Concepts Reviews

by DragonflyMoon

There are good things I can say about Concepts and not so great things. I love the versatility, the ability to upload photos, images and the ability to create color palette. I really love the ability to take colors from other places to create color palette. I hate that there is no rainbow graduation wheel to choose color from. If you don’t like their color choices, you have to go find an image with the color palette you want, upload them, create your palette and then get rid of the images if you don’t want them and a lot of the time artists already know exactly what shade they are after and just want to go to a wheel and choose. This is time consuming and time is money. I hate that there is no “snap” option for guidelines or shapes to lock onto grid lines or to lines on your work and if your tool or fingers move even the tiniest bit, they get knocked out of place and it really makes any kind of precision work or work impossible. You really can’t line anything up to make a perfectly straight line. When you change the composition of a shape by moving out the corners, any other shape you choose will hold that new composition. Also not desirable. It doesn’t snap back into shape. You have to painstakingly reshape it by hand and hope you get it right. When you are don’t using a shape tool, it doesn’t recover its original shape. Honestly this thing is so many headaches that I am looking for other options.

by ScriptNasty

Firstly, I'd like to start by stating I can appreciate all the hard work you've put into the development thus far, TopHatch. I'm in love with the flow of the user interface: your color selection studio is incredibly beautiful and intuitive! Additionally, I enjoy how I can adjust the positions of functional menus around the screen; I'm especially fond of the the option where the tool-wheel meshes against the edges of the canvas, for more of a 'fullscreen' view while working.

Withal, I can't understand why this gorgeous app, that has soooo much potential with it's endless canvas, simply lacks many basic needs for an artist or designer: it lacks a proper and traditional bucket tool; has no marquee selections of any sort—mind you, It has a lasso tool; however, and for some silly reason, it functions like a fill style paint brush—which just isn't efficient enough for any serious workflow.

Thusly, I have to rate this app with a 3 star review. I believe if you took some inspiration from Affinity or Autodesk, Concepts could outshine them, bar-none.

by Zaaxau

Does anyone know how to delete layers? Arc function is very limited; can't always change curvature because there is no specific control for that. Erased lines at maximum zoom level reappear at lower zoom settings; very annoying.

Responding to the developer's response. Thanks! Great customer service.
Figured out how to delete layers. It is still annoying that the program creates layers automatically depending on the tool used. Arc support function definitely needs a third control in the middle of the arc, getting the curvature right with just two end-controls does not work well most of the time. I am using the hard erasure to erasue, however, things don't really get erased even though you can't see what is erased. For example, I erased a line then was trying to write with the text tool at the place where the line was, an invisible line would hide parts of the text box. I had to step back, remove the line and then rewrite.

by Wooden3D

This is a great app, with the purchased Pro Pack I found it to be very useful. The quality of the pencil shading and line making is first class. Concepts also has an easy to follow, and creativity based user interface, with a good mix of Photoshop like settings, and artist based ones too. I really enjoy drawing technical diagrams, and maps and Concepts was perfectly suited for it. I don't know what a name for it is, but a great tool is the auto line straightener. The only reason I've given this a 4 star rating is personal, I would really like to see a tool for drawing parallels/perpendiculars. I would also like more zoom capability, and photo import improvements. Concepts is consistently updated which is really nice, and each app update typically brings more and more functionality. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a more "precision" based artists suite, however it is still a good option for casual usage. Cheers to the developers, and I can't wait to see what they have in the pipes.

by Ceventatem

Graphic Designer here. I've been seeking ways to utilize my Pencil/iPad as a replacement for my beloved pencils/sketchbook. I will pay money for a professional, functional app. I love this app! After much doodle-testing, I’ve settled on Procreate and Concepts. I like Concepts because of the infinite canvas, the realistic paper background, and the (buyable) ability to save vector. The tools are easy to adjust and the controls are all intuitive. I HATE that the eraser doesn't ERASE. (If you save a vector file, the erased lines are all there to greet you when you import it into Illustrator or whatever - colored the same as the rest of the lines! It’s a mess!) And PSD to CC only?? No thanks. If I wanted to deal with them we wouldn't be here.

