Graphics/Pen Tablets

On Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:44:09 +0800, "Stan"
scribbled:

Hi
New to Photoshop CS4 – looking at graphics tablets, any suggestions/recommendations as to suitable equipment available in Australia and ballpark pricing?

If it’s not a Wacom you’re wasting your money.

Thanks for that Voivod, what size is required? I’ve no idea what the correlation is between tablet size and screen size. Is it a question of "big is better"?
Regards
Stan

"Voivod" wrote in message

On Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:44:09 +0800, "Stan"
scribbled:

Hi
New to Photoshop CS4 – looking at graphics tablets, any
suggestions/recommendations as to suitable equipment available in Australia
and ballpark pricing?

If it’s not a Wacom you’re wasting your money.

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:18:49 +0800, "Stan"
scribbled:

Thanks for that Voivod, what size is required? I’ve no idea what the correlation is between tablet size and screen size. Is it a question of "big is better"?

There’s no ‘required’ size. Head to a store, check them out, buy the one that suits your needs. Not being you I have no idea what you plan on doing with a tablet or even if you know why you want one. Did you even bother to Google for Wacom and check out their products?

"Voivod" wrote in message

On Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:44:09 +0800, "Stan"
scribbled:

Hi
New to Photoshop CS4 – looking at graphics tablets, any
suggestions/recommendations as to suitable equipment available in Australia
and ballpark pricing?

If it’s not a Wacom you’re wasting your money.

Thanks for that Voivod, what size is required? I’ve no idea what the correlation is between tablet size and screen size. Is it a question of "big
is better"?

There’s no ‘required’ size. Head to a store, check them out, buy the one that suits your needs. Not being you I have no idea what you plan on doing with a tablet or even if you know why you want one. Did you even bother to Google for Wacom and check out their products?

Yes I did but that did not give me any idea as to what is the best size unit to use with Photshop CS4 (which was mentioned in my original post). As for heading to a store I have yet to find one that has them in stock so that I can check them out as you suggest.

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:37:27 +0800, "Stan"
wrote:

Thanks for that Voivod, what size is required? I’ve no idea what the correlation is between tablet size and screen size. Is it a question of "big
is better"?

There’s no ‘required’ size. Head to a store, check them out, buy the one that suits your needs. Not being you I have no idea what you plan on doing with a tablet or even if you know why you want one. Did you even bother to Google for Wacom and check out their products?

Yes I did but that did not give me any idea as to what is the best size unit to use with Photshop CS4 (which was mentioned in my original post). As for heading to a store I have yet to find one that has them in stock so that I can check them out as you suggest.

Neither screen size nor editing program determine what size tablet you need. What you intend to do with the tablet does. If you intend to use the table to draw and create artwork, you’ll be better off with a large tablet. If you intend to use the tablet as a more precise mouse, a small tablet is sufficient.

I use mine as a precision mouse with editing software. When painting a layer mask in Photoshop or outlining a selection, it is more precise than a mouse or trackball. I keep it plugged in all the time, but use it only when doing precision editing. The small Wacom Bamboo works fine for this.

—
Tony Cooper – Orlando, Florida

Thanks Tony
That is the sort of information/guidance that I was looking for, I’m not an artist, just can’t get the required degree of accuracy when selecting/masking with a mouse.
Cheers
Stan

"tony cooper" wrote in message

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:37:27 +0800, "Stan"
wrote:

Thanks for that Voivod, what size is required? I’ve no idea what the correlation is between tablet size and screen size. Is it a question of "big
is better"?

There’s no ‘required’ size. Head to a store, check them out, buy the one that suits your needs. Not being you I have no idea what you plan on doing with a tablet or even if you know why you want one. Did you even bother to Google for Wacom and check out their products?

Yes I did but that did not give me any idea as to what is the best size unit
to use with Photshop CS4 (which was mentioned in my original post). As for heading to a store I have yet to find one that has them in stock so
that I can check them out as you suggest.

