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Anyone using Wacom tablets for editing?

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Frank Phillips said:
The tablet products LOOK like they'll make things easier, but I'd
like to get the opinion of someone who actually uses them day-in
and day-out for photo editing...
Click to expand...
I bought mine about 4 years ago and am only just now starting to use it. Wish I had started sooner. It definetely brings some great tools to the table and without a doubt offers much greater control over a given image as compared to usnig the mouse alone.

Have a friend who purchased the very large tablet (can you say $$$?) just before I purchased mine. He recently purchased the optional airbrush which I will be buying my self at some point soon.

Get a tablet. You won't be disappointed. I have the Intuous 6x8 which fits my needs nicely. If money is no object you may wish to purchase one a little larger. It may provide for greater control over an image as compared to smaller versions. Get at least a 6x8, no smaller and buy the profesional Intuous model. Not the cheaper consumer line.

I didn't know the tablet could be so much fun. Have been retouching images that are on a gospel singers cd cover. Could not have done it without the Wacom tablet.

Here's my setup as of 4 years ago. Have upgraded and added much to the equipment since then. You can see the Wacom tablet in the second image under the mouse.

Tony B.





I have a Nikon camera,
I love to take a photograph ...
-- Paul Simon
 
Frank Phillips said:
Okay, I'm sold. But what makes the Intuos2 so much better than the
less expensive Graphire3? I mean, not in terms of specs, but in
terms of everyday use?
Click to expand...
From what I've seen the Intuous line is built better and is gear toward the professional. I think the Graphire line is geared toward the casual consumer and is priced for that market.

Go to Wacom and compare the features.

Tony B.

I have a Nikon camera,
I love to take a photograph ...
-- Paul Simon
 
I bought one (Wacom Artz II) years ago, but i had a hard time getting good with it. I also found it frustratingly buggy with the sensitivity. For example, some strokes would be pressure sensitive, and other strokes wouldn't. I also wasn't impressed it the pressure sensitivity... I think i was just expecting too much. I also found it straining on my arm and hand when using it for a while. (unlike a mouse, where i can use it all day without a problem)

So that tablet was collecting dust for about 7 yrs. The other day i wanted to try it again, but i lost the power cord!!

After reading about all the improvements with the latest models, I decided to give it a try. I ordered the Intuos2 6x8 yesterday online. The specs say it has 4x the sensitivity of my old model. I'm also assuming it's not as buggy. I should be getting it in 2 days, and I can't wait! There's tons of things that i want to try with it.

I just hope this time it won't be collecting dust again!!

John
 
Dave Jones said:
Frank Phillips said:
Okay, I'm sold. But what makes the Intuos2 so much better than the
less expensive Graphire3? I mean, not in terms of specs, but in
terms of everyday use?
Click to expand...
From what I've seen the Intuous line is built better and is gear
toward the professional. I think the Graphire line is geared toward
the casual consumer and is priced for that market.

Go to Wacom and compare the features.

Tony B.
Click to expand...
I have had an Intuos for several years and added a Graphire last year to carry with my laptop. If you could not swing an Intuos, I could heartily recommend the Graphire, but it is not built like an Intuos nor does it have the sensitivity, etc.

--
Diane B
http://www.pbase.com/picnic/galleries
B/W lover, but color is seducing me
 
Can you keep posting and let us know what you think of it when it arrives?
Thanks
--
Gill
CP 4500
 
Love my tablet - hardley touch the mouse any more! I have the Intuos 2 6x8 tablet, and find that I usually have the pen in hand, even when surfing the web!
Frank Phillips said:
The tablet products LOOK like they'll make things easier, but I'd
like to get the opinion of someone who actually uses them day-in
and day-out for photo editing...

--
My Extreme Macro Bug Gallery: http://www.frankphillips.com/macro

Ever wondered about the MP-E lens? Read my review here:
http://www.vividlight.com/articles/2914.htm

Click to expand...
--
Greg Anzalone
http://www.greganzalone.com
 
I'm surprised you had such problems with the ArtzII. I wonder if it was a defective model? I still have, and use an Artz - that's my "home" model. I've had this tablet for (is it possilble) over 10 years, and have used it just about every single day since the day I bought it. For the work I do (retouching and restorations), this tablet has worked out just fine. The newer models have larger pens with rubber barrels, which I do prefer. The newer models also have more features like an eraser and programmable menus strips, but I don't use those features.