Ideally I'd like to sketch an idea, clean it, color it, and export the useable vector to Dropbox so I can port it to PS/Illustrator/CorelDraw for finalization without too much fuss. Unfortunately there is no app for that...YET! (I’m hopeful) Ignoring the vector functionality, Concepts is amazing and a joy to use.

by IPhone 6+ Tester

UPDATE: SLICE IS SO COOL, PLEASE ADD IT FOR IMAGES! I keep thinking that’s the only feature I wish I had, otherwise fits great in my workflow and I’ve been using it more recently for editing / providing feedback on images / flowcharts etc. I wanted to edit a UI screen design the other day and kept trying to figure out how to move pieces within the image and best I could do was to make different layers and erase the rest of the layer then move two layers against each other but just being able to slice a piece out of an image would have made that so much easier.

—— previous ——

It’s pretty rare for an application that does something so basic to really leverage being in a digital medium like this app does. Works super well and finally gives me the ability to individually modify strokes in a way I wish I could from the very first time I started drawing. Great work!

by AddisonDragon

One problem I’ve often found in many drawing and painting programs, as well as on paper and canvas, is that I tend to have issues with initial sketching. Something about the process has always felt, somewhat claustrophobic to me, if that makes sense? What with not knowing exactly how the finished piece will turn out, it begins to feel more and more cramped as more is added to the canvas. Concepts, however, completely gets rid of that feeling for me, and allows me to just continue to sketch on and on to my hearts’s content, without any feeling that I'm running out of space, and then allows me to export my sketches, from which I can then continue and finish them in another program (though, it does seem like you may be able to create good finished pieces here as well, if that better suits your workflow!)

Thank you for this wonderful app!

by Edzlinx

I've been using this app 5 with the purchased Essentials pack for 24 hours now to work out a design for a Web site. Having an infinite size canvas is wonderful! The drawing tools are great, though certainly no more so than other superb apps like Tayasui Sketches. And the tutorial videos are also great, though they could benefit from being more bite-size like the 2 - 4 minute tutorials for Serif's Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher apps. A huge plus for this app seems to be that they have a business model which enables significant ongoing development of Concepts . Having said that however, what I had hoped for in this app —given the idea development nature of Concepts — was, in addition to the cool drawing tools, to have better text handling. For instance, it really needs text flow wrap within a resizable text box, and the ability to choose a font — the basic cmd-t functions of other apps would be a huge step forward even if there were no user-defined text styles. Maybe i'm not understanding some things, so if I discover that I've misunderstood the text features, then I'll edit this review. Finally, i want to say that I'm not interested in subscription apps, so if this app had not provided have the one-time purchase options, I would not have bothered with it.

by @MrZeppo

There are many popular drawing, sketching, art apps on the iOS market, but this is Concepts that has become the core app at the center of my creative art workflow. While I am NOT a very accomplished artist by any means, I am passionate about learning and practicing the skills involved in making visual art. After spending a few months testing various apps out, I narrowed my selection down to a selection of unique and well designed apps that work well together. Concepts has become the home for my slowly growing portfolio of artwork created with this multi-app approach. I have found to be the one of the most user friendly, stable, and best of all FREE up front apps, with a collection of in app purchases that are both reasonably priced and worth acquiring. My one wish for Concepts is that the developers make it available on macOS desktop environment!

by Erick117301

Well first I don’t have another app to compare it too... this the first app of this “type” of drawing program that I’ve used. I am throughly happy with it!!, that said their are a couple of minor things that drive me crazy. The Circular Toolbar that sits in the corner...drives me “Freak’n” nuts, accidentally put it in its semi-hidden mode and spent the next half hour trying to get back to its regular mode - makes me want scream and throw my iPad out the window. Lastly, (only two to begin with) precision mode tools... the one that allows to create line, eclipses, etc...is very finicky... try to move and it draws in the line, try to adjust it and draws on the line - makes you want scream!! Okay, so besides those minor faults... Concepts was extremely helpful in allowing me to draw a mock up of a kitchen renovation that I’m planning. I think the pricing is fair.. If was going to use this an accessory in my line of work I’d pay the subscription.

by Zaraghast

Concepts is great in concept, and I’ve really tried to use it, but there is no way to move the interface to the right side of the screen, which means frequently bumping different buttons and icons with the wrist and palm as a left handed person, which completely kills any chance of every getting into a work flow in Concepts. It does have some features that apps like Procreate do not, but Procreate does account for left-handedness, so I will just stick with that. :/

Updated: The developer responded to my issue of left-handed support and turns out I just wasn’t looking in the right place haha! Upgraded my review accordingly since Concepts has since been great for drafting out ideas for everything from web projects to 3D prints. The way the canvas can keep expanding and be rotated is amazing. No more trying to squeeze a bunch of details into the constraints of a single page!

