| Author | Thread |
|
|
09/13/2005 01:55:52 PM · #1 |
(correction: 4x5, 6x8)
It is entirely dependant on what you are doing and how much you are willing to spend.
My Graphire3 6x8 is beautiful for someone who is just getting in to photo-editing and digital art. It has enough pressure sensitivity, resolution, and general movement area to be quite comfortable and quite capable.
They've just (seems in the last two weeks) released the Graphire 4 series. Not much seems to have changed though apart from:
-Two programmable ExpressKeys™ for convenient mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts
-Scroll wheel for handy navigation through long web pages and documents
If you want a tablet with more sensitivity and a range of tools like air-brushes (though I've never had much of an issue with just selecting a different tool out of the PS menu) than you should be looking at the Intuous.
Graphire and Intuous are both excellent for their individual audiences. For the general-use consumer with a smaller budget, the Graphire is a beauty. For the utterly professional types with a bit more $ to spend, the Intuous is the one.
With regards to the size, I'd lean towards to the 6x8 or higher (only Intuous goes higher). Keeping in mind that corner to corner of that pad is equal to corner to corner on your screen, the larger area gives you a bit more control and is a bit more intuitive as to where your cursor is on the screen (the hand:cursor movement ration is considerably different). |
|
|
|
09/13/2005 01:46:33 PM · #2 |
For marginally more real estate go for the 6 x 8 (or 9).
|
|
|
|
09/13/2005 01:42:32 PM · #3 |
sooo...
Graphire and the Intous tablets? opinions
4X6 .. 6X9?
|
|
|
|
09/13/2005 12:33:48 PM · #4 |
| agreement with bobster. I don't have the tablet, but I have the digitized Wacom under my Tablet PC's screen. I get around 4-5mm as well. |
|
|
|
09/13/2005 12:27:24 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
You can sometimes move the cursor around when the pen nib is just a millimeter or two above the tablet, but it won't "do" anything without touching the tablet. |
with a wacom tablet u can trace through 5mm of art board :) |
|
|
|
09/13/2005 12:02:18 PM · #6 |
I use a Wacom graphire 4x6 for editing - bought it new for $99.00. It is small, but this gives me the advantage of portability. I slip it into my laptop case when I am on the road on photoshoots.
Graphic Tablets are the way to go - by comparison, drawing with the mouse is like trying to write with a bar of soap! I cant even fathom doing so anymore. Of course, I still use a standard mouse for all other tasks - the tablet is only in use when I am editing a photo and only then when the task requires the sensitivity of the tablet.
I do have a question to add to this discussion if I may... I am getting my new Mac G5 workstation this week - with dual 20 in Cinema displays. How is the dual display going to effect how I use a tablet? Any idea? Can I set the tablet to ONLY work on one display? If not, I'll definately have to get a larger tablet. I cant work without it.
Message edited by author 2005-09-13 12:04:28. |
|
|
|
09/13/2005 11:30:49 AM · #7 |
| i like the graphire3, it lacks some features but its small size`lets me carry it with my laptop so I have it whenI need it |
|
|
|
09/13/2005 11:21:03 AM · #8 |
more thoughts... there's gotta be some graphics tablets users out there
|
|
|
|
09/13/2005 09:02:32 AM · #9 |
I have the Graphire3 6 x 8 but still find myself using my original mouse for most tasks.
|
|
|
|
09/13/2005 08:48:37 AM · #10 |
maybe a good way to see how large of a tablet you need is (and correct me if i am wrong) moving your mouse from the top corner of the screen to the bottom opposite corner. Check how far the mouse moved on your mousepad. if it moved 5 or 6 inches.. the 6X9 might be in order
if it only moved 2 inches.. the 4X6 will probably do.
|
|
|
|
09/13/2005 07:13:28 AM · #11 |
My 6x4 Wacom tablet is ancient but still great for editing. Personally, if I was buying another I'd get highest resolution I could afford and the one that would best suit my desk space size-wise. Hope that helps! P
I find the 6x4 is a good size as your hand doesn't have to move too much to get in the whole screen, and I can zoom if i want to do fine detailed editing.
Message edited by author 2005-09-13 07:15:34. |
|
|
|
09/13/2005 07:10:06 AM · #12 |
or if anyone has an opinion which they would rather have
a 4X6 intous3 tablet or
a 6X9 Graphire3 tablet?
|
|
|
|
09/13/2005 06:49:38 AM · #13 |
So continuing this post
What is the difference between the Graphire and the Intous tablets. And is A6 (1/4 of a sheet of paper) way to small? how about A5(half a sheet)? I think the A4 would be too large for me and too costly.
|
|
|
|
08/30/2005 12:14:52 PM · #14 |
Would love to have got a Wacom, but I was set on getting an A4 size tablet at least.
I just can't stretch to the price of a Wacom A4 at the moment, I'll see how I get on with this and hopefully I can pick up a Wacom later on.
I found a few reviews of the one I got and it seemed quite popular, one person had used Wacom stuff and said that this was really good, especially for the price. It arrived today but I am stuck here in work while it sits, onopened on my sofa (doncha just hate working for a living!) |
|
|
|
08/26/2005 05:44:30 PM · #15 |
| I definitely would have waited and spent a bit more for a Wacom. The Graphire3 is an excellent board (6x8 is a near-perfect size for most uses). Wacom makes excellent products and the lack of batteries is a joy. |
|
|
|
08/26/2005 04:49:25 PM · #16 |
the Aiptek I had used a battery in the pen...when it got low it didn't work as well...the wacom's don't use a battery in the pen.
|
|
|
|
08/26/2005 04:38:58 PM · #17 |
that will be after the weekend then ;)
so many artists i know regret not buying a wacom in the first place.. |
|
|
|
08/25/2005 12:06:46 PM · #18 |
After spending a few days looking at reviews and even more time at the daft prices of the Wacom products, I have had to resign myself to the fact that I can't afford the Wacom tablets.
