Which size Wacom Intuos tablet should I buy?

[Aima-chan]

Hey there, The name's Aima.

I'm new here at Mac forums, so I don't even know if I'm posting this in the right forum, but I assumed this was the right one because of my problem.

I am currently saving up for a Wacom Tablet.

I decided I should get an Intuos4, because I've heard it's the best around, although I'm still unsure of this because I've never bought a tablet before, and I've only ever used one once.

I mainly want a tablet so I can use Manga Studio 3.0, because it's quite difficult to do so without a tablet. However, I can't seem to decide between the Small Intuos4 (12.2 x 8.2), or the Medium Intuos4 (14.6 x 10.0).

So I want to know: Is it worth the extra $150 to get the Medium Intuos4?

Any help would be much appreciated.

-Aima-chan

 

[jampat]

I like the smallest size, I find it to big sometimes. Some people like larger ones, it all comes down to what you feel comfortable drawing on. Some people like big strokes, others like much tighter space. When you are drawing on paper, pay attention to how you move and buy a tablet that lets you keep that motion.

It may be worth looking at the Wacom Bamboos, they are damn cheap and work reasonably well. At the very least they let you know what you like/don't like about working with tablets and you can resell it for very little loss. You lose pen tilt monitoring and some levels of pressure sensitivity though.

 

[opeter]

I vote for the smallest "S" version. Got one too. I really like it.

 

[design-is]

I had an A5 Graphire 3 tablet (now failed) which is probably about the medium size and can honestly say I found it the perfect size. I found that any smaller would have been restrictive and any larger would have been beyond my needs and possibly make me less productive due to extra movement.

I suggest you try and get to a store or trade show to have a look/try them out before spending the money though. They're not cheap enough to take a guess in my opinion.

 

[stainlessliquid]

The medium is the new 6x8 (youre looking at physical dimensions, the normal way of measuring size is by the active area), which was the most popular size for the old tablets and pretty much perfect. The small is the new 4x5, which was fine for painting but too small to comfortably draw on.

 

[Acorn]

I have the medium and I like it. The work area on the small version is way to small. if your going to invest in it go for medium or large.

 

[chrono1081]

+1 for medium size.

I upgraded from the standard to the wide screen version and love it. The tablets ratio is slightly wider then that of the ratio for widescreen monitors which is PERFECT because you can run dual displays and keep a tool palette in one monitor at the edge and access it all you want and still have free drawing room on the other monitor without having to deal with mapping sections of the tablet.

 

[ryanide]

Large is better!

I like the 9x12 size, but I think they run close to $500.
It comes with a mouse that is very good for normal use.

Depends on how much creative stuff you do. This one seems to work nicely when pared with a 23" monitor.

 

[dillacom]

I use a large. It is nice to have the full sized surface since I use 2 23" screens

 

[mullet]

For a larger screen or two screen I say don't go lower than a medium sized tablet. The larger the better when dealing with more screen real estate. However, if you're using this on a laptop then the smallest is fine. I use a 6x8 Intuos 3 with two 23" displays and a smaller Graphire 2 (I think 4x5) with a MacBook Pro.

Hope that helps...

~Mullet

 

[chaos86]

I say get one thats about half the size of your real screen. I have two 17" displays next to side-by-side and my 6x11 is about perfect. The active area is about 5x11 because I can't stand to have it vertically stretched.

 

[fluidedge]

I've used the A3, A4 and A5 wide tablets and i have to say the A3 was awesome. Incredible to use such a thing for detailed work, the A4 would be the size i would use at home for professional work.

I think the A5 was just about as small as i'd ever want to go. much prefer the A4.

Basically go for the biggest you can afford. If that means going for an A4 Intuos 3 rather than an A5 Intuos 4 then so be it imo.

 

[iZac]

Not to hijack this thread, but I have a Wacom related question some of you might be able to answer. Like many of you, ill be getting a Medium Intuos 4 in the next few months, but also thinking about a 2nd 16:9 24" monitor.

I was hoping to use the tablet instead of my mouse, but wondered how best its used when on a dual screen, without stretching? (naturally all my photoshop tools will be on the other monitor.)

 

[fluidedge]

24" is a lot of space to hold photoshop toolbars.

The HUD has been streamlined by Adobe to make space as efficent as possible. I question the need for 2 24" monitors for someone who uses Photoshop as their primary app.

 

[iZac]

24" is a lot of space to hold photoshop toolbars.

The HUD has been streamlined by Adobe to make space as efficent as possible. I question the need for 2 24" monitors for someone who uses Photoshop as their primary app.

haha, oh i like to spill all my toolbars out over a monitor. I fill a second 20" at work with toolbars in most my programs, photoshop included. I guess i just like one clean screen and one messy one ... plus i want my (sorry) xbox running on the extended desktop when im not using my computer for work.

If i need to change my photoshop habits to use a tablet though ... so be it. I just dont know what to expect with a tablet and two monitors. I know you can swap between the direct movement and a kind of 'mouse mode'. Can you toggle that to one of the hot keys?

 

[Aima-chan]

Sorry for not replying sooner.

Thanks for the help you guys, it helped clear a lot of things up.

 

[Shennaniah]

Wacom I4 small or medium?

Hi everybody,
sorry to revive a dead thread, but I have basically the same question with a few more details! Should I get a small or medium intuos4 for drawing and painting (not so much photo editing, etc)?

Small: I'm a total "wrist" person, so I think I'd rarely make a stroke larger than the I4 active area. I also like that I wouldn't have to move my hand much to get around the screen. The idea of such a small footprint is appealing too.

But I'm worried that lines will become too big/jittery because of the tablet-to screen ratio. (Currently using a laptop with 18 x 29cm screen, but what if I get a bigger screen?)

You can zoom in to work on details, but does having a small tablet mean I'll have to zoom in much more often than normal? Or is the workflow still smooth and natural?

And, do any I4 small tablet users here ever feel like you would like a bigger area for the occasional large stroke? If so, does that happen often enough to be a nuisance, or is it really a one-off thing that's hardly a problem?

Medium: Gut feeling tells me that it is uncomfortably large and counter-intuitive. (Because I had an I3 A4 which was waayy too big and I just could not work well with it.) But would it give significantly better accuracy and line quality?

One option is for me to buy a medium and then map a smaller area if I need to, but I'd rather not spend extra if I'm only going to use a small part, right?

Please advise, it would be much, much appreciated!

 

[chrono1081]

Intuoses size really is a personal preference since the device will map to whatever size monitor you have. I myself have used Wacoms for years and find the latest bluetooth intuos 4 size to be perfect. I also love the new controls too.

I too mostly just draw with my wrist and I use a 24 inch monitor and find the (I think the size is 6x8, whatever the wireless intuos 4 is) to be completely perfect.