Using stylus for drawing on iPad air

Try some capacitive styli to see which ones you like. It's really a matter or personal preference.

I use the Wacom Bamboo stylus.

I also tried the Wacom intuos creative stylus, and was disappointed. Seems like it only works best with the Bamboo app.

Not impressed with battery replacement, should be re-chargeable. Was thinking jot touch 4, but I don't want to get my hopes up. I have seen other artists in Adobe Inspire Using a stylus with apps, such as Adobe Ideas, and photoshop touch.

Have been researching a few weeks now and purchased the newest model from Wacom based on reviews and apps supported with palm recognition, but not impressed. Especially with Adobe ideas. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't. Seems like they have some things to de bug and figure out. Was going to attempt ps touch, but now I plan on sending it back.

There is a pogo stylus, Wacom, jot touch 4, and the new pencil by fifty three (stylus is huge btw) and only works with palm rec in their app.

Please post what you find!

I use both the Wacom Bamboo Stylus and Pogo stylus. I like them both, but prefer the Bamboo.

Let me add this to the conversation regarding the iPad Air...

...if you can, try the stylus before you buy it. I have an AluPen that worked great on my iPad 2. But on the Air, it takes a lot of pressure to get it to draw a line. I tried it on a couple other iPad Airs in the office and the same problem.

A coworker has a Bamboo Stylus Duo. It works on his Air, but when I tried it on mine, again the same problem as the AluPen: It takes too much pressure to write. And I tried it in different apps, (Paper and Notability to name a couple.) I called Apple and while the tech support person was very pleasant, there was nothing she could do.

Another coworker has the Adonit Jot Pro. It works on his Air and mine, and I was all set to buy it, but then saw so many negative reviews on Amazon about people having problems with it skratching the surface and the plastic tip falling off, that I held off and I'm still searching for on the works.

So...good luck to all who have the new lighter, thinner Air, but need a sytlus. I'm serioulsy thinking about going back to my iPad 2 and selling the Air.

Well I wouldn't get rid of your iPad air, but would recommend just a regular stylus. It seems like the palm recognition and Bluetooth could be the issue.

Also would like to add re: comment about scratching surface, I have read on other forums about the nibs on stylus rubbing off thin layer of the special glass on iPad.

I am disappointed, if you really want to use the stylus it's back to art school days with not resting your hand as you draw. I returned mine today for full refund.

I have an iPad Air and I've been wanting a good stylus for it -- one that will lay down lines fat or skinny according to the pressure sensitivity used. I bought a JaJa capacitative stylus, made by H3, from Amazon about a week ago. I liked it a lot. It was very smooth, and quite accurate with very little lag. I used it with several free apps, the ones I found most useful and liked the best being Autodesk's Sketchbook Express and Inspire Pro. I'm not sure, but I think both of those apps will detect a pressure-sensitive stylus. I know that at least one of the apps that I tried out did.

Unfortunately my JaJa had a problem -- or problems. Seems like most electronic things I buy these days that are made in China have problems. It usually takes two or three tries before I get something that works the way it's supposed to. So because of this inevitability, I bought my JaJa from Amazon in anticipation of having to return it at least once, and I wanted somebody who was easy to deal with in that regard.

As it turns out the set-up procedure, which was used to determinine minimum and maximum pressures, was unresponsive with mine, so it wasn't surprising that I couldn't get it to respond with pressure sensitivity in the programs I was using. So I returned it. I should have been more clear, though. Amazon refunded my money -- but I wanted a replacement. So now I've got to order another one.

But now that I have some experience with one stylus I'm asking myself, which is considered the best? I hear a lot about the Wacom Bamboo, but I don't know anything specific about it. I think that while I'm at Amazon again, I'll check out the Bamboo and read the reviews. I reckon I'll be reading lots of reviews.

The JaJa isn't cheap -- about $55 at Amazon, last time I looked. But most other capacitative styli are coming in around $90-100.

I have the same issues with the Wacom Intuous Creative Stylus & iPad Air-way too much pressure must be applied to use it successfully. It worked on my iPad Retina. Apple worked with me with a lot of restarts holding home button/on button & it responded well & then it quit. I have on older Jot Not Pro but it seems harsh on the screen. My Bamboo responds better that either but I want more precision. I do have a solution for those who are happy with the stylus they have & just want the palm issue addressed. I got a SmudgeGuard glove that is a light glove that only covers the last two fingers of your drawing hand & allows you to rest your hand & draw.

I hope someone comes up with a fix. Since the Wacom worked with my older iPad & not the Air I tend to think Apple is the one who needs to fix it as the stylus worked great before. I upgraded to the Air just to have more control & I love the weight but hate the loss of the tablet sensitivity.

