Wacom Tablets, ... researching before i buy

#2

I am in no way an expert. But I’ll answer what I can.

  1. I have a Widescreen monitor, do i need to purchase a tablet that is widescreen?

No, I don’t think so ( do they even make one) What’s nice about these tablets is it maps your screen to the tablet. No matter what resolution you have. For example, the left hand corner on the screen is the left hand corner on the tablet no matter what resolution. It’s very easy to use once you get going. Just imagine your tablet as the screen and wherever you click on the tablet is where your clicking on the screen. ( I hope you get that, if not let me know and I’ll try to explain a little better)

  1. I read that Wacom is the place to go, and they have 2 line of tablets Graphire, Intuos, what is the main difference. Which line should i go for?

Wacom is the industry standard. The two models, Graphire/Intuos, are different in price and features. The Grapire is your standard tablet, it’s pressure sensitive and features most of the basic things you’d expect. I own one and like it a lot. But if you have the money, and know you’ll use it I recommend an Intous. They have a wider ranger of pressure sensitivity, but the main difference is the tablet will know if your tilting your pen. So you can get wide and thin brush strokes and a wide range of things depending on how you hold the pen. The Graphire does NOT have this feature. There are also some shortcut keys on the Intous that you can program that are a nice touch. The pads come in different sizes. I have the middle size, but I would stay away from the small (4x6 inch i think) one. It’s really too small, imo.

  1. I hold my pencil somewhat different than the average person(illustrated in attached photo, something close to that) if anyone has seen the Villpu DVD series i use the pencil just like he does. My question is, will it be a problem for the tablet? holding the pencil like that.

I’m not sure about this one. I know that you’ll have problems with the Graphire, because you need to have the tip of the pen touching the pad…I have to hold the pen as if I’m writing on mine. However, the Intous may allow you to do this…but, I’m not sure as I don’t have one. Someone else should be able to tell you though.

Hope I was of some help,

Mike

#3

  1. The tablet coordinates are projected onto the screen, so it shouldn’t matter.

  2. Intuos has a few more features overall, i have a voltio 2 and i’m happy with that, alot less features than graphire and Intuos.
    See this page for a comparison.

  3. Suppose it depends on how you rig your tablet, except for comfort and strain i dont see how it would pose a problem.

#4

  1. You don’t really need to purchase a tablet that is widescreen. With the right drivers, you can redefine an area on the tablet to correspond to the screen. It’s sort of like letterboxing the tablet area. Of course, some people think this is a waste of unused space, so I guess that’s why Wacom is making widescreen tablets now. :wink:

  2. Graphire is Wacom’s consumer line of tablets for the average user, while Intuos is Wacom’s professional line for the serious user. The main difference is that Intuos tablets offer more sensitivity (higher tablet resolution, more levels of pressure sensitivity, and pen tilt detection). With the Intuos 3, Intuos tablets now have ExpressKeys and Touch Strips on either side of the tablet area for convenient keyboard shortcuts and scrolling without switching back and forth between the keyboard and tablet.

Wacom also has a Cintiq brand, which integrates a tablet with an LCD screen, so you’re actually working directly on a screen.

I’m sort of surprised that you haven’t checked out Wacom’s website for this info… Or were you hoping for personal reviews of these products? There are quite a few Wacom tablet threads on CGTalk that can be easily found with the search function. :wink:

  1. How you hold the pen is up to you. How the pen contacts the tablet is another matter. If you tend to write and draw with the side of the pencil point, then there might be a problem since Wacom pens work better if you write and draw with the tip. Basically, it’s more like using a ballpoint pen in that sense. I’d suggest finding a store or a friend with a tablet and trying the tablet before you purchase.
#5

I also have another question regarding the Graphire:

When using the pen, how does it exactly work? Does it start letting the ‘paint’ go on the canvas as soon as you touch it to the surface of the pad? or is it like a mouse that it scrolls as you move it around with the pen, but it only starts painting once you click the button? I am hoping that it is the latter because if you are moving to another point, you would have to blindly put the pen down assuming you have the right spot… can someone describe this to me?

#6

They do now. Not too long ago Wacom introduced a 6 by 11 tablet

You draw when you touch the tablet. You move the cursor by “hoving” the pen over it, about a quarter inch high.

#7

I highly recommend their new widescreen tablet. I’ve got one myself. :thumbsup: Getting a regular 4x3 tablet will either mean wasted space on the tablet that you won’t use, or distorted dimensions, where drawing a circle on the tablet will result in an oval onscreen, depending on how it’s set up. The widescreen is probably your best bet. With a grip like you use, I doubt the 4x5 will be big enough for you, and the 9x12 is only an inch wider than their 6x11 widescreen, but with three extra inches of height that would just be taking up space. My 6x11, coupled with a 24" Dell 2405FPW is perfect.

Your grip might cause some issues, though. One of the many things a Wacom tablet keeps track of is the angle of the pen against the surface. Airbrushes in Painter will spray off in one direction if you hold the pen at an angle, for example; though you could probably turn that feature off if it became a problem. I doubt the pen will work very well at a VERY large angle, though.

#8

:bounce:

Wow this is why i love this community, i expected a response but the time you guys took out of your day to fill each of these questions is well appreciated. I was hunting for personal opinions and experiences.

My biggest hold up is not necessarily the price, but buying it and finding out i have to reinvent the way i’ve been holding the pencil for years… i dont know what that would do to me … identity crisis… ahhhhhh!!

