Updated 'Paper' iOS App Makes Storyboarding on the iPad Even Easier
An Apple Design Award winning iPad app that I reviewed back in March, Paper, has received a major update that makes the drawing program even easier to use. The latest update has put the emphasis on organization, and it's clear that the team at FiftyThree are dedicated to making the app as simple, functional, and powerful as possible. There aren't any major overhauls in this release, but for an app that already did a lot of things right, I don't think it really needed any. Check out the video below for more info on the release.
These are the new features for Paper:
- Move. Grab any page or journal with a simple press and hold and use multi-touch gestures to open, close, and swipe for the fastest way to get around.
- Duplicate. Press and hold the "+" button to make copies of your favorite pages and journals. Duplicate sketches, create templates for layouts, wireframes, or storyboards, or create multiple variations of an idea.
- Easy Add. Never hit the end of a journal. Just swipe from the edge to add another page.
- Faster ink. Every tool, now up to 3x faster. Drawing is more responsive and precise than ever before.
- Better rewind. More intuitive feel to the rewind control. The faster you go the more you rewind.
- Edge-to-edge drawing. Draw up to the edge and beyond. The full screen is your canvas.
- Custom Sharing. Tap on a menu item to customize your share settings. Set your own Tumblr captions and tags.
While it is not a storyboarding app per se, it definitely makes it possible to create very professional looking results -- even for those of us who aren't gifted when it comes to drawing. Since I borrowed an iPad to try out the old version (I don't currently own one), I haven't gotten a chance to try out the new version. I'm not sure that I've had more fun with a non-game app, but the ease-of-use cannot be understated. There is a reason that Paper won a design award, and that is because it truly utilizes the touch interface in a way that not only makes sense, but actually makes it faster to work.
At some point in the future I could definitely see myself using this app for storyboarding purposes. The social media integration also makes it really easy for a group of people to share drawings over something like a Tumblr account. The app could also be beneficial for a director/DP relationship, because even the worst artists can come up with passable results with Paper. I would like to see true storyboard features with the app, but for now, it could definitely do the job for many projects as is.
What do you guys think of Paper? If you have an iPad, I recommend trying out the free app, and if you like it, you can buy more drawing tools from the in-app store.
