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I was wondering which members use a graphics tablet.

Which brand is predominately used?

Are they worth the money?

Do they do that much better job than a mouse in pp (CS2)?

Best place to buy from?

Anyone considering selling theirs? (and why)

Wow that's a lot of information. Never having had the opportunity to use one, I'm not sure as to whether they'd improve my fine pp'ing or not.

All advice and comment appreciated.


Tony

Tony

I have a Wacom Intuos 8 x 6. I use it less than I expected, but am happy with the purchase. It's particularly good for fine detail work in PS CS and works wonderfully well when I do use it. Biggest complaint - my desk space is a little cramped.

I am currently playing with a Wacom Intuos 3 lent to me by Dargan, and to be honest I am struggling to master it, such is the sensitivity of the pen. I can however see that for selecting areas within an image it will be much more accurate than a mouse.

Stubbsy...you are right about the desk space though.

It can be used as a chopping board instead of

TonyH wrote:I was wondering which members use a graphics tablet.

Which brand is predominately used?

Are they worth the money?

Do they do that much better job than a mouse in pp (CS2)?

Best place to buy from?

Anyone considering selling theirs? (and why)

Wow that's a lot of information. Never having had the opportunity to use one, I'm not sure as to whether they'd improve my fine pp'ing or not.

All advice and comment appreciated.


Tony

Wacom is the brand predominately used.

They are worth the money if you use it often enough

They do a much better job than a mouse. Much more natural

Best place to buy from is a shop. (sorry I don't know really... I got mine from BizCorp)

I wouldn't part with mine

All of the above is IMHO...

I think that for most basic work the Wacom Graphire4 is fine (and half the price of the Intuos3). I upgraded to the Intuos3 and have no regrets. I use it for everything in Photoshop. I find it much easier and more natural to use than the mouse... especially for selections and masking.

You could also use it for a chopping board... and maybe the pen for an apple corer... but it'd be a pretty expensive chopping board

Paul

P.S. I'd recommend the 6x8 size.

Is anyone using the tablet stylus instead of a mouse (for things other than photoshopping)?

And, is the Graphire 3 ($149 at Domayne) a puchase one would regret soon? The Intuoses are much more expensive, are they worth it for the hobbyist?

Cheers
Steffen.

I'd say the Graphire is much better value than the Intuos (I have owned and used both).

I'd go for the Graphire4 though as it's newer (...stuff like that bothers me ) and it has a few more features over the Graphire3 I think

Paul

You can write with a tablet using a programme like Calligrapher and convert to text as an additional use.

I got my Wacom Graphire 3 at the PIW show a few days ago, It's my 1st tablet and I must say it impresses me the control you can achieve in Photoshop or Nikon Capture.
I knew there was a newer version out but for $100 it's a good starting point for something I'll use infrequently

Graphics tablets and rod varnish do not mix... I used to have a graphics tablet.. and unfortunately.. a freak accident with a bottle of rod varnish left me with a dead graphics tablet with a glossy appeal... always thinking about getting another.. used to love using it all the time when doing 3d graphics.. .. never really got to use it for photos... damnit

Tim

My wife has the wacom intuos 2 and I am still getting use to using it. Very different sensation.

I've had everything from a massive A3 Wacom down to the 6x8 and now the lil graphire. Even a Cintiq (draw straight on to the screen).

The big boys were ones my old employers owned and i loved using them, but for the amount I use them at home I could only justify purchasing the Graphire.

The problem with the Graphire is it doesn't have as much pressure sensitivity, but it's something i can live with. I just couldn't justify the extra price. I'm happy with the lil Graphire.

I use the wacom tablet for EVERYTHING - I gave my mouse away !!!
Heaven

I also have a Graphire. I should use it more often than I should, as it makes selecting areas much more easy. However, I am frequently too lazy to swap from using the mouse!

i have the intuos 2 17 inch one

it's big and annoying as i have to strafe my elbow and most of my arm around to move the pen from left to right

before i had a 20 inc one that was worse, so i sold that got the 17 inch

but now thinking i need a smaller one
that way i can move my wrist around save soem energy

the wacom is good the pressure sensitivity is good in photoshop as you can control the amount of an effect by pressing lightly or harder on the surface

main issue is it's sensitive too sensitive
if you have jiggly hands if you draw a curve lien in photoshop you will get a jiggly line

opposed to using a pencil on paper where there is friction to steady the stroke

the intuos pen tip and surface is plastic - slippery, if your not an artisan at strokes the wacom can be counter productive

honestly i use the thing more as a glorified mouse than an artists tool
can't remember the last time i used it to draw something on screen

After many years of using a mouse I tried a graphic tablet. I didn't like it and decided that I can do everything I need to with a mouse....so don't feel like you are missing something if you don't have one. By the way...it must be an optical mouse. Throw the ball mouse away.

wendellt wrote:honestly i use the thing more as a glorified mouse than an artists tool
can't remember the last time i used it to draw something on screen

Whilst true what you say, the mouse is like drawing with a bar of soap versus the wacoms drawing with a slippery pencil. I know which I'd prefer to draw with

Also, the pressure sensitivity really is a good thing.

robster
I guess the graphics tablet is a lot more use to graphic artists than photographers. As a photographer I don't draw much.

Anything where you have use of greyscales (say, masks/quickmasks etc) the wacom can really help out. I see your point, and I agree. That's why I only have a Graphire that barely gets used.

I'd love to get my hands on one to try for a week or two before splashing out with the spondoolies.

Bodak wrote:I'd love to get my hands on one to try for a week or two before splashing out with the spondoolies.

it si good for retouching say faces

you can dodge and burn by using the pressure sensitivity on the pen
quite easily

Wacom every time my friend. I have been using an Intuos for years and alomost constantly. The biggest advatage is the extreme control it allows. Very fine adjustments to the image can be made that just are not possible with a mouse. There are models to suit the pocket and job to be done. I chose the 8x6" version and am glad I didn't get a smaller one as I run two monitors as one desktop and the tablet see all of the screens area, so I am usually only working on one half of the tablet.
Col