DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Tablet and Stylus advice
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 10 of 10, (reverse)
AuthorThread
11/30/2015 07:29:19 PM · #1
I am considering getting a tablet for Christmas, but right now it is kind of looking like it's a lot more money than I first expected. I have been researching, and everything points to "buy a Wacom, don't waste your time with anything else". I am also finding that the recommended tablet for my monitor size (24") is the Intuos Medium Pro, which will run me $350 (CA). I use two monitors, but I can probably configure it to only work for the one I display PS in.

So, does that seem accurate? Is the pro version the way to go? At least one review I read implied that the Intuos line was only really fit for monitors below 20".
11/30/2015 07:44:16 PM · #2
I have usually recommended that people start out with the small tablet if it is to be mainly used for masking and fine retouching; you might need the larger tablet if you are actually "painting."

However, the tablets are "direct addressing" meaning the tablet acts like a small-scale version of your screen, and wherever you put the stylus the cursor will appear at the corresponding location on the monitor. With a big screen the small table may not have enough resolution or cover the larger area.

Try taking a screen-capture of your monitor and printing it out with the same dimensions of the tablet(s) you are considering and see whether you think you could work on that. If the aspect ratios are different the tablet may not work on all parts of the screen.

You could also get the smaller tablet and work close-up using only part of your monitor.

FWIW I'm still using a (4x6) Wacom tablet from 1995 on a "vintage" Mac ...
11/30/2015 08:34:00 PM · #3
I have the 27" iMac and understood I should get the Large but find the Medium is more than enough and I have even scaled it to be a smaller working area.

I was also looking at the pro but glad I went with the pen and touch. Unless you are really serious you should find the pen and touch to be pretty well all you need.
11/30/2015 10:07:56 PM · #4
Depending on where you buy it (and their return policy) you can probably try out the smaller one and trade it in on a bigger one if it doesn't work well. Maybe have a couple of test images ready that you think would benefit from using a tablet, perhaps a masking job and a retouching job ...
11/30/2015 11:42:52 PM · #5
Originally posted by RamblinR:

I have the 27" iMac and understood I should get the Large but find the Medium is more than enough and I have even scaled it to be a smaller working area.

I was also looking at the pro but glad I went with the pen and touch. Unless you are really serious you should find the pen and touch to be pretty well all you need.


Which model do you have? I see that the Intuos Photo is the small tablet, but it looks like the photo vs. art vs. comic are all the same actual tablet, just bundled with different software. So I guess I could go with either the Art or Comic, which both come in medium and support multi-touch.

Does that sound about right?

Message edited by author 2015-11-30 23:45:39.
12/01/2015 01:31:43 AM · #6
Mine is the Intuos Pen & Touch medium.
I was originally looking a the Pro but I got a fabulous price on the Pen & Touch at the time so decided I'd go for that as a first tablet and if I needed more I would get it down the track.
Don't see I would go for a Pro unless I was drawing with it.
The Intuos needs to be plugged in via USB but I like that.

Message edited by author 2015-12-01 01:34:13.
12/01/2015 03:47:37 PM · #7
I use the Wacom Intuous 3 tablet. The working area is 4.5"x6.5" and I don't even use all of that. I have mapped it to about a 3x5 area. I have used Wacom tablet/pens for 20 years or so, and wouldn't use anything else. I have had larger Wacom tablets in the past, but found them way too large for my uses. Not only do they take up a large amount of real estate, I have never found a use for all that tablet area.

I use it with PS, Painter and LR for graphics/retouching/painting/just about everything. I agree with General...start small - you will most likely find that it is plenty big.
12/01/2015 05:24:04 PM · #8
Originally posted by jemison:

I use the Wacom Intuous 3 tablet. The working area is 4.5"x6.5" and I don't even use all of that. I have mapped it to about a 3x5 area. I have used Wacom tablet/pens for 20 years or so, and wouldn't use anything else. I have had larger Wacom tablets in the past, but found them way too large for my uses. Not only do they take up a large amount of real estate, I have never found a use for all that tablet area.

I use it with PS, Painter and LR for graphics/retouching/painting/just about everything. I agree with General...start small - you will most likely find that it is plenty big.


What size is your monitor? A coworker of mine said he has a small one, but sometimes he finds it too small, he is using a dual 19" monitors. I currently have a 24 and 21 myself, so I think the medium would be a better fit. Of course, if I can map a smaller area, then I can always effectively downsize if I need to.

Right now I am leaning towards the medium Pen and Touch. That one is within my budget and should be fine for my usage.
12/02/2015 07:03:35 PM · #9
Sent you a PM.
12/03/2015 12:54:35 PM · #10
Originally posted by FromDaRock:

Originally posted by jemison:

I use the Wacom Intuous 3 tablet. The working area is 4.5"x6.5" and I don't even use all of that. I have mapped it to about a 3x5 area. I have used Wacom tablet/pens for 20 years or so, and wouldn't use anything else. I have had larger Wacom tablets in the past, but found them way too large for my uses. Not only do they take up a large amount of real estate, I have never found a use for all that tablet area.

I use it with PS, Painter and LR for graphics/retouching/painting/just about everything. I agree with General...start small - you will most likely find that it is plenty big.


What size is your monitor? A coworker of mine said he has a small one, but sometimes he finds it too small, he is using a dual 19" monitors. I currently have a 24 and 21 myself, so I think the medium would be a better fit. Of course, if I can map a smaller area, then I can always effectively downsize if I need to.

Right now I am leaning towards the medium Pen and Touch. That one is within my budget and should be fine for my usage.


I have a 22"EIZO monitor. Just remember that while remapping the active area works great, you still have the larger hardware. I have never used full size, no matter what size tablet I've used, after remapping them. I have had at the smallest a 3x5" active area up to 11x14", with stops at 6x9" and my present 4.5x6.5". I have ended up remapping them all to a similar approx 3x5". I like to be able to rest my hand in one spot and just "swivel" from edge to edge of the remapped area. If you don't mind moving your whole hand and arm over the full screen, then it might not be such an issue. But I use the stylus for all my point and click stuff, only resorting to the mouse for special uses. If you have your mouse set so that you don't have to roam all over your mouse pad, you will probably do the same thing with your pen and tablet.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 03:03:10 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 03:03:10 PM EDT.