Adobe's new app for the iPad is all about creating a story directly from an iPad. But is it the answer to easy story telling from the iPad? And can it replace blogging tools already available on the iPad?
adobe.com - screen capture from Adobe Slate on the iPad.
Their are plenty of ways to blog from an iPad. Use the Wordpress app, Googles blogger app and even other apps that integrate with Wordpress once you've entered your password. But for me, these apps lack in design and easy of use when writing. For example, when I upload a picture on the Wordpress App, the picture is represented with a html code. It's not really much of a problem, but surely it's not impossible to be able to display the picture inline while your writing?
Using this host (weebly) has it's difficulties. Using a PC / Mac is great but the iPad version doesn't even do blogging, the iPhone version does. This is fine and great when one wishes to add an image taken from the phone and post it directly on the blog then and there.
Using this host (weebly) has it's difficulties. Using a PC / Mac is great but the iPad version doesn't even do blogging, the iPhone version does. This is fine and great when one wishes to add an image taken from the phone and post it directly on the blog then and there.
Wordpress might be able to share your post with a wide audience, but the app seems to get in the way of creative writing and creative design. Adobe Slate has a great design from the moment the app is opened.
This week I discovered Adobe has release another app. Many of the app's Adobe has released hasn't really been a big hit for me. Lightroom is however pretty good, but lacking in a few features I so wish for to keep my photography mobile. Slate has a simple brief. 'Create a Story'.
And that's just what I've gone and done.
Firstly it's limited to a few templates. But that's OK. Sometimes too many options can muddy the water some what. However, add a headline, some text and a picture or two and things become interesting. Pictures can have headlines that move when scrolling up and down. A small gallery of images can be added. And a full width picture will expend right across the iPad screen. Images can be taken from a number of sources. The iPad camera for a start. But what about images I've edited on my computer. That's no problem. In fact, I'm pleased to say, it's very simple. Yes I could save any processed images on dropbox or Adobe's Creative Cloud, but it's even easier then that. I can simple add the image I wish to tell a story in Lightroom Collections, have them sync'ed to the cloud and it appears in the add photo button in Slate. Genius!
I've yet to give this app a go without internet connection, but my first impressions are promising. My first creation took around 30 minutes and it does look good on the iPad. Did I mention that it displays on PC / Mac browsers too? No - well I'm please to report that it looks good on that too. You can't create a story on a PC or Mac, it's an iPad only creation tool. But displays on all devices very well.
Publishing is easy too. Once completed, you hit the share button and the lot is published on Adobe's server. Easy. However, it doesn't integrate with current blogging or websites. Probably for good reason. Like any piece of software, their will be workarounds and workflows and Slate for the iPad is no different. Thankfully one can create links from here to there easily enough
One must remember that this is version one. It's not going to be perfect and it's not going to be for everyone. More so for the heavy bloggers out their. I for one will keep posting a few stories here and their and come back to you in the near future on my findings and maybe, my blogging software issue may become a thing of the past.
You can visit the story about my first few months with The Big Stopper, I've created on Slate by following this link below
And that's just what I've gone and done.
Firstly it's limited to a few templates. But that's OK. Sometimes too many options can muddy the water some what. However, add a headline, some text and a picture or two and things become interesting. Pictures can have headlines that move when scrolling up and down. A small gallery of images can be added. And a full width picture will expend right across the iPad screen. Images can be taken from a number of sources. The iPad camera for a start. But what about images I've edited on my computer. That's no problem. In fact, I'm pleased to say, it's very simple. Yes I could save any processed images on dropbox or Adobe's Creative Cloud, but it's even easier then that. I can simple add the image I wish to tell a story in Lightroom Collections, have them sync'ed to the cloud and it appears in the add photo button in Slate. Genius!
I've yet to give this app a go without internet connection, but my first impressions are promising. My first creation took around 30 minutes and it does look good on the iPad. Did I mention that it displays on PC / Mac browsers too? No - well I'm please to report that it looks good on that too. You can't create a story on a PC or Mac, it's an iPad only creation tool. But displays on all devices very well.
Publishing is easy too. Once completed, you hit the share button and the lot is published on Adobe's server. Easy. However, it doesn't integrate with current blogging or websites. Probably for good reason. Like any piece of software, their will be workarounds and workflows and Slate for the iPad is no different. Thankfully one can create links from here to there easily enough
One must remember that this is version one. It's not going to be perfect and it's not going to be for everyone. More so for the heavy bloggers out their. I for one will keep posting a few stories here and their and come back to you in the near future on my findings and maybe, my blogging software issue may become a thing of the past.
You can visit the story about my first few months with The Big Stopper, I've created on Slate by following this link below
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