So i’m guessing anyone who uses a wacom holds the pen, the classic writing style?..

i think i will try a graphire and if things are working out or they look positive enough i will move up to the pro versions.

thank you all once again… :thumbsup:

#9

I suggest you try Intuos instead because its surface has more friction and coupled with a felt nib gives you a better pen on paper feel. Graphire is said to have a more plasticky surface (I haven’t tried one myself though) which you may not prefer.

By the way, I looked at the page where you took the picture from, and it actually says the violin bow grip cannot be used with Wacom stylus. I’m not sure how your drawing grip works, but the Wacom stylus will not work if it’s at an angle smaller than about 30 degrees with the tablet surface.

#10

Someone told me to get the pen on paper feel all you need to do is tape a page on top of the intuos. I tried it and was like “DOH!” , its so simple a solution and it works perfect :slight_smile:

#11

highly recommend their new widescreen tablet. I’ve got one myself. :thumbsup: Getting a regular 4x3 tablet will either mean wasted space on the tablet that you won’t use, or distorted dimensions, where drawing a circle on the tablet will result in an oval onscreen, depending on how it’s set up.

I’m not saying your wrong, every computer works differently (what a pain that is!). But, I have a widescreen laptop and a regular screen desktop. And there is no difference using the pad on either one. There is no distortion or anything. Mabye I’m lucky and didn’t have any problems. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Someone told me to get the pen on paper feel all you need to do is tape a page on top of the intuos. I tried it and was like “DOH!” , its so simple a solution and it works perfect :slight_smile:

That is a good solution, but beware. The paper will wear the nib down very fast and you’ll have to replace it. If your not carful you’ll even get a flat side on one side.

#12

thank you for the explenation. What are the two buttons on the side for then?

#13

The two buttons are an alternative way to left and right click. In fact, if you press the two down at once you get a middle click. So they are really 3 buttons in 2.

#14

Hm interesting, so let me put it this way, since you move the mouse without painting by ‘hovering’ over the tablet… and only begin painting when your pen touches the tablet… then once you start painting, then you click, what is to happen? Nothing right? Or do you simply move the mouse pointer by rolling the pen tip across the pad, and begin painting by pressing down the button?

Also, the more you press, does the brush size begin to get wider? or just increases opacity? Can you have control over which it does or if you want it to do both?

#15

The wacom pen gets pressure reading from the nib but it’s perpenticular from the tip. If you still want the maximum presure sensitivity, you will need to figure out how to setup your monitor and the tablet tilting >45 degree the with overhand grip style.

I would still recommend 9x12 size tablet if you have large monitor. It’s much easier to draw with 1:1 and proportional ratio. (1 inch draw on tablet and 1 inch line on screen). A small tablet and a full mapping of large screen will give feel of “ice skating” which makes even harder for realistic sketch.

#16

The way it works is when you make contact with the surface, the tablet considers that a left click. The two buttons on the side of the pen can be defined to do whatever you want, I have mine set up with middle and right click functions. I guess so I can awkwardly navigate in maya space if need be.

As to if the stroke gets thicker as you press down more, this is largely dependent on what paint program you are using and your brush settings. The simple answer is yes your pressure can determine the thickness of your mark.

Also just a couple recommendations: If you want to hold the pen like that, it can be done, but only on the intous and cintiq lines, both of them support tilt. It’s not perfect but it might be a good compromise. Lastly, judging by your pen grip, you most likely draw on a large scale, meaning not in a 4X5 box? If so I would go for a larger tablet.

#17

One thing that I am still unsure of is this question,

does the brush size begin to get wider? or just increases opacity? Can you have control over which it does or if you want it to do both?

#18

both is possible, depending on the settings in your software.
In Photoshop you can change the parameters that are affected by the pressure.

I am not sure if this has come up yet, but since you seem to be new to tablets and if money is not too limited, consider getting a Cintiq (where you draw directly on a TFT monitor).

You will instantly feel at home if you have not used a “normal” tablet input before but are used to traditional media.

I have one for 2 months now after 5 years of Ultrapad A3 and, what can I say: this is how it should be. Its a bit on the expensive side, though.

You can get a lot done with a “normal” graphic tablet, but drawing directly on the screen is a whole different story.
If you cannot spend the moey for a Cintiq, dont try it out, because you will know what you are missing after having tried it out :wink:

Olli

#19

I went into BestBuy yesterday and tried out a graphire 4x5, instantly i noticed two things it was WAY too small for me, (big surprise) and i felt like the PEN just kept skating all over the place. Holding the pen with my usual grip when using a pencil/paper, 100% did not work at all. but that was posted earlier. I will have to try out a Intous tablet and see how i like that, i’m trying to find a locel reseller here in Toronto where i can go and test them out before buying anything. Man if i could afford one of those Cintiq i would buy one in a heart beat :slight_smile:

What size do you guys recommend me going for?. considering i like to draw on a large scale, should i go right into the 9x12 widescreen? Or can i get away with a smaller size…

as posted before… i dont mind buying a used one if available :slight_smile:

#20

get one as big as you can afford-- I have the same “problem” (like to draw from wrist, not from finger, thats why i had to wait until the Cintiq became 21" before jumping on that wagon).
Wacom Tabletts are practically indistructible, so used ones are no problem (but it might be hard to get the widescreen then as its pretty new).

Olli

#21

Assuming that you’ve kept your pen in “pen mode”, as opposed to “mouse mode”, then this isn’t possible. Either there’s a part of the tablet that you aren’t using, or the distortion just isn’t bad enough to notice.