50 Must-Have iPad Apps

Art/Photography

ArtRageArtRage ($6.99): ArtRage isn’t about settings or learning a difficult interface – it’s about drawing and painting right from the start.

Access a variety of brushes, pens and pencils with different thicknesses to bring depth and texture to your work. Make each element its own layer, so as not to disturb the piece as a whole in case of a mistaken stroke, or turn some layers transparent to look at the other layers underneath them.

One of the coolest features is recording your paintings, so you can playback their creation later on – like a timelapse of your creative process.

Sketchbook Pro for iPadSketchbook Pro for iPad ($4.99): For a more professional art application, Sketchbook Pro is the way to go. With a high resolution canvas option, over 100 installable brushes, a professional-grade paint engine and a customizable UI, Sketchbook Pro offers the kind of prosumer functionality you’d find in high-level desktop applications.

The app also adjusts its functionality for optimal use on either iPad 1 or iPad 2. You get fewer layers and fewer levels of undo/redo on iPad 1, but in exchange, you get better overall performance. When your work is completed, export it to Photoshop’s standard PSD format for use with more intense desktop photo applications.

Avid StudioAvid Studio ($4.99): Take all your media (photos, audio and video) and splice it together with Avid’s new touchscreen video editor, Avid Studio.

Make precise edits and cuts, create multi-layer 3D animations and transitions, and generate other professional effects with nothing but your fingers. Finished films can then be shared through YouTube, Facebook and email.

People thought iMovie was as good as it got for video editing on the iPad, but Avid Studio blows it out of the water – and at exactly the same price as iMovie, downloading this shouldn’t require any further thought.

Photogene for iPadPhotogene for iPad ($2.99): Sometimes you just want to quickly crop and reduce the red eye in your photos. Other times, you may want to make a photo look vintage, or add funny captions to some family pics. Photogene lets you do all of that.

Add frames, color filters and other effects to your photos in nearly real-time right on your iPad. Photogene also supports the RAW file format, so you can import photos right from your fancy-shmancy camera without having to go to your computer first. View EXIF metadata and geolocation information, or just go crazy and make a collage of all your photos. Photogene is hailed as one of the best photo editing apps on the iPad and for good reason.

Paint FXPaint FX ($1.99): Paint FX is all about having fun with your photos through the use of various filters and settings. Turn your photo into a sketch, cartoonize it, colorsplash certain areas – the choice is up to you. Every effect is completely customizeable and can be applied photo-wide or to specific spots on the photograph. When you’re done creating your masterpiece, post it on Facebook or share it with the Paint FX community and see what other app users have done to their photos.