Does size really matter?

KB
Posted By
Kenn_Baynard
Feb 24, 2004
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331
Replies
9
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Closed
Ok, now that I’ve gotten your attention, I’m refering to the size of your drawing tablet. I’m pondering getting a Wacom Intuos2 for myself, but I’m torn between the 4×5 or the 6×8. I have a 4×5 at work and it works just fine, but I’ve been eyeballing the 6×8 (since it’s still slightly within my price range.) But the more I think about, i start wondering, does the size really matter? What would a larger pad give me in comparison to the smaller one? Obviously if I were to start tracing things I would have more tracing room, but I don’t do any tracing, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t have a reason to later down the road. Would I expect to see a little better control at higher screen resolutions with a larger pad, or would it work about the same?

Thanks!
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P
Phosphor
Feb 24, 2004
It’s really kind of a matter of personal preference, bank account and desk space.

Since the drivers for digitising tablets allow the user to map tablet area to screen area, plus considering that you can zoom in really tight on your image, you should be able to get pretty much all the fine control you need.

I think the real difference is made with the number of levels of pressure sensitivity and facility for stylus-tilt recognition
M
mattmatt32
Feb 24, 2004
I always wondered if the extra size was a nuisance because you may have to reposition your arm and hand to cover the entire tablet.
Y
YrbkMgr
Feb 24, 2004
99 percent of people will tell you that size doesn’t matter, it’s how you use it. But there’s that one percent that make you wish you had a bigger one.
BL
Bill_Lamp
Feb 24, 2004
YrbkMgr,

A very tasteful way of explaining it.

Bill
KB
Kenn_Baynard
Feb 24, 2004
That’s another question I had, what’s the point of tilt recognition? I personally haven’t noticed anything tilt-related with my 4×5 Intuos2 at work that makes me excited or annoyed. I’m sure I’m missing something.
P
Phosphor
Feb 25, 2004
Have you ever worked with a real airbrush, Kenn?
KB
Kenn_Baynard
Feb 25, 2004
Nope. which is probably why I don’t get it. 🙂
P
Phosphor
Feb 25, 2004
Think about it this way, then:

Imagine taping a piece of artboard on a wall. Now, holding a can of spray paint perfectly upright, with the nozzle pointing toward the center of the artboard, you spray for a half second. See that? It’s more or less a perfect circle, with the paint evenly distributed around the center point of the spray pattern.

Now, keeping the spray can upright and parallel to the wall plane, and keeping it the same distance from the wall, imagine moving your hand down so the nozzle is level with the bottom edge of the art board. If you rotate your wrist so the bottom of the can moves toward the wall, you can again point the nozzle at the center of the art board, this time at an angle. The difference when you spray this time is that the spray pattern will be elliptical, and will deposit paint more heavily closer the nozzle, and more lightly on the opposite side of the elliptical spray area. It is in this way that an accomplished airbrush artist can achieve perfectly blended continous color gradations.

That’s one of the techniques having the tilt control can simulate for you when using a digitising tablet with Photoshop.
V
viol8ion
Feb 25, 2004
I always wondered if the extra size was a nuisance because you may have to reposition your arm and hand to cover the entire tablet.

I have the large Intuos 2, 9 x 12. In my opinion, it is too large, and I am now wishing I had gone smaller.

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