Mouse vs. tablet

[PixelFish]

My experience: I have had three Wacoms and none of their pens ever wore out. (The reason I had three is because the first (the first Intuos) was a gift from a friend, but it wasn't a USB tablet. The second was a graphire to bundle in with my laptop--it was OK, but I prefer the Intuoses. And my current tablet is a USB Intuos 3. Oh, and once somebody gave me a crappy no-name tablet that didn't work with mostly everything and which stopped being supported driver-wise after about six months. I used the thing maybe half a dozen times. So yeah, call me a Wacom fangirl.

Now, I did without a tablet for a number of years, so I can paint with a mouse, and will, depending on what I am doing. If I am doing anything that requires a lot of paths, I'm actually much better and quicker with the mouse. I use a mouse when I'm in Illustrator (icons, base shapes for decorative elements) and a tablet for textures, inking, etc.

I know some people who use the tablet for everything except actual keyboard strokes, and they swear by it. (They also swear it reduced their carpal tunnel.)

[cmnmd]

This is a good topic.

I personally swear by my Wacom tablet. I do ALL of my work with it. I first got introduced to one in 1993 during my internship and it was amazing working on 2 screens having a 12" x "18 workspace to draw with. I have since moved to a 6" x 8" Intuos 2 and it has been a champ for 8 years. The tip has never worn or needed to be replaced and this is even a refurbished model.

Granted there are a ton of new features with the new tablets and they are very appealing. The ability to twist the tablet and have the screen react is amazing. The interactive/programmable button are good for shortcuts and often used actions (see the online videos). I have not used these being that I am a quick-key freak in PS. In short, it is an invaluable addition to anyone's workspace.

[lynx_child]

Does anyone notice any differences in how various programs work with tablets (other than the feature in Gimp that has different default tools for different input devices)? It's been awhile since I used Photoshop, but I seem to remember it being easier to use the tablet in Photoshop than Gimp.

[RPMiller]

I don't have any experience with GIMP so I couldn't comment on its differences, but PhotoShop can be set to use different tools for different devices. In fact, I believe most apps can, because each device is set in the Wacom software manager.

[lynx_child]

I don't have Photoshop, though I used to (I used it at school). I remember loving using my tablet with Photoshop. It seemed to work perfectly. I have recently tried using it with Gimp, and find that the tablet suddenly feels unwieldy and the drawing is not as easy as I seem to remember. It doesn't seem to be malfunctioning in any way, though. That's why I wondered if they behave differently in different programs.

I also don't have a Wacom. To be honest, I don't know what brand my tablet is. It was given as a gift (from a friend who received it as a gift and never used it). I can't find the box it came on, and it doesn't look like either the pen or the tablet has a brand name on it.

Here are the details if anyone knows what it is:
There's a sticker on the back that says WP5540(U), but image searching that pulls up a bunch of tablets that don't look like my tablet. It's dark blue, the screen is not perfectly rectangular but is more of a curved inverted trapezoid and has a grid sheet overlaying it. There is an upraised semi-circle at the top with a hole for a pen, and the bottom of the tablet is artistically curved outwards at both ends and in the center.

[RobA]

It is known that the tablet is "slower" to respond in gimp than in photoshop. This especially a problem with large (or scaled up) brushes.

Ideally, use the ink and airbrush tools with the tablet, as they are optimized for it.

-Rob A>

[lynx_child]

Awesome, thanks for responding!

[misteradam]

I find using a tablet increases workflow exponentially for me. Not only can I draw with it, it's easier to erase with, and the shortcut keys on the intuos3 are really useful.

I'm speaking for photoshop and autocad here, not sure how it interacts with GIMP.

[CBDroege]

it's easier to erase with

this x 1000

[ScriptKitty]

I've had an old Wacom Graphire (no, not Graphire2, or Graphire3, just an original, ancient Graphire), and I believe it's the smallest size they make... And for Photoshop, I've never felt as though I've needed more. When it comes to cartography, I probably use stylus and mouse about 50/50... There are some precision things I'd rather use the mouse for, and 'organic' things I can accomplish more naturally with the stylus.

When it comes to my artwork, I always used my stylus just for coloring. Now that I've begun to work in vector, I do wish I had a bigger tablet, but it's still really quite usable. Again, I find myself drawing at first with the stylus, then making corrections and tweaks with my mouse (or touchpoint in the case of my laptop).

Photoshop's use of pressure-sensitive tools with a stylus is awesome, and I've heard good things about styluses with tilt-sensitivity too. And yes, erasing is as easy as flipping the stylus around, just like a pencil.