Wacom Tablet Use

[Barry Ekstrand]

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

[DickLudwig]

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.

[arash_hazeghi]

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.

[Diane Miller]

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.

[Doug Brown]

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.

[John Guastella]

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

[Gary Kinard]

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

[Miguel Palaviccini]

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.

[Diane Miller]

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."

[Marina Scarr]

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