Adobe Adds Refine Edge Brush and Rotate Canvas Tool to Photoshop for iPad

When Adobe introduced Photoshop for iPad late last year, it said it would provide regular updates to add missing features that are available on the desktop but not in the tablet version of the software.

adobe photoshop refine edges
Adobe is living up to its promise once again today, with a Photoshop for ‌iPad‌ update that introduces the refine edge brush and the rotate canvas tool.

The refine edge brush enables much more precise image selection on the ‌iPad‌ for tricky subjects like hair and fur, which helps to achieve realistic, professional quality selections of objects with a mix of sharp and soft edges.

The interface has been simplified for use with touch controls, but Adobe says the tool delivers the same results as the desktop version.

adobe photoshop rotate ipad
Meanwhile, the rotate canvas tool allows users to rotate the canvas they're working on using a two-finger rotation gesture, which can also be zoomed in and out at the same time.

The rotation can snap at 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees, and users can reset the rotation and zoom by doing a quick zoom out pinch gesture. Rotation is not sticky and returns to zero degrees when re-opening a file, and both rotation and snapping can be toggled on/off in Settings -> Touch menu. More info about the rotate canvas tool is available here.

Adobe Photoshop can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but there are subscriptions required to use the software. Adobe Photoshop for ‌‌iPad‌‌ is available for all Creative Cloud plans that include Photoshop access.

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Top Rated Comments

Cronbo Avatar
61 months ago
Adobe Photoshop on iPad is a joke. It has the feature set of alpha-level software, and they have the audacity to charge a subscription. WOW, they just delivered rotate canvas!!! OMG, the level of innovation is astounding!! Save your money and support REAL developers like Serif, makers of Affinity Photo and Designer (and Publisher on desktop), which BLOWS Photoshop out of the water in terms of power and feature set. It's not even a comparison...
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macbeth1026 Avatar
61 months ago

Except it’s not ‘rotate canvas’ is it. It’s ‘rotating the canvas’ with a gesture to draw on it easier. Which has never been available on any photoshop.
[Click to view video attachment]
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
61 months ago
Rotate Camvas has been available in Photoshop since 1994 with Photoshop 4.0. Now we can get all excited about it again 26 years later.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cflem Avatar
61 months ago
Still no layer options / effects? Goodness...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LimeiBook86 Avatar
61 months ago
That's a nice addition to the iPad version! Did you mean "hair and fur" instead of "hair and fair". ;)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyBobBongo Avatar
61 months ago

Except it’s not ‘rotate canvas’ is it. It’s ‘rotating the canvas’ with a gesture to draw on it easier. Which has never been available on any photoshop.
You’ve always been able to ‘rotate the canvas‘ in Photoshop, I’ve been isolating people from backgrounds for as long as I can remember using it. Sometimes upside down is more in line with my hand movements.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)