Any Wacom tablet owners?

[_dan_]

As I'm getting more and more into the thick of photoshop I'm fast seeing the advantage of having a Gfx tablet. Just wondering which size is preferable and what people opinions of them are.

I've seen a couple of the Intuos 2 A5 and A4 sized ones on ebay. Would the A5 be OK or is it too small? Just drawn out the useable area of an A5 (230x161mm I believe) onto a bit of paper and it looks OK.

We have the big A3 ones at work, used for PS and after effects mainly, but aswell as been way too pricey, I don't think I'd fit one on the desk at home!!

Cheers for any replies

[Scooby_snax]

I use the A5 sized one.....to get the accuracy I just enlarge the image on screen. Have to say though i dont use it often as can do most of my requirements with a mouse

[damianc4s]

I use an Intuos 2 A5, and have done for a few years now, upgraded from a Graphire. I find the A5 size coupled with careful zoom to be perfect. Not only is the pen excellent but the mouse itself is too.

[_dobbo_]

Wacom Volito here (a5 sized), it's a real learning curve in my opinion, and one that I haven't had the time to concentrate on.

What limited use I've had has shown it has real strengths, so given some practice I'm sure it'll prove indespensible.

Plenty big enough, as has been said here, you just zoom the image in if you need more accuracy.

[Davi]

got an old A4 ultrapad sitting beside me waiting to be listed on ebay, so I can get a smaller & newer replacement. Cant be doing with a mouse in PS or AI, but unfortunately mine is no longer compatible. While I'm upgrading I'm going smaller as frankly the A4 is a pain in the arse to fit on the average computer desk and too heavy to sit with it resting on your knee's for too long. The only downside to the A5 is that with the A4 I would often sketch over the top of drawings I'd penned on the back of a bit of printer paper while bored at work - now I'll have to go to the extra effort of reducing them on a photocopier first :P

>> Edited by Davi on Monday 20th March 22:46

[Wildfire]

Yep I've used An A6 Intuos for around 6 years now and lovbe it. I definitley reccomend them, especially as they have come down in price so much. I would go for A5 at the most. In my old job I used to have an A4 and found it just too big.

[marco]

Hi

I've had a few Wacom tablets and with the A5 one I use today, I actually find it better to scale the mapping down to nearly A6 size anyway - it lets you move the mouse without having to reposition your arm and is way quicker.

Just my preference but the A6 ones are quite a bit cheaper now I think.


Marco

[Wildfire]

marco said:

Hi I've had a few Wacom tablets and with the A5 one I use today, I actually find it better to scale the mapping down to nearly A6 size anyway - it lets you move the mouse without having to reposition your arm and is way quicker. Just my preference but the A6 ones are quite a bit cheaper now I think. Marco

I paid £170 for my Intuos 1 A6 when I bought it.

[prelude4ws]

I use an A3 one at work

Have an A5 one at home, useful for colouring in but crap to actually sketch with.

[Bacardi]

I find A5 nice and comfortable. A6, depending on the size of your screen, may be too small and you'll find yourself running off the edge (depending on mapping mode). A4, and larger, is fine for 1:1 mapping, if you need it, but too big to put on your lap and you'll surfer from arm ache.

[thebluemonkey]

Depends how you draw really. If you draw with your wrist then the A5 will be fine but if you draw "properly" with your arm then they're useless.


Yes yes, that'll do, plenty patronising enough.

[Davi]

thebluemonkey said:

Depends how you draw really. If you draw with your wrist then the A5 will be fine but if you draw "properly" with your arm then they're useless. Yes yes, that'll do, plenty patronising enough.

patronising aside, I tend to agree with that, but on the other hand trying to draw properly when your computer desk is slightly smaller than the tablet you are trying to draw on doesn't exactly put you in a relaxed and flowing posture anyway

[thebluemonkey]

Davi said:

patronising aside, I tend to agree with that, but on the other hand trying to draw properly when your computer desk is slightly smaller than the tablet you are trying to draw on doesn't exactly put you in a relaxed and flowing posture anyway

Totally agree, it's important for me to have as big a tablet as possible (A3 widescreen, it's like a desk in itself, but then mine is 6 feet deep) because drawing into a computer is how I spend half my life but obviously any tablet is better than no tablet aslong as you aren't under the impression that it will be like drawing on a layout pad, as the original poster obviously has realised. For most retouching jobs though it may not be the revelation that you think it will be,it will change your files but won't transform them. I still use my bluetooth mouse and the Wacom mouse for most things, but it is very useful for the rest.

Right, that's quite enough cock waving for one night

[Davi]

thebluemonkey said:

Davi said: patronising aside, I tend to agree with that, but on the other hand trying to draw properly when your computer desk is slightly smaller than the tablet you are trying to draw on doesn't exactly put you in a relaxed and flowing posture anyway Totally agree, it's important for me to have as big a tablet as possible (A3 widescreen, it's like a desk in itself, but then mine is 6 feet deep) because drawing into a computer is how I spend half my life but obviously any tablet is better than no tablet aslong as you aren't under the impression that it will be like drawing on a layout pad, as the original poster obviously has realised. For most retouching jobs though it may not be the revelation that you think it will be,it will change your files but won't transform them. I still use my bluetooth mouse and the Wacom mouse for most things, but it is very useful for the rest. Right, that's quite enough cock waving for one night

What do you mostly use yours for? for CAD work I find a pen nigh on useless in most situations, certainly no benefit, whereas with photoshop I find it indespensible - since my old one is no longer comptible with my new setup I've pretty much given up trying to do any freehand sketch mods in PS!!

[thebluemonkey]

I do some solidworks stuff when its on one machine and photo retouching when it's on the other but mostly I use gradients for adjustment layers, the cloning tool and the polygonal lasso.

[Wildfire]

I had a mate of mine who works in games who swears by modelling with his Wacom Pen!! I've never mastered it myself.

[_dan_]

Cheers for the relies chaps.

Another quick question, does it really make much difference if it's a serial or USB connection (other than the obvious different hole you stick it in!!). There's a serial one on eBay I've got my eye on.

[Davi]

cant answer that one for you, but if the answer is little different then I have an A4 sized seriel one sitting beside me in a box if you want to make me an offer!! can do some pics etc if you want.

[_dan_]

Davi said:

cant answer that one for you, but if the answer is little different then I have an A4 sized seriel one sitting beside me in a box if you want to make me an offer!! can do some pics etc if you want.

May be interested, still weighing up the pros and cons. Also A4 might be a little too large for the desk. Which model is it exactly?

Dan

[davi]

Its an A4 Ultrapad Dan