Neither screen size nor editing program determine what size tablet you need. What you intend to do with the tablet does. If you intend to use the table to draw and create artwork, you’ll be better off with a large tablet. If you intend to use the tablet as a more precise mouse, a small tablet is sufficient.

I use mine as a precision mouse with editing software. When painting a layer mask in Photoshop or outlining a selection, it is more precise than a mouse or trackball. I keep it plugged in all the time, but use it only when doing precision editing. The small Wacom Bamboo works fine for this.

—
Tony Cooper – Orlando, Florida

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:23:33 +0800, "Stan"
wrote:

Thanks Tony
That is the sort of information/guidance that I was looking for, I’m not an artist, just can’t get the required degree of accuracy when selecting/masking with a mouse.

Then the Wacom Bamboo will be ideal. It doesn’t take up much room on your desk and works fine for selections. I keep a trackball (my primary device), a regular mouse, and the tablet connected at all times and can switch from one to the other. The Bamboo is available on-line for $60/$100.

Cheers
Stan

"tony cooper" wrote in message

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:37:27 +0800, "Stan"
wrote:

Thanks for that Voivod, what size is required? I’ve no idea what the correlation is between tablet size and screen size. Is it a question of "big
is better"?

There’s no ‘required’ size. Head to a store, check them out, buy the one that suits your needs. Not being you I have no idea what you plan on doing with a tablet or even if you know why you want one. Did you even bother to Google for Wacom and check out their products?

Yes I did but that did not give me any idea as to what is the best size unit
to use with Photshop CS4 (which was mentioned in my original post). As for heading to a store I have yet to find one that has them in stock so
that I can check them out as you suggest.

Neither screen size nor editing program determine what size tablet you need. What you intend to do with the tablet does. If you intend to use the table to draw and create artwork, you’ll be better off with a large tablet. If you intend to use the tablet as a more precise mouse, a small tablet is sufficient.

I use mine as a precision mouse with editing software. When painting a layer mask in Photoshop or outlining a selection, it is more precise than a mouse or trackball. I keep it plugged in all the time, but use it only when doing precision editing. The small Wacom Bamboo works fine for this.

—
Tony Cooper – Orlando, Florida

—
Tony Cooper – Orlando, Florida

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:18:49 +0800, "Stan" wrote:

Thanks for that Voivod, what size is required? I’ve no idea what the correlation is between tablet size and screen size. Is it a question of "big is better"?
Regards
Stan

"Voivod" wrote in message

On Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:44:09 +0800, "Stan"
scribbled:

Hi
New to Photoshop CS4 – looking at graphics tablets, any
suggestions/recommendations as to suitable equipment available in Australia
and ballpark pricing?

If it’s not a Wacom you’re wasting your money.

I have the wacom 12 inch tablet, and the wacom Intuous 12w. The difference being the 12 inch tablet, I have no idea where I have it stored. The Intuous 12w is 6 inches from my hands.
The difference is the 12 inch, you’re flying blind. The Intuous you draw right on the freckles pixel for pixel.
Do you need a $100.00 mouse, or do you want to actually draw something ? both are online orders. And support does exist. But it’s pretty much like support on the rest of the web. You have someone looking up your symptoms in a book, and parroting back the results that seldom work.
ie: Booting the 12w couldn’t find the drivers at some point after I installed it.
I can’t recall the stupid suggestions that didn’t work from support. But I do know the FIX that I figured out myself. Add the wacom driver folder to my path as part of my environment variables. Long ignored section of the machine like config.sys, and autoexec.bat. But necessary if you have more than one user account on the machine. And most Windows machines do.

