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I am seriously considering get a tablet. I am asking you to convince me I need one. What do they do? are they easy to use? What are the benefits of having one? What size? I could go on forever but will stop here.
suzib wrote: I am seriously considering get a tablet. I am asking you to convince me I need one. What do they do? are they easy to use? What are the benefits of having one? What size? I could go on forever but will stop here.


I guess the short answer is it depends. You are going to find your questions will get a wide gaumt of opinions. You have to make a commitment to learning the world of Wacom or you going be happy with your purchase.

First, let me say I like my Intuos 6x8 put there are times I would liked to have the smaller size. I have more control with the Wacom as I work with my restrorations than I ever had with the mouse. I found it hard to get use to at first, so I forced myself to use only the pen and put the mouse away. Once I got use to the Express Keys and Pressure Sensitive Pen it allow me so much more flexilabilty in working on my images. The learning curve was a slow but I'm glad I didn't put the Wacom on the shelf to gather dust. One piece of advice is just leave the Wacom mouse in its box as my regular mouse was more effective.

Before you decide to buy, go a store and spend some time working with different models and sizes. Your desk area is going to dictate the size that will fit. There some very cool tuts on the Waco site. I will say that daily I learn something new and useful about the Wacom. I wish there was a book of Tips on the using the Wacom that could make learning a little easier. I think with the new forum a thread started on the Wacom. I going to start a thread "Tips on using the Wacom".

Finally, the Wacom can open up new areas of creativity for you one as you learn how to use the tool.
John
One of the reasons I was thinking about it is that I sit sideways at my desk (with my feet propped up on the desk) lazy I know. Would this work sitting in my lap. I wonder if the stores will let you use one on a trial basis. You made some good points John, will have to ponder some more.
Suzi, everyone says you should try one before buying. I didn't, but I love mine. (I can't use it at present because of a driver problem and I am lost with this mouse which feels clumsy even outside of Photoshop.) I EXCLUSIVELY use the tablet instead of a mouse. It feels very natural to me, but there are people who don't like them at all. They make selections and drawing much easier, like using a real pen.

There is a comparison of the new Bamboo tablets and Intuos here. I have a Graphire4 and am happy with it. (Which does not mean I would turn down a Cintiq if someone gave it to me! :lol: ) The Bamboo (regular) comes without software and is reasonably priced.

If you don't have the chance to try one, analyze your arm movements when drawing on paper. The bigger and more sweeping your arm movements are, the bigger the tablet you need.
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
Thanks Reka, I will check it. I would not turn a cintiq down either.
suzib - I just got a Wacom Bamboo Fun for my birthday. I still use my mouse for a lot of things, particularly when I'm not doing selections. However, for selections I grab for the pen regularly. I put the tablet in my lap at a comfortable angle. I'm still not real good with it, but I keep practicing. The Bamboo Fun is inexpensive, and I think the programmable buttons on it make it worth the extra price over the Bamboo, i.e., I have two of the buttons assigned to my bracket keys to increase/decrease size. It's pretty cool........I think you should go for it. :)
Sunny
My Galleries
Sunny's 12 OF 12
Canon 40D; EF 100mm f/2.8 macro USM; EF 50mm f/1.4 USM; Tamron 17-50 f/2.8; EF-S 55-250mm IS.
Believe in your heart that something wonderful is about to happen.
Sunny, I think both Bamboo and Bamboo Fun have 4 Express Keys. Graphire4 only has two.
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
Reka - thanks for setting me straight. I was confused about the differences between the two...maybe the Fun came with additional software (Elements 5.0 and a couple of other things I didn't bother to install) that the Bamboo didn't. :)
Sunny
My Galleries
Sunny's 12 OF 12
Canon 40D; EF 100mm f/2.8 macro USM; EF 50mm f/1.4 USM; Tamron 17-50 f/2.8; EF-S 55-250mm IS.
Believe in your heart that something wonderful is about to happen.
There is another Bamboo here in Europe, the basic basic version, Bamboo One, that has only two buttons. Maybe there's a Bamboo One in the States?
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
Sunny,

The Bamboo Fun tablet comes with PSE 5. You might want to checkout the online users manual for the Bamboo Fun. http://www.wacom.com/productsupport/select.cfm

John
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