Although I'm using a new model at work, I haven't been impressed enough to upgrade my old Artz for home. My point being, if you have one of these in your closet, give it another try.
John Buchmann said:
I bought one (Wacom Artz II) years ago, but i had a hard time
getting good with it. I also found it frustratingly buggy with the
sensitivity. For example, some strokes would be pressure
sensitive, and other strokes wouldn't. I also wasn't impressed it
the pressure sensitivity... I think i was just expecting too much.
I also found it straining on my arm and hand when using it for a
while. (unlike a mouse, where i can use it all day without a
problem)

So that tablet was collecting dust for about 7 yrs. The other day
i wanted to try it again, but i lost the power cord!!

After reading about all the improvements with the latest models, I
decided to give it a try. I ordered the Intuos2 6x8 yesterday
online. The specs say it has 4x the sensitivity of my old model.
I'm also assuming it's not as buggy. I should be getting it in 2
days, and I can't wait! There's tons of things that i want to try
with it.

I just hope this time it won't be collecting dust again!!

John
Click to expand...
--
Vikki Hansen
http://www.lifetimephoto.com
 
Please forgive my ignorance...I'm trying to see if an extra 512 levels of pressure will really help someone like me who just got his first copy of Photoshop. Is 1024 levels of "sensitivity" really that much better than 512?
Diane B said:
If you could not swing an Intuos, I
could heartily recommend the Graphire, but it is not built like an
Intuos nor does it have the sensitivity, etc.

--
Diane B
http://www.pbase.com/picnic/galleries
B/W lover, but color is seducing me
Click to expand...
--
My Extreme Macro Bug Gallery: http://www.frankphillips.com/macro

Ever wondered about the MP-E lens? Read my review here:
http://www.vividlight.com/articles/2914.htm

 
Is this like some kind of "shortcut" bar on the pad itself, where you can tell it to enable certain functions, like crop, unsharp mask, image rotate, etc?
Vikki Hansen said:
The newer models also have
more features like an eraser and programmable menus strips, but I
don't use those features.
--
Vikki Hansen
http://www.lifetimephoto.com
Click to expand...
--
My Extreme Macro Bug Gallery: http://www.frankphillips.com/macro

Ever wondered about the MP-E lens? Read my review here:
http://www.vividlight.com/articles/2914.htm

 
I dug it out of the closet a few times over the years, but the bugginess annoyed me. I must have had a defective unit. And being that I lost my power cord, I just decided to get a brand new one!

I figured that the 4x pressure sensitivity would be a nice upgrade, plus i probably wouldn't have a defective unit again.

John
 
I image it would depend on how you plan to use the tablet. I use the pressure sensitive brushes 99% of the time. Truthfully, I don't see the difference in the pressure sensitivity from my old tablet and the newer one.

Regarding the shortcut bar, it actually annoys me whenever I accidentally pen into that area.
Frank Phillips said:
Diane B said:
If you could not swing an Intuos, I
could heartily recommend the Graphire, but it is not built like an
Intuos nor does it have the sensitivity, etc.

--
Diane B
http://www.pbase.com/picnic/galleries
B/W lover, but color is seducing me
Click to expand...
--
My Extreme Macro Bug Gallery: http://www.frankphillips.com/macro

Ever wondered about the MP-E lens? Read my review here:
http://www.vividlight.com/articles/2914.htm

Click to expand...
--
Vikki Hansen
http://www.lifetimephoto.com
 
Frank Phillips said:
Is this like some kind of "shortcut" bar on the pad itself, where
you can tell it to enable certain functions, like crop, unsharp
mask, image rotate, etc?
Click to expand...
I don't use those at all. I use it just like a brush--and have my right click set up for top and left click for bottom of pen. I'm so used to it, that I don't think much about it--and usually end up using it instead of a mouse (I have a mouse set up a level below on pullout with keyboard).

The sensitivity matters to me because of how I use it--but it may not matter to you at all. YOu may find the Graphire to be sufficient--and if you find you want 'more' then you can upgrade later. I have the 6 x 8--the right size for me. The Graphire is a bit small--at 4 x 5 I think.