C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\system32\wbem;C:\h p\bin\Python;C:\Wtablet;C:\Program Files\tablet;C:\Program Files\IDM Computer Solutions\UltraEdit-32;C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTSystem;C:\Program Files\IsoBuster;C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTSystem\;C:\Program Files\Common Files\DivX Shared\

IOW: the small 12 inch wacom is just a waste of money. If I were a pro artist, I’d go for the $2500.00 wacom. But the $900. 12w works just fine. go to youtube, there’s a few setup videos, and for a wacom in use I’d say Bert Monroy’s monthly videos on how to use them are the best. He uses the tablet on an Apple, but differences in software are miniscule.
google burt or go directly to itunes and download his videos. You’ll need quicktime. Don’t waste time on the SMALL videos. Get the LARGE ones. You need to be able to see & hear what’s happening.

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:24:55 -0400, scribbled:

IOW: the small 12 inch wacom is just a waste of money. If I were a pro artist, I’d go for the $2500.00 wacom. But the $900. 12w works just fine.

Great advice for someone who doesn’t even understand what he’s looking for…. idiot.

On Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:44:09 +0800, "Stan"
wrote:

Hi
New to Photoshop CS4 – looking at graphics tablets, any suggestions/recommendations as to suitable equipment available in Australia and ballpark pricing?
Cheers
Stan

Stan for some or another reason people are advertising Wacom without (many of) them ever tried anything else. Your posting is nearly a week old, but for in case you didn’t buy yet, I am using 6" X 8" Genius, and I do with it what any Wacom user are doing with theirs.

Originally, in my country (or my hometown which is Durban) I could not get Wacom. Now, I can even buy them from the café on the corner (exaggerated of course:-) but keep on enjoying my Genius. As said, 6" X 8" is quite a handy size.

Dave
http://dave.photos.gb.net/c1247464.html

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:20:14 +0200, Dave scribbled:

Stan for some or another reason people are advertising Wacom without (many of) them ever tried anything else.

I do ever so love the assumptions people make.

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:06:20 -0400, Voivod wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:20:14 +0200, Dave scribbled:

Stan for some or another reason people are advertising Wacom without (many of) them ever tried anything else.

I do ever so love the assumptions people make.

Surprise Voivod, this was not meant to be an attack on you. This was very generally speaking. I find it strange never to hear anyone using or complimenting any other tabled than Wacom. Wacom seem to have hit Europe and the Americas like a storm. And I believe it is a wonderful tablet to use.

But, so is Genius. And, I read reviews when I could not lay my hands on Wacom, and it seem to be the only difference I could pick up, is my pen does not have an eraser installed on it. I have to use the menu there for.

Admitted, maybe at some or another stage, I will buy Wacom. Price is also a factor. Genius is more affordable. Like a Toyota which is cheaper than Merc, but take you just as far. The seating as just as soft but maybe the speed is bit slower. But I go with my Toyo just as far as you with you Merc:-)

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:26:26 +0200, Dave scribbled:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:06:20 -0400, Voivod wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:20:14 +0200, Dave scribbled:

Stan for some or another reason people are advertising Wacom without (many of) them ever tried anything else.

I do ever so love the assumptions people make.

Surprise Voivod, this was not meant to be an attack on you. This was very generally speaking. I find it strange never to hear anyone using or complimenting any other tabled than Wacom. Wacom seem to have hit Europe and the Americas like a storm. And I believe it is a wonderful tablet to use.

When I was looking for a tablet I asked the crazy talented artists at Worth1000.com what they were using, with one exception they all recommended Wacom citing compatibility, durability and features. The one exception, I don’t recall what tablet they used, said they had problems with pressure sensitivity, connection issues and would only recommend it because it was cheaper than the Wacom at the time.

Hi Dave,

I am considering buying a Genius G-Pen M712 Graphics Tablet but the main drawback is the pen. It requires a battery. Usually this means that the pen at some point in time will break at a weak point where the top goes into the bottom part. How long have you been using your Genius and have you had any problems of this nature with the pen?

Thanks,

Morton.

