Wacom Tablet's

[Venetia]

I've been using a Genius Tablet for my art for a while now. It was 50 bucks, and it works pretty decently, but now I'm sorta looking for something a little more high-tech.

The Genius can only pick up pressure changes, and even then it doesn't do it incredibly well. The stutter is pretty noticeable at times, and at very thin lineweights I nearly have to kill my hand applying pressure. I draw comic-style art, so of course, thin lineweights and smooth lines are a must.

Wacom is apparently the best in the industry, but they're also the most expensive :dead:.

I was eyeing this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Intuos3-x-P ... B00030097G

I was wondering if any of you had any experience with this or any other Wacom tablet, and if so, I'd like some recommendations.


- Are smaller tablets better than larger ones? I'm using a 6x8 right now and the only problem I see is that my hand can kinda "stick" to the large surface, causing jitter. However wouldn't large lines on a small pad be difficult to manage?

- Do you know of any places besides Amazon which sell these things for a lot cheaper than Wacom directly? I'm not looking to spend any more than $300.

- There are lots of different varieties/products in Wacom. Do you have an opinion on which is the best bang for your buck?

 

[Charlie Fleed]

I use a Wacom Graphire 4, A5 size (20x15 cm, it's 6"x8" right?). Probably we do the same kind of art

Spoiler

http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs27/f/2008/161/1/7/PS_color_practice____by_charlie_lee.jpg[/img]
http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs16/f/2007/ ... ie_lee.jpg[/img]

It senses pressure changes very well, with some drop of sensibility during the phase of release of the pen.
I never felt that i needed a larger tablet for this type of drawings, i tend to use a small portion of it for short, controlled lines. I try to adapt the zoom and canvas angle in Photoshop so that i can do almost everything with a similar movement of the hand.
However i wouldn't use smaller tablets, as they can give you a problem of where to put your hand on. Infact, i use part of the tablet as a support.

I'm told that Intuos are even too sophisticated for non-professional users, if you want to spare some money i think you can be ok with a Graphire.

 

[Mundane]

Graphires are the best for your line of work, for sure.

 

[Venetia]

When you say 'sophisticated', what do you mean exactly? What I'm wondering is, what sort of work would make use of all intuos's features?

I can look up fact sheets all day but it's nice to hear it from people who use it for the same reasons I do

edit: Oh, but the intuos has twice as many levels of pressure sensitivity and it also supports tilt

 

[Charlie Fleed]

Well, the higher sensitivity (graphire's 512 levels are not that few though), various customizable keys on the tablet, spare pen nibs... you know, everything can be useful but i feel that i'm not limited in any way with the Graphire i have.
In terms of sensitivity you can achieve good results with the proper settings either in PS and the tablet driver.

Probably, when the lineart is the main concern in a drawing you don't need an Intuos, but when it comes to coloring, shading and so on, i mean manually, not with gradients and PS tools (EDIT: when your work is similar to painting, using brushes mainly), then you could make use of its features. But that's what common sense says, i never tried an Intuos.

 

[___]

The graphire series also does not support rotational and angular sensitivity or alternate tools like the paintbrush and airbrush tool. It's really for dabblers, but if you're used to not having directional and angular control you'll survive on a Graphire. With a 300 dollar budget you can afford a small Intuos though, and I say go for it.

I don't like the bigger ones personally, having used a full range of sizes.  They're too big for me, take up way too much desk space and really don't provide any more functionality. I am used to doing art on 8x11 paper though, if you are used to working with a canvas you might find a larger tablet more comfortable.

If you don't know what I mean by angle and rotation, the more advanced brush tools can tell when you rotate them in your hand and they can tell what angle of incline you're holding them at, and paired with good software can thus much more accurately simulate the dynamics of a real pencil or paintbrush. I've learned to cope without since I use a tablet PC and none to date are capable of using the professional tools, I just adjust my brushes constantly to compensate.

I don't know of anywhere you'll find these new and cheap, Wacom is expensive as fuck, but you can try picking up a used one. www.pricewatch.com is a good place to check for sales and great deals on computer parts, just take your time and wait for someone to do a promotion or overstock sale.

Oh about pressure sensitivity, if you adjust and calibrate your software properly I doubt you're going to notice the difference in pressure sensitivity past 512 (at least, I never could and I'm really picky).

 

[Scribblette]

I definitely wouldn't go smaller than 6x8 again. It cramps up the hand real bad. Real, real bad. Gave my sister carpal tunnel and she had to drop art altogether after years of going for it, and then it nearly did the same to me before I clued up and got something bigger.

Using a tablet pc now, but I wouldn't recommend them over a good Wacom because (a) CRT vs LCD colors and angles etc, (b) so much harder to upgrade or fix up, and (c) hands aren't invisible and tend to get in the way of a cursor that loves to hide under the pen, regardless of how much you calibrate the damned thing.

Bear in mind that if you can't afford an Intuous now, you could always get a Graphire and ebay it later when you're more financially capable of upgrading. I've tried other tablet brands and they typically have batteries in the pen, etc - they just feel so different. Wacom is smooth, non-scratchy, lightweight... they're just on another level.

Let me know what you wind up getting, I need to upgrade too. Have to get a new monitor as well, something I can color calibrate better than what I have.

 

[Venetia]

just looked at my finances, and I might have to save this as a gift to myself for my bday in october :x

But I appreciate this information, guys!!!!!!!!!

I might end up just getting the graphire now since the price point is so much lower, and then yeah, upgrade later.

 

[Scribblette]

Be careful if buying anything refurbished, too... my laptop was a cheap buy ($500 USD?) and has lasted me a year and a half or so, but cor it's had problems right up the wazoo and out my left nostril, plucking all my nose hairs along the way.

Totally tell us what you get though, may well dictate my next purchase. Seriously limited for costs of moving to Melbourne plus an impending engagement ring...

 

[___]

Color is definitely an issue with tablet PCs, I'm hoping the next time I get to upgrade I'll find a better screen. The hand thing doesn't bother me, I've discovered a trick to get the cursor to hover a couple MM to the left of my hand consistently in calibration.

 

[Scribblette]

AUUUGH!! XD

*flings poop*

There should be a forum rule: No-one can state that they've found a trick to something people would love to know without actually SHARING said trick!

I have so many countless times been left hanging because people left it at "there's a trick to it", promised an explanation for months, and then disappeared from the forums. XD

*sniffles and sobs at Venetia's pretty dinosaur scales*

Pretty please, do share? What do you do about working on the far right of the screen, such as when a popup browser window goes fullscreen?

 

[___]

Sorry If you're using a wacom-based screen with the wacom drivers installed you can intentionally miscalibrate the screen by pointing around the outside edges of the calibration crosshairs. The trick is to vary the degree to which you miscalibrate each corner by a little bit. It takes some experimentation but I shoot for slightly above and to the inside on the top two cursors and slightly below and to the inside of the bottom two. After a couple dozen attempts I end up with a situation where my cursor is a little offset to the left and below my stylus. I don't know how you'd do it without a wacom-based tablet, but it's probably similar.

I'm not sure what you mean about the far right. I experience a bit of jitter toward the far left on my model, which I just avoid doing anything delicate in.

 

[Venetia]

*sniffles and sobs at Venetia's pretty dinosaur scales*

i forgot all about that! i forget so easily @_@

i have too many errands today but tomorrow evening i'll make a note to myself to send you the info on that trick :3

 

[Scribblette]

*SQUEE*

...

*goes SQUEE some more*

Thank you, Mr N - I have an Toshiba M200 Portege, so Wacom Penabled through and through. I'll totally try that out. I've tried mis-calibrating it before, but not at all like you said. Will try it! As is, mine jitters a bit when pressed more on the far right, where the off-screen buttons are (in normal laptop mode).

I actually use the little 'emergency' reserve pen hidden away in the battery compartment, for hating the feel of the regular large pen that comes with. Lose sensitivity, but cramps up the hand less and doesn't matter with pixel art. I hear there's this fantastic pen called the Cross Penabled Stylus, feels like a full blown ink pen and works with Wacom... anyone try it?

*continues to SQUEE at Venetia*

 

[___]

Ah I have a M200 also, highfive! I'm hoping to upgrade later this year though, mine has seen so much wear and tear over the four years I've had it it's ridiculous. The nice satin finish it came with is completely worn smooth and I've had to replace the screen cover twice, not to mention disassemble the whole thing several times to jury-rig the power jack.

I have never used anything but the default stylus that fits into the slot on the chassis, I lose that $40 monstrosity enough without having an extra one to keep track of. I'd have to velcro it to the side or something ><

 

[Scribblette]

*highfives*  :lol:

Mine was refurbished and off ebay, $500 or so. Heh. I've managed to take off the screen cover to dust it fine at the start, and since then haven't bothered. It only has one stuck pixel, right in the middle, but the resolution is so insanely high on this tiny screen that you don't notice it.

The bigger issue to start with was the electric shocks it gave me, right under my wrists. Still no idea what caused that, but it's not reproduceable in the official tech stores here... so I just taped up the edges where it happened and inform anyone grounded to NOT TOUCH ME while I'm working!

Now the stereo port and soundcard is on the fritz... has to be wiggled ever so slightly sometimes or the audio comes through as a loud buzz. The soundcard is buried somewhere in the six microscopic glued together layers that make up the motherboard and courtesy vibrations and random temperament, it'll stop or slow down audio - hanging or slowing down timers in the process. Horrible when you rely on demoscene music in the background to keep you going. @_@

Funny thing, though. You might recall how tape players sound when they're chewing up tape. What's oddest is that when this soundcard is acting up, it'll create the same exact sound!

The emergency pen is hidden in the battery compartment, if you've never tried it, check it out! And if you don't like it and are upgrading, for the love of all that is good and holy in this world, mail it to me! I'm ALWAYS misplacing my reserve pen, and as it's the only one I like using, I throw a right hissy fit when I can't find it to work how I wanna! XD

 

[___]

I didn't get the emergency pen with mine, I bought it new. My current one is actually broken in half, I have it taped up because it still works and I don't want to drop 40 bucks on another   I've never had any of the weird issues you do. I assume it's a consequence of whatever the previous owner did to it. The stereo jack is probably just loose and needing to be resoldered, that's an easy enough task and will probably run you about $120 on labor or so. The M200 is relatively easy to work on for a laptop/tablet. If you get issues when playing through the nasty little speaker it's probably just the card.