Review: Concepts drawing app for the iPad

Concepts is one of the most original drawing apps for the iPad. Here is my review.
Wonder what tools I draw with or what I use to make videos, check out my Gear: bradcolbow.com/mygear/

[@grafishing7921]

You should definetly do a concepts re-review

[@WouterZtube]

You should do a revisit review. Lots has been changed since your review

[@chinmaysamal2448]

a lot.

[@JeremyWilliamson]

THIS video is the BEST tutorial-review video I've seen thus far for the CONCEPTS drawing app!!! Thank you for this!!

[@cvictor1126]

I've been trying to find more reviews about Concepts and this is pretty thorough. I work in monochrome and have been blown away by the high quality of the brushes in Concepts. It would be really great to see a comparison of the latest Concepts with Adobe's Fresco, both of which *look* really interesting.

[@rooneye]

Fresco is more of a painting app though for sure. Like their water colour brushes are pretty much unmatched when it comes to realistic water blending and stuff. They act like real life water colour paints, like no other app can.

[@MattHalpain]

I have been a hobby drawer since my teens. I love to watch your videos about art tech. As it amazes me the complexity of your ability to use art apps. You inspire me to continue to do art. As one day I will be better than I am today at art.

[@yuriyork8094]

Very cool style of presenting your ideas. Both humorous and in depth at the same time. Good job

[@dave3k]

Would be great if you could do another review of this app as I'm sure it's improved a ton.

[@germainemichu6513]

Automatic in layers means that every time you use a pen, a pencil or a marker, you will draw (automatically !) on a specific layer, without having to change layers !! It's a huge tool …

[@dawarner6302]

You mentioned that understanding automatic versus manual layering. The manual layering let you sort your layers, which addresses your need to move players after you created your outline and colours

[@Amochi013]

Could you do a video on just showing how you draw on adobe illustrator? Just your preferences on what tools you use to make a drawing.

[@TheVampireRove]

I just came across this app on Android and I just love it. I keep discovering new things and it's definitely taught me a lot. It's everything I wish AutoDesk Sketchbook was. I absolutely love how clean you can get your line work. AutoDesk Sketchbook just cannot compete in that category in my opinion. I do a lot of drawing on my Note 10+ and I'm so glad to have this in my arsenal.

[@miklosnemeth8566]

I am full heartedly with You, I've evaluated a number of tablet apps for digital pen drawing, and honestly nothing can come even close to Concepts pure vector machinery on an unlimited canvas with unlimited number of layers. Especially on IPAD, since the IPAD version has a couple of awesome features that the Android/Windows version doesn't.

[@holdenbarnes9559]

Great review!

[@abdelmejiacaballero9750]

"you paying for quality people" the best line I've heard from brad so far hahahah

[@myndwork]

Great review.

[@maxchristianesteffan2321]

Dear Brad, would you mind doing a new Concepts review? Best regards!

[@muhdfadl]

Nice review!!

[@GA0907]

Layers, make sure layers is set on manual top right corner, then select layer, drag to left and then up or down to reorder the layer..... At least that's what I have found. Hope that helps

[@geokok20]

I own the Cintiq companion the iPad pro and I recently bought the surface pro 4 too. I wish there was a product with the screen size and the technology of a Cintiq, the light weight of a surface pro and the tilt capabilities of an apple pencil.

[@shaemusnevin554]

Thak you very much, this video helped me get the pro version

[@gidleygrafx3279]

If you just tap and hold on the layer like in procreate or something and then you can move them up and down.

[@johnkon2810]

The color picker is pretty but its just the Copic Marker Colors, (same colors used in Sketchbook). You can find swatches for these colors for almost any art/design software out there.

[@Viti]

Yay new video!

[@fabiorodella]

Hey, can you edit the weight/thickness of part of a line after you have sketched it? If not, do you know of any other iPad vector drawing app that does allow it? I'm trying to find one :(

[@justforthetv]

Cool beard. The salt and pepper works for you dude! Thanks for the review.

[@korezbexion1364]

Can you review ibispaint on ipad pro , ibispaint is a great drawing app pls review it

[@alexstuccer]

Hi, about exporting, did you try open svg with inkscape and then save it again from it, or save as pdf?

[@user-wm6th1dw9v]

App improved, especially eraser

[@dascodraws6040]

Brad, you look so young! XD *looks at upload date* oh. I just discovered concepts and wondered if you had a take on it!

[@JonathanWirjoprawiro]

i love your videos, it's more thorough than most other review videos (a lot of tend to stop somewhere along this list) 1. what the product is/does, features 2. how much it costs 3. how does it compare to others 4. small demo of drawing 5. sharing/exports/workflow 6. other quirks and bugs 7. daily/personal use and subjective opinion I actually do the same thing with with inking > colouring > then moving colour layer below linework. It seems pretty weird to not be able to rearrange layers, but I suppose you could always just create multiple layers at the start and work on it that way? How does canvas size work here? does it have an unlimited canvas mode? i.e. at 2:41 Anyway, thought I'd comment to show my appreciation. P.S. I have an architectural background, and AutoCAD IS cool.

