Dreaming of cintique

AngelinaKizz

I'm dreaming of upgrading to a cintique.

I have an hp laptop, that we recently upgraded the hard drive, but it's about 8 years old (maybe more).

I do the bulk of my work on my iPad and I love the portability, and that when I'm in the salon and have a break I can draw on it.

So my question, is how easy it to to flip the files back and forth between iPad procreate, and photoshop for a non Mac computer?

Asyas_illos

@AngelinaKizz I love my iPad and procreate so much! An I’m so scared of photoshop! But I too would eventually need to upgrade if I’m to be serious about becoming a full time freelance illustrator.

Kim Rosenlof

@AngelinaKizz I actually do it quite a bit. I have an ipad and use procreate. Sometimes I save it as a PSD or jpeg file in Procreate and take it into Photoshop. I just upload it to the icloud on the iPad and then download it onto my PC computer from there. I was worried that it wouldn't work at all, but thus far it has worked.

AngelinaKizz

@Kim-Rosenlof that’s really encouraging. I am not very technologically inclined. Once I learn it I’m ok, but getting to the point of learning it, is like pulling teeth. I like how user friendly my iPad is, and how amazing procreate is. But I also know that it’s limiting in the sense that it only has so much memory, and I can’t run InDesign if I’m really gonna get serious about my goals of professionally illustrating kids books. Eventually I’d like to upgrade my computer to a desktop with a nice big screen, but a cintiq is definitely on my list for the next big purchase. I’m glad to hear that to two cooperate easily without being the same operating system.

Melissa_Bailey

@AngelinaKizz it's pretty easy to switch from Procreate to Photoshop -- export as a PSD file and it'll open right up in Photoshop with all the layers. You can switch back as well by importing a PSD file to Procreate.

As you're making your decision, here's something to think about: the difference in resolution between an iPad screen and a Cintiq monitor or laptop screen. If you're used to a high resolution, you might find yourself disappointed or frustrated with a lower resolution screen.

That happened to me. I bought a Huion HD tablet (couldn't afford a 4K in the Huion or Cintiq) and couldn't get past seeing the pixels on the screen.

I do have a pen tablet (the kind without a display where you have to draw while looking at a computer screen) and use it for editing in Photoshop. Drawing with it isn't intuitive for me and it doesn't feel as comfortable as my iPad. Most of my digital work is done on the iPad. I use my desktop to clean up files and get them ready for print/to deliver to clients ... usually things that require InDesign & Photoshop.

@Asyas_illos -- don't worry about having to upgrade from Procreate to work full time as a freelance illustrator. There are quite a few professional illustrators who do all their work on an iPad. They might export the file to Photoshop (or equivalent program) if it needs some resizing or final editing, but if you plan carefully, you can do an entire book completely on your iPad. I've done it twice now (well, one or two illustrations might have needed some editing outside of Procreate, but most was all Procreate).

Some illustrators love Photoshop and it is the perfect program for them. For others (and I'm one of them) Procreate fits how they work so much better.

AngelinaKizz

@Melissa_Bailey I had no idea that cintiq is lower resolution screen than procreate! That's something I'll have to look at for sure! I don't love seeing pixels. I have an intuos drawing pad, I could upgrade my pro and use the pad for photoshop...

Melissa_Bailey

@AngelinaKizz yeah, on a drawing tablet, you'll be able to see the pixels on anything under 4K resolution. And it also depends on the size of the screen. Even with an HD screen, because my Huion Kamvas is 22 inches, the pixels are visible.

We're spoiled with the ultra high resolution of an iPad screen.

AngelinaKizz

@Melissa_Bailey there's a decent student discount on the 24 inch 4K that's almost the same price as the non 4k 22 inch. I guess I should make a decision before I graduate university.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@AngelinaKizz For a non Mac user like me, I find it very tedious

AngelinaKizz

@Nyrryl-Cadiz do you tend to stick to one over the other?

Nyrryl Cadiz

@AngelinaKizz been using photoshop exclusively for almost a year now. but i miss the portability of my ipad.

Melissa_Bailey

@AngelinaKizz absolutely! Take advantage of that student discount!

@Nyrryl-Cadiz do you use a file sharing platform like Google Drive or Dropbox? That's how I usually export files from Procreate, as most of the time I'm not near my Mac to air drop or it's sleeping. I export to a project folder in Dropbox and then when I'm on my computer, go into Dropbox and open the file in Photoshop.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@Melissa_Bailey yup, i use google drive.