Draw on a Mac with an iPad

Mac Touchscreen?

A common question, considering that Macs are still not touch screen devices is if is there a way for me to beam an iPad onto a Mac (eg during a while video conferencing) so you maybe model an app, or draw in real time... For example maybe you want to model something in real time using Jamboard or Explain Everything, like drawing out/modelling a solution to a Maths problem?

To do this you just need to connecting your iPad to your Mac with a lightning cable (the one you use to charge it), then you can capture whatever you're doing on your iPad on your Mac screen, using QuickTime, as if you were going to record it, except you don't have to bother. It's explained very well by someone else here.

How to mirror your iPad to a Mac with QuickTime

1. Connect your iPad to your Mac using your Lightning to USB cable.

2. Open QuickTime on your Mac.

3. Click on "File" in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

4. Click "New Movie Recording."

Under "File," click "New Movie Recording."

5. Next to the red record button (bottom middle), click on the down arrow. Select your iPad from the list of available devices. If it's not there, try disconnecting and reconnecting your iPad (make sure your Mac accepts your iPad as a 'trusted' device).

Select your iPhone from the drop-down menu to connect to it.

6. Your iPad screen should now be fully mirrored on your computer, in the exact shape of your iPad screen.

Don't confuse this with...

Side Car

Side Car is different, but still useful, if you just want to use your iPad as a second display. Much like the projector in your classroom, the iPad shows an extension of your Mac desktop. Just like your projector in your classroom, you can move windows to it and use it like any other display.

Continuity Sketch

Continuity sketch lets you blend or merge some of your iPad functionality with your Mac... Maybe you want to insert a sketch into a document, in effect you use your iPad to control the cursor on your Mac with your finger/stylus/Apple Pencil. You can use your Mac to request document markup from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. As you add markup on your device, you see it happening live on your Mac.

Alternatively....

There are other ways to use good old fashioned drawing/writing on a Mac, even it isn't a touch screen device.

iPad Screen Recording

First if you're not bothered about doing it in 'realtime' as in 'synchronously', then you can just screen record on your iPad and save it as video to share separately.

Use the iSight Camera

If you want to draw/write on paper and capture that, you can still go 'old school' and use the 'iSight screencast' technique, by tilting your macbook screen forward and using it to video your hands while they draw on paper, as I demonstrate here. When you're finished you can just flip the video in QuickTime so it's the right way round before sharing it.

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