I have just picked up this
//cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6776621578&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1
for £55 quid. Should arrive in time for the weekend.
My plan is to see how I get on with a graphics tablet and, if I like it I will pick up a Wacom in a few months time. I'll let you know how good it is once I have tried it.
D |
|
|
|
08/25/2005 08:48:53 AM · #19 |
I wouldn't worry too much about the EM field off your digitizer. EM fields aren't microwaves. They are fields. As mentioned above, it's a distance squared law, which is why when you move your pen more than a quarter inch off the screen, you can't move the cursor around.
The EM field of the Earth is much weaker, but we spend a lot more time within its effects. If there were cumulative effects from EM fields, that would be worse.
I can't remember where I read it, but there is a basic amount of radiation and chemical exposure that we are constantly being exposed to throughout our lives. In the average 70 year life span, it is still well under the amount that would kill a person by a factor of at least 6.
Worry more about exercise and getting enough fiber. These things affect your health thousands of times more than emitted particles or fields. |
|
|
|
08/24/2005 01:44:13 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by Zed Pobre:
Zero (unless you regularly take out your brain for cleaning and leave it on the pad). It's a distance squared law. |
You mean I'll have to start going into the other room now?
I do actually worry about the cumulative effect. There are microwaves pretty much everywhere you go now, and some of them are a lot more powerful than that from a monitor.
If you've never read it, I suggest tracking down an old novella called Waldo by Robert A. Heinlein. |
|
|
|
08/24/2005 01:31:34 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by Bobster:
the way u pick the size for your tablet is as follows
if you draw with ur wrist, then u only need a small tablet
if you draw with ur whole arm - large broad strokes then u need a larger tablet ;) |
This is very good practical advice. I've been using a 5" x 7" Wacom ArtPad II and I didn't find a need to go to a larger sized model. The smaller sized models are cheaper than the larger ones an it doesn't require a lot of desk space. |
|
|
|
08/24/2005 01:28:08 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by eschelar:
The last bit of useful/useless tablet information I have for you is that which makes stylus use really exciting. There is no battery. Some brilliant genius figured out a way to power the thing off the EM field around your display screen. Perfect! A big thanks to Nikolai on that one. |
I'd always wondered about that little detail. However, it makes me wonder how many brain proteins are denatured by that same EM field ... |
Zero (unless you regularly take out your brain for cleaning and leave it on the pad). It's a distance squared law. |
|
|
|
08/24/2005 01:07:40 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by eschelar:
The last bit of useful/useless tablet information I have for you is that which makes stylus use really exciting. There is no battery. Some brilliant genius figured out a way to power the thing off the EM field around your display screen. Perfect! A big thanks to Nikolai on that one. |
I'd always wondered about that little detail. However, it makes me wonder how many brain proteins are denatured by that same EM field ... |
|
|
|
08/24/2005 12:45:39 PM · #24 |
Further to Bobster's comment, also don't forget to use Pythagoras's nifty theorum to figure your true DPI. Some like to see things as high DPI to get a feel for true quality. Smaller screens usually indicate higher DPI..
A digitizer is one of the coolest technologies that we have to think Nikolai Tesla for. His early experiments regarding sending power wirelessly have significant influence on the new technologies at work in Tablets powered by digitizers.
There are two types of stylus operated input systems. The first is used by PDA's and Smartphones. It is a simple film overlaid that responds to pressure. It can be activated by anything, plastic, metal, skin. (this is in contrast to a touch panel on your notebook computer which is totally different and can only be activated by touching it or playing around with metal things... These work on electrical capacitance principles)
The digitizer is where things get really neat. The stylus is the sensitive device, not the screen. This means that you can rest your hand on the screen, and because it is not pressure sensitive, there is no effect on the stylus's action. The Stylus contains a little transmitter, which communicates with the digitizer underneath the LCD screen. It is therefore able to localize the position of the stylus by its XY location based on the transmitter. This also means that the screen will have an optimal angle of use. Similar to a GPS system, the transmitters use a little bit of an offset to approximate the relationship of the tip of the stylus to the location of the transmitter. Hence, if you move to the side or the top and use the stylus normally from your perspective, your digitizer will miscorrect and you will find a slightly odd responsiveness in the position of the stylus tip.
It is this slight inaccuracy compounded by difficulties in triangulating position by radio transmission with a limited physical footprint that causes the tip to appear so far away from the cursor when using the corners of the screen. Avoiding using the outer 1/8th is a good rule if you want reasonable accuracy. The accuracy only improves as you get closer to the center. It would be nice if someone could design a really effective calibration program that used something like 45 points to fine tune that offset.
In the meantime, don't forget that the pressure response is in the Stylus itself, so you can place things on the screen and lose NO accuracy or responsiveness. (I have a rather decent screen protector on mine) Also, keep in mind that you can use your finger to press the stylus tip to mimic tapping and pressing with exactly the same effect. (I have experimented with this) This comes in VERY handy when trying to close things by the X box in the top right hand corner... often the only way is to move the stylus beyond the screen and tap there, when the cursor is finally able to move on to the box.
The last bit of useful/useless tablet information I have for you is that which makes stylus use really exciting. There is no battery. Some brilliant genius figured out a way to power the thing off the EM field around your display screen. Perfect! A big thanks to Nikolai on that one.
|
|
|
|
08/23/2005 05:53:36 AM · #25 |
the way u pick the size for your tablet is as follows
if you draw with ur wrist, then u only need a small tablet
if you draw with ur whole arm - large broad strokes then u need a larger tablet ;) |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Prints! -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/25/2024 01:56:20 AM EDT.