Yeah, of course Apple will point fingers elsewhere as long as they can get away with it. It's aggravating. But sooner or later, hopefully sooner, the preponderance of evidence will leave Apple with no more wiggle room and they will either have to adjust it or risk ******* off a lot of their customers should they just choose to ignore the problem. Still I don't hold out much hope for the Air, though, unless we Air users can successfully demand a recall. Hah! Like that'll ever happen. You know, these flipping tablets aren't cheap and you expect a certain level of performance from Apple in that regard.

Is your Wacom Intuos Bluetooth, or does it communicate sonically the way the JaJa does? I read at H3's website where they will be introducing a Bluetooth version that should be shipping in May. A hundred bucks for the version with 4000+ levels of sensitivity. Eighty for the one with 64. It's also supposed to be very sophisticated in terms of detecting palm and finger laydowns and tuning them out. If it can do as they claim, that'll be a pretty cool feature. Have to wait and see, I suppose.

I was noticing the palm problem with the JaJa some of the time, but not all of the time. I just figured it was something I was doing wrong. You know what, though -- I paint with brushes and oils, and one of the things a painter learns to do is to hold the brush well back on the shaft, where you might have 8 or 10 inches or even a greater distance from where your hand holds the brush to the canvas. So I adopted this method of drawing with my JaJa and that took care of the heel causing the program to do strange things. It takes a little getting used to but once you do, it's no longer a problem.

The Wacom Intuous is Bluetooth. It responds well in a few of the programs but there are issues in others....mainly the ones geared toward painting.

I found the SmudgeGuard glove from an iPad artist's post a few months back and got one and then I don't have to worry about turning on the palm guard feature in any of the programs-less hassle.

I too am watching the H3 website for the latest/greatest of the stylus options for precision that is "supposed" to work with the iPad Air. It is cheaper to order now but I will wait to see how it meshes with the Air as I hate the amount of pressure that is needed to draw. I've been spoiled by drawing on the various Wacom Intuous pads for the computer and I keep hoping that there will be a portable option when I am not sitting at the desktop.

I will not hold my breath while waiting for someone to get them to play well together!

Try these new devices:

Just mobile - due March 2015

Lynktek truglide

cregle ink

and of course the Jotscript

All claim to be much better for writing and I am trying them out: each has advantages and disadvantages but I am trying to jotscript first as it seems to be the most natural wirting instrument (provided that I can cope with the clicking noise it makes) -

I am not sure why Apple makes such a big deal out of the stylus thing - for a creative device it seems silly to give over that capability to the "dark side"

This might not be the most technologically advanced solution but I just like to use the Adonit fine tip stylus with a glove on my right hand to avoid my palm interfering. It works great for me and is a lot cheaper too!

Well I'm new to iPad and wanted to get the latest etc, but am also finding that current advanced stylus models do not support well this iPad in term of their capabilties regarding pressure sensitivity and palm rejection.

It seems the 4th gen iPad is the last model iPad supporting the current crop of stylus, but having an 'air' I wasn;t about to go backwards. My hope was that current software titles would catch up such as: Adobe Idea, Paper by 53, BamBoo Paper, iDraw, InkPad, Sprite Something; they all lag in support.

I first got a Bamboo Duo 2 (pen and "dumb" stylys) which is fine, no presssure sensitivity, but nib a bit spongy so I ordered a set of thier 'firm' nibs I'm waiting on. I had also gotten a Pencil by 53 (Fifty Three) which is awesome but no sensitivity though its unique support within Paper make it my first choice there (i.e., blending support) but its nib too I find a bit spongy, but they would not comment on future direction of nibs as ther're only the one. It did come with two (one being DOA) but they've since sending me out two others gratefully as I've worn out my working nib. So I kept looking...

The Adonit Jot Pro is non-starter for me, as my iPad is brand new (still to get AppleCare now that it covers water damage), given the rumors of screen damage which I wish they'd address publically someplace as I'm risk averse (64g cell iPad Air ain't cheap). This left me with the Pogo Connect and Intuos Creative Stylus, both more expensive that my Pencil, but established so I went looked for used.

So I found a Pogo Connect in near mint condition and learned they also have an app to test, find your pogo etc settings. Viola!the pen within their app works fine as expected, told them so in feedback and cheered me a bit that the issue which seems to be regarding the iPad Air (higher resolution bla bla bla and finger pointing amond vendors) is a software one with the current crop of apps out there. Old story of new h/w require s/w updates.

Definitely try before you buy and maybe used would work for you as well. I'm liking a bit of each of stylus I have I like and would like to see some commonality among the more advanced ones like firmer nibs, palm negation support, pressure sensitivity and explicit undo/erase (the Pencil wins here).

I'm not a professional nor unlimited funds to triage others wares but I hope this experience helps.