Goodnotes new Apple Pencil Pro features: Palette and Dynamic Ink explained

Goodnotes new Apple Pencil Pro features: Palette and Dynamic Ink

Goodnotes has rolled out the Goodnotes new Apple Pencil Pro features — Palette and Dynamic Ink — to tap into Apple Pencil Pro’s squeeze and barrel‑roll interactions. Announced on May 15, 2024, the update targets faster tool switching and more lifelike pen strokes for handwriting, sketching, and PDF markup.

How do Palette and Dynamic Ink work in Goodnotes?

Palette appears with a squeeze of Apple Pencil Pro for instant tool switching, while Dynamic Ink adjusts fountain‑pen strokes as the Pencil barrel is rotated. Together, they cut modal friction and add calligraphic nuance without diving into menus.

Practically, Palette is a floating toolbar that pops up at the tip when Apple Pencil Pro senses a side press. It surfaces commonly used tools (pen, eraser, highlighter, lasso), quick commands such as Undo, and on-the-fly controls for color and stroke weight. Dynamic Ink, tied to the fountain pen tool, varies line shape and flow with pressure and barrel orientation, simulating a nib’s changing angle for more expressive handwriting. Apple’s “Squeeze” and “Barrel Roll” interactions are already supported in Goodnotes, per the official guide (Goodnotes support: Apple Pencil Pro features).

The Palette: A Game-Changer for Seamless Workflow

With Palette, tool changes happen at the page, not in the app chrome. A squeeze summons a compact control set right where the stylus is, enabling rapid shifts — for example, from highlighting a paragraph to jotting a margin note, or from drawing nodes in a mind map to lassoing and rearranging them. The design keeps cognitive load low: fewer taps, less pointer travel, and no context switch into a full toolbar.

In editorial testing, this reduces “mode miles” noticeably during dense PDF annotation. Frequent actions like toggling highlighter/pen or hitting Undo become single-squeeze moves. For power users, the speed gain shows most in workflows with repeated micro-switches (e.g., diagramming with frequent lasso nudges).

• Invoke Palette: squeeze Apple Pencil Pro; Palette appears near the tip.
• Switch tools quickly: pen, highlighter, eraser, lasso, plus Undo.
• Adjust on the fly: stroke color and thickness without opening full menus.

Dynamic Ink: A New Level of Realism

Dynamic Ink enhances the fountain pen in Goodnotes by linking line geometry to barrel rotation in addition to pressure. As the Pencil is rolled, stroke width and angle shift, echoing how a real nib lays down ink at different orientations. The result is more characterful handwriting and legible emphasis without manual weight changes.

For calligraphy enthusiasts and note‑takers who rely on hierarchy, the rotational response creates natural thicks-and-thins in headings, underlines, and emphasis strokes. Rolling the Pencil can fine-tune downstrokes and hairlines, while pressure still controls flow within the chosen style. A preview of stroke options appears when hovering over presets, aiding quick selection before writing.

Are the Goodnotes new Apple Pencil Pro features available on my iPad?

Yes — Palette and Dynamic Ink are available in Goodnotes when using Apple Pencil Pro on a compatible iPad running iPadOS 17.5 or later. Availability depends on having Apple Pencil Pro hardware; earlier Apple Pencil models do not support squeeze or barrel‑roll.

Goodnotes states the features are live now for all users with Apple Pencil Pro and a supported iPad (software version iPadOS 17.5, status mid‑2024). For Apple’s compatibility list, consult Apple’s product pages; Goodnotes’ announcement confirms support but does not enumerate specific iPad models. The official press note offers a concise overview (Goodnotes press release: Palette and Dynamic Ink).

What changes day-to-day for note‑taking and PDF work?

Expect fewer toolbar trips and more expressive pen strokes. In sustained sessions — lectures, client reviews, whiteboard planning — the squeeze-to-Palette interaction trims seconds off every tool change, while Dynamic Ink yields headings and annotations with built‑in visual hierarchy.

Based on newsroom practice, three scenarios benefit most:

• Document annotation: highlight, pen, and lasso cycles become faster, keeping focus on content instead of UI.
• Lecture or meeting notes: headings and callouts gain contrast via rotational thicks‑and‑thins, improving later scanability.
• Diagrams and mind maps: quick lasso adjustments and immediate stroke tweaks reduce friction while iterating structure.

Enhanced user experience and roadmap signals

Goodnotes frames the update as part of a broader push to streamline “thinking, writing, and creating” with Apple Pencil Pro interactions. Founder and CEO Steven Chan underscored that the new Pencil input model sets a higher bar for fluid interaction and hinted at more features in development that further simplify capturing and expressing ideas (May 2024 statement).

From a product‑design standpoint, Palette aligns with assistive UI patterns seen across pro creativity tools: float-in-context controls that appear only when needed. Dynamic Ink, meanwhile, deepens the app’s fountain‑pen simulation to satisfy both casual writers and users pursuing calligraphic fidelity.

Can the Palette be customized?

Currently, Goodnotes documents how to invoke Palette and what it contains but does not outline user-level customization for Palette contents. As of mid‑2024, Goodnotes has not announced granular Palette configuration.

For many workflows, the default set — pen, highlighter, eraser, lasso, Undo, color and thickness — covers frequent actions. If deeper customization arrives, expect it to target per‑tool presets or adjustable layouts; until then, efficiency gains come from learning the squeeze gesture and keeping core tools within reach.

Why these features matter

The Goodnotes new Apple Pencil Pro features address two long‑standing frictions in tablet note‑taking: modal switching and lifelike ink behavior. Palette removes navigation overhead right where it hurts — during rapid, repeated context changes — and Dynamic Ink brings analog‑style expressiveness without plug‑ins or separate brushes.

For students, researchers, lawyers, and designers, the net effect is a smoother loop from reading to marking to reorganizing. In comparative testing across iPad note apps, this kind of in‑context control typically yields the clearest productivity bump when annotating multi‑page PDFs or capturing fast‑moving meetings.

Fazit

Palette and Dynamic Ink land as meaningful, practical upgrades that map Apple Pencil Pro’s squeeze and barrel roll to real gains: quicker tool access and more expressive strokes. The features are available now in Goodnotes on iPadOS 17.5 with Apple Pencil Pro, per the official release. For most workflows, Palette reduces UI overhead, while Dynamic Ink elevates headings and emphasis without manual tweaks. From an editorial lens, this is a smart, day‑one integration of Apple’s new hardware inputs — with room to grow if Goodnotes adds Palette customization later.

Goodnotes has introduced exciting new features for the Apple Pencil Pro, including the Palette and Dynamic Ink. These enhancements are designed to improve your note-taking and drawing experience. The Palette feature offers a wide range of colors and tools, making it easier to customize your work. Dynamic Ink, on the other hand, provides a more natural and responsive writing experience, closely mimicking the feel of traditional ink on paper.

If you're interested in other innovative tools for your iPad, you might want to check out the Lamy iPad Stylus release. This new stylus is set to launch in the summer of 2024 and promises to bring even more precision and functionality to your digital workspace.

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With these new features from Goodnotes and other innovative products, your digital experience is set to become more efficient and enjoyable. The Palette and Dynamic Ink for the Apple Pencil Pro are just the beginning of what’s possible in the realm of digital creativity and smart technology.