Graphics Tablets

[DaRadniz29]

I found the thread from 2006, I'm pretty sure the market and choices have changed.

I've been curious about buying a graphics tablet for a while, and am now really considering it. looking at the previous thread Wacom is the choice. However looking over Amazon, BestBuy and Wacom's own website there seems to be a multitude of styles.

I've been looking at the Bamboo CTH-470 Capture Pen & Tablet, for $59.99 at Amazon.com but there are at least 3-4 different kinds around the same price: The CTL-480 or the CTH-480. I guess it really depends on the Capture vs Create.

I would be using this for anything from editing photos to sketching and drawing, etc. I'd like to stay under $100, and even lower would be nice at least for now, since this would be my first tablet. I'd probably use it with GIMP the most.

Any feedback especially if you have/use one.

Thanks.

[drdougfresh]

I bought one last year because I thought it would be a good addition to my reportoire -- but I rarely use it so I'm glad I didn't splurge on a Wacom (which, let's be honest, you're paying for the name on those). Got this bad boy on Monoprice: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10841&cs_id=1084101&p_id=10594&seq=1&format=2

If you're just starting out, and want bang for the buck while not making a large investment, seems to be a good option. It's double the size of the one you're looking at I haven't had any issues with it, and it's got a solid feature set for a $50 tablet.

[IanC]

I have a wacom bamboo CTL-460. Only the basic version. Was worth buying for graphics work but most of the time because the mouse is at hand I tend to forget about it sitting there.

[GFB]

I'll provide the argument for the other side.

I purchased a WACOM intuos 5 tablet a year and a half ago... and while it took a little while to get used to compared to drawing on paper, it holds some significant positives:

- Works really well with Photoshop. You're able to sketch with layers, brushes, transparency, etc... It's also much easier to airbrush, edit, and touch-up photos with the stylus than a mouse or trackpad.

- The ability to quickly refine a rough sketch. Say you draw a bad line, you can undo it. If you finish a sketch and find that the perspective is a little off, you can quickly fix it in Photoshop. If you have a version of a sketch that you want to experiment with, you can copy/paste a version of your sketch and experiment on a new layer.

- I've saved so much money in paper, ink, pencils, and so much time by not having to scan or clean up sketches I send to clients... Plus, if you're into helping the environment, it's a great way to "go green."

I'm hoping to get into digital painting in the near future and I will definitely be using my tablet for that as well....

I haven't used the tablet much with Illustrator, so I can't comment on that aspect of it.

[MEANS]

I use a Wacom daily in illustrator, haven't touched the mouse in over 10 years. As posted above, it takes a bit to get used to but once you do, you may never go back to a mouse. I've also felt it's helped with my hand/wrist.

[DaRadniz29]

Thanks for the responses, really did help me make a decision (something that is hard for me to do).

I'm going with the Wacom CTL480 (I think that's the model number), will give it a try and go from there. I'll let y'all know how it works.

[MEANS]

nice, it may be a bit frustrating to use at first but don't give up, it took me about a week to really feel comfortable.

[SDX]

I was thinking of getting one for over a year constantly talking my self out of it and now I wonder why I waited so bloody long. Now have 2, one for work and one at home.

I have the Intuos Pro small and it's perfect for working in Photoshop and Illustrator, gives you far more control especially touching up wotrk in Photoshop with the touch sensitivity, also the shortcuts and express keys have speeded up my work flow massively, even for simple stuff like "Step Backward" in Photoshop instead of a finger spreading combo it's a 1 button press now.

I also have set it up so it runs perfectly with all my other programs, allowing different configurations for different programs is great.

As mentioned above it takes a while to get used to but using it for everything I was flying within a few days,, the hardest thing to learn is getting a comfortable grip that also gives you access to the clickers on the pen.

[MEANS]

I pop that clicker on the pen out right away, and disable the shortcuts and express keys.

[DaRadniz29]

nice, it may be a bit frustrating to use at first but don't give up, it took me about a week to really feel comfortable.

Yeah, I've heard this quite a bit. I've been using a mouse for so long, I'm prepared for a learning curve. I figured one of the first things I'd do is try and draw the map outline of my fantasy world to kind of get used to the pen. Since I'm still figuring out where continents and things go, if I screw up it won't matter too much. Plus, I might get some story lines out of the screw up.

[BrandMooreArt]

about a year and a half ago i started using a Wacom daily and i'll never go back to a mouse. i use it in PS, AI, even browsing files and the web. i'm guessing the same people who got Means hooked on it might be the same who got me hooked

[breakfast]

For me personally, I had a wacom since my sophomore year of high school (now a senior in college) I haven't stopped using it for any photoshop project, but for illustrator and such, the fancy ole' mouse is my go to, its great to go green as a poster said and it really does help for certain things, but I didn't splurge and got a simple ole' 99$ wacom and haven't switched yet or had a reason to.

[jaker52]

I got a wacom today

[JPDesign]

I love my wacom. I have the Intuos 4, and for about 3 or 4 years I didn't ever use a mouse, only the pen.

Since then, I've begun to use a mouse in Illustrator just because I like the preciseness of the mouse vs. a pen.

[DaRadniz29]

I should be getting mine tonight!!

I don't know if I mentioned this - I'm left handed, and have been using a mouse with right hand, on the right side of the keyboard. My keyboard and mouse are on a slide-in keyboard tray beneath the actual desk portion. Is there any particular placement of the tablet that works best for those just starting out?

I figured on the desk portion even with the keyboard and screen would be best. Either righties or lefties can answer the question

[ClairRichmond12]

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[SDX]

Mine is just to the right of my keyboard where the mouse used to be.

[DaRadniz29]

Here it be:

A bit frustrating at first, but slowly getting the hang of it though. One of the more frustrating parts is having to go into the wacom desktop center on my dock and select each program every time I open up GIMP or other graphic design software - but not too bad.

Haha, just messing around with the tablet and did this:

Not sure why I drew myself looking so sad. I'm actually a pretty happy dude. I'm not great at drawing faces. Getting better though.