Graphic tablet

any recommendation? I'm looking to buy a Graphic tablet because i'm doing a lot of "queer eye" and "color halftone" effect on photoshop and using the lesso tool with my mouse if just not cutting it anymore...
looks like Wacom has the market share on this but i've never used any of em...is it worth it?

thanks!
..J

ive owned 3 and used like 20 wacoms over the years. if you like tablets they are without doubt the way to go. get the biggest one you can afford, well worth it comfort wise.

i really want to try out that touchscreen tablet thing they have. i think its called the "cintiq" - where you draw right on the screen. that sounds cool, but at $3k for a 21" screen just seems kinda impractical...

[www.wacom.com]

I've used Wacom for over 10 years - my curent 1 is an A4 Wacom intuos and has lasted me 5 years so far.

Unless you have a massive screen then have a look at the various smaller ones - I used to use an A3 but find that I can accomplish just as much with the A4 and without the Rambo workout to get from one side of the screen to the other!

Don't bother with any other make - Wacom are tried tested and reliable. Yes expensive but well worth the money.





For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

I have the 23 wide screen so should i definetly get the bigger wide format tablet? is it a problem if i get the regular size? i'm trying to keep my cost down.
thanks guys!

I'm using the A4 with a 30" widescreen

You might find the 6x11 Wide-format one perfect for you.

[www.wacom.com]

It wont matter if you get a 4:3 version as you can set the mapping so that it will not use the extra space eg like a letterboxed mapping

or your hand/eye coordination will naturally adapt to the slight vertical stretch, this will take about an hour of constant use.

The main thing you have to worry about is not using it like a mouse - every single person i know tries to move the cursor then moves back you shift it on again - hahaha - even when I tell them its in direct correlation to the screen position. Sooooo funny to watch.





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<<every single person i know tries to move the cursor then moves back you shift it on again - hahaha - even when I tell them its in direct correlation to the screen position.>>

I'm not following what you're saying - can you expand a bit? I'm also thinking about in Inuous but I recognize that there is a learning curve with respect to mouse habits.

Scott

Sorry if if I was a bit confusing...

If you imagine the tablet IS the screen.

Every place on the tablet corresponds to the same place on the screen.

Using a mouse to get to from point A on one side of your screen to point B on the other side of your screen usually takes 2 to 3 moves eg:

1. move the mouse towards your desired point,
2. then pick it up and move it back to the start,
3. then move it towards the point again
4. repeating until you are in the correct position...

Instead of 2 or 3 moves with a mouse, using a tablet:

1. from point A you pick up the stylus(pen)
2. place to point B - voila!

Its a vastly quicker way of working - in fact using a tablet I work between 50% to 100% faster than I do with a mouse.

The mapping I referred to is how much of the tablet area you decide you want to 'map' to the screen area.

For instance - I used to use 2x 22" inch 4:3 monitors - so I mapped the left half of the tablet to the lefthand side monitor and the right half of the tablet to the righthand side monitor.

Now I use a 30" Apple monitor, so I map the tablet as 1 widescreen.

The intuos range are fantastic - if you get one - prepare to say goodbye to MouseClaw or RSi (Repetitive Strain injury)

As far as getting used to the tablet, I reckon that 1 to 2 hours of using the tablet and you'll be fine.

Happy Christmas & Have a happytablet New Year


Ben





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Hi Ben,

Thanks for the details, now I see what you're saying. With my small screen and more responsive mouse settings I seldom get into the "restart" pattern, but I can see why it would be hilarious to watch someone relate to a tablet that way.

What troubles me about getting a tablet is that not every desk I might move my Powerbook to has the room to have a decent sized tablet on it, so it's mouse time. I was told at a Wacom demonstration that once you have mastered a tablet you'll never go back to a mouse, and I believe that. So how hard is it to transition between tablet efficiency and mouse efficiency from one day to the next? I'm curious what others' experiences in this regard have been.

Scott

For fear of sounding like I have a stake in Wacom I won't say anymore!

...but your hand will thank you for it if you do buy one!!!





For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

yes wacoms are the way to go.. I love mine. But on another note. I have found a much faster and cleaner (for video not print) way of "cutting people out" al-la Queer Eye, Kid stays in the picture, ect...

I prefer the shift click method. Using the eraser tool set as a pencil, not a brush. I shift click around my object. Changing the size to get into smaller areas, and adjusting the transparency on things like glass or hair. The pencil setting still has a bit of aliasing but not so much that it looks fuzzy, while the little bit of bleed helps blend the people in video land.

Again this is good for TV graphics.. for print I prefer drawing vector shaped masks.

In either case.. I think you will find it easier than the lasso tool.