I can't even imagine working without one--but I don't use any of the 'stuff' like the menu on top of the tablet. My primary use is as a 'brush'--for masking, selection, etc.--and I use it as mouse, I guess, in PS--I never use a mouse while using PS--and I don't even think about it LOL.

--
Diane B
http://www.pbase.com/picnic/galleries
B/W lover, but color is seducing me
 
Gill,

My tablet arrived earlier today. I've been playing around with it for only a couple hours so far.

So far i'm really happy. The sensitivity is FAR better than my old Artz II. The specs say it's 4x the sensitivity, and it really feels like it. However, I don't know if my old tablet was malfunctioning.

I'm able to get very thin lines with a VERY slight pressure on the tablet, and can smoothly get thicker lines as i apply pressure. My old tablet was very bad in this area.

So in summary, i'm extremely happy with it. I got a decent deal at 2buystore.com (under $275 w/ shipping).

John
 
Frank ,

I have been reading this thread with great interest. I too am looking at Wacom for awhile. What did you decide to get?

--
LeeTee

C2100, C-180, TCON-17, Metz 34CS-2, MAHA MH-C204F, FlashTrax, Nikon 4300 (Wife's)
Why does work have to get in the way of Life?
 
I've been researching these for some time now and I just happened to be shopping at Sam's Club and they had a Wacom Graphire 2 there for $49.95 - so I bought it. In the package there was a 4 x 5 tablet, a stylus pen and a wireless mouse. The software included Adobe Photoshop Elements and two other programs. I felt the price was pretty reasonable and since I never worked with this before, it would be a good starter set. If it turns out to be something I don't care for, I'm out 50 bucks.

I do like the pen because there is only so much one can do with a mouse. Looks like I have another toy to learn plus looking forward to dabbling with Photoshop. I presently use PhotoImpact 8 by Ulead. There is some similarities but I have heard so much about Photoshop. I'll post an update in the near future on whether I kept it or tossed it.

If anyone else has any information on this setup, please feel free to comment or e-mail me.

--
Thanks
Frank Lauri
http://franks.fotopic.net/show_collection.php?id=68201
 
I finally ordered a Graphire3 6x8 for about $180. Even though the Intuos2 has more sensitivity, I figured that if I REALLY like a tablet, I'll probably LOVE a Cintique (the "screen tablet"). So I'm going to try the Graphire3...if I like it, I'll get a Cintique. If not, I'll put the Graphire3 on eBay.

I predict that I'll like the Graphire3, and probably within 2 months will have bought a Cintique. I'm going to try to publish a book, and so I need all the help I can get.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice!
LeeTee said:
Frank ,

I have been reading this thread with great interest. I too am
looking at Wacom for awhile. What did you decide to get?

--
LeeTee
Click to expand...
--
My Extreme Macro Bug Gallery: http://www.frankphillips.com/macro

Ever wondered about the MP-E lens? Read my review here:
http://www.vividlight.com/articles/2914.htm

 
Frank,

It looks like you went for size over pen sensitivity. I might go the other way with a 4x5 Intuos. While I'd like a larger size, I too don't want to spend more than $200 either.

My other option is to buy a 4x5 Graphire3 and decide in 30 days to keep it or trade up to a larger size/Intuos.

The other option is go for a refusbished one but they only seem about $20 cheaper-so not much savings there.

Can you let us know how you like it?

Thanks!

--
LeeTee

C2100, C-180, TCON-17, Metz 34CS-2, MAHA MH-C204F, FlashTrax, Nikon 4300 (Wife's)
Why does work have to get in the way of Life?
 
LeeTee said:
Frank,

It looks like you went for size over pen sensitivity. I might go
the other way with a 4x5 Intuos. While I'd like a larger size, I
too don't want to spend more than $200 either.
Click to expand...
I find a 4 x 5 Intuos ideal for editing/retouching... I've had one for years. I recently added a second computer to my editing suite and initially opted for a Graphire... didn't like it... no comparison to the Intuos, so I returned it and replaced it with a 4 x 5 Intuos 2. Now this, I really love.. so much so that I'm going to replace my original Intuos and Cirque touchpad (I don't like mice, they give me RSI) with another Intuos 2 :)

--
Bruce
 
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