Tablet Topic

[Rob]

Anyone in here a grand wizard of Tablet using?

I know there are program and version and even tablet disparities. But the most common in my opinion is Photoshop with a Wacom tablet.

I know there is software that comes with it. I even know where the controls are in my control panel. I still don't think I'm doing it right.

Also, I'm certain that I don't have my version of Photoshop (CS2 but honestly I don't think it has changed THAT much and you can note differences in versions... assuming you have access to them and if you don't have CS2 I can confirm or deny any procedural questions you might have) "Optimized" for tablet use and smooth drawing.

I'd love to see an article that covers the basics of setting up a tablet on a computer and optimizing both the tablet setting and the Photoshop settings for basic use. I realize that with all the different custom brushes and playing with hardness and all that that there are a million different ways to go. I'm looking for someone to give us a really great starting point.

So anyone think they are good enough to write this?

[Nuke]

I only have experience with wacom tablets - notably the graphire and intuos series, and I'd probably need to reactivate my tablet just to remember everything, but I think I could actually write a decent article or tutorial on using a tablet with photoshop. I can definitely provide some helpful tips for making and using brushes - which are a super-useful and stylish part of the program if someone else wants to make the rest of the article, either way.

Or perhaps that would make a decent stand-alone article.

[Rob]

Yeah I was thinking a tutorial on brushes would be great because after years of using Photoshop and over two years in possession of an Intuous 3 I finally figured out how to make my own brushes about three weeks ago. I was just sitting here and thinking about screen capturing the process and running it through Premier Pro so I could easily add on screen text and directions.

But I doubt I got all of that lesson and aren't really the right guy, with my three weeks experience, to do the tut (tut is what we call tutorials over at the 3D forum I spend time on).

But the fact that I do know how to make them, even if I don't understand a lot of the features, meant that I was more interested personally in getting my tablet set up properly. But I'm sure either tutorial would be useful to many others.

I was just hoping for the one I suggested. 

[TakaComics]

I work on a tablet all the time, I could do it.

[ran]

I find that the quality your tablet outputs directly corresponds to your computer. I have a Wacom Graphire 3, and was using it on a 5-year-old PC with a gig of ram and a decent videocard running Windows XP. The results were fantastic. Then my desktop died, so I invested in a laptop with 2 gigs of ram and a better video card, and the results were never quite the same. It seemed like no matter how many times I re-installed or updated the drivers and software, the lines were jittery and the pressure sensitivity was really spotty. I thought the problem was my tablet, so I went out and bought a bamboo (it was all I could afford at the time) and found that it was having the same problems. I think one of the main issues there was that it was getting interrupted by the laptop's touch pad, and their drivers seemed to interfere with each other a lot.

Now I'm using my graphire 3 on a brand new PC with 4gigs of ram, and an awesome videocard, running on wndows 7 and everything is working as it should be, and even a little better than what I remember.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that the way your tablet works depends on a lot of little things, and some of those things are issues that can't be helped no matter how many tutorials you  read.  What kind of setup are you running?

[Rob]

I have a custom machine for my hobbies.

Intel Pentium 4 duo 3.0 ghz
3 gigs of ram
almost a terabyte of storage space
An AIT all in wonder dual monitor video card
delta 1010 8 input 8 output sound card with midi and breakout box
Pyro A/V link
Firewire card,
DVD-RW
56X CD-Rom

Windows XP Pro
Wacom Intuous 3 Tablet
CS2 Suite

The computer was nearly top of the line when I built it five years ago (There was only one intel chip faster available at the time). It's still pretty good.

But right now, even though I can use my tablet fine I can't seem to get any of the buttons to work and it only sizes up and down with the sliders when it feels like it. So I'm relatively sure it isn't set up to work with Photoshop right. I'm also very interested in any tips on getting rid of line wiggle and I think a good set up tut might help that. But what do I know? If I know for sure a tut would help I would probably know what to do already. 

[ran]

Fair enough! I'll see what I can cook up, though my wacom isn't particularly new. Hmm.

[KidGalactus]

I use a WACOM Graphire 3 and I primarily pencil ink (If I'm doing it digitally) in Paint Tool Sai.
Sai's interpretation of line and very cool, bezier editable pen tool are just second to none.

I still use Photoshop for colors. It's extremely versatile, a lot more so than most other graphics packages. 

[Nuke]

Okay, I'm almost done with a brush article!

[Alectric]

I just recently decided to get a tablet, so I went down to Best Buy and bought a Bamboo.  The other ones were more expensive, but they just had shortcut buttons or were slightly bigger, so I didn't see the point.  Although they might have also been Bamboo.  Now I'm pretty confused about what the differences between tablet brands are supposed to be.  I got mine because I needed to be able to draw lines on my computer with more control than I had just using a mouse.  So I have a tablet, and a pen that works like a mouse on the computer when it hovers over the tablet or touches it.  Could someone explain how a tablet could be any different (better?) than that, other than being bigger or having extra buttons that you don't necessarily need if you're just worried about line quality?

[Nuke]

I just recently decided to get a tablet, so I went down to Best Buy and bought a Bamboo.  The other ones were more expensive, but they just had shortcut buttons or were slightly bigger, so I didn't see the point.  Although they might have also been Bamboo.  Now I'm pretty confused about what the differences between tablet brands are supposed to be.  I got mine because I needed to be able to draw lines on my computer with more control than I had just using a mouse.  So I have a tablet, and a pen that works like a mouse on the computer when it hovers over the tablet or touches it.  Could someone explain how a tablet could be any different (better?) than that, other than being bigger or having extra buttons that you don't necessarily need if you're just worried about line quality?

A bamboo, if I recall correctly, does more or less what the other tablets do. I think they're just smaller and lower resolution. Again, don't remember much about bamboos, just from looking over my friend's shoulder, I think they don't have angle sensitivity, and they are definitely lower resolution. They do have a lot of little fun functions for interacting with menus and stuff, though.

Basically, most of the graphires have kinda cheapy plastic-feeling surfaces and pens, but are pretty good quality in reception. They also come wireless.

The Intuos is basically the flagship of the non-screen tablets. It's the most expensive, but the medium and large versions have programmable LED displays, and they all have great reception, resolution, and they're textured to feel like pen on paper - they even come with nubs for the pen that can make it feel like marker or pencil or what have you. Of course, they're also the most expensive of their kind on the market, as far I know.

The Cintiqs are the insanely expensive screen/tablets. They highly intuitive, but honestly they're not my favorite kind of tablet - in order to get the reception area in front of the screen they had to make it a little less receptive. It's also in front of the screen, and not on it - that is to say, there's a slight disparity between where you're touching and where it shows up if you look at it from an angle.

I've tried a couple non-wacom tablets out there, but all of them either sucked or required batteries in the pen or something silly like that. Nonetheless, you can do the same level of art with *any* tablet.

Edit: Jeeze that's a good basis for an article right there XD

[Rob]

Edit: Jeeze that's a good basis for an article right there XD

Yep and I think Ran is on it. 

[zieglarf]

What you really would need is a section for Photoshop Tips that would contain multiple threads covering a broad range of topics. Sketching, inking, coloring, layers, channels, balloons and text, scanning, DPI, tablets, and so on.

There is just too much Photoshop stuff to expect a few submitted articles to cover it all. It deserves it own area.

DIGITAL
...Photoshop
...Illustrator
...Manga Studios
...Flash

[Rob]

There are better forums for that. I think the community will ask for what it wants. If we end up with ton's of Photoshop tips then there may be a place for a section like that. Until then though the search function will have to suffice. It's just too soon to start making extra categories like that.

[NoahRodenbeek]

I bought a Wacom Bamboo tablet and I am completely frustrated by it, I just cannot get the hang of the damned thing.  I feel like it could completely change my process if I could just get good at it, but everytime I use it I get so frustrated.

Did that happen to anyone else that is now a tablet samurai.  Is this a case of practice makes perfect, or do I need a better quality tablet, maybe a monitor tablet, or do some people just inhrently suck with a tablet?