For those who want to write and sketch on iPad in an uncomplicated way.
Linea comes with a wide range of pre-defined colors or you can customize colors with a single tap. Auto-generated tints and shades are also included. Simplified layers are easy to merge or rearrange. A Touch Eraser allows you to wipe the screen clean with ease.
Why we love it
There's a lot of sketchpad apps on the App Store and Linea doesn't offer anything new in terms of the features it provides. However, if you're new to digital sketching, Linea is a great product to consider.
For those looking to create the most realistic drawings on their mobile device.
Sketches is the most realistic, versatile and user-friendly sketching app designed for a mobile device. This exhaustive artist's toolbox helps users create dazzling sketches, cheerful paintings and smashing illustrations on the go. It has a ton of features and has stylus support.
Why we love it
Tayasui Sketches offers awesome tools for sketches, paintings, and more.
This is a deceptively simple app with a devoted following. The focus is on brushes (there are eight) rather than tons of different art tools. The interface is uncluttered and the app doesn't have the "bloat" associated with some of the more feature-heavy apps. Even with just a few tools in its repertoire, this app is a fantastic means for artists to create amazing works of art. It's also an easy-to-use app for doodlers.
Why we love it
Procreate is simple enough for anyone to use, but the best results will be made by those who know what they're doing. The app has plenty of powerful tools to help you create your next masterpiece.
If you can draw one thing, why not make a bunch and then arrange them into a sequence to create a short, moving picture? Probably because that's called animation, and it's a totally different skill set. But if you're an aspiring or seasoned cartoon-maker, this app will get you started telling your stories. And with your Apple Pencil, it'll be even easier to make your art animated.
For sketchers and drawers who think their art is too static
Inkboard's Animatic will get you making flipbook-style short animations in no time. And when you're done, you can export them as videos or GIFs to show off your work to the world.
Why we love it
We're old enough to have blown an entire stack of Post-Its making stick figures dance and/or fight. Or fight and then dance. Or the other way around. We kept it simple. But it's nice to see that technology has reached a point where our artistic aspirations have a fancy new home.
Not only is your Apple Pencil a, well, pencil, but with the right app, it can also simulate charcoals, crayons, or any paintbrush you can imagine. It's almost like having an art-supply store on hand all the time minus the crowds of students and odd, scrapbooking ladies.
For those who want a painting app that supports iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
ArtRage offers the most advanced simulation of real paint on your iPad, taking full advantage of the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil! Get creative on a digital canvas with smearing, blending oils, delicate watercolor, and much more! ArtRage allows you to create your own masterpiece without the mess and expense.
Why we love it
ArtRage is a great, full-featured painting that that supports Apple Pencil.
For those who want a painting app with great features and Apple Pencil support.
HuePaint lets you create beautiful digital works of art using the colorful painting tools Tie-Dye Brush, Hue Brush, Shaded Brush, and Standard Brush.
You will also find a powerful smudge tool that lets you blend and smoothen colors together, as well as an ordinary eraser. With Apple Pencil Support you can change characteristics depending on how you use the Pencil (pressure, tilt).
Why we love it
HuePaint helps you create amazing paintings with a terrific tool set.
Your iPad is already a game machine, a portable office, and a tiny movie theater. But did you know that it can also be therapy? Coloring books are cool and acceptable for all ages now, and people use them to treat mental ailments like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. This app lets you use your Apple Pencil to take some time out and relax while still being slightly productive.
From mandalas to holidays to abstract and more, this digital coloring book has it all. Sit back, pick a coloring tool, choose your color palette, and start coloring.
Everyone has a few hundred -- or thousand -- pictures on their iPhone, and some of them need a little touching up before you share them with your friends (or sell them, if you're a pro). These apps will help you use your fancy Apple Pencil to unlock full control over editing, retouching, and modifying your shots to make them as gorgeous as possible.
For those who want a tool for photos, designs, images, and more.
Canva offers a wide range of options for any creative project. From simple photo editing to extensive image design, this slick and intuitive tool lets you create and edit on the go. Save, download, share, and publish your creations easily. And with Siri support, searching is simple.
Why we love it
Canva is a great tool that makes it easy for anyone to create cool images and edit amazing photos.
For anyone who needs powerful photo editing, as well as working with digital graphics
The app has now been optimized for screens of the newest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.
And the Pixelmator now also supports the double-tap gesture on the second-generation Apple Pencil that gives users quick access to actions like the eraser. When possible, the app will also respect a global setting for the gesture as well.
Version 2.4.4 also fixes a trio of bugs including an issue where the noise, hue, and miniaturize effects were not working into the Photos extension.
Designed for the iPhone and all iPad models, Pixelmator can be downloaded now on the App Store for free.
Pixelmator is also planning a new app exclusively for iPad. Pixelmator Photo was shown off at the iPad Pro media event in October and should arrive sometime this year. The app is currently in beta testing.
Why we love it
We love Pixelmator because of the power that it provides. It's super easy and provides us with all of the tools that we would ever need to perfect our photos.
The Apple Pencil isn't just for making your own things; it's also great for collaborating on group projects. These apps will help you give notes, make presentations, and otherwise just get work done.
