Lots of photographers edit their photos with a tablet device of some sort. There is so much on the interwebs about the rumored Apple iTablet. In addition, there are so many clues pointing towards it’s inevitable release. But the question for us photographers is this: would you want to edit your photos on one? There are lots of pros and cons to the issue. The newer guys may say, “I want it now!” while people with bad vision (like my fellow Blind Photographers) may say, “I want my big screens.” More after the jump.
As it is, I edit and do all my blogging from a Macbook that I received back in January of 2009. It has a 12 inch screen and I’ve never had a problem with it. In fact, I love it. However, I’ve always had slight problems with the touch pad for editing photos unless I zoom in very closely to get very specific things like touching up a girl’s nails or make-up. Otherwise, there have been no major problems.
However, I have used Paint.Net on a large Samsung touchscreen device (When I mean large, I mean around 27 inches.) That was very fun and could actually serve to be very practical in use. However, it needed better touch responsiveness.
Now, Apple could do this. Think about how well they’ve implemented it into the iPhone. Additionally, it can have programmable gestures to further aid us in our editing.
Think about it: it would be like an artist using a sketchpad in the park to a certain degree. I can imagine someone sitting under the trees in Central Park here in NYC with the iTablet and a stylus or their finger and using Photoshop Elements to do their edits. Or, perhaps they’re using the built-in webcam to snap a photo of the way the city looks, then port it into Photoshop, write a simple message on the photo and then email it to their friends/family. If they don’t have a wifi connection they could do it through 3G or something similar.
The possibilities are endless and it would also enable us photojournalists to compete better with citizen journalists combined with Twitter.
It would be perfect for traveling aboard a plane as it takes up little room. You may want to keep it off your lap if you can though as it will overheat. Additionally, us photographers love bright screens to be able to see all the different colors after calibration. The battery life would have to be excellent as there is lots of juice being drained to power that touchscreen as it is.
A tablet could also cut down on the excessive weight put on us in our backpacks. While at Photography Bay, I wrote about laptops for photographers. A tablet would surely be lighter than all of these and would also beat out all capabilities that those could give us. This could help wedding photographers make extra sales coupled with a small printer at the wedding. To that end, it would also serve event photographers well. The reason for this is that more clients are demanding that we give them their photos right after the party, which requires us to bring a laptop. It would cut down on weight from lenses, extra bodies, flashes, strobes, etc. Plus, editing would be faster because you can use two hands to operate the entire thing.
As for sight issues, it could come in different sizes to suit the needs of individuals. In contrast too, some photographers may just miss the feel of sitting down at a desk and editing the way that many photographers miss film.
What are your ideas on the iTablet for photographers?