Discussion about
How do you use this tablet?
I've had this tablet for about 6 months. I still find the mouse to be a more comfortable editing tool. Perhaps I have not given the tablet the chance that it deserves. How do you use the tablet? Do you find it useful?
I use this as the only mouse-like control of my Mac Mini which is my TV/media centre machine. It's useful when trying to control the mac from the sofa, on an uneven surface where a normal mouse wouldn't work.
I used to use an A6 Graphire but the pen stopped working, and I'm now thinking of upgrading to the Pen & Touch so that I can use it without the pen.
I used to use an A6 Graphire but the pen stopped working, and I'm now thinking of upgrading to the Pen & Touch so that I can use it without the pen.
It might also have something to do with your editing style, Strahler. I've had Wacoms for about 3 years now and I can't do without them. I've gone pretty heavily into customizing the settings too. I find it useful to figure out what you need and changing the settings accordingly helps make your tablet work better.
I do a lot of illustration, but I find photo editing much much easier do to than before. Depending on how long you've been using a mouse to edit (whether a year or 10) I think plays a role too. If someone's been using a mouse for editing for over a decade, than I'd think you'd have more comfort than a mouse.
I'd recommend doing some work with your mouse put in a drawer or somewhere you can't just grab it, that way you can help your mind wrap around the way a tablet flows.
I do a lot of illustration, but I find photo editing much much easier do to than before. Depending on how long you've been using a mouse to edit (whether a year or 10) I think plays a role too. If someone's been using a mouse for editing for over a decade, than I'd think you'd have more comfort than a mouse.
I'd recommend doing some work with your mouse put in a drawer or somewhere you can't just grab it, that way you can help your mind wrap around the way a tablet flows.
You have some excellent points. I've been using a mouse for more than a decade. I'm sure that I have built up a lot of muscle memory in my mouse hand which is hard to change. I think that the only way to retrain will be to lock the mouse in a drawer for a while and force myself to use the tablet in ways I normally wouldn't.
You mentioned that customizing the settings has improved your work flow with the tablet. Can you give me examples of some of your customizations?
Thanks for all of the input.
You mentioned that customizing the settings has improved your work flow with the tablet. Can you give me examples of some of your customizations?
Thanks for all of the input.
Mouse mode for one, if you're having trouble with the pad tracking the screen at a 1:1 ratio. Also, it will feel WAY wrong if you have more than one monitor hooked up. It adjusts the tracking to cover the screen space on both monitors, and that makes it feel awful.
In photoshop I use the wheel to zoom, and make extensive use of the on-pen buttons. My mouse is still standing by, but if I get situated to use the tablet I can manage most of the work with just that. I should clarify though, the tablet is much more useful in the creating portion of work than the setup. Everything outside of detail, painting, etc is still faster to do with my mouse. If the tablet was really high end and was its own display, that would be different, but since it is what it is it remains only truly valuable for the artistic part of work.
As for using it as a mouse replacement, depending on your accuracy and mouse settings, its better or worse. My mouse bounces between 1600 and 2400 dpi, and due to that the tablet is slower for me. Really its only useful as a primary peripheral if I'm being lazy and lean back and hold the thing in my lap. On the plus side, its better as a mouse than my 360 controller!
In photoshop I use the wheel to zoom, and make extensive use of the on-pen buttons. My mouse is still standing by, but if I get situated to use the tablet I can manage most of the work with just that. I should clarify though, the tablet is much more useful in the creating portion of work than the setup. Everything outside of detail, painting, etc is still faster to do with my mouse. If the tablet was really high end and was its own display, that would be different, but since it is what it is it remains only truly valuable for the artistic part of work.
As for using it as a mouse replacement, depending on your accuracy and mouse settings, its better or worse. My mouse bounces between 1600 and 2400 dpi, and due to that the tablet is slower for me. Really its only useful as a primary peripheral if I'm being lazy and lean back and hold the thing in my lap. On the plus side, its better as a mouse than my 360 controller!
I use this with photoshop for a few things, and depending on the project I use it a whole lot or very little. The pressure sensitivity makes for a great effect, and overall I am much smoother at drawing with the pen than the mouse.
It sounds like I just need more practice with the tablet. I agree that the mechanics of brush work is easier with a tablet, but I find that I make more mistakes when I use the tablet. I then have to back track and correct my errors. The mistakes I make are usually caused by the way my hand interacts with the tablet. Maybe I should just toss my mouse for a few photo editing sessions and force myself to only use the tablet. Perhaps it will grow on me.
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I use it mainly for drawing, I agree with you that the mouse is much better then this, except for drawing. I got way more accurate drawings with this then if i had drawn them myself. Other then that i really haven't found a use for it.
I do a lot of photo editing in Bibble Pro and Paint Shop Pro. I originally purchased this tablet to make the editing process easier. I am finding that I start editing with the tablet, but always return to the mouse in the middle of the edits. I make more mistakes using the tablet and then typically get frustrated and correct them using the mouse. For me this tablet has been more of a toy than a tool. Are higher end tablets better? Perhaps my tablet skills need a little more practice. Is anyone else using this tablet with photo editing tools such as Bibble, Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop, etc?
