If you want to explore your creativity, there are a number of iPad apps that can help you get started. Although the iPad started as a simple device that could be used to stream content or browse the web on the go, Apple has essentially turned its iPads into powerful machines that can be used to do things like create digital art and edit videos.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best iPad apps for creativity available on the App Store.
Before we dive in, it’s worth noting that even though Adobe’s creative apps are often top picks for creativity on the iPad, this list won’t include them because they’re already well-known. Instead, we’re focusing on lesser-known apps that you’ll want to learn about and try.
Lake
Not every creative application needs to involve a blank page staring back at you. Lake takes a more relaxed approach, allowing you to digitally color hand-drawn images from independent artists using over 700 colors and a selection of brushes.
If you want to let your imagination run wild, you box also color and draw on a blank canvas. You can also jot down your thoughts in a coloring journal.
The app is perfect for people just starting out in exploring their creativity or for those who just want a moment to de-stress. You don’t have to be artistic to use it. There is no penalty here for drawing outside the lines.
Lake offers free access to a limited number of illustrations. To unlock the full catalog of images and features, you’ll need to pay a monthly subscription of $9.99.
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Produce
Produce is one of the most popular drawing apps for the iPad, and for good reason. The app allows you to create digital paintings, sketches and illustrations using dozens of different types of brushes. Procreate is easy to use and has built-in gesture controls, along with a simple interface.
The app enables high-resolution canvases up to 16K by 8K on compatible iPad Pros. It also allows you to create scripts, GIFs, animations and simple animations. In addition, you can import image files such as JPG, PNG and TIFF. Procreate includes several features designed to help you during the creative process on your iPad, including QuickShape, StreamLine, Drawing Assist, and ColorDrop — tools that handle the technical heavy lifting so you can focus on the fun part.
Once you’ve finished creating your piece, you can relive your creative journey with the app’s Replay feature – a surprisingly satisfying way to watch your work together – and share a 30-second clip on social media.
You can access Procreate for a one-time payment of $12.99.
LumaFusion
LumaFusion is a great video editing app if you’re ready to graduate from iMovie. The app has numerous user-friendly features that make it ideal for aspiring videographers or indie filmmakers on a budget.
With LumaFusion, you can create multi-layered edits with 4K ProRes and HDR media. You can add different effects, choose between dozens of transitions and record vocals. The application allows you to create multi-level titles and import fonts and graphics. In addition, you can optimize the sound with Graphic EQ, Parametric EQ, Voice isolation and more.
The app lets you create projects in a variety of aspect ratios, including 16:9 landscape, 9:16 portrait, square, widescreen film, anamorphic, and more.
LumaFusion is available for a one-time payment of $29.99. You can also purchase additional features such as multi-camera editing and the ability to send your project to Final Cut Pro for Mac.
Canva
Canva offers a user-friendly platform that allows anyone to create visual content, even without graphic design experience. You can use it to create presentations, infographics, videos, websites, social media posts and more with over 250,000 templates.
Canva has tools for editing photos, personalizing content with logos and images, adding audio, and trimming and speeding up video.
The platform also features a number of AI features designed to make the creation process easier. For example, you can expand an image using Magic Switch or turn ideas into images with Magic Media.
Canva is free, but offers a $12.99 monthly subscription if you want unlimited access to its AI features, premium templates, and more.
Affinity Designer 2
Affinity Designer 2 is a graphic design application that combines vector design, pixel-based textures and retouching in a single platform. It is ideal for professional illustrators, web designers, game developers and other creatives.
The app allows you to create illustrations, branding, logos, icons, UI/UX designs, typography, posters, labels, flyers, stickers, concept art, digital art and more. It supports the accuracy, pressure sensitivity and tilt function of Apple Pencil.
Affinity Designer 2 features gesture controls to speed up your workflow and lets you customize keyboard shortcuts. You can also do things like create your own custom font and zoom to over 1,000,000% for ultimate precision.
You can access the app through a one-time payment of $18.49.
Concepts
Concepts is a great app to explore your ideas and experiment with designs. You can use the app to draw plans, make notes and mind maps, and draw scenarios and plans.
The app has Nudge, Slice and Select tools that allow you to easily change any element of your sketch without redrawing it. The app features realistic pens, pencils and brushes that flow with pressure and gradient.
Concepts gives you access to scale and measurement tools that calculate actual dimensions, and it also has a tool wheel or toolbar that you can customize to your liking.
The basic features of the app are free. Concepts offers a monthly subscription of $4.99 if you want access to additional features, such as the ability to create your own brushes and premium editing tools.
Tayasui Sketches
Tayasui Sketches is a good, user-friendly sketching and drawing application. It has many different features like realistic watercolor brush, digital acrylic brushes, ability to mix two colors to get the perfect shade, gradient and depth tools and much more.
The app allows you to multitask by opening another app and dragging lawyers and documents between the two. There’s also a “Zen Mode” that lets you create without distractions.
You can also upload your own images to incorporate into your creations. Tayasui Sketches allows you to save your creations in personalized folders.
The main features of Tayasui Sketches are free. The app offers a $2.99 monthly subscription that unlocks unlimited layers, new brushes and markers, an extensive brush editor, the ability to back up your designs, and more.
Dudel Draw
Dudel Draw is a little different from the other apps on this list: It’s designed to unleash your creativity by giving you a new shape every day that serves as a starting point to draw on top of.
These everyday shapes vary from basic geometric forms to more complex and abstract designs. Additionally, you can further explore your creativity by choosing to view the shape from all angles with the app’s ‘flip’ and ‘rotate’ functions.
You can also challenge your friends in creativity with some fun competition comparing your different creations every day. Dudel Draw offers a great way to sharpen your artistic skills, challenge yourself to create something new every day, and simply express yourself.
Dudel Draw is available for free.
Album
Album is an easy-to-use app for sketching, painting and drawing. The idea behind the app is to make it feel like drawing on paper, as the digital brushes and pens behave like real ones.
The app’s interface is simple and lets you hold palettes and tools to make it easier to focus on drawing.
You can customize the brushes by modifying the size, opacity, flow and more to align them with your personal style. There’s also a “predictive stroke” feature that helps smooth out the lines of your drawing.
Sketchbook is available for free, but you can unlock premium features for a one-time payment of $2.99. Top features include the ability to import additional brushes and color palettes, adjust the size of your canvas after you start working, export multiple canvases or an entire album as a PDF, and more.
This story was originally published in December 2024 and is regularly updated with new information.
