Graphire vs Intuos

Hello
I hope this has not been aked too often, it is a question about Wacom graphic tablets.
I have purchased some 3 weeks ago a Graphire3 A5 tablet and I am totally in love with it. I use it mostly with Photoshop CS.
I just saw a new Intuos3 A5 tablet. Beside the side "buttons" and a much highier lpi I cannot see other diferences (well I know the Intuos can work with more add-ons like the other kinds of pens) between both models I have been using the Graphire quite a lot and am wondering if I would benefit enought at this point from switching to an Intuos3 ?? Because sometimes when drawing lines, it is like curves are not as "smmoth" as I would like them (I can explain, a part of my design has to do with tribal tattoo art designed on pictures of people to see a before/after image when a big design is to be tattooed)
I kind of like the side buttons of the Intuos3, though idealy for me it would be like some tablets I had seen times ago that had a row of small "squares" on the upper area of the tablet to witch one could assign diferent Photoshop functions (like pen/zoom/smudge/etc..)
Any advise for me please??
Thank you

Jean-Claude

On 24/11/04 12:36 PM, in article
newscache$1tfn7i$foa$, "JC" wrote:

Hello
I hope this has not been aked too often, it is a question about Wacom graphic tablets.
I have purchased some 3 weeks ago a Graphire3 A5 tablet and I am totally in love with it. I use it mostly with Photoshop CS.
I just saw a new Intuos3 A5 tablet. Beside the side "buttons" and a much highier lpi I cannot see other diferences (well I know the Intuos can work with more add-ons like the other kinds of pens) between both models I have been using the Graphire quite a lot and am wondering if I would benefit enought at this point from switching to an Intuos3 ?? Because sometimes when drawing lines, it is like curves are not as "smmoth" as I would like them (I can explain, a part of my design has to do with tribal tattoo art designed on pictures of people to see a before/after image when a big design is to be tattooed)
I kind of like the side buttons of the Intuos3, though idealy for me it would be like some tablets I had seen times ago that had a row of small "squares" on the upper area of the tablet to witch one could assign diferent Photoshop functions (like pen/zoom/smudge/etc..)
Any advise for me please??
Thank you

Jean-Claude

I have just bought an A4 Intuos3 (maps automatically for twin screens, which I have) and after using a competing product, I can see why people rave about Wacom. I love it. However the buttons at the moment I can take or leave. I am so used to hot keying in combination with the pen or mouse that I tend not to use the buttons – however as time goes on I will probably start working them out and assinging functions. One I want to get going is ^Z (undo) – I am always using that! 🙂

/viz

Hello JC

You forgot the tilt sensor, that is a major difference. I got an A5 Intuos3 myself about 2 weeks ago. I was probably in the same boat as yourself, choosing between Grapphire/Intuos.
What made me decide for the Intuos3;
– its professional looks
– easy access buttons
– scroller
– replaceable nibs/pens
– the tilt sensor

Now after using it I can tell you
– the easy access buttons are only marginally convenient.. only the left side buttons are easily accessable, pressing one of the buttons on the right is very awkward (assuming you’re also right handed like me). But the buttons are not really all that much of a time saver, they are only inches from the keyboard and there’s no quick access key for _every_ shortcut anyway so I find my left hand on the keyboard all the time. – the quick scroll/zoom works, but it scrolls only from the center. I don’t really use it, I just keep doing the usual Ctrl-space / ctrl-alt-space. That IS something that the access buttons are good for!
– I really like the replaceable nibs. I’m deciding which one to keep in the pen, at the moment I’m using the standard nib but also the felt tip pen feels right.
– the tilt sensor is nice and works ok. I use it to set the brush direction when using special effect brushes (ie. adding hair whispies after pasting a subject to a new background).

If any of those advantages are appealing to you then you’d have a fair reason to upgrade. I can’t tell you if the curves you make will be smoother on an Intuos. I use my A5 tablet for retouching, and the size is just right for my application. If you are more into artistic drawing, maybe you would be better of with an A4 tablet? Somehow I doubt resolution has to do with the smoothness of a hand drawn curve, but if you have more room to draw a line it may make a difference.

The tablets with the row of squares you mention are in fact the Intuos2 line of Wacom. They have the exact same specs and you can find great deals on those nowadays.

Good luck

"JC" wrote in message

Hello
I hope this has not been aked too often, it is a question about Wacom graphic tablets.
I have purchased some 3 weeks ago a Graphire3 A5 tablet and I am totally

in

love with it. I use it mostly with Photoshop CS.
I just saw a new Intuos3 A5 tablet. Beside the side "buttons" and a much highier lpi I cannot see other diferences (well I know the Intuos can work with more add-ons like the other kinds of pens) between both models I have been using the Graphire quite a lot and am wondering if I would benefit enought at this point from switching to an Intuos3 ?? Because sometimes when drawing lines, it is like curves are not as

"smmoth"

as I would like them (I can explain, a part of my design has to do with tribal tattoo art designed on pictures of people to see a before/after

image

when a big design is to be tattooed)
I kind of like the side buttons of the Intuos3, though idealy for me it would be like some tablets I had seen times ago that had a row of small "squares" on the upper area of the tablet to witch one could assign

diferent

Photoshop functions (like pen/zoom/smudge/etc..)
Any advise for me please??
Thank you

Jean-Claude

Thank you for the tip, it is much a preciated and I will try it!

