Advice please - graphics tablet for editing

[davidedric]

Hi,

I've started to think that,as I get more into PP (principally with LR4), I could benefit from a graphics tablet rather than a mouse. I've searched around here, and the responses have seemed good. There seem to be a few around at quite reasonable prices, Bamboo and Trust seem widely available.

Any recommendations, and in particular what features are important for photoediting. I don't plan turning into a graphic artist.

Thanks for any help,

Dave

[jdathebowler]

Hi Dave,
I bought a Wacom Bamboo Pen Graphics Tablet from Amazon for less than £50.It is only a basic model,but the amount of control you get when using it is superb.When you use the pen you will not go back to editing photographs using a mouse.I use Gimp for editing my photos and the control you have with for example using the brush tools, cloning tool, in fact all the tools is amazing.The best way to illustrate the control is to write your signature with the mouse and then with the pen.My mate who is a longtime Photoshop user encouraged me to buy a tablet and it is the best advice that I have ever taken.

John

[Manfred M]

Get one that is a reasonable size; too small and you won't be that far ahead of using a mouse (not accurate enough) and too large means a very tired arm. I use an older model Wacom Intuos3 that has a working surface that is around 6" x 9", and I find that to be just about perfect for photo editing. I haven't looked at the Bamboo tablets; when I bought my Intuos 3, they had tiny work surfaces, certainly not anywhere large enough to do serious editing work, but I think that the current model has a large size that might be good. I use the Intuos3 built in resizing slider control all the time as well as the control / alt / shift keys. I'm not sure if the Bamboo has this functionality. Trust is a brand I've never heard of.

There is a learning curve; they are a lot different than using a mouse, but frankly once you have gotten used to a tablet, you will never go back to using a mouse.

[RustBeltRaw]

I use a basic Wacom Bamboo. Great bit of kit, but I wish it had a little more surface area. A 6x9in surface controlling a 24in display yields an unsettling amount of movement amplification. But it's vastly easier to follow curves with a tablet. Look for high data rates (number of points the tablet samples per second) and on-tablet controls to let you change some combination of the brush size, hardness, and transparency. I'd recommend a reasonably large, entry-level model like the Bamboo capture (~US$100).

[Geoff F]

I originally got a cheapie 12 x 8 ins size which lasted for a couple of years.

Then purchased a decent 8 x 5 ins Wacom at a considerably increased price. But I preferred a larger size so when a friend offered me an old 12 x 12 ins Wacom which was surplus to his business requirements I jumped at it.

They certainly do make a lot of difference if you regularly edit with layers and masks etc.

[davidedric]

Thanks everyone. I have decided to get a basic Bamboo tablet, at £40 it's inexpensive enough to try out. I'm not a professional, so for me it is ease of use over a mouse that I am looking for. If it works out for me but I feel I want something more, then I could consider £250 or so for an Intuos-type. But then I could put that towards a new lens . Thanks again, Dave

[Shadowman]

How efficient are tablets for transferring images?

[pnodrog]

How efficient are tablets for transferring images?

I understand some party pill tablets produce magnificent images. Not sure how they would be transferred.