by Mohammad Bibi

Through out my time as a designer for various media’s including print advertisements, books and publications, product labels, websites, artworks, calligraphy, I would begin my process with jotting down all the needs of what I am going to produce and brainstorm how they would fit into the final design like a puzzle board, then begin to create roughs of layouts, site maps, sketches which I used to do in a sketchbook usually just using a pencil or black pen. When I read about the infinity canvas and the tools it includes, plus being able to organize and export my work, this app became essential for my planning phase. I can even create collages for images I am trying to draw inspiration from while still have room to conceptualize. I only made the essentials purchase and it has been more than enough for me. Amazing app. And what I love most is not having to be forced into a subscription.

by Heloryguy

Concepts has been the best one I have found for drawing like I used to in my sketchbook. I like that there is a hard and soft pencil, and a hard and soft eraser. Changing the size and color of each implement is intuitive, fast, and easy. The graph paper background is super handy as I am a graphic designer creating hand drawings. Out of all the apps I have used for drawing, this one is my favorite. The only thing that I have found to be less than satisfactory is that if I try to export my drawing to Adobe Illustrator with Vector Paths (option only included in the pro version) all my erase marks show up as well in illustrator which makes the feature useless. I have had to export everything as a raster image which for me has defeated the purpose of creating a vector image in the first place. Hoping for future improvements on this aspect of an otherwise great app.

by TheodyBunghanoy

If you want a whiteboard app to get started on your ideas, this is the one!

I was originally searching for a program to sketch out ideas and different topics, so I thought to download a whiteboard! Compared to other apps, this one is is very effective and efficient.
The tools and guides is incredibly beneficial. Moreover, it is not difficult to start at all! Every tool is recognizable, and can easily be customized for each individual. Everything can be managed with ease, and the interface is very simplistic. The color palette’s, is another factor. Most other whiteboard apps hand you a few basic colors, while this gives many shades! Creating technical sketches, projects, architecture and much more is capable thanks to Concepts. It is very direct, and doesn’t attempt to walk you in different directions when you want to get started. It let’s you dive into your ideas immediately, with all the help that is needed. Again, absolutely phenomenal!

by Marcus Auraelius

Every aspect of this app is tailored to be the finest experience in drawing, designing, and (most often in my case) taking detailed notes.

This program was one of the major pull factors for buying an iPad, for the purpose of the improved functionality on iPad, and to make use of the touchscreen and various other features.
I am far from being disappointed with my purchase. I have used this app on my PC for a while, and it is still excellent (Even though some people complain about functionality porting over to Windows systems, I have no complaints here.) but the iPad really brings out the program’s best features and makes note-taking and designing an absolute breeze, from the gestures double tapping a pen (Which is customizable in this app, of course!) to switching tools effortlessly, to the color wheel, it is all around a good purchase. Having bought the Essentials package on both Windows and Apple systems, I consider both worthy purchases even though purchases do not transfer cross-platform.

My favorite aspect so far has been making use of the Apple Pencil, used specifically for drawing tools while your fingers can be used to select objects and move them, with no additional tool selection in-between. The transition is incredibly smooth and it may not seem like much at first but it is very helpful in the long run.

I am very impressed with this software. Full marks this app!

by Splashofcolor

I’ve been using this app for a little over 1.5 years now, so it’s about time that I left a review. I was initially attracted to the fantastic color wheel in this app, but it was ultimately the infinite canvas that won my admiration. Having the ability to develop ideas fully without having to use multiple documents is simply brilliant. So, while I use several apps for my finished artwork, including Procreate and Affinity Designer, it is this app that has become go-to app for creative concept development. I use it for sketchnotes, storyboards, mood boards and anything else when I need room to work ideas and this app on a single, scrollable canvas. I don’t have document size limits or layer limits. And, because it is a vector based program with the look of rasters, scaling things up and down is easy, without any loss of quality. These are thing I just can’t do in the other apps that I use. Additionally, the user interface is simple to intuitive and easy to use. And, that color wheel is simply fantastic.

