Logo sketchbookinkAt the introduction for the third generation iPad this past March, Apple invited a number of developers to showcase their apps designed for the Retina display-equipped new iPad. One of these was Autodesk, a major developer that has been prolific at writing apps for iOS. Their new app, Sketchbook Ink, has finally arrived on the App Store.

Powered by a brand new engine, Autodesk SketchBook Ink introduces unique technology for artists to create stunning, high-resolution ink-style artwork. The SketchBook Ink addition to the SketchBook family increases the number of choices available to artists to express their creative visions in a digital environment.

The app offers 7 different strokes to users with virtual ink that doesn't simply appear on the page -- instead, it leaves "interesting little imperfections as if it were seeping into the paper", says Harry McCracken writing for Technologizer:

And Ink has one noteworthy feature which SketchBook Pro doesn’t — the drawings you create aren’t bitmaps. Instead, they’re resolution-independent, so you can zoom in as much as you like and can save them to the iPad’s Photo Library, Dropbox, iTunes or email at resolutions that go beyond even the new iPad’s 2048-by-1536 pixels without introducing any jaggies. You can opt for up to 11,336-by-8727 resolution; that’s especially useful if you plan to eventually print your creation.

Mccrackensketchbookink

Untitled Crocodile Drawing by Harry McCracken

SketchBook Ink is available for iPad for the introductory price of $1.99, going up to $4.99 eventually. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

appahappa Avatar
173 months ago
I bought it but it is by far not as good as Procreate. And it's pretty slow.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kevinfulton.ca Avatar
173 months ago
Can these be exported in some vector format that Illustrator can open, like .pdf, .eps, or .ai? That would be awesome.

Nope! PNG..............but at least you get to pick a resolution on export.......still a little lame. Even Adobe's Ideas app has a PDF export. This does have better brush options though. I was hoping for more. :(
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
charlituna Avatar
173 months ago
Steve Jobs ;)

Nope. Steve never blocked the use of a stylus in any of the iOS devices. Hell they were selling Pogos and such in the stores for a while. Probably dropped them because they were getting 5 finger discounted too much.

Folks just like to scream that Apple is anti stylus because of Steve's early comments which were about requiring a stylus. And they say that until Apple puts in support for use with a stylus that has a tip the size of a pen and 1000 levels of pressure sensitivity like it's a freaking Cintiq (and costs $2 to buy of course) then it doesn't 'support' a real stylus.

Meanwhile you have folks like Jim Lee from DC comics doing rather dang good drawings on the iPad as it was when it came out 2 years ago and still doing them. Often with his fingers. If a pro artist isn't complaining about the iPad being defective it makes you wonder
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiRez Avatar
173 months ago
Can these be exported in some vector format that Illustrator can open, like .pdf, .eps, or .ai? That would be awesome.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrXiro Avatar
173 months ago
I'd buy THAT for a dollar. :P
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zarusoba Avatar
173 months ago
Hehehe. Personally I'd love to see Wacom tech make it into iPad one way or another, but I can't see that happening.

Maybe a Wacom-designed Android tablet is more likely?


Well, at Apple's iPad volumes, it may be cheaper to buy the company. :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Tracking Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Expected to Launch This Year With Key New Feature

Sunday August 24, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to release new AirPods Pro this year, and he said the earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring. From his Power On newsletter today, with emphasis added:As for Apple's other devices, there's a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades. There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Sunday August 24, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should be unveiled in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborated a rumor that iPhone 17 Pro models will be "available in an orange color." Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Just Weeks Away: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Wednesday August 20, 2025 6:44 am PDT by
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event – rumored to take place on September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for enhancements,...
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber. Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have ...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 or Wait for Next Year?

Friday August 22, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through what to expect from the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 11, and Ultra 3, and whether it's worth holding off on an upgrade until next year. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The third-generation Apple Watch SE is rumored to feature a larger display (perhaps like the Apple Watch Series 7), the S11 chip, and...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

When Is iPhone 17 Coming Out?

Wednesday August 20, 2025 5:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 series is expected to debut in September 2025. This release follows Apple's recent trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. To unveil the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely...