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Author Topic: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?  (Read 10236 times)

ivan308

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For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« on: March 02, 2015, 02:34:49 pm »

Just trying to get started using a Intuos Pro and just wondering for those of you who use a Wacom how do you use it.

Has the Wacom replaced your mouse for all of your computer use ?

Do you use the Wacom for all of your Lightroom tasks Library,Develop,Print etc ?

Do you use the Wacom just when in the Develop module ?

Do you just use the Wacom just when you have a "brush" task ?

I tried it briefly for the first time yesterday and it obviously felt very weird.

Do you have the Wacom to click on touch ? It seems it is a strain to make sure the Pen does not touch the tablet until you need it to click.

I also tried to enable the Wacom Touch interface. Being a big fan and a heavy user of the Apple Magic Trackpad and gestures the Wacom Touch felt clunky
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jferrari

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2015, 03:32:38 pm »

I discovered that this video summarizes my usage the Wacom tablet.
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Ken Bennett

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2015, 07:57:07 pm »

I use my Intuous III for heavy retouching in Photoshop, mostly portraits. I turn off all the buttons and sliders and dials and just use the stylus. I put the tablet in front of me, keyboard above it, and mouse to the right (I'm right handed). I use my left hand to make tool choices with keystroke commands.

Other than that the tablet is pushed to one side out of my way.

Of course everyone has different ways of using tablets, mice, and keyboards -- you may find that it replaces your mouse completely.
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davidedric

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2015, 04:28:01 am »

I have my Wacom to my right, my mouse to the left (I use my mouse left handed, though I am right handed) and the keyboard behind them.  All three get used.

I always use the tablet for anything involving brushes or drawing, whether in Lightroom or other programs.

I mostly use the tablet for sliders.

I use the mouse for most things that need "clicking", especially "right clicking", Windows user, of course.

I use the keyboard for a limited number of short cuts.  I'd probably use it more if I could remember them.

Dave
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Jimbo57

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2015, 05:10:55 am »

I should really use my Wacom more than I do. I made the mistake of getting the largest version so it now sits under my keyboard and I only uncover it when I have some really intricate work to do and am finding the mouse inadequate.
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AFairley

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2015, 11:23:46 am »

Never have gotten used to using the pen as a mouse, so only use it for painting local adjustments (plus drawing selections in PS), use a trackball for all else.
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Dshelly

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2015, 11:21:46 am »

I use a Wacom exclusively. There's a bit of a learning curve getting used to it, but after a couple days you'll probably find it's very hard to go back to a mouse. The pen makes it much easier to make selections within a photo, as well as just streamlining your everyday use. It's just quicker and easier.

I recommend getting the smallest Wacom. Unless you're doing exacting detail, the small covers your needs just fine.
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Eric Brody

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2015, 11:41:38 am »

I use my Intuos 4, a medium size, pretty much exclusively for painting on layer masks. I've tried the pen sensitivity, using it as a mouse substitute, and end up back at using it for just a brush. It sits in front of my keyboard, mouse to the left as I am left handed and I seem to be able, despite my inherent clumsiness, to go back and forth between the stylus and the mouse pretty easily. I recently watched both Wacom and a third party video with all the fancy details and still could not expand my use. I'm quite happy with how I am using it though.
Eric
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alan_b

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2015, 04:58:32 pm »

I use a small Intuos 5 for everything, alternating between touch and the pen.  (Touch/multitouch for general use, pen for drawing/retouching.)

One thing people get tripped up by is getting too large a tablet (bigger is better, right).  I find small to be perfect for finger/wrist movements, while medium is better for wrist/forearm movements.  A person who works with larger gestures for painting, etc. might like the larger sizes, but I think it would be overwhelming for general use.
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ario

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2015, 11:08:54 pm »

I use an Intuos Pro Small as a total mouse replacement, for Lr and for everything else.
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mburke

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2015, 07:22:05 am »

I use it for everything. Touch for all mouse movements and pen for any brushing or selecting. It took a while but wouldn't go back now.

Mike
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Jim Pascoe

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #11 on: March 07, 2015, 08:58:59 am »

What's a mouse?

Seriously - I do have a mouse, somewhere, though I seem to have mislaid it at the moment!  This is not being flippant, but I do use my Intuos 4 for everything.  The express keys on the side are all programmed to do different things depending on which application I'm in and so I only really need to use the keyboard for typing.  The tablet is in front of me with the keyboard behind.  Mine is the medium size which seems to suit me, but I agree that the small would probably work just as well.  Originally I had a small Wacom Graphire and that used to be to the right of the keyboard. When I bought a medium it had to migrate to the front, and you would not believe how strange that felt for a while.
I know lots of people that have tablets and cannot get used to them.  Personally I think that if you go over 100% to using one the muscles very quickly adapt.  When typing I have the pen lightly held between my index and second finger in the right hand, so I rarely put it down.

None of this is to say that I think mouse users are wrong - but it just works for me.

Jim
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Mike Guilbault

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #12 on: March 07, 2015, 09:41:12 pm »

I never use a mouse anymore.  I have an Intuos 3 at the studio on my Mac Pro. It's the medium size and perfect for day to day work. Heck, I even use it in my bookkeeping program! Seriously, I never use a mouse anymore.  At home on my MacBook Pro, I have a small Intuous 4.  I actually prefer the 3 over the 4 - just can't get used to the scroll wheel, but I'm getting there.  I still don't use a mouse there either.
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phila

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2015, 05:08:46 am »

I've been using an Intuos for about 5 years now. Wouldn't be without it!

It sits on the right of my keyboard and a Mac Trackpad on the left. This is a perfect (for me) set up. I haven't used a mouse since getting a tablet. In Lightroom or Photoshop you can use the tablet for all the inputs while using the trackpad for scrolling/moving the image.

D Fosse

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Re: For which tasks do you use your Wacom tablet ?
« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2015, 05:44:00 am »

I bought an Intuos Pen because I get occasional numbness in my right hand from many years of intensive mousing. The idea was to feel the thing out, and then eventually upgrade to an Intuos pro.

But I still feel that, as a precision instrument, the mouse beats the tablet hands down, every time. The simple reason is that with the mouse, the cursor doesn't move once you have it positioned.

With the pen, you always get a little position shift from hovering to final click, because of the angle of the wrist and hand. There's no way you can manage to push the pen straight down without moving it ever so slightly.

I feel this could be solved by allowing the pen to drag the surface, then click with an added push. The sensitivity steps should be able to handle that - but even at maximum hardness the damn thing clicks the instant it hits the surface.

So I keep going back to the mouse for precision work.

Another thing is that I can't seem to be able to turn off pressure sensitivity in Photoshop CC2014, and just use the pen as a normal fixed brush. Pressure sensitivity is fine for painting, but for masking - where you don't see the stroke directly - it's a complete show-stopper. Photoshop says it's off in the control bar, but the pen still applies pressure. Maybe it's a driver issue that will eventually be resolved.
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