Pen Tablets and Software

novicesnapper

I was rather curious how many or who uses pen tablets with their photo software? I have a Bamboo from awhile back and am still getting it ironed out for LR. I know the Intuit is the preferred choice, but a little steep for me or was when I got the Bamboo. I do like the pressure sensitiviy of having the pen for brush work, but it does take some getting used to on general feel vs a mouse. Anyhoo, I was just curious. :dunno

DavidTO

I use an Intuos at work and tried to save some money by using a Bamboo at home. No go. The quality difference is huge, mostly in the accuracy. I had a heck of a time navigating with the Bamboo. I ended up buying an Intuos for the home, as well.

For my money a mouse is a sure-fire way to destroy your hands. My mouse use nearly crippled me, I lost so much strength in my hand. Granted, at work (editing video) my mouse use is higher than average. But the stylus saved my hand. I guess my point here is that my interest in using the stylus was not for the special use as a pressure sensitive pen, but simply as a mouse replacement. For the very occasional times that a mouse is preferable, the Intuos has one sitting right there ready to use on the tablet. Another benefit over the Bamboo.

novicesnapper

Thanks David. I do find it interesting on the Bamboo, when using in LR3, doing brush retouches, it's almost like sketching it in. Hit the O key to view the mask you're working with, and you can see the varying pen pressure at work. Lol, that's the part I'm learning, instead of a mouse click, with full coverage instantly (full pressure).
LR3 keyboard shortcuts I use ALOT
Click the O key to view active mask when brush retouching, hit again to make it vanish.
Spacebar while dragging pictures with left mouse click (zoomed in), no matter which mode you are in
H key hides retouch (dots or points) during brush work
Hold ALT key while brushing, to remove any parts of the mask outside the intended area. Hold alt while brushing to remove retouch mistakes.
There are more, but these I use alot.