Downloading RAW images from camera to iPad

[RayGroome]

I am wanting to download my RAW images from my camera (whilst on holiday and without a laptop) to an iPad so that I can better assess image quality. I have not yet been able to do this with the LR app.
Any advice, please.?
The iPad does not have a USB connection so I have connected the memory card reader to a Kingston MobileLite wireless unit. The iPad can see the RAW file but I have not found a way of opening it using the LR app.
I understand the Microsoft Surface tablet has a USB connection so connecting a card reader would be simpler with this. Would it be necessary to install the full version of LR on this in order to convert RAW files?
Your advice please?

[john beardsworth]

The LrMobile app isn't currently intended to import raw files. What you can do is shoot raw+jpeg and import the latter. If you do this a lot, there is a workflow for subsequently syncing any work done on the JPEGs to the raws in Lr Desktop.

With a Surface, you do run the full version of Lr.

[ButchM]

You can use the Lightning to USB camera adapter from Apple to download images from your camera directly to the iPad ($29). If you have an older iPad you can use the 30-pin Camera Connection Kit (includes 2 dongles: 1 for SD cards, 1 for USB) to either connect your camera directly to the iPad or you can even use a USB combo card reader like the Kodak A250 card reader that will allow you to transfer directly from CF cards.

Of course these methods won't allow you to import directly into Lr Mobile ... but they get your RAW images into the iPad's Camera Roll ... from there, you can use any photo app on the iPad.

[luxborealis]

The fact people want to replicate their laptop/desktop workflows when using a tablet device is a huge miscalculation by Apple. The number of work around a needed to do something similar on an iOS device is becoming untenable. One could simply adopt the iOS way, but it means work around a trying to get back to a laptop/desktop environment.

Until Apple rethinks iOS, then you will be stuck with workarounds. I'm an iPad and MacBook Air user at work (and MBP-user at home) and I look at how simple life is for my colleagues using Surface, especially with apps like LR that are the same in Windows and OS X. One device, both worlds. Seamlessly.

[chez]

The fact people want to replicate their laptop/desktop workflows when using a tablet device is a huge miscalculation by Apple. The number of work around a needed to do something similar on an iOS device is becoming untenable. One could simply adopt the iOS way, but it means work around a trying to get back to a laptop/desktop environment.

Until Apple rethinks iOS, then you will be stuck with workarounds. I'm an iPad and MacBook Air user at work (and MBP-user at home) and I look at how simple life is for my colleagues using Surface, especially with apps like LR that are the same in Windows and OS X. One device, both worlds. Seamlessly.

I don't think the percentage of iPads sold that would be used for image processing is very high...it's a display of information device...not a creator of information device.

[rdonson]

... I look at how simple life is for my colleagues using Surface, especially with apps like LR that are the same in Windows and OS X. One device, both worlds. Seamlessly.

Have you personally tried running Lr on a Surface?  What did you think of the performance?  What was the hardware configuration of the Surface?

Personally I find Lr slow and requiring periodic restarts to do real work on my iMac.  It's hard for me to imagine how it would run better on a Surface.

[Dave Ellis]

You can use the Lightning to USB camera adapter from Apple to download images from your camera directly to the iPad ($29). If you have an older iPad you can use the 30-pin Camera Connection Kit (includes 2 dongles: 1 for SD cards, 1 for USB) to either connect your camera directly to the iPad or you can even use a USB combo card reader like the Kodak A250 card reader that will allow you to transfer directly from CF cards.

Of course these methods won't allow you to import directly into Lr Mobile ... but they get your RAW images into the iPad's Camera Roll ... from there, you can use any photo app on the iPad.

Yes I use the Lightning to SD card adapter and this works fine, albeit rather slowly with raw files. I'm not familiar with the LR app but the Photoshop Express app handles raw files. The in-built photo app can also be used to view and edit raw files although I think this actually works on the embedded jpeg rather than the raw data itself.

Dave

[mlewis]

Have you personally tried running Lr on a Surface?  What did you think of the performance?  What was the hardware configuration of the Surface?

Personally I find Lr slow and requiring periodic restarts to do real work on my iMac.  It's hard for me to imagine how it would run better on a Surface.

I have LR on my SP4 - i5, 8GB.  It doesn't run quite as fast on there as on my desktop but it is perfectly fine for editing out in the field.

[rdonson]

I have LR on my SP4 - i5, 8GB.  It doesn't run quite as fast on there as on my desktop but it is perfectly fine for editing out in the field.

Thanks, for the report. It's encouraging!