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:57:39 -0400, Voivod wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:26:26 +0200, Dave scribbled:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:06:20 -0400, Voivod wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:20:14 +0200, Dave scribbled:

Stan for some or another reason people are advertising Wacom without (many of) them ever tried anything else.

I do ever so love the assumptions people make.

Surprise Voivod, this was not meant to be an attack on you. This was very generally speaking. I find it strange never to hear anyone using or complimenting any other tabled than Wacom. Wacom seem to have hit Europe and the Americas like a storm. And I believe it is a wonderful tablet to use.

When I was looking for a tablet I asked the crazy talented artists at Worth1000.com what they were using, with one exception they all recommended Wacom citing compatibility, durability and features. The one exception, I don’t recall what tablet they used, said they had problems with pressure sensitivity, connection issues and would only recommend it because it was cheaper than the Wacom at the time.

True, they are people with more experience than myself. So a guy should depend on what they say. When I say, Genius, price is playing a role as well. Anyway, the questioners should read reviews, which is important.

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:40:15 +0100, Morton
wrote:

Hi Dave,

I am considering buying a Genius G-Pen M712 Graphics Tablet but the main drawback is the pen. It requires a battery. Usually this means that the pen at some point in time will break at a weak point where the top goes into the bottom part. How long have you been using your Genius and have you had any problems of this nature with the pen?

Thanks,

Morton.

Hi Morton,

Sorry for this late reply:-)

I am using my tablet about three years now, and have the 3rd battery installed in the pen. AAA size rechargeable battery, and never had any problems with either the pen or the tablet.

A cordless mouse was included which is laying on my desk untouched, because it is to be used on the tablet to be effective, and I want lots of more space for the mouse.

I repeat my words said to Voivod when I said I am sure the Wacom is a very special package but, if price is also a factor, you can do with Genius whatever you can do with Wacom. Maybe Wacom have a luxury or two extra (not sure if it is so) but, you can get just as far with a cheaper vehicle, as I said.

And Morton, a 6" X 8" tablet is so comfortable.

Dave

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:50:38 +0200, Dave wrote this:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:40:15 +0100, Morton
wrote:

Hi Dave,

I am considering buying a Genius G-Pen M712 Graphics Tablet but the main drawback is the pen. It requires a battery. Usually this means that the pen at some point in time will break at a weak point where the top goes into the bottom part. How long have you been using your Genius and have you had any problems of this nature with the pen?

Thanks,

Morton.

Hi Morton,

Sorry for this late reply:-)

I am using my tablet about three years now, and have the 3rd battery installed in the pen. AAA size rechargeable battery, and never had any problems with either the pen or the tablet.

A cordless mouse was included which is laying on my desk untouched, because it is to be used on the tablet to be effective, and I want lots of more space for the mouse.

I repeat my words said to Voivod when I said I am sure the Wacom is a very special package but, if price is also a factor, you can do with Genius whatever you can do with Wacom. Maybe Wacom have a luxury or two extra (not sure if it is so) but, you can get just as far with a cheaper vehicle, as I said.

And Morton, a 6" X 8" tablet is so comfortable.
Dave

Thanks for your reply.

Morton.

Just completed a couple of projects with the above.

Everyone satisfied with the proofs I produced. But then
I do it for free for a local charity! The printer, I am told, was also happy.

Well worth the outlay. A bit slow at some things but not a problem.

Thanks again.

Morton.

On Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:46:06 +0100, Morton
wrote:

Just completed a couple of projects with the above.

Everyone satisfied with the proofs I produced. But then
I do it for free for a local charity! The printer, I am told, was also happy.

Well worth the outlay. A bit slow at some things but not a problem.

Thanks again.

Morton.

And a thank you from my side as well, Morton, for the report back:-) Now, you’ll understand why it kind of upset me when people, without any experience with other Graphic Tablets, teach novices only about Wacom. This is kind of like people thinking London is England.

Thanks for your thanks
May you have wonderful times with your Genius Graphics Tablet:-)

Dave