This is a review that I wrote for Craft Critique. It appeared on that blog last week.
Several
months ago, I began digital scrapbooking. I kept reading about this
Wacom Tablet thing that people were raving about. And then a gal I
scrap with brought her laptop and tablet to a crop. She let me try it
out. I felt like a three-year-old learning to hold a pencil for the
first time, but I was hooked!
I bought a Wacom Intuos 3 Graphics Tablet (6x8), which retails for $329. It is compatible with both Mac and PC (including Windows Vista). The box contains the following:
- Intuos3 6X8 pen tablet
- Intuos3 Grip pen
- Intuos3 five button mouse
- Pen stand
- Replacement nib set: 1 stroke nib, 1 felt nib, and 3 standard nibs
- CD with Quick Start Guide
- CD with tablet driver software for installation
- Software DVD, which includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, Corel Painter Essentials 3, and Nik Color Efex Pro 2 IE.
I
have never used the mouse, the replacement nibs, Corel Painter or Nik
Color Efex Pro. But, I use the tablet and pen every single time I open
Photoshop.
Here’s how tablets work (regardless of the size or
model): The pen tool becomes your mouse. Whatever you do with the pen
and the tablet, your mouse does. But the really cool part is that the
tablet is smart. If you pick up the pen and move it through the air to
another area of the tablet, the mouse will follow! You do not need to
drag it across the surface of the tablet.
My second favorite
feature of the pen and tablet are the programmable buttons. You can
program a series of keystrokes into each button. For instance, instead
of having to choose “Layer>Arrange>Bring to Front” or type in the
shortcut key strokes (“shift-open apple-closed bracket”), you can
simply program one of the buttons on either the pen or the tablet and
press it instead! This has made my life so much better! I am able to
work more quickly and more efficiently, because I have programmed my
most used combinations into my tablet.
This brings me to my only
complaint: I wish that there were more programmable buttons. I
recognize the ridiculousness of this request, but it doesn’t keep me
from wanting more. They’re just so cool!
Beyond the fact that I
enjoy using the pen tool and tablet, I have been able to do some very
cool things that would have been very difficult, if not impossible,
with a mouse. Check out these layouts…
Above:
I drew the frame and the title. It's so great to be able to integrate
your own handwriting into your digital work. Below: The pen allowed me
enough control to create the unique (and very handmade looking) hearts
on this layout.
Below:
I created this layout without a single purchased digital element. From
the paint to the handwriting to the doodles to the stitches, this
layout was entirely created using my tablet!
Even if you don't draw, the tablet makes tasks like rotating and resizing significantly easier. Check out this layout:
From
manipulating all those ribbons to creating the lace alphabet paper (a
lot of rotating and sizing), my Wacom Tablet made it easy and ergonomic!
Let
me add that I abuse my tablet. I drop crumbs on it. I travel with it
(cram it into a backpack). I drop it. And yet, it still keeps ticking!
I wouldn't advise abusing your tablet, but I wanted to let you know
that it has taken a beating and survived.
The bottom line is
that I cannot imagine doing any digital work without a tablet. If
you're at all serious about digital scrapbooking, a tablet is a very
good investment. They have less expensive versions, including the new Bamboo Fun, which is only $79.