JC

"Kingdom" wrote in message

"JC" wrote in
news:newscache$1tfn7i$foa$:

Hello
I hope this has not been aked too often, it is a question about Wacom graphic tablets.
I have purchased some 3 weeks ago a Graphire3 A5 tablet and I am totally in love with it. I use it mostly with Photoshop CS. I just saw a new Intuos3 A5 tablet. Beside the side "buttons" and a much highier lpi I cannot see other diferences (well I know the Intuos can work with more add-ons like the other kinds of pens) between both models I have been using the Graphire quite a lot and am wondering if I would benefit enought at this point from switching to an Intuos3 ?? Because sometimes when drawing lines, it is like curves are not as "smmoth" as I would like them (I can explain, a part of my design has to do with tribal tattoo art designed on pictures of people to see a before/after image when a big design is to be tattooed)
I kind of like the side buttons of the Intuos3, though idealy for me it would be like some tablets I had seen times ago that had a row of small "squares" on the upper area of the tablet to witch one could assign diferent Photoshop functions (like pen/zoom/smudge/etc..) Any advise for me please??
Thank you

Jean-Claude

Don’t know I use a Graphire3 but if your having problems with lines/curves take them into illustrator make them into paths and you can smooth them all
you want.

—
Youth is wasted on the young!

Thank you for your input Viz, it does clarify some doubts I had!

JC

"viz" <viz@*nospam*.pacific.net.au> wrote in message news:BDCA673B.3686%viz@*nospam*.pacific.net.au…

On 24/11/04 12:36 PM, in article
newscache$1tfn7i$foa$, "JC" wrote:

Hello
I hope this has not been aked too often, it is a question about Wacom graphic tablets.
I have purchased some 3 weeks ago a Graphire3 A5 tablet and I am totally in
love with it. I use it mostly with Photoshop CS.
I just saw a new Intuos3 A5 tablet. Beside the side "buttons" and a much highier lpi I cannot see other diferences (well I know the Intuos can work
with more add-ons like the other kinds of pens) between both models I have been using the Graphire quite a lot and am wondering if I would benefit enought at this point from switching to an Intuos3 ?? Because sometimes when drawing lines, it is like curves are not as "smmoth"
as I would like them (I can explain, a part of my design has to do with tribal tattoo art designed on pictures of people to see a before/after image
when a big design is to be tattooed)
I kind of like the side buttons of the Intuos3, though idealy for me it would be like some tablets I had seen times ago that had a row of small "squares" on the upper area of the tablet to witch one could assign diferent
Photoshop functions (like pen/zoom/smudge/etc..)
Any advise for me please??
Thank you

Jean-Claude

I have just bought an A4 Intuos3 (maps automatically for twin screens, which
I have) and after using a competing product, I can see why people rave about
Wacom. I love it. However the buttons at the moment I can take or leave. I am so used to hot keying in combination with the pen or mouse that I tend not to use the buttons – however as time goes on I will probably start working them out and assinging functions. One I want to get going is ^Z (undo) – I am always using that! 🙂

/viz

Thank you very much for your exhaustive reply, I apreciate the time you took to answer.
It will certainly help me in my decision!
Thank you Faiser!

JC

"Faiser" wrote in message

Hello JC

You forgot the tilt sensor, that is a major difference. I got an A5 Intuos3
myself about 2 weeks ago. I was probably in the same boat as yourself, choosing between Grapphire/Intuos.
What made me decide for the Intuos3;
– its professional looks
– easy access buttons
– scroller
– replaceable nibs/pens
– the tilt sensor

Now after using it I can tell you
– the easy access buttons are only marginally convenient.. only the left side buttons are easily accessable, pressing one of the buttons on the right
is very awkward (assuming you’re also right handed like me). But the buttons are not really all that much of a time saver, they are only inches from the keyboard and there’s no quick access key for _every_ shortcut anyway so I find my left hand on the keyboard all the time. – the quick scroll/zoom works, but it scrolls only from the center. I don’t
really use it, I just keep doing the usual Ctrl-space / ctrl-alt-space. That IS something that the access buttons are good for!
– I really like the replaceable nibs. I’m deciding which one to keep in the
pen, at the moment I’m using the standard nib but also the felt tip pen feels right.
– the tilt sensor is nice and works ok. I use it to set the brush direction
when using special effect brushes (ie. adding hair whispies after pasting a
subject to a new background).

If any of those advantages are appealing to you then you’d have a fair reason to upgrade. I can’t tell you if the curves you make will be smoother
on an Intuos. I use my A5 tablet for retouching, and the size is just right
for my application. If you are more into artistic drawing, maybe you would
be better of with an A4 tablet? Somehow I doubt resolution has to do with
the smoothness of a hand drawn curve, but if you have more room to draw a line it may make a difference.

The tablets with the row of squares you mention are in fact the Intuos2 line
of Wacom. They have the exact same specs and you can find great deals on those nowadays.

Good luck

"JC" wrote in message

Hello
I hope this has not been aked too often, it is a question about Wacom graphic tablets.
I have purchased some 3 weeks ago a Graphire3 A5 tablet and I am totally

in

love with it. I use it mostly with Photoshop CS.
I just saw a new Intuos3 A5 tablet. Beside the side "buttons" and a much highier lpi I cannot see other diferences (well I know the Intuos can work
with more add-ons like the other kinds of pens) between both models I have been using the Graphire quite a lot and am wondering if I would benefit enought at this point from switching to an Intuos3 ?? Because sometimes when drawing lines, it is like curves are not as

"smmoth"

as I would like them (I can explain, a part of my design has to do with tribal tattoo art designed on pictures of people to see a before/after

image

when a big design is to be tattooed)
I kind of like the side buttons of the Intuos3, though idealy for me it would be like some tablets I had seen times ago that had a row of small "squares" on the upper area of the tablet to witch one could assign

diferent

Photoshop functions (like pen/zoom/smudge/etc..)
Any advise for me please??
Thank you

Jean-Claude