[@TheHiroyukiutatane]

+Jonathan Wirjoprawiro "but I suppose you could always just create multiple layers at the start and work on it that way?" What would happen if you want to create a layer in between two other layers?

[@JonathanWirjoprawiro]

yeah it's not a great workaround, but basically draw on layers 1 and 5 first, anticipating you'll come back to 2, 3, and 4. And then delete 3 and 4 if you only end up using #2

[@thebradcolbow]

+Jonathan Wirjoprawiro Yeah, my first step is to create a new layer to work on so I can always go to the bottom and create an under layer that way.

[@sparkytank7818]

To rearrange layers, slide to the right and then move to where you want.

[@liengreen2515]

I think if you put the layering on manual, you can then rearrange the layers. But I'm just guessing since i never used the app.

[@salvatorebaglio738]

I use this app but i don't find an options that allow me to set custom colors (with color code). Or set colors from the weel and adjust them to change, like in art studio pro. There is a way to doing that on concepts? Thank you

[@torb-no]

Concepts have changed a lot since you reviewed it here, and I think you ought to re-review it. Partially because your reviews often double as a good guide to said apps. :)

[@UrsulaJStLouis]

How did you get the Apple Pencil to work on the iPad Pro? Mine is not working.

[@cmnweb]

a good alternative for android is infinity design app for vector graphics

[@abbierooney9913]

hi sorry that this vid is so old and im commenting on it but what are the other apps shown at the very start of tje video .... thanks x

[@versetheory3180]

Hey Brad, I use xp 13.3 pro for drawing with concepts, but the pen earases a soft portion Everytime I am making a new stroke why?

[@KarikaturaLv]

Thanks for useful channel! Which would you choose as best vector app on iPad Pro? Concepts, Autodesk Graphic or maybe just good enough with Adobe Draw?

[@thebradcolbow]

+Gatis Šļūka concepts is the only one I like but it's very different than most vector apps.

[@JDvorak2009]

So, can I use finger or stylus with this?n I don't have Pencil. Thanks

[@soumithv8620]

It has changed a lot now

[@rubiksfan2000]

Hello Brad. I was wondering if you knew of an ipad pro app that is good for drafting. Something that gives your tools like protractors, rulers, triangles, etc. Almost all the apps I come across are 'drawing' apps. Some are great and all but don't give you tools for drawing technical things. Thanks a lot.

[@Grumpyoldtwit]

rubiksfan2000 did you ever find such an app? Sounds like what I'm looking for. I thought Concepts would do it but I find it too complicated and unintuitive. No beginner tutorials on KZbin. They all go to fast and don't explain what they're doing.

[@eisque]

It's available for Android now

[@samprovencher]

The color wheel you like so much is not random, it says they are Copic colors which would refer to Copic marker colors.

[@eltonga28]

Can you review it again now that its on windows 10?

[@Bob-jn8jt]

You can actually rearrange the layers. Just tap and hold and then move them up and down.

[@amittayal]

+Joshua Vasilda I was about to say the same. :)

[@alexvech]

concepts, procreate, assembly, replay, enlight, graphic are my guys for the ipad ! i wanted to know what you brand and guys thought about the app "over"

[@thebradcolbow]

+alessandro vec I had never heard of Over until you mentioned it. It looks pretty cool. A nice way to add text to instagram or Facebook posts. I wonder if it could be used with another app like Protosketch to do some more graphic designy things.

[@harrisoncui2124]

It seems that you really enjoy iPad pro to creative your design now. Maybe it is a really vision that most people will draw in the future ?

[@telebarts]

Try to open SVG on Inkscape it's a free vector opensource software it based on SVG maybe it will do the job and open it for you

[@stevenleito01]

You should do a updated review comparing it to procreate

[@Grillo110]

Hello Brad which app you recomend for an architectch using mac and iPad Pro

[@thebradcolbow]

Unfortunately I don't know much about architecture apps.

[@Luxx0711]

Morpholio Trace and other Morpholio apps. Concepts for ios is stronger than back then. Maybe check out the affinity apps for iPad, photo and designer. It's kind of a no brainer thanks to the price.

[@mani55indian]

How to download this app pls give link or

[@JimmyKhoaLe]

For some reason you are the only one to do any video on Concepts. But this is 3 years ago.. Is the content still relevant?

[@johnkon2810]

2019 update: There is a manual, (so yes you can move layers). They constantly update the app; in fact as of 2019: you can export SVG without a subscription (that works). It's a solid app and you definitely can find use for it without a Sub. The worst thing about Concepts is this: some features & brushes you have to pay for a Subscription to get access too, which leads me to #2... seriously they want a subscription?!? Obviously, they aren't paying attention to the Adobe backlash!

