Hey everyone! Did you know you can use your iPad as a drawing tablet for your Mac?!
Until now, anytime I wanted to create something freehand, I would draw it on the iPad in Illustrator or Procreate and send it to my laptop since the desktop versions of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are much more efficient than their iPad counterparts.  Â
I recently started a new project that required freehand drawing in Adobe Photoshop and CMYK settings. Right off the bat, the iPad version of Photoshop only creates RGB files, which I know can be converted, but it's an extra step I wasn't excited about taking.Â
I own a small Wacom tablet, a pretty basic model, but as helpful as it is, it still doesn't compare to drawing on the iPad. And the Cintiq model (the one with the screen) seems fantastic, but well... I don't have that one, so it was simply not an option!
I remembered seeing 2 different apps that connect your iPad to your computer (Duet and Astropad), and I was about to try that when I learned about Apple's Sidecar feature. Sidecar is a continuity feature that allows you to use your iPad as an extra screen for your computer. This allows me to drag a window directly into my iPad and use it as a touchscreen monitor.Â
But my favorite way to use it so far has been to mirror the image from the computer to the iPad. My regular desktop setup includes a second monitor, so I've gotten used to seeing the details pretty big. And the screen on my iPad Pro is 9.5", so it's a huge difference. By mirroring the screen, I can draw directly on my iPad while checking the details on my standard screen.Â
So, to get started, you need:
A Mac compatible with macOS Catalina or later.
An iPad compatible with iPadOS 13 or later.
Both devices signed in with the same Apple ID and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
I also use a USB-C cable to connect my iPad to my Mac to keep it charged while I'm using it.Â
To set it up:
Click on the Apple icon for the Apple Menu and go to System Settings
Go to Displays
On the + pop-up menu, select your iPad
When I first tried doing this, the place where I was touching the screen was a bit off, but that was a really simple fix:
• Click on your iPad in the displays and in the sidebar and touch bar settings, set both as "NEVER." Â
Voila! You now have the best tablet ever!
To go back to using your iPad separately, just hit "Disconnect."
You can use all the keyboard shortcuts and switch back and forth between the iPad and the computer as needed. I find it a lot faster to use the menu with the mouse, for example. Pinching the screen will work for zooming in and out. But try not to get too annoyed that tapping with two fingers won't work for undoing!Â
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