Graphics Tablets

CliffyBiro

CliffyBiro

CliffyBiro

Caporegime
Joined
1 Mar 2008
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So, I've come into a little bit of disposable income after selling some old golfing gear and I'm intrigued by these graphic tablets.

I tend to find freehand work with a mouse very difficult so I've always been interested in these but not quite sure how they work or what to look for when buying one.

My budget is £60.

Do they show the display on the tablet or is it just a surface that you draw on but can't see anything?

Ideally, I'd like to be able to scan in a sketch, have it appear on the tablet so I can trace over it. Is this how they work? If so, one will come in very very handy for my college course.

Any reccomendations?
 
No that's not how they work. Their just a blank surface that you use the pen on, some do allow you to place paper under the transparent top surface to allow tracing though. Wacom ones are rated best I think, but they can be expensive.
 
geuben said:
No that's not how they work. Their just a blank surface that you use the pen on, some do allow you to place paper under the transparent top surface to allow tracing though. Wacom ones are rated best I think, but they can be expensive.
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Hmm, I could have sworn I had seen some that output the display. :(
 
skippi90 said:
Hmm, I could have sworn I had seen some that output the display. :(
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That sounds more like a tablet pc, and one of them is going to be well beyond your £60 budget.

Once you get use to using one you don't look at the tablet when using, you look at the screen.
 
I have a little Wacom Graphire 4, and it's great.

I'd definitely recommend getting a tablet & pen if you use Photoshop etc, but it can take a little while to get the hang of using them.
Once you've mastered it though you'll probably never use your mouse again...in Photoshop anyway :)

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edit: As you can see in the pic, you can place sketches etc under the clear cover in order to trace the image (as mentioned above).
I think the one's that display the image on the tablet itself are going to be pretty pricey I'm afraid :(
 
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I got a cheap one some time ago, it can be useful for things like LabView and came with a mouse variant of input device but is stuck to 800x600 in the primary monitor (I can sort of manipulate where that is but it's long winded).

I imagine a more expensive one would work wonders if you use them for things like photoshop, all i wanted mine for was drawing a few logic/wiring connections though :)
 
You get what you pay for with these - if you're after a serious piece of kit, then I would invest in a Wacom. If you're uncertain, then pick up something cheap or secondhand - any tablet will allow you to try out the concept of using a pen and tablet, and if you like it then you can get a decent bit of kit. Personally I find them very intuitive, and used to use them a fair bit when I did graphical work.
 
skippi90 said:
How much would you pay for a Wacom Bamboo Tablet and would you reccomend it?
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I got a Wacom Bamboo Fun Medium Graphics Tablet from the GF for my birthday. Cost her £120 from the south american river.

I know in your OP you said your budget is £60, but if you can id recomend spending a bit extra and its gottan be a Wacom.

Couldnt go back to using photoshop/illustrator with a mouse. Awesome bit of kit, once you get used to it it feels very natural.
 
No question from my point of view that you should get one. I dipped my toes with the Wacom Volito at home, then Wacom Graphire 4 at work (CAD) then Bamboo Fun at work and home!

I see you've spotted a Bamboo at about the price I paid. Make sure it's the Bamboo Fun (newer, white with blue led) and not the older non-Fun black unit. Well worth it. I don't use a mouse now other than gaming!

My main concern when getting a tablet was size but I find the ~6" x 4" fine even with a 24" monitor but don't really use it for art.

You can set the tablet to work as either mouse mode or pen mode. Pen mode maps the tablet to the monitor so wherever you place the pen on the tablet it will map to the same point on screen. Mouse mode is obviously the same as a mouse where you have to lift and move to bring the pointer into position from time to time.

As for scanning and tracing you could still do that if you tape to the tablet. You'd get a more tactile feedback through paper. Size of the tablet possibly becomes a limiting factor unless you try and move the paper accurately if it's larger than the tablet.

Overall it was very easy to adjust to I found. Feels slightly odd in terms of where to place the tablet at first and my shoulder probably takes the strains now instead of tendons in the arm/fingers. Probably because I use it all day.

A good investment and comes with a couple of decent art/graphics programs to play around with. (Art Rage is one) These also make use of the pressure you apply to the pen to give a lighter or heavier weight to lines.

Wacom Cintiq as mentioned is probably what you really want I suspect. Cost from £1k up to almost £2k. Make your own?
 
Same one as I've got, cost me a little bit less though (about £55).

It works and all that but I find myself now wanting a slightly bigger one with a better pen :p
 
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