7 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Make on Your iPad


Everyone knows the iPad is terrific for drawing, decent for word processing, and fantastic for photo editing. But what else can you make with your Apple tablet? These seven answers are guaranteed to surprise you.

1. Fonts

Creating fonts has always been a time-intensive, painstaking process, but that process has been completely streamlined on the iPad. The fantastic iFontMaker app [review] makes it ridiculously easy to create your very own font. Providing a handful of basic fonts as guidelines, you write out your own version of each letter of the alphabet. Every tool you need is right at your fingertips, and they’re all user-friendly and intuitive. Create your own fonts, save them to your iPad or upload them to the font repository on the developer’s website, where anyone can find and download your creation for their own use.

It may lack the extensive tools of desktop software — it’s not easy to create terribly precise lines — but its simplicity and elegance more than make up for it. With iFontMaker, not only is it suddenly easy to make your own fonts, it’s downright fun!

Download iFontMaker ($6.99)

2. Letterpress Posters

John Bonadies has a passion for old-fashioned letterpress. It’s an all-but-lost art form from another time. So to ensure it would live on, he created LetterMpress [review], a spectacular recreation of the entire letterpress process. You start by picking out your letters and lines and symbols stamps, and line them up (in reverse, upside down) on the press. Then you pick from the numerous paper colors and styles, ink colors, and then crank the wheel by swiping your iPad’s screen, and presto — you’ve got a very realistic-looking letterpress poster. From there, you can share your creation in all sorts of ways.

Everything about LetterMpress is extremely authentic, down to the clamps that hold the stamps in place and the wooden drawers that slide out, holding all of the hardware. Bonadies stresses that the app isn’t a toy, but a serious tool for real work. Whatever it is, it sure is cool.

Download LetterMpress ($5.99)

3. eBooks

https://youtu.be/Yn57OhbnwiY?hd=1

Back in 2011, creating an ebook got a whole lot easier. With the help of eBook Magic, you can easily use your iPad to create and publish your own ebook. Novel, children’s book, photography book, you name it — eBook Magic can do it. Any size book, any font, any design you want to create. If you can edit a Word file, you can create a fully illustrated ebook with ease, thanks to the app’s useful tool set. You can even write right inside the app, and see how the layout will look in real time. If you want to sell your book in the iBooks store, eBook Magic can even help you do that.

Download eBook Magic ($3.99)

4. Animation

https://youtu.be/EnqnUC_4Mlk?hd=1

Everybody knows the iPad is a great tool for drawing and painting, but did you know it can also function as a full-scale animation studio? With Animation Desk loaded up, you can create your own hand-drawn animated shorts. The interface is beautifully designed to look and function like the desk of a professional animator, so if you know anything about animation at all, this should feel completely intuitive. When you’re happy with your creation, you can upload it straight to YouTube or Facebook.

Download Animation Desk ($4.99)

Alternative:
Animation Creator ($2.99)

5. Logos

Need a Web 2.0 logo for your business, but not a graphic designer? The Logo Maker is a great solution. It comes with tons of templates, elements, and you can add your own elements as well, straight out of your camera roll. If you know how to use gestures like pinch and twist on your iPad, then you know how to use this app. It’s that simple. It may be a scaled-down version of a desktop app, but don’t let that put you off — the developer throws in a copy of the desktop version for free to go with the iPad app.

Download The Logo Maker ($2.99)

6. Scrapbooks

Hey scrappers — don’t bother hiding, we know you’re out there — how would you like to get your scrapbooking fix without all the muss and fuss? Try ScrapPad. More than 2,000 elements are included to spruce up your photos, and you can download more themed packs as needed for $.99 each. The user interface couldn’t be simpler, and users swear by its fun factor and ease-of-use.

Download ScrapPad ($4.99)

Alternative:
Martha Stewart CraftStudio ($4.99)

7. Monsters

That’s right, monsters! Your iPad makes it easy to create your very own monster.

I’d be willing to bet that Monster Maker is one of Tim Burton’s favorite apps, because it cleverly lets you create your own line-art ink monsters that exist somewhere between madcap and macabre. 200+ body parts are included with the app, but you can draw your own to add to the library. You can add speech bubbles to your monsters or pose next to it with your iPad’s built-in camera. Share your creation directly to Facebook or Twitter. Pro designers take note: Monster Maker is not licensed for commercial use; it’s just for fun!

Download Monster Maker ($.99)


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

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