Graphics Tablet for basic Lr Processing?

Joe94

Joe94

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Morning all,

I have been thinking about getting a small graphics tablet, like a Wacom, but Im just trying to find out whether its really worth it for me at the mo...

Currently I only use Lr Classic, using the crop tools & sliders, but have not yet ventured really to brush tool or PS. So because of this, is a tablet still worth it for crop & sliders in Lr over a mouse?

Thanks all :)
 
There's another thread about tablets so I won't go into detail.
It takes time and practice to see any benefit from using a tablet and you won't (necessarily) feel any benefit from mouse things like sliders, you may be slower and more clumsy until you get used to it. They excel at selections and masks esp. brushing in with variable opacity,
Wacom have refurbs - I bought the smallest one for my daughter so she could doodle - it was about £40 and apart from a white box was indistinguishable from new.

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Graphics Tablets - How do you get into using them?

I bought an XP-Pen Artist 15.6 pro graphics tablet monitor in the Prime sale - it's a great looking bit of kit! I want to love it! Only I am REALLY struggling to get into using it, and struggling to see the utility over a mouse - which arguably makes no sense, as surely the tablet would make...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk
 
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I'd say no,
I own a wacom tablet but use it solely for more precise alterations, so using adjustment brushes, masking or selecting around objects for example, the rest I use my mouse.
 
AMcUK said:
There's another thread about tablets so I won't go into detail.
It takes time and practice to see any benefit from using a tablet and you won't (necessarily) feel any benefit from mouse things like sliders, you may be slower and more clumsy until you get used to it. They excel at selections and masks esp. brushing in with variable opacity,
Wacom have refurbs - I bought the smallest one for my daughter so she could doodle - it was about £40 and apart from a white box was indistinguishable from new.

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Graphics Tablets - How do you get into using them?

I bought an XP-Pen Artist 15.6 pro graphics tablet monitor in the Prime sale - it's a great looking bit of kit! I want to love it! Only I am REALLY struggling to get into using it, and struggling to see the utility over a mouse - which arguably makes no sense, as surely the tablet would make...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thank you, it was one thing I was worried about, but I will certainly take a look at the link & the refurb option also sound like it could be something to think about too :)
 
Joshpowell said:
I'd say no,
I own a wacom tablet but use it solely for more precise alterations, so using adjustment brushes, masking or selecting around objects for example, the rest I use my mouse.
Click to expand...

Thank you :)
 
I own a Wacom but rarely use it. I did force myself to use it for some months a while ago but still found it awkward to use. I do make a point of using it when needing to draw or paint but for cut outs, I use Topaz Mask AI which does not require precision and Topaz does that. I even tried PS's Select subject recently and this did better than I would have with my Wacom.

Dave
 
Dave Canon said:
I own a Wacom but rarely use it. I did force myself to use it for some months a while ago but still found it awkward to use. I do make a point of using it when needing to draw or paint but for cut outs, I use Topaz Mask AI which does not require precision and Topaz does that. I even tried PS's Select subject recently and this did better than I would have with my Wacom.

Dave
Click to expand...
Thank you Dave for the honest review, very much appreciate. I think it does seem that I would be better of sticking with my mouse & actually even tho I have an iMac, I actually use a 3rd party Logitech pro mouse, so yeah might stick with that then. :)
 
What most people don't seem to be grasping is the difference between a quality tablet and mouse.

A mouse basically has X/Y movement, plus a couple of clicks to select things (yes I know there are more buttons, but thats not important)

The major advantage with a graphics tablet is that not only do you have that same X/Y movement, instead of just a click you have pressure control as well as tilt sensitivity and with the right pen rotational recognition as well.

Combining those features with how you draw / edit is paramount and makes a HUGE difference.
For example, I have pens where the pressure determines the size and the tilt determines the opacity. I can draw a completely fluid line by pressing with different pressure and deftly tilting the pen at the same time and at the same time twisting the pen to rotate my brush. You cannnot do that with a mouse.

Going back to the OPs question, basic sliders have no kind of a feature that utilises anything other than a click.
 
riddell said:
What most people don't seem to be grasping is the difference between a quality tablet and mouse.

For example, I have pens where the pressure determines the size and the tilt determines the opacity. I can draw a completely fluid line by pressing with different pressure and deftly tilting the pen at the same time and at the same time twisting the pen to rotate my brush. You cannnot do that with a mouse.
Click to expand...

I do not doubt what you say but it does depend on your needs. I do photography not painting or graphic design, so have no need for the drawing features you describe. My Wacom has all the features you mention but of little value to me. The OP might well have different needs.

Dave
 
Dave Canon said:
I do not doubt what you say but it does depend on your needs. I do photography not painting or graphic design, so have no need for the drawing features you describe. My Wacom has all the features you mention but of little value to me. The OP might well have different needs.
Click to expand...

I don't do drawing or graphic design either, but those features are hugely helpful in editing. The principles are just the same, abet digitally in the same way and manner of the advantages of an airbrush as opposed to a tin of paint and a brush.
 
riddell said:
I don't do drawing or graphic design either, but those features are hugely helpful in editing. The principles are just the same, abet digitally in the same way and manner of the advantages of an airbrush as opposed to a tin of paint and a brush.
Click to expand...

I'm actually coming back to correct myself, because that was a terrible analogy.
As anyone who has even painted just a kitchen wall will know that you can adjust the manner, thickness / angle of you brush and achieve different effects and weights, by how much paint you dab on the brush and twist the brush to sort out problem areas on a wall. - This again is more like a graphics tablet.

Even using a pencil, especially a soft one, weights and opacity can be changed as to how hard you press and the angle you hold the pencil. To a lesser degree you can even do the same with a humble biro.

All this can be achieved with a graphics tablet, but not with a mouse.

A mouse is more like using a quality round tipped fibre pen that keeps a constant flow and opacity and looks the same no matter how you handle it. And if you want to change thickness, colours, weights or depth, then you need to pick up a new pen. - Now thats more like a mouse. You have to stop and change a setting.

(before anyone argues, yes you could assign a task to the mouse wheel and yes you could also tap keys on the keyboard to alter things as you move the mouse, but its success will be limited and nowhere near as smooth as a graphics tablet pen.
 
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