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Graphics Tablets..Which one ¿

Mr.Noisy

Mr.Noisy

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 5, 2007
1,077
4
UK™
Hi, this may have been asked a thousand times, but ive never used a graphics tablet so here goes,till now the mighty mouse was ok, but now i feel i have gone beyone it and need more precision.
1. How does & can the tablet work with the mouse connected at the same time?
2. Is there a bluetooth tablet as i'm bluetooth enabled ?
3. I dont want a big tablet ive seen the Wacom Bamboo and thats a good size any other preferences or suggestions.

I apologise now for the newbie type questions, but the more photographs i need to process the smoother workflow i need, all info appreciated,

thanks ;)
 
Doesn't anyone here use a graphics tablet :confused:
ok, I set my sights on the wacom bamboo, any input :(
any advice greatly received :)
 
Mr.Noisy said:
Doesn't anyone here use a graphics tablet :confused:
ok, I set my sights on the wacom bamboo, any input :(
any advice greatly received :)
Click to expand...

I have the older Graphire. It works well. Looks like the Bamboo is an improvment. The sizes are named correctly, the "small" is small. The Medium might get better precision.

Yes you can use the mouse and pen at the same time. I'm left handed and can pen in left hand mouse in right, which ever one moves controls the cursor. The Wacom mice work too. It replaces the pen on the pad and is very smooth working

It's very usfull in Photoshop-like applications and the pressure sensitive thing is very usful

If you need the software the price is right. I bought my tablet fo about $10 more then the price of the included Adobe Elements.
 
Thanks ChrisA, i think my main stumbling block was 'how does it work with the mouse', my keyboard & mouse are BT so i can usb the tablet, i will be using it with CS2 creative suite and later CS3, thanks again :D
 
1. How does & can the tablet work with the mouse connected at the same time?
Both are given an 'id' with what it can do, then the os recognises what it does and then when you move each device it moves the pointer, can be fun when working them together or trying to annoy someone :D

2. Is there a bluetooth tablet as i'm bluetooth enabled ?
Yes - wacom do one iirc its a5 in size

3. I dont want a big tablet ive seen the Wacom Bamboo and thats a good size any other preferences or suggestions.
Personally I would look at the intuos range, slightly more expensive but has better range of tools and pressure sensitivity. If you want small get the a6/a6 wide depending on the display you use.

I use an a5 wide with a 20" w/s display as its a natural fit in shape etc.
 
If your going into this full time I would get the intuos3 series, pricey but effective. If its more of a hobby than I would go for the graphire series...dont know anything about the bamboo. The new graphire 4's have a few buttons on the pad like the intous series has. The intous series also has more pressure levels so you can get a finer transition when pushing down, they also support pen tilt. The graphire will save you some dough though and will be almost the same. The graphire goes for $100 and the intous3 6x8" i'm getting soon is $330, the 4x6 intous3 is about $70 less.

If your interested in a used one I have a graphire with a cordless mouse that i will be selling soon for $50.

Which ever tablet you choose when you start with it, hide the mouse and only use the pen, it will seem awkward at first but a couple weeks later you will fly with it!
 
I've had my eye on one for a while. I'm not familiar with Tablets at all, but I went and bought a Bamboo from amazon. Looks like a pretty decent little tablet for the amount of money. Since, I'm not familiar with them, I thought I'd start out with this small guy and if I found the desire to upgrade, would do so later.
 
Mr.Noisy said:
Hi, this may have been asked a thousand times, but ive never used a graphics tablet so here goes,till now the mighty mouse was ok, but now i feel i have gone beyone it and need more precision.
1. How does & can the tablet work with the mouse connected at the same time?
2. Is there a bluetooth tablet as i'm bluetooth enabled ?
3. I dont want a big tablet ive seen the Wacom Bamboo and thats a good size any other preferences or suggestions.

I apologise now for the newbie type questions, but the more photographs i need to process the smoother workflow i need, all info appreciated,

thanks ;)
Click to expand...

1. Yes! I used both a mighty mouse and my Wacom Intuos 3 at the same time, you can set them up as which is your primary :) . I ditched the mouse cause I didn't like it, its so uncomfortable to use for extended periods of time.

2. Yes there is, but only in the Graphire Series (Last time i checked)

3. I have an Intous 3 A5 Wide (6x11), and thats a good size. The one of the other designers i work with has an A4 one and finds that a little too big.
 
I also have the A5 wide Intuos one. While I don't use it every day, it is very useful and time saving very often.

