Tablets?

I have been looking for tablets to use with photoshop. I've been learning to make clothes and I feel if I had a tablet I could do better than using the mouse. Anyone out there use a tablet? if so let me know what u think of it versus the mouse and also here is a website I have found some for sale on. I can't affor the very high priced ones. There are a few under $100 on this site if any of u look at this site can u recommend one? I would appreciate it as I don't know anything about the tablets and never had or used one.
thanks bunches

Sasha

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010290296&Submit=ENE&Subcategory=296&Description=Tablet&Ntk=all

I love mine. I would highly recommend it for anyone that draws alot.

Rule number one with tablets: Never ever use anything but a Wacom.

Rule number two: Pay attention to rule number one.

Rule number three: Wacom, Wacom, Wacom.

Rule number four: To paraphrase TommyBoy, "If you want me to take a dump in a box and slap the word 'tablet' on it I will, but then all you've got is a tablet guaranteed to be a piece of crap." If you want a tablet that's not a piece of crap, you MUST get a Wacom!


Okay, if that didn't get the point across, let me just say that there is a difference. Wacom really is the only way to go. It's night and day between Wacom and any other brand. Nothing else even comes close. (And no, I don't own any stock in the company, not a paid spokesperson, just an artist speaking from exerience.)

To give you a little info on Wacom's product line, they have two levels, Graphire and Intuos. Graphire is considered the amateur line, and Intuos the professional line. The biggest difference between the two is that Intuos tablets sense the pressure AND the tilt of the pen, while Graphires just sense pressure. Also, Intuos has higher resolution, and a few more bells and whistles than Graphire. They're both great though.

For the price you want to spend, you're most likely going to end up with a Graphire 4 4x5". You can order one on that website you linked, or you can just go to any local Best Buy, CompUSA, or Circuit City, and pick one up. They all stock the Graphires.

To answer your question about tablet vs. mouse, it will take you a couple days to get used to drawing with the tablet, but after that, you'll never go back. For an analogy, drawing with a tablet is to drawing with a pencil as drawing with a mouse is to drawing wth a rubber stamp. With a pencil, your line changes darkness and thickness, depending on how hard you press, but with the rubber stamp, you get the same thing every time, no matter what you do. Likewise, when you draw with a tablet, you have instant dynamic control over the thickness, opacity, color, etc., of your line, but with the mouse you can only paint with one fixed weight at a time. There's a HUGE difference there.

As I said, the tablet will take some getting used to, but once you've got the hang of it, you'll find you're producing double the quality in half the time. There's no other way to go.


Oh, and I almost forgot. Rule number five: Get a Wacom or kill yourself. Yeah, it's that important.

I typed a response before I saw Chosen Few's and it said pretty much all the same things. So yeah, definitely go with a Wacom if you can afford it. The Graphire should do nicely for a low-cost one.

Hmmm so you are telling me I SHOULD get a Wacom??? LOL j/k
I noticed on best buy and circuit city that is all they have in tablets on their sites is wacom but I didnt know if any of those others on the site i posted were any good but from what I am hearing in here you guys have answered my question. I will probably have to order online because best buy and circuit city and stores like it are so far away from me that I would be just as well to order it. I have not even tried to draw with the mouse because I know there is no use in it. I remember when we got our first computer I was on the paint program and I tried to write my name LMAO was that a sight to see so I knew not to even try it on clothing.
Thanks guys for giving me this info and so fast too!! You guys are great
thanks again
Sasha

One more for the road ... Wacom.

Almost any tablet will put lines on the screen reasonably well and as some one who has had the Tawain special, the Hong Kong Super Amazing Tablet cheap cheap and a Wacom. I can tell you without reservation... get the Wacom. If you can afford it, get the Intuos or better although the Graphire is not bad either. The quality and the features available with the Wacom are worth the money.

YEs, get a Wacom, lol.

