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The Amazing Wacom Tablets.
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When I first saw a Wacom Tablet (a Graphire) I was mesmerized, I was captivated. What a wonderful idea using a pen and tablet to modify photos and draw on a computer! What does a Wacom Tablet do? A tablet is a pressure sensitive input device connected to your computer. It includes a flat tablet, a mouse and a pen connected by USB. Other input devices include your mouse, a scanner and your keyboard. All of them input commands or information into your computer.
The closest input device to a tablet is a mouse but there really is no comparison. A tablet input is superior to a mouse in every way. A tablet is primarily used with Graphics software such as Photoshop and Corel Painter - and - it can also be an indispensable tool for someone with RSI (repetitive stress injury) which can be caused by long term mouse use. A tablet (also known as a pen tablet) is the must have, indispensable tool for photographers, designers, digital artists and other computer users. All things being equal, in fact, the natural feel and precision of a tablet outperforms a mouse every time in every situation. What makes a pen tablet so unique, so special and so superior to a mouse? Well-- the first thing you will notice is the totally
We started our artistic endeavors (no matter what level we were) with crayons and moved to pencils and pens, markers and brushes. We have been using these tools with paper all our lives. The incredible software packages like Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop have introduced a new level of creativity and fun for those who love digital drawing and photo restoration. A mouse just doesnt feel right in an artistic environment. A Wacom tablets have changed all that because a digital pen is really no different from any other pen you have ever used. It feels like any pen you have ever used, it looks like any pen you have ever used and it works like any pen you have ever used. No matter what your skill level (from the artistically challenged to the artistic genius) a tablet takes you to a whole new level of creativity. When you pick up your Wacom pen the first time it just feels, well, natural and when you draw your first squiggle on the tablet it feels right and you will be amazed at the level of
This is a measure of how many points are recognized in an inch and is stated as dots per inch (DPI). A typical mouse will detect 300 to 600 dots per inch on your computer screen and the expensive laser mice the gamers love will detect slightly more.
Compare this to a tablet, which detects 2540 dots per inch! This outstanding precision means that you have far more control of your digital art and photo retouching with your Wacom pen and tablet than you have with your mouse. Your finished product done with a mouse is acceptable but the finished product done with a Graphire is outstanding. The natural feel and precision of the pen produces smooth, flowing brush stokes that are a real treat for your creative senses. You will no longer be frustrated as you struggle with a mouse in your digital art or photo retouching projects to produce acceptable results your projects will flow smoothly and effortlessly, producing results you will be proud of. The typical response I hear when someone works with a Wacom Graphire for the first time is "woooo - is that ever smooth! I gotta get me one of these!" OK so far we have a natural feeling, precise tablet that is a real treat to use. If that isnt enough the Wacom tablet is also
What that means is this as you press the pen more firmly on the tablet your brush stroke will change, getting larger or smaller and/or darker or lighter depending on your brush settings. A mouse has 1 level of pressure (well, 2 if you count both on and off). The Wacom tablet will recognize 512 levels of pressure. No contest -- the pen wins! Pressure sensitivity is extremely useful in your digital art or photo restoration projects. What you are doing is taking the brush size adjustment that is at the top of the screen and putting it in your hand so you can change it on the fly as you vary the pressure on the pen. What this means is that your pen and tablet work exactly like any pen, pencil or brush you have ever used. This pressure sensitive, precise, natural feeling pen on your Wacom tablet gives you
Another feature that differentiates a tablet from a mouse is the ability of the Graphics tablet to make local changes easily - and local control gives you so much power. Photoshop, for instance, is an amazing program for making global changes to a photograph by global changes that means changes to the whole image. If you want to change just one small part of the image with a mouse (local control) it is a challenge because you have to mess with the brush size and the opacity by changing their settings and try to get what you want with an imprecise tool the mouse.
With the Wacom tablet you have total control because you instruct Photoshop to change the size or the opacity of your brush through the Brushes Palette and then you vary your pressure between the pen and the tablet to achieve the results you desire. What this does is take the opacity and size adjustments off of the screen and put them in your hand. Doesnt that seem like a sensible place for them to be?
There is no doubt about it a Wacom tablet is just flat out fun. The control, the pressure sensitivity and the comfort using the pen is so far beyond the clumsiness of a mouse. When you watch someone using a mouse with Photoshop they tend to be tense and tight. When you watch the same person with a Wacom tablet they are loose, smiling and enjoying the experience.
Right out of the box the Wacom tablets work with both Mac and Windows. If you are working with a Linux-based system there are free third-party drivers available for download. It is a simple matter to install the tablet drivers and then you are good to go. You can fine tune your tablet in the Control Panel (Windows) or System Preferences (MAC) to your individual needs but many people find the default settings are fine. Your new tablet will work with any software on your computer. If you have wrist problems from excessive "mousing" you can replace your mouse with the pen and tablet for a more comfortable computer experience. Graphics software like Photoshop and and Corel Painter are enhanced and even more powerful when they tablet is installed. Photoshop has 19 pressure sensitive tools and the adjustments are found in the Brushes Palette.
It really is amazing how technology has improved home computers, printers, monitors and software over the past few years heck they seem to improve monthly. The one device that has not changed appreciably is your input device your mouse they are pretty much the same now as they were 15 years ago. The Wacom pen tablet has changed all that and you will be amazed when you discover this for yourself.
The links pretty well tell the story. There is some excellent information about setting up your tablet in both Windows and MAC. There is also some must understand information on how to set the pressure sensitive tools in Photoshop to get the result you are after. Then there are the Tablet Tips. These are the cool things I have collected over the past few years and I know you will have fun with them. Heck if you have half as much fun working with the tips as I had creating this site then you will be back over and over.
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Graphire 4
