Astropad on Wednesday launched Astropad Studio, a new edition of its second-screen app for the iPad, geared towards making an iPad Pro suitable as a professional drawing tablet.
is said to offer low latency and full support for the Apple Pencil, including pressure sensitivity. To further cater to illustrators, the app incorporates customizable gesture shortcuts for actions like undo, erase, or clicking the right mouse button. Some actions can be combined with Pencil input, and shortcuts will adapt to individual Mac apps.
The app also supports iPad keyboards, and can connect to a Mac via Wi-Fi or USB, though the latter is probably necessary for people worried about minimizing latency. A specific portion of a Mac's screen can be defined as the working area on an iPad.
Unlike most iOS apps, Studio is available only a subscription basis after a seven-day trial. It costs $7.99 per month, or $64.99 per year. As a perk however, Astropad is promising monthly software updates, settings sync across devices, and "priority creative pro support."
Two features listed as "coming soon" are adjustable pressure curves and stroke stabilization.
Connected Macs must be running OS X 10.10 or better, while Studio itself requires iOS 9. Technically the app will run on most iPads, but it's intentionally optimized for the Pro and Pencil.