So, while I use several art apps in my workflow for finished work, for concept development, it’s this app all the way!

by Owensv

this app has gone through many changes since my last five star review a couple of years ago. It’s really a different app now, only better than ever. They went through an evolution where there were so many powerful features being added, that Concepts lost its intuitive feel, and there was even one point at which it was sometimes frustrating for users like myself who just needed a go-to sketch program, and didn’t “live” in Concepts enough to keep up. Not any more. Somehow, with the addition and integration of powerful new editing tools that let you select and have your right-brain way with your drawing, the Wow is back. I think the key is that this app, unlike some other apps I also own (and like), is conceived from the ground up as a tablet program, and not an adaptation of a more PC centric package like GIMP or Photoshop, etc. The developers also release more updates than for any other such app I have, almost always containing useful features along with under the hood fixes, as though...oh, I don’t know, maybe they actually try using what they design or something. How nuts is that? Six to seven stars for this latest version.

by Stevegossett64

I have iPad Pro 256GB and this app Pro. Once you surpass around 20 layers, and I mean just simple line art, Memory Warning starts showing in the top middle. I have made sure that all apps were closed and restarted my iPad with same thing occurring. Merging of layers is pretty whacky as well. When merging down two or three layers I end up losing some of whatever colors in a layer I have between the layers. Three layer object in point is if I create a simple Window with frame and glass panels, light and curtain. Granted they merge dependent on what layer is above what but this is in no way like a Photoshop merge where there is no loss. I would expect the light layer to merge as the back layer it is but not the case.

Dev answered so this deserves an update. For the most part this is an awesome app and I will continue to use it. My comment above is based off the lack of understanding of the effects of vector graphics on memory so will stay only for the next guy.

Truly, exporting as a transparent PNG and then importing into a new project as they recommend is the workaround once you start getting the error. I would love to export to Photoshop layered file without needing to have to log into an Adobe account though.

by AndrewHaglund

I started using Concepts 1 day before the release of version 5. I made this sprawling and complex drawing of a customer journey map to map out the design of a brand new feature we’re working on for our app. I found the version 4 UI highly functional but felt it was really complicated and busy. I was only using the free version, since that was fulfilling my needs.

That all changed with version 5. Version 5 introduces an all-new UI (and payment structure) which massively simplifies the controls while drawing, and lets you hide and show different panels if they’re in the way (the Layers button for example). I’m still confused about how the color palates work, so I’m using the “Recent” color palate and that’s doing the job. This tool feels indispensable to me now. That infinite canvas is amazing, and the sketch tools and features feel like a super expensive piece of drawing software at a fraction of the price.

My favorite feature, and why it’s awesome for drawing journey maps and wireframes for designing apps, is this app’ infinitely-sized canvas. It’s like the biggest whiteboard ever and you can just keep going and going. Making super long journey map type of work is nearly impossible on fixed page size drawing apps, so this is truly revolutionary for me.

by Jwmmakerofmusic

This is about the best vector art app on the appstore. The natural media brushes that originally came with Concepts still look and feel great, and if that's not enough, you can buy IAP brushes as well as invent your own brushes. You have the ability to adjust lines and colour fills you've made using the select and nudge tools. Multiple select options. Multiple gesture options. Scaling doesn't mean the lines have to get thicker if you don't want.

Despite the fact the vector format doesn't really allow for natural smudging like a raster app can, the watercolour tool in this app makes up for it by way of providing realistic colour blending and gradients that look just as good if not better (at least for my art style).

However, what truly makes Concepts the best is the unparalleled customer service. For instance, there was something funky going on with the Copic colour wheel when I placed it in the lower right corner. Instead of my currently selected colour being readily accessible, it was hidden, the colour wheel behaving like it was set in the lower left corner. After bringing this up, it was fixed six days later. The customer service guy confirmed it was fixed just for me! Now I don't know about you, but I don't know of any other company who cares as much for their customers on an individual level like TopHatch does.

If you're looking for the best mobile vector art app, forget Affinity Designer. Go with this app instead.

by SerratedGrin

I do daily gesture drawings, and I've been doing it for several years, and since I like keeping the drawings to see my progress I've accumulated a large amount of binders to store all those drawings. I had tried going digital several times, but I hadn't really found an app that captured the ease and speed of pen and paper until I decided to try this one.

The infinite canvas is just perfect for my needs, I don't have to worry about running out of space or forcing myself to draw at a certain size. I love being able to remove all the UI elements and just focus on the gestures. The brushes are responsive and easy to personalize, and if there's a particular gesture I end up loving and want to move over to a different app to further develop it's incredibly simple to do so.

The main selling point for me is that you have provided the basics for free, and given us the option to add more features with a one time fee or a subscription. I cannot stand apps that demand a monthly fee, and provide much less than what you guys have provided for free.