[@johnkon2810]

@Work Smarter Not Harder ... AGREED! Adobe makes great software but, I'll be damned before they laugh at me too, on their way to the bank. Besides, there has never been a better time than now, with so many good creative software makers like Affinity & Rebelle (& the list goes on), to pay any type of rental fee for software.

[@rooneye]

OK so it's 5 years later and this app is fucking awesome!

[@dave3k]

How does it compare to procreate?

[@rooneye]

@@dave3k Hmmm (I always hate this answer but here I am giving it!) I would say they're two different apps for two different things so it's hard to compare really. If you wanna do like arty painting stuff then procreate it the way to go for sure. But Concepts draws in vectors which is awesome for like architecture and technical stuff. Procreate is raster based so when you resize things they get all pixelated and horrible. In Concepts your lines are always smooth. Also one great thing concepts has which is an awesome feature I wish Procreate and others have is objects. Like you can draw say a tree and then save it as an object and then you can just use it as many times as you want and can built up an awesome library of objects built right into the app. Probably the biggest thing about Procreate is the brushes. There are tonnes of them and there is a huge community of people making them for you to use (free and paid). So there are literally thousands and thousands out there for every need you could have. Need some unicorn vomit on you painting? There's a brush for that! Concepts has a VERY limited brush set. Though you can make your own, it's nowhere near as good of a brush maker tool than Procreate. If texture is your thing then Procreate is your app lol Out of the box concepts doesn't really do textures. Anyways to be honest I prefer actually using concepts for sure. It just feels really nice the way you can adjust the brush smoothness and the way the brushes react to that is just perfect. You can get such natural smooth lines. I also just LOVE the built in blueprint background with a white pen/pencil, it's just aesthetically so perfect! And of course the INFINITE canvas is just infinitely cool. If Concepts had all the features of Procreate in it, I wouldn't use anything else. But it doesn't :(

[@dave3k]

@@rooneye Wow, thanks for the amazingly detailed reply. I'm a complete beginner to drawing so right now Procreate seems a bit overkill to me and too powerful for my needs. I watched a few of their videos and it looks really intuitive. The infinite canvas is the icing on the cake because I'm doing lots of drawing exercises at the moment so being able to do them on the same sheet is a lot less tedious. I'm definitely going to use Concepts for the foreseeable and check back in with Procreate if I become half-decent at drawing :)

[@rooneye]

@@dave3k Yeah for sketching? Concepts all day! Like I said the smoothness of the lines is just awesome. And you can get it so that it's JUST right to how you would feel on paper. Because on an iPad with the pencil every little move you make makes the line look wobbly and horrible. You can nail the smoothness down to where it just feels right, like not too smooth where it's doing all the work for you, but just a natural smooth line. Awesome. Procreate doesn't even come close to that.

[@TheBiggervern]

And even more has changed now.

[@joselucnico]

There is a chanel for this app on youtube

[@hansgluck5228]

Can you update your Concepts Video ? :)

[@BerryStraw15]

What´s Better? This or Procreate?

[@thebradcolbow]

Procreate. I like Concepts, but when it comes to painting on the iPad nothing touches Procreate.

[@kookies9714]

Hey guys! I am wanting to purchase a good drawing app for my iPad Air. I have had the free version of concepts for a while and I am really happy with it. Do you think that I should buy procreate or the full version of concepts? Your recommendations would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!! ❤️

[@tychay]

_Looni_Tunez they are very different. Concepts is a vector drawing drafting app and procreate is a pixel sketching and painting app. It depends on your style, but for most people I think Procreate would likely be better first purchase. If you don't know your style, try free apps like Adobe Illustrator Draw or Concepts without purchases for the former, or Tayasuya Sketches or Paper for the latter.

[@lc7433]

_Looni_Tunez get paintstorm, is like having a desktop program in ur ipad :)

[@JDvorak2009]

6.99 for all of the addons or for each one?

[@thebradcolbow]

6.99 for all of them at once but It's been a year since I did that so price may have changed.

[@Felix-fj4ib]

The copic marker color wheels

[@benheringhaus1840]

How to save the thing you created

[@metalliholic]

Nooooo!!! Did we lose you to Apple? I first found you because of your surface videos. Oddly enough I can't stop watching your videos lol. Anyways keep up the good work 👍

[@metalliholic]

I have an Ipad Pro now. so we good.

[@sfnpdl]

Do review on windows 10

[@sylivianamorel2811]

4:36 😂😂

[@benjaminpastrana9662]

wow! looks like PROCREATE! which is better???

[@elemento_arts]

Come on man, don't trash Concepts just because you didn't read the manual for adjusting layers. ProCreate is awesome but more toward illustrators. This app is for technical designers. It's my personal favorite. Great vids.

[@TheNovemberlight]

Don't particularly feel he 'trashed' the app - he was like 98% positive about it.. (Although, reading the manual would of course have taught him how to drag to rearrange layers).

[@-DAN1lavian]

try ibes paint x