Wacom?

[joebranko]

Having trouble using the lasso tool in PS. My hands are not steady enough to outline the shapes using the mouse and the exercise is frustrating.
So i am thinking of getting Wacom. Any recommendations on model? Is bigger necessarily better?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[John 2]

I had the same problem Joe, but two thoughts for you before you spend the money.

1. I use a cheap gaming mouse because it allows me to alter the DPI setting. At it's lowest, the curser moves quite slowly and is a lot easier to control.
2. You can use the Pen Tool to pick out a closed shape with anchor points and create a selection by right clicking the shape and selecting "Make Selection".

Hope this is of some use. (Of course, you might just fancy owning a Waycom Tablet. It is coming up to Christmas after all> ).

[pschlute]

Is the magnetic lasso not any use ?

[Shadowman]

The quick selection tool might work for you.

[James G]

Joe, I have had a tablet for some years... I got it because I thought it would make selections easier for me. I have gone back to it at least four times, trying to get used to it, and have ended up putting it back in the cupboard.

To be clear, I persisted for 4-6 weeks each time, but at the end of the day, I reverted to using my mouse.

I'm not a graphic designer, I'm very much an 'old style' photographer, and to date at least my hands are 'steady'.

In the end I started usind a Contour Unimouse after a recommendation from my brother.

https://www.contourdesign.com/product/unimouse/

All I can say is that it suits me and is much easier to use when making selections.

I still feel a bit guilty that I can't get on with the tablet!

ps therea re of course, a number of variants on the theme, but I doubt I will ever revert (willingly) to a conventional mouse.

[Manfred M]

Joe - I am a long-time Wacom tablet user and use it every time I edit my images. I've been using one for around 14 years (I bought a Intuos 3 when it first came out).

It has a learning curve and is frustrating to start with as using it is much more like drawing with a pencil or pen than with a mouse, so the control is excellent. I would recommend either the small or medium tablet for photo editing. The larger ones are more suited to graphic arts where large arm motion are used.

[Round Tuit]

Hi Joe - I have been using a small wacom for several years and I would never go back to a mouse. As a matter of fact, I don't even have a mouse any more. You have much finer control with a tablet because you are effectively using a pen. The hardest thing to get used to when you start is to place the pen on and off the tablet without any lateral movement.

[davidedric]

I've also had a tablet for a number of years (though not up with Manfred's 14!). As others have reported, there is a significant learning curve and it took me two or three tries to get over it - the good news is once you have it's like riding a bike: you don't forget how to use it.

I find a medium works well for me. An important point is that the tablet maps to the screen and not the image. For example, if you have a fiddly bit, you can zoom in on the image and easily get finer control.

Personally, I really only use the tablet for drawing and brushing in photo editing, and a mouse for pretty much everything else.

Broadening the topic a little bit, a track ball mouse can be a useful aid for people with unsteady hands (or limited desk space), but I think they'd be horrible for drawing.

Dave

[Donald]

As opposed to Dave (above), I use the Wacom for every aspect of editing. Given that I have two screens, it works well - the Wacom sits in front of Screen 1, which is what I use for photo-editing, and is functional only on that screen. The mouse is only use for things like this (forum) and other packages on Screen 2.

I would argue that you can do things with the sort of accuracy using the tablet that you could never do with a mouse.

You don't need a large pad. Indeed, a smaller one can be much better. But, the larger pads do have more Express Keys (which I programme for each package and do use all the time) making the keyboard redundant whilst I use the tablet.

[Geoff F]

There are a number of other tablet producers which are considerably cheaper than Wacom. My experience has been that they don't last so long but that possibly depends on the usage.

I now have the Wacom Intudos.

Size is a matter of personal preference. If you are the sort of person who is adept with small fiddly things and has fine finger control then a small size might be best; but I like to swing my arms around when making selections or editing a mask by brushing, etc so I use the 10 x 6 ins. At one time I had an old secondhand 12 x 12 ins tablet which was even better for me.

For some things, not photo editing work, I still prefer the old fashioned clickable mouse and switch between them depending on the task in question.

Tablet pen tips are also a matter of personal choice. I purchased a selection of tips and finally discovered that a fibre tip worked better for me than the standard tip.

[odds]

...Is bigger necessarily better?

I have used a medium size Wacom Intuous for several years and I still wonder if I should have settled on the small one instead. The small model would have been sufficient for my 24 inch monitor, but I got the medium model as I wanted to use it with two monitors. The Intuous has a "precision mode" button that I press and hold when needed, and I think precision mode would let me work equally well with a smaller pad. That would also free up some desk space.

Have you tried temporarily switching the image between landscape and portrait orientation? You may find that your hand is more stable when moving the mouse (or pen) in some directions and switching between image orientations may help to "put your better hand forward" for precision moves.

--
Odd S.

[Donald]

I have used a medium size Wacom Intuous for several years and I still wonder if I should have settled on the small one instead.

I agree that a small one can actually be much better for moving around the screen. But the small one has fewer Express Keys which is why I wonder if I should have bought a large one instead of a medium one. I never thought I would use the Express Keys, but once they are programmed to how you want them, I find them invaluable and I wish I had about 4 more than the 8 I already have.

[odds]

...I wish I had about 4 more

Long time ago, long before I edited my first digital photo, I seriously considered hacking a set of Hammond organ bass pedals for use with Emacs. Hmm...

--
Odd S.

[Hanginon]

Long time ago, long before I edited my first digital photo, I seriously considered hacking a set of Hammond organ bass pedals for use with Emacs.

You might want to look at this, as well as the "Comments" posted below it.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Mak...-for-less-tha/

[joebranko]

(Of course, you might just fancy owning a Waycom Tablet. It is coming up to Christmas after all> ).

Sounds like a good present to me.

[joebranko]

Is the magnetic lasso not any use ?

I still have trouble with that.

[joebranko]

Thanks for commenting James.

[joebranko]

It has a learning curve and is frustrating to start with as using it is much more like drawing with a pencil or pen than with a mouse, so the control is excellent. I would recommend either the small or medium tablet for photo editing. The larger ones are more suited to graphic arts where large arm motion are used.

Thanks Manfred;
I think i will get the small one.

[joebranko]

Tablet pen tips are also a matter of personal choice. I purchased a selection of tips and finally discovered that a fibre tip worked better for me than the standard tip.

Thanks Geoff. That is very useful info.

[rpcrowe]

I have problems working with the Wacom Small Tablet because I always seem to get to the end of the tablet before I want to complete my line... Prior to my new work station setup, I did not have room for anything but the small size tablet, However, now I am able to use the medium tablet and it suits me quite a bit better. I also use the Intous Mouse which is pretty darn accurate and easy to use...

This really has nothing to do with MOUSE vs. TABLET but, I thought I would throw it in for what it is worth.

I have had many years experience in doing ergonomic assessments on jobsites and have learned that there are great differences in the various mouses or mice (apparently both terms are acceptable when referring to the non-rodent computer mouse in the plural)) out there. The differences are in the amount of pressure and distance it requires to click the mouse. The various mouse controls that require a greater pressure and greater throw distance to click the mouse are more prone to the operator developing repetitive motion problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome.