Wacom Tablet??

JHarris1984

Hey there,

I just wanted to get some insight from some people who are using Wacom tablets. I'm thinking about getting one in the near future. I've never used one and I'm wondering if it will be any benefit to me or not.

I normally just work on portraits, wildlife pictures from zoos, and sports. I'm not extradinary in Photoshop. Normally just do some sharpening and cropping/resizing. I'd like to become more creative with photoshop and learn other techniques as well.

I'm looking at the Intuos3 Line. The tablets that fit my budget are 6x11 and below. Also curious about the Bamboo Tablet, although it doesn't look like it's something I'd be too crazy about.

Beyond that I'm not sure if my screen size matters? I use a laptop but when I'm at home I plug an external 22" screen in to it. I normally only do image editing at home, the rest of the time I just use the laptop for just surfing the internet when I'm out.

So I suppose I'm just asking whether or not I should be looking in to one of these tablets and would I get any benefit from using one.

Thanks,

Jon

Art Scott

I have found it makes doing a lot of PP work a lot easier than the mouse or trackball...........It is just like working with a pen or pencil on a tablet....I don't get that etchy sketchy look when I am trying to putline something with my tablet/sylus.....currently I am using a 4x6 tablet (working area) and want to upgrade to a larger one in the future.

UbuNoir

I use the intuos 3 6x11 and love it. It did take me a while to get used to using it. Doing things like double clicks or hovering the mouse to open the a tooltip does have a learning curve. I also switched the tip from the default to the felt-tip because I liked the additional drag.

Now that I'm used to it, i can't do without the pressure sensitivity and precision when using photoshop. I use photoshop and similar programs 8-10 hours/day and I've found that a side benefit is that switching between pen and mouse for different tasks relieves strain on my wrist... hopefully keeping carpal tunnel away.

SloYerRoll

The Intuos 4x6 or larger will be MORE than adequate for your needs.

The 6x11 is only the working surface area of the tablet, so even this size will command allot of space on your desktop. The larger sizes take up a ridiculous amount of real estate.

Screen size matters. But not enough to care. If you use an Intuos vs a Graphire or Bamboo. The sensors in the Intuos line are almost double the amount of it's lesser counterparts.

Go ahead and stick w/ the Intuos line. You'll just want to upgrade later if you don't.

It's tough to start out on a tablet. Force yourself out of your mouse "comfort zone" and you'll never look back. I promise

HTH
-Jon

darkdragon

I have the 4x6 and love it. I really like the size, it fits in my laptop bag and is small enough to use anywhere yet large enough to be useful.

I tried the Graphire but ended up returning it the next day because it just didn't work well. The tablets are useful because they are so much more sensitive to small movements and precision compared to a mouse - the Graphire was just like using a pen mouse, no extra precision over a mouse at all (in my case).

The bigger tablets look nice, but I don't personally want one because they just take up too much desk space and I wouldn't be able to carry it in my laptop bag.

I don't use the tablet for everything, but I do use it for any kind of pen/pencil type tools in photoshop. I use the trackpad (on the laptop) for standard photo adjustments and other applications.

colourbox

JHarris1984 wrote:

I'm looking at the Intuos3 Line......I'm not sure if my screen size matters? I use a laptop but when I'm at home I plug an external 22" screen in to it. I normally only do image editing at home, the rest of the time I just use the laptop for just surfing the internet when I'm out.

The resolution of the Intous 3 line is 5080 dpi. Your monitor is only 72-120 dpi or so. That means you can potentially control a massive screen using a small tablet. Obviously, you'll be more comfortable if the tablet and screen aren't so radically different in size, so you don't have to make such tiny movements with your hand, but for example a 4x5 should be all right for controlling laptops and moderate-sized desktop monitors. I throw my 4x5 in my laptop bag all the time, it travels easily because it's flat. Sometimes that means the tablet travels more easily in a bag than a mouse that has thickness and sticks out.

The other extreme is using a very large tablet like 12x12. The problem there is that you have to move your entire arm a lot and you lose most of your desk. Some people try out a large tablet, get tired arms, and return them. Large tablets are best if you do a lot of actual size tracing of whole pages, or engineering work.

Most people end up in the 6x8-6x11 range.

JGD

I use the Intuos3 6x8, and I can't imagine using PS without it. What a pain in the *ss.

Also, I started using AutoCad back in the DOS days with digitizer pad and using the Wacom w/modern AutoCad is great. Much better than w/a mouse.

BradfordBenn

I have a suggestion that may or may not help, I purchased a Bamboo Fun tablet to try it out before I spent the "bigger" money on a "better" one. I got the medium size, it is about 8.5 x 5.25 inches and seems to work pretty well for me. Then after some use you can see what you like and don't like. At the moment I am do not see a reason to upgrade to another one.

jogle

I have a 4x6 intuos1 that I got 8 years ago and travels everywhere in my laptop case. still works like the day it was new. I can't cope with using photoshop with the trackpad on my mac now.

I have a 6x8 and one of the newer 6x11's at work (3d modelling) and they are all I use after my arms started getting sore from using a mouse. As others have said, only get the intuos range, the others are useless and will turn you off using a tablet. Don't get a massive one, you'll get used to the smallest one in time but the size up from that (6x8) is easier to learn on a desktop.

Don't worry too much about the different aspect ratio's between your screen and the tablet. I use the 8x10 across 2x 20" monitors and your brain copes with the aspect ratio difference in no time and you stop thinking about it. Just the same way as you get used to a specific mouse speed.

rpcrowe

I agree with Art Scott
A Wacom tablet makes selections easier and quicker but, I do want to upgrade because my 4x6" tablet is too small.

Art Scott

rpcrowe wrote:

A Wacom tablet makes selections easier and quicker but, I do want to upgrade because my 4x6" tablet is too small.

EXACTLY