Paper by FiftyThree received an update on Wednesday with the addition of a few new features and backend enhancements, including a much-needed pinch-to-zoom feature that allows artists to quickly make detailed refinements to a piece.
Paper, which was Apple's App of the Year for 2012, added a few new tricks to its much lauded iPad app with version 1.3.1, including an art gallery filled with creations "Made With Paper."
Most significant of the additions, however, is the zoom feature for inspecting drawn elements and making minute adjustments. While the iPad's screen size is great for sketching and brush-style works, intricate drawings were sometimes a hassle to get finished. The shortcoming was amplified when using styluses like the pogo connect or Wacom's Bamboo, both of which have fairly large tips that can make it hard to distinguish exactly where it will make contact with the screen.
With the new pinch-to-zoom feature, users can simply use the common gesture to bring up a loupe-like overlay that enlarges a circular region of the drawing. Implementation is excellent and there is little to no detail loss when zooming in close.
Made With Paper shows up as its own folio located to the very right of user-created sketchbooks. The feed comes from FiftyThree's blog, which features a number of works uploaded by various Paper users.
Finally, FiftyThree's Expressive Ink Engine is now OpenGL-based, which reduces the lag time between input and rendering.
Paper comes in at 48MB and is available for free from the App Store. In-app purchases include a unique color mixer, brushes and and pencil sets.