tablet users

jvgig · Sep 14, 2008

I am in the market for a tablet and have a few general questions. Currently, I am planning on purchasing a Wacom Intuos 3 9x12 tablet, but I have a few concerns before dishing out the cash.

First, my uses for the tablet: I want to be able to create digital art (paintings, sketches, etc), edit photos, and try some animation. I will be mainly using the adobe suite (photoshop, illustrator, after effects, premiere).

1) How hard is it to train yourself to draw with your hand, but only see the results and your canvas on your monitor? Does it take a few minutes, hours, days, years? I think the Cintiq line would be an ideal solution, but the $2k price tag scares me away since I am only a high school student.

2) What pens do you use on a regular basis and for what purposes?

3) What software do you use it for other than photoshop/equivalent? Do you use it with other software at all, even if it is compatible?

4) What size do you have? As close as possible to monitor, smaller, larger, depends on project?

5) What aspect ratio do you have? Same as monitor, same as project, it depends on project?

6) Do full screen tablets play nicely with widescreen monitors? I currently have a 20" 1600x1200 monitor, but plan to pair it with a 24" 1920x1200 monitor in the next 6 months-year. Will the 9x12 become a 7x12 if I use it with a widescreen monitor and just not accept input in the top 2 inches?

7) Does anyone use their tablet for video editing/animation? I would be doing everything at HD resolution/aspect ratio.

Thanks

Bifurcator · Sep 15, 2008

jvgig said:
I am in the market for a tablet and have a few general questions. Currently, I am planning on purchasing a Wacom Intuos 3 9x12 tablet, but I have a few concerns before dishing out the cash.

First, my uses for the tablet: I want to be able to create digital art (paintings, sketches, etc), edit photos, and try some animation. I will be mainly using the adobe suite (photoshop, illustrator, after effects, premiere).

Good choice! I have same. Intuos 2 tho...

1) How hard is it to train yourself to draw with your hand, but only see the results and your canvas on your monitor?
It comes pretty natural.

1a)Does it take a few minutes, hours, days, years?
The first 5 minutes each time you use it for the first 100 times feels a bit odd - but not stifling. Something like that

1b)I think the Cintiq line would be an ideal solution, but the $2k price tag scares me away since I am only a high school student.
Scares me too. I want one though.

2) What pens do you use on a regular basis and for what purposes?
When I'm $working$ with it I use 4 pens. All same type (I forget the part № - it's the standard) spray painted different colors. Each pen registers as a different device and can have different properties assigned to it (area, resolution, sensitivity, button assignment, etc. etc.).

When not playing for pay I use 2 pens. I have one assigned to each monitor. (dual 24" LCDs)

3) What software do you use it for other than photoshop/equivalent?
Lightwave3D,
Houdini,
Maya3D,
XSI,
Messaih,
ToonBoom,
MotionBuilder (AKA FilmBox) (Character Animation tool),
Nuke3D (video compositing),
Fusion5 (video compositing),
ArtRage,
FinalCut Studio bundle,
Shake (video compositing),

Plus at least that many music editors.

3a) Do you use it with other software at all, even if it is compatible?
Everything is compatible with it.

4) What size do you have? As close as possible to monitor, smaller, larger, depends on project?
9x12. Get the largest your desktop and budget can afford. The smaller ones are OK for menu navigation and the occasional low-res write over (arrows, circles, stuff like that). The large ones afford you to actually sketch with it for some nice painterly effects.

5) What aspect ratio do you have? Same as monitor, same as project, it depends on project?
Not really sure. I set different behaviors for different applications. I set it up once and then never visit preference panel again till I add another app.

6) Do full screen tablets play nicely with widescreen monitors? I currently have a 20" 1600x1200 monitor, but plan to pair it with a 24" 1920x1200 monitor in the next 6 months-year. Will the 9x12 become a 7x12 if I use it with a widescreen monitor and just not accept input in the top 2 inches?
I'm at 1920x1200 always except for Quake and a few games I play sometimes - and then I don't use the tablet.

7) Does anyone use their tablet for video editing/animation? I would be doing everything at HD resolution/aspect ratio.
Yes. Works great for spline editing, scrubbing, garbage matting, tracking, etc. etc.

Bifurcator · Sep 15, 2008

[ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kahATHnHdu8[/ame]

joecoulsonphotography · Sep 15, 2008

I have a notebook tablet and I imagine it would take some time to train on a sep screen from the tablet so kudos to you both. I will say that for any PP drawing or annotation to an image, a tablet cannot be beat.

Big Mike · Sep 15, 2008

I've got a small Wacom, 6" x 6" or something like that.

I wish I had a bigger one, but this is my first one, and it was on sale for 60% off. I found that I didn't like it set to absolute screen coordinates, so I set it to relative, the way you would typically have a mouse set.

I use it for photo editing, but I switch back to the mouse for everything else, including standard Photoshop stuff like adjustment layers and running actions etc.

bhop · Sep 15, 2008

I use a 6x8 at work and at home. For me, it's the perfect size and I do draw all the time with it. (both professionally and as a hobby) I've tried a bigger size (coworker's) but I don't like moving my arm around that much. It will feel weird at first, but once you're used to it, it'll feel more natural. I use it most of the time instead of the mouse. I've been using Wacoms since the early 90's. Back then, they only had 'super huge' size.

PamR · Sep 19, 2008

First, my uses for the tablet: I want to be able to create digital art (paintings, sketches, etc), edit photos, and try some animation. I will be mainly using the adobe suite (photoshop, illustrator, after effects, premiere).

A pen tablet would be perfect for you. Once you use it, you'll wonder how you lived without it

1) How hard is it to train yourself to draw with your hand, but only see the results and your canvas on your monitor? Does it take a few minutes, hours, days, years?

Here's what I did when I got my tablet. I put my mouse in a drawer and forced myself to use the pen for everything. Web surfing, PS...everything. Within a day I was comfortable. It's very easy to transition to using the pen.

2) What pens do you use on a regular basis and for what purposes?

I use the standard default nib 99% of the time. The stroke nib has a spring on it that gives it a little bit of a brush feel. The felt nib feels like a felt tip marker. It has a little more grab. If you like drawing with markers it's nice.

3) What software do you use it for other than photoshop/equivalent? Do you use it with other software at all, even if it is compatible?

I use it for PS, but I also use it a lot in place of a mouse. I've just gotten so used to it.

4) What size do you have? As close as possible to monitor, smaller, larger, depends on project?

I have the 6" x 11". It replaced my old 6" x 8". I bought this one in anticipation of buying a new widescreen monitor. But I find it very comfortable for working on my old 21" monitor for now.

You can always map a larger tablet to create a smaller working area. For example, I could create a 4 x 6 workable area on my 6 x 11 through the Wacom software.

The key to deciding what size to buy is how you work. I like to use my arm and hand in sweeping gestures like drawing and painting so the larger size is perfect for me. If you tend to work in small areas with less arm movement or just your fingers, a smaller tablet might be a better choice.

The size of your work area is also something to consider. My 6 x 11 tablet area is actually slightly more than 10" x 16" overall. But I have the tablet on the keyboard pull-out shelf and keep the keyboard above it on the top of my desk, so it works well for me. A 9" x 12" is a monster. Overall, it's 17" x 13" :stun:

5) What aspect ratio do you have? Same as monitor, same as project, it depends on project?

I have mapped my tablet to my monitor screen, which is 21". But you can map it to anything you want.

6) Do full screen tablets play nicely with widescreen monitors? I currently have a 20" 1600x1200 monitor, but plan to pair it with a 24" 1920x1200 monitor in the next 6 months-year. Will the 9x12 become a 7x12 if I use it with a widescreen monitor and just not accept input in the top 2 inches?

You can map the full tablet area to your monitor so that top right of the tablet will be top right of your screen. That's another reason I have this size. My next monitor is going to be a 24" widescreen, so it will be perfect.