PROCREATE

A great app that strikes the right balance between fun and serious design

ALL OF THE apps on test here require you to have a modicum of artistic skill. Some are better for traditional painting, others for logos and vectors, and all benefit from the addition of an Apple Pencil. Adobe’s Fresco is delightful for painting and sketching, while Illustrator is good at shapes, paths, and vectors. Affinity Designer is astonishingly powerful and for the price is an excellent buy for more heavyweight artists, however it could overwhelm less experienced users. Procreate is just $9.99 with no subscriptions, and strikes a fantastic balance of slick iOS workflow and feel with an excellent and accessible feature set. Creating and tweaking is easy but powerful, with Photoshop–like layer effects and adjustments complementing more traditional drawing tools. Everything is quick to pick up and work with, and the results look stunning. The Brush Designer, whether you choose to get into its details or not, is a great way to make your artworks unique. Capable of traditional or cutting–edge results, Procreate has something for everyone.