Adobe Adds Refine Edge Brush and Rotate Canvas Tool to Photoshop for iPad - MacRumors
Skip to Content

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.

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Sunday August 16, 2026 8:24 pm PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. As usual, the event is expected to take place in the first half of September. Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the...
iPhone 17 One Year Later Thumb 1

Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?

Friday August 14, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by
For the first time since Apple started selling standard and "Pro" iPhones, we're not going to get an entry-level iPhone model this fall. Apple doesn't plan to release an iPhone 18 in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra. The lower-cost iPhone 18 won't come out until spring 2027. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
iPhone 18 Pro Rumored Colors

What's Coming in September: New iPhones, Apple Watches and More

Thursday August 13, 2026 4:20 pm PDT by
Apple will introduce at least five new devices at its iPhone-centric event next month, and it's also possible we'll get devices waiting on Siri AI like the Apple TV. iPhone 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is going to look like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting some internal updates, including a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more control over lighting ...

Top Rated Comments

Cronbo Avatar
79 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
79 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)
79 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
79 months ago
Still no layer options / effects? Goodness...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
79 months ago
I still haven’t tried this even though I have a CC subscription. Affinity Photo is just that good.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyBobBongo Avatar
79 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)