Wacom Tablet Use

I continue to take a long time in making selections when masking edges that have fine hair or feathers. While I've gotten better with the PS tools, I find the mouse to be a struggle at times when I'm getting down to small numbers of pixel levels. I guess I also suffer from a perfectionist desire on the masks, which tends to slow me down.

My goal is to get faster at masking, and I wonder if using a Wacom tablet would help me towards that goal. However, I have never used a tablet so I'm not sure if it will help in this area or not.

If anyone uses a tablet for that purpose, please post your view on how much it helps with masking and time spent along with which tablet version you use as I note there are a slew of sizes and models. Any other thoughts or observations on use of tablets would also be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Barry

Slightly off topic but really answering the underlying question is "How to use a mouse more precisely/accurately?"
I recently built a new computer and wanted to get a better mouse. I always felt that the mice I had been using were just not that accurate and were a little "sluggish". So I started Googling "accurate mouse" and quickly discovered three things:

1. A wireless mouse, which I really loved because of "the freedom from the wire"; had a major problem - it lags behind when transmitting the movements to the computer screen. It's not a big lag but big enough to cause a problem when trying to make a detailed selection.

2. A wired Gaming mouse while more expensive is more precise/accurate when translating/transmitting movements to the screen.

3. The surface you use a mouse on affects the accuracy of the mouse. The texture, gloss and color all affect the way move is seen and transmitted to the computer screen. A smooth very slight texture, dark gray color, non-glossy matte surface works well.

So I tried a less expensive gaming mouse, a Logitech G400s ($48.00 on Amazon). Most of the cost in high end gaming mice are for added gaming only features so all I wanted was a good basic gaming mouse that was precise. The G400s fit the bill. This is not an endorsement of the G400s as being the best mouse for I have not compared it to other gaming mice. My point is that indeed I do see an improvement in accuracy when using G400s when compared to other mice I have used in the past 25 years of using mice with design and graphics software.

Now a gaming mouse will not replace a good tablet when it comes to making a very precise selection but it does reduce the amount of times I need to use a tablet.

I agree with Dick, a gaming wired mouse works for me better than a tablet. I use the logitech G9X, you can even add/subtracts small weights to it for perfect balance. I have a Wacom Bamboo tablet too but I find the mouse much easier to use. I have a 30" monitor and most tablets are too small to for that.

I use the Wacom Intuos and couldn't do anything without it. Even with a large screen, it's perfect for me, but some people have trouble with the coordination. The tablet rests to my right (obviously the opposite for a lefty) at or just below elbow level, so my forearm is level. To draw accurately I zoom in as needed. The tablet maps to the screen so you never have to pick it up and reposition as you do a mouse. A mouse drives me nuts.

A Bamboo is claimed not to be fast or sensitive enough, even with a smaller screen. I prefer the smallest tablet because I move the pen like I'm doodling with a pencil, with the heel of my hand resting on the tablet edge. One wrist movement moves it across the screen, and for finer control I zoom in. I use it for everything -- Word processing, everything....


For detailed selections, more precise than what I can get with things in PS like the Quick Selection tool or Select > Color Range, I haven't found anything better than Topaz ReMask. Not intuitive but they have a good online tutorial. And Nik's Viveza can do selections that are almost freaky in matching the edges of out of focus areas, in the selection is for an adjustment.

Another vote for the Intuos. It makes masking a breeze. The other thing that I find extremely useful is rotating the images in PS using the R key; I'm much better at drawing vertical lines than horizontal lines. The medium size works great with a 27" monitor.

I use and love my Wacom Bamboo. Although it may not be as accurate as the Intuos, it is far superior to a mouse for making masks and for executing any other PS tasks that require fine control. The Bamboo can sometimes be found on sale or refurbished at a significant discount. I got mine from MacMall for US$50.

John

Glad I ran into this thread. Have been wondering about this recently and I think the Intuos may be the answer.

Barry,

I'm sure a mouse and a tablet are both great tools for selections. It's practice that makes you good at it. I like my Bamboo tablet on a 21" screen. I think the medium tablet is good for 24-27" and the large for a 30". I've seen Doug use his tablet and he's quite good at making selections. I didn't even know you could rotate the image while making selections, but it's definitely a plus.

For me, tablet size correlates to hand size more than screen size. I have small hands and the smallest tablet is perfect for me -- it maps to any screen size. I'm more concerned with a swish of the wrist moving the cursor easily across the screen. Zooming in or out takes care of the scaling factor.

But it's all a whatever works thing -- just not always easy to demo ahead of time. If anyone is contemplating a purchase, try to find someone who has one that you can "try on."

Love my Wacom Intuos!!! There is a slight learning curve. It will take yo 2 or days to get used to it.