wacom tablet

Does anyone use one with FCP? I got to play with one on a DS Nitris and it seemed like a pretty cool replacement for the mouse.

the question is: do you use one on a daily basis for other areas of your computer use workflow and will it fit in?

if YES, then they are good. if NOT, why bother learning just another thing for the sake of itself? it's not going to change your life if youre not used to using one...

some swear by them, others dont give a crap. personally, i have nearly 20 years behind a mouse. i see little reason to go back to a pen...

Chris,

I use one at work & one at home - they are the best. I use the included 3 button mouse and it kicks butt with FCP. I use the pen in designing & the mouse in editing. I am one of those that "swears by it". If you used a Nitris, you have some Design experience. It is necessary (IMHO) for design in After Effects / Photoshop / Illustrator / C4D / Shake / etc...

- Joey



When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

It definitely seems to be a graphics/effects person's thing more than an editor's thing. No editor I know uses one. During online sessions I've seen the obvious benefits when it comes to effects work. But as an editor, using the mouse and keyboard has never slowed me down any.

When our company switched over to FCP, we got wacom tablets with our G5's. The commercial editor at our sister station swears by the tablet, and can't believe that we never use it. For myself, using the mouse comes much more naturally . . . but I have to admit if I had a choice, I'd use a tracball (and have an old-school Logitech tracball for my home system)!

I work primarily as an editor with occasional graphics and effects based compositing - I swear by the Wacom, the programmable buttons on the side are a real time saver and the pen tip is so accurate. The mouse is great too but since I switch from AE to Photoshop from within FCS it is an all-in-one time saver, its great. But don't get the bottom end Grapire version - half the functions are missing.

now, that big cintiq 21" combo tablet and monitor thing - THAT baby could be fun!
anyone tried one?

thats the closest thing to the "minority report" approach that ive seen - on the market anyway

"...No editor I know uses one."

Every editor on a high end Quantel eQ, iQ & Paintbox uses a tablet...they are included in the packages:

[www.quantel.com]

It's usually the straight-up editor that doesn't touch any FX / graphics programs that usually finds they don't need it (old school trackball, etc). The 3 / 5 button cordless mouse included with the tablets made me disconnect my Apple "mighty mouse" (with that $tupid little trackball). I use it all the time for editing only

>>> But don't get the bottom end Grapire version - half the functions are missing. <<<

Agreed...get an Intuos3 - they come in 6 sizes:

[www.wacom.com]

- Joey



Post Edited (06-23-06 10:02)

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

"...No editor I know uses one."

--Well, now you know several, Derek. :-)

I switched to the Wacom after talking with my GFX peeps, and after talking with another editor who had tendonitis from using the mouse. She said that her wrists felt much better using the pen and tablet.

I wasn't suffering from carpal tunnel or anything, but I'm always looking for a way to make things easier for me and the tablet works. I can switch between my editing app and my design apps (and who doesn't dabble in both these days?) and get the benefits of working with a pen while not losing anything on the editing side.

However, there are a couple of things that are different about the tablet. For one, holding down the CMD key which you use make small incremental changes (like level changes) doesn't work with the tablet. It also, took me about a month to get really comforable with it because you have to put down the pen to use both hands on the keyboard. That's not an issue with a mouse.

Still, I really like my tablet, and get good use out of it.

"another editor who had tendonitis from using the mouse. She said that her wrists felt much better using the pen and tablet.
"

Four years ago I was about two weeks out from surgery for carpal tunnel - tried a tablet and now . . . no surgery - and no pain. My trackballs and mice are dusty - I keep a tablet with me wherever I go. Even the Graphire's are fine for most work. It packs well in my laptop bag too.

By accident - I found a tablet also greatly speeded entry in spreadsheets and editing in word.

Ian

After years of editing with a mouse, I started getting early warning signs of carpal tunnel while working on a longform documentary. I switched to a wacom 6x11 tablet and boom -- no more wrist/arm pain. The learning curve was fast and simple, and I actually find it to be very intuitive. I should have switched years ago.

I'm going to a tablet on my home computer as well.

And btw, I know a lot of professional editors who use tablets. It's all personal preference, of course, but for me, it was the switch that saved my wrist.

I'm another one who was suffering from carpal tunnel-like symptoms. I switched to a tablet a couple years ago and my symptoms have subsided!

I have a tablet that I bring with me to freelance jobs and another that stays at home. When I saw the price of them, I hesitated, but it's a very small price to pay for the relief they've given my body.

I don't know if I'm faster with the pen, but the smooth flow of it makes me feel like I am. And the programmable clicker on the pen is great for right clicking and double clicking. It only took me about a week to get used to it.

I highly recommend trying one out.



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AND/OR
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