LR3 and the Wacom Tablet

[ozphoto]

I would like to know whether anybody out there is using a wacom tablet with LR3 and the results?

Is it worth investing in one?

[john beardsworth]

Hard to say. Some people swear by them, others not. I've been happy with a trackball mouse for however many years LR has been out. But I have got an Intuos 4 recently and like using it for the local adjustment brush. The only way to know is to have one and see if it's gathering dust or not.

John

[ozphoto]

Do you only use it for the brush?

[hokuahi]

For some reason, setting tablet preferences for Lightroom specifically does not work very well.  I am unable to enter specific commands for Modifier Keys in the dialogue box.

[ozphoto]

what modifier keys are you referring to the wacom tablet itself?

[hokuahi]

For an Intuos 4 you can set application specific instructions for the tablet's Express Keys.  Go to System Preferences, click on the Wacom icon and it will take you to that screen.

[ozphoto]

I see so you are having issues with these and LR3 ?

[hokuahi]

Correct...  Otherwise, as far as actual use, it is pretty awesome.  Spot removal and painting in adjustments, for instance, is much easier and more accurate than with a mouse.  And of course if you are using Photoshop, or any painting program for that matter, a tablet can't be beat.

[ozphoto]

So it seems I should get one.........?

[Richard Ripley]

I use my Intuos 4 when I am doing local adjustments in LR 3 and in PS CS5. Otherwise, it is unplugged. As to getting one, yes it is invaluable for getting more precise brushing in LR 3 and PS but I'm not so sure it is essential. I have the Intuos 4 M which is the medium size tablet.

[Sheldon N]

I have an Intuos 3 small tablet that I use regularly. I use it with Photoshop all the time and it's invaluable. I don't find it as useful with LR3, will occasionally use it with local adjustments, but LR just isn't as fast or as fluid as Photoshop for those kinds of things so I almost always will kick over to photoshop for local adjustments.  A tablet is definitely recommended, I just find it best with Photoshop.

[john beardsworth]

Do you only use it for the brush?

At least that's when I switch from my trackball mouse. Once the pen is in my hand, I'll then use it for other Develop work.

Earlier this year I was on Adobe's stand at Focus on Imaging and took the chance to force myself to use the Intuos 4 tablets and see if they would win me over. I was mainly showing Lightroom and a lot of people noticed I was using the tablet and asked what I thought about the combination, like you. Some show visitors used them and loved them, while others were like me - on a spectrum from still figuring out whether we liked them through to finding their tablet had gradually moved out of reach to the dust-gathering end of the desk. Anyway, by the end of the 4 days, I still wasn't 100% sure, and that's still true even after buying my own one 3 weeks ago.

In other words, you may like using one, you may not, and the only way of knowing is to use one for a while.

John

[neil snape]

I use a Intuous 3 Wide for brush strokes,

I cannot bare doing this with the mouse.

True the settings are not as nice in LR as PS.

I go over the shortcuts often so I'm in the process of speeding up on my side the way I work.
In any case LR is great for pre-shaping the image but for multiple brush operations it's best in PS.

[ozphoto]

Ok will give it a try as I have CS5 as well but tend not to use it too much, I mainly work on LR3 with short trips to CS5 to either soft proof or do other work. I was looking at the Intuos 4 small as my desk has 2 monitors for a price of $220 CDN which I think is a good price?