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Pen tablet?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Does anyone use a pen tablet?

I'm thinking of getting one to vent my creative juices .... but I'm not sure if it's suitable.

And does it work with any graphics software (e.g. the free Gimp application)?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I use a tablet laptop, but guessing that's slightly different?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The big question to ask is will the tablet be big enough for you?

    A few years back the domestic ones were like drawing on the back of a fag packet.

    Other than that, the "API" for tablets is quite mature, so they all tell your OS about what you're doing with the pen ni the same way, and the applications all get told about what you're doing in the same way.

    I don't know exactly how good the support is in gimp, but I expect it to be good.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do yo use one, BG? I love sketching so can I do the same sort of think on the tablet? I know it will feel different at first but will the effects be the same?

    And yeah, I wouldn't want to get one that is too small.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A long time ago I worked in with artists who were using the best IT had to offer, and they found them to be different, but the skills they had made them an intuitive and powerful interface device.

    Me? I can't draw a circle if you give me a pint glass to draw around.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I use a tablet laptop, but guessing that's slightly different?

    Yes, SM, this is for graphics :

    http://www.gadgetgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/bamboo-pen-tablet-3.jpg
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I can only speak from my personal viewpoint here - I had a cheap one for a while - my experience suggested it was best to go for the best quality you could afford then look at the biggest size. Although the one I had was cool it always felt a little laggy when drawing.

    I don't think you'll have any problem with compatability, they are recognised in windows and tend to work as mouse pointers but with a pressure sensor, so you get thicker lines when you press down.

    The strangest thing was drawing in one place but seeing the results on the screen, took a little bit of time to get used to. In a lot of ways I'd love to try one again but I think I'd probably use it in conjuction with a scanner - so I could work in pencil and ink then use the tablet to colour or touch up images, rather than as a single solution.

    Then again I know some modern comic artists (Dave Gibbons especially) work almost exclusively with tablets so they must like work very well for some people :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    my experience suggested it was best to go for the best quality you could afford then look at the biggest size.

    :yes:

    I use one at work, and I'd choose quality over size, too. You will quickly learn to scale your movement down to the tablet size. I use a 'medium' size, but it's a pretty high spec Wacom, and I think it's awesome and never feel like it's too small. Bit steep on the pennies, though!

    I use mine in place of a mouse (on a mac), so would imagine it's compatible with any program. Takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it's much more natural than using a mouse, especially for graphics.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The ones we had were A3 :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd have to agree with the general consensus here. I have a cheap tablet which is hardly ever used because it was rubbish.

    Generally I would expect them to work with anything, but certain things such as pressure sensitivity will only work with the proper drivers and stuff.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks guys!

    I was looking at a Wacom pen tablet and the reviews seem excellent although they are more expensive.

    I did see this one : http://www.geniusnet.com/geniusOnline/online.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=productPage&productPortlet_actionOverride=/portlets/productArea/product/queryProduct&productPortletproductId=341197&test=default

    Does anyone have experience of this model?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I got a bamboo one for christmas, I have to say it's worth getting one. I use it with Photoshop, and whilst I'm not particularly artistic using it for things like selecting, airbrushing, painting e.t.c. are SO much easier and more accurate.

    They come with their own software and I know (from using it) that it'll work fine (including pressure sensitivity) with Photoshop.

    The model I have is the Wacom Bamboo 1, it's not very big but you get the hang of it and when you're zoomed right in the size isn't important anyway. The accuracy is spot on. Once you've got one you'll wonder how you ever managed with a mouse.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks Whowhere. I've put a bid on for a Bamboo pen tablet e-bay because Wacom seems to have consistently the best reviewed devices. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks for the information,

    Can you recommend the perfect size of the tablet? I want it to use it with Photoshop.

    Thanks in advance
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the perfect size depends on your drawing style
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