It was hard for me at first, but now I can't live without it. The mouse JUST doesn't handle well with making clothing or even textures.

My wacom is OLD, ancient...but it works just fine. I'd love to own one of the professional ones, but hey...this one works.

Good luck!!

wacom is ok i guess

but i really like wacom

DOH!

I have a Wacom and I love it.
(would be lost without it)

I just want to add that you should get a Wacom (since no one else mentioned them.)

This has been discussed several times before by the way; and the result is always the same. The people who don't like tablets don't have Wacoms. The ones who can't live without 'em do.

There is that much difference!

I got given a tablet for a present a couple of years ago.

Unless I'm doing one simple thing (selecting a simple shape to make it on an alpha background say) and ONLY one thing I reach for the tablet. Oh, it was a wacom...

I have a wacom graphire. And without exaggeration, it will increase your PS productivity and accuracy by about 100% if not more. I make use of the path tool a lot, and there is no better hand eye coordination than a pen directly on paper, so naturally the tablet is the way to go.

I am in the same boat as you, Sasha. The mouse just won't do for graphics. I have been researching for the past 2 weeks on the best graphics tablet, and the answer is definitely Wacom. Just compare the tech specs. So how to get one without selling off my hubby and kids.... First, try Ebay. This is a cheap route to go. I found a Wacom graphire bluetooth which went for £80. My hubby insists on a warranty, though, so I continued to hunt. On their website, Wacom sells refurbished tablets with one year warranties. They are about half the price and come with all the software. This is both on the American website and the European website. I am taking a small loan out next week to buy a decent tablet. My husband tells me I am not allowed to trade in the kids, sigh. I can't wait to see what I can do with Autocad and a tablet....

I have both a crappy no-name tablet and a fancy wacom intuos3. If you have no talent*, not even wacom will help you (tested on myself )


*not implying the original poster has no talent. I do not know him/her/it

Glad someone is in same boat..but i do have one small problem I only have one child and of course he is now 20 yrs old so no one would want to trade for him LMAO j/k
I been looking at the wacom site and will look further to find the refurbished ones..didn't know they had refurbished ones..and great idea about ebay never thought of it either
thanks for the info
Sasha

i got an intuos a month or more ago, played with it for about 10 minutes and put it away, and still continue to struggle with a touchpad in PS...
Thanks for reminding me for why i got it! Guess i'll use the grid down time to spend a lil more time learning how to use it, i know, i know....patience and all that. *grins*

Intuos is made of love. LOVE I SAY!

Okies all I just bidded and won a wacom graphine 3 for a bid of $47.00. I sure hope this was a good deal plz let me know if it is and if this is an OK tablet????
ty
Sasha

I'd rather have the Cintiq

Do not use a tablet to replace a mouse, it's counterintuitive.

A mouse is best for pointing (internet, games, most office work), a tablet pen for laying artwork down, a tablet mouse for precise CAD-type positioning (thanks to the crosshairs). Switch devices depending on what you need to do.

I can wholeheartedly recommend an Acer Travelmate C312. It has a built-in Wacom Intuos tablet and works like a charm under Windows and with a little tweaking also under Linux.

I've owned an Aiptek graphics tablet for years. My daughter uses it. It seems to work pretty well for her.

Graphire 3 is a fine tablet to get started with, Sasha. I'm sure you'll be happy with it. Out of curiosity, what size is it?

Yanno I dont know...Ive looked on the ebay site and I must be overlooking it cus i cant find it and I didnt realize this til after I had bidded on it sigh I know I know how stupid but I just couldnt pass this by as I had already tried the one before that on ebay and lost the bid and I actually won this one and wasn't even planning on it just did it to see if i could LMAO so now im gonna be owner of a graphire 3 which either way was in the budget and I can use to practice on and later if i want a newer one or bigger or whatever or if I dont or cant use this one then I didnt waste much money compared to the high end price ones LOL
thanks for all your help
Sasha