The day the app store launched, and developers started doing cool things with it, Photoshop users have been longing for a good companion app. People even made mockups of what it should look like, and feel like. Then supplemental apps like Keynote showed up, offering a sort-of way to control Photoshop on the Mac. Still, the true PS controller was not to be seen.

And then I stumbled upon PhotoKeys from RPA tech, the guys who make AirMouse.

PhotoKeys puts the whole toolbar in a single view on your iPhone. It’s also got ‘other’ quick shortcuts, usually found in the Edit menu. And there’s arrow keys for manipulating objects. Most of all, it’s meant to be placed beside your keyboard, as a quick way to get to shortcuts.

Let’s start with the user interface. RPA obviously comes from a Windows-based coding environment, as their apps reek of XP-esque pixels. The look is totally not fitting to the iPhone, nor is it remotely similar to Photoshop CS4. The feel is not unlike AirMouse, for those familiar with that app. It would fit perfectly well on a WinMo phone, but I think the iPhone deserves something a little better. Not to mention this hideous server app icon that resides in my Mac menubar.

Getting past the user interface, it works. Install the server app (which isn’t combined with the AirMouse one) and bonjour takes over the rest of the process. There’s no customisation whatsoever, as you just tap along and your actions are reflected in Photoshop. Well, not exactly. As I suspected, the app merely transmits the corresponding shortcut keys across to Photoshop, so it’s more of a glorified Keymote app. This means that if you’re in a text field and want to bring up the move tool, tapping that button types a ‘v’ in your text field instead. I suppose there isn’t any real way out of that problem, but a problem is a problem. It invariably leads to quirky behavior, and you definitely don’t need that in something that’s meant to speed up productivity.

I’ve been using this app for a while now, forcing myself to use it at times, but I find it far easier to just use the keyboard to change my tools instead of actually having to look at the iPhone before switching toolbar options. The Edit tab on the other hand suffers from identity crisis. It’s got things like selections, along with document tasks like saving, coupled with a few layer actions, and the last 8 programmable buttons are too small to even consider. Let’s not get to the arrow keys.

PhotoKeys stands for how not to do an iPhone Photoshop-companion. I think there’s potential for integrating Photoshop with the iPhone, but this is not the right way to look at things. Problem is, shortcuts are a keyboard intensive task, and the iPhone is a major step down from your Mac’s keyboard. So why would you use it?

The iPhone is a very unique platform with a whole new way of interacting with a computer, so sometimes the most obvious way is not the best way to go. Take remote controllers for instance. I still think imitating the Apple remote on the non-tactile touchscreen is not very effective since you have to keep looking at it. The Boxee remote app solves this by using gestures instead of buttons, making the process much more enjoyable. I think the same could be done for a Photoshop companion. I don’t want the entire power of Photoshop on a 3.5” screen device. What I would appreciate however is crucial functionality that could make the Mac workflow much cleaner, rather than add complexity as a trade in for coolness. If for instance developers tapped into visually intensive tasks, like perhaps re-rendering palettes (panels?) on the iPhone screen, or implement dialogs like adjusting the curve, or maybe just manipulate the canvas, it would be a great way to truly use the iPhone’s strengths to complement Photoshop, rather than cripple it. Perhaps there are some limitations in terms of how much control Photoshop allows developers to use, so maybe we’ll see some of this action as Photoshop CS5 allows third party Webkit panels instead of the current Flash only panels.

At $2.99, would I recommend PhotoKeys? No. The app is too ugly to start with, and its functionality is clearly not thought out with the iPhone in mind; more like just a cramming in as many features as possible. You’d have a better time with Keymote from Iced Cocoa. Scratch that, you’d be better off using your Mac keyboard.