Before I bought it I did some research and came to the conclusion that the A5 sized tablets offer the best performance for their price. A6 is a little too small to work precisely imo and A4 might be too big and is a big deal more expensive.
 
I use/have both the A4 & A5 Wide intuos 3 tablets myself and wouldnt part.

But I do have a bamboo for my laptop bag for when I have to produce or change somthing for a client away from the office.

The bamboo is a nice tablet for a begginner. So much so that I just ordered one for a friend who wants to start / learn about editing photos and things in photoshop. So for someone just looking for the next leap up - the bamboo is a good value choice. :)
 
Which do people think will be best for me? I'm interested in the Bamboo and Intuos3 A5 wide. I'll be using it for photoshop and Illustrator which I've been using for a number of years, but have never used a tablet before. I'm a Multimedia design student in my last year.
 
Personally I would get the intuos a5 wide, its a larger area allowing a more natural sweep (plus works well with widescreen). Theres also a special edition a5 wide/a4 which has just come out which has extra bits for a lower price which might be worth looking at too (its in black though).
 
sarah3585 said:
Thanks for the advise. So the A5 wide is different to the special edition a5 wide? How? The cheapest I've found it for is £264 on dabs. Amazon don't seem to sell the A5 wide anymore which they did a month or so back

Edit: Ah I see now:
Special: http://www.dabs.com/productview.asp...&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

http://www.dabs.com/productview.asp...&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0
Click to expand...

got my stuff from tablet4u, they are pretty good in my experience. linky

the only difference between the se and the standard is colour (its black with darker silver) versus the usual colour scheme. The UK special editon has the airbrush too and saves about70 quid iirc over the individual prices.
 
LeviG said:
got my stuff from tablet4u, they are pretty good in my experience. linky

the only difference between the se and the standard is colour (its black with darker silver) versus the usual colour scheme. The UK special editon has the airbrush too and saves about70 quid iirc over the individual prices.
Click to expand...

Thanks fr the link special is £287.60 and the standard is £264.10. So the extra pen is worth the £22 more? I prefer the colours of the special. Thanks
 
I got the A5 Wide about three weeks ago, and I hardly ever use the mouse any more. You can set up the pen switch to do various things in different apps, and the express keys can be set up to do different things in different apps, too. Can get a bit confusing.

When I got mine, the best deal I could find was £270 (+free delivery) from richardfrankfurt.co.uk, but I checked Apple's website for a nearby Apple dealer, and asked if they could do a price match. They couldn't, but offered me the tablet, case and CarePack for £290. So I went and picked it up.
 
Intuos

I also second the intuos range (i have a3). I believe they have greater pressure response and accuracy. I would be careful of bluetooth peripherals they are very battery hungry, plus make you look very unprofessional when they run out leaving you squirming for expensive batteries. The Intuos has a long lead and really you must be on your desk near a screen to use it. If your feeling flushed with cash look at the cibtiq range by wacom they are truly beautiful (but exorbitant). Overall wacom is my first choice
On anoher note once it is installed the world of apple "ink" is open to you from within the preference pane. Here handwriting recognition and gestures are controlled from your tablet. Ink is a highly sophisticated string to your bow and is realised by the use of a tablet. I believe ink was first developed with the Newton so nostalgic but powerfull !
 
Software

I also recommend corel painter to use with your tablet although ii prefer the simplicity of Alias sketchbook pro ! The latter was bought up by microsoft or autodesk (silent partners) i believe and now the downloadable trial is not available.
On a side note perhaps i should start another thread titled what has microsoft bought up and then promptly discontinued for mac ? Alias sketchbook pro for sure is one !
 
A question about Wacom software: Is it universal? Anyone had any problems using it on a Mac Pro? Any problems with hanging or crashing when used with Bridge or Photoshop CS3? Will the tablet function on the Mac Pro without installing the software? Thanks!:confused:
 
FredGarvin said:
A question about Wacom software: Is it universal? Anyone had any problems using it on a Mac Pro? Any problems with hanging or crashing when used with Bridge or Photoshop CS3? Will the tablet function on the Mac Pro without installing the software? Thanks!:confused:
Click to expand...

The Waacom software is universal. I've never seen any problems with the Photoshop or Bridge CS3 versions with hanging or crashing. Yes, the tablet will function without the software, but I strongly suggest getting it.
 
I have a Wacom Tablet... everyone swears by it and says they couldnt live without it, every couple of months i give it a shot but i can't get used to it for my life very disappointing i'd love get as excited as everyone else does about...

Anyone got any tips for incorporating it in daily workflow? Photoshop and illustrator...
 
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