Using a graphics tablet.

While designing an outfit last night I was having the worst time with the mouse. I started thinking of how to make it better and I have been looking at graphics tablets. Does anyone use a graphics tablet for designing clothes? If so, is it worth it? How much of a difference does it make? Just curious and would appreciate some advice before I buy one.



Thanks In Advance,
Alex

I have and use one for drawing and painting all the time, not just in creating SL related things.

If you are actually -painting- your creations, and not 'photosourcing' them, i'd say it's a very good thing to have. You have the control of a pencil as opposed to attempting to wrangle your mouse into those smooth lines and shading gradients. It has really reduced the 'creation headache' that using a mouse can cause. I'd never dream of even attempting to use my mouse to create - even if it's only a small touch up on a piece i did last week - i pull out my tablet.

The tablets can cost anywhere from 40 USD to 1000+ USD. It really depends on your needs and your wants. I'd pop out there on the 'net and do some research on the subject; read reviews, get specs on different tablets, etc. In the end, i can tell you that -i- love my 12x12 intuos, but it may be more than what -you'd- need your tablet for, you see. *smile*

I will say this; personally, i wouldn't buy anything with less than 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Changeling,

Thanks for the advice! You have been really helpful. I can see how it would make SL designing easier, plus other benefits. I was looking at an ACECAT tablet, but I am going to check your brand out as well. Thanks again. I really do appreciate the advice!

I'm with Changeling on this. I've owned two Wacom tablets and been happy with both, though the Graphire line wasn't adequate for my needs after I started doing more complex things. I've recently invested in an Intuos2 6x8 and I love it. But I didn't find the size of my first tablet all that limiting, rather the levels of pressure sensitivity. I'd say Wacom are /the/ graphics tablets. I don't know anything about the quality of other brands, but do look at pressure sensitivity. That's the biggest issue.

Happy tableting!

Yuki,

Some more great advice! Thanks a billion! I was pulling my hair out trying to get detail down with a mouse. I am glad that I was on the right track sort of...lol. I just wasn't sure since on one posts anything about graphics tablets here. By the way, what is photosourcing? Just curiousity. I do appreciate yours and Changeling's time very much. Maybe If I run into both of you in world sometime you wouldn't mind checking my stuff out and letting me know how I am doing so far?



Thanks,
Alex

Now that I have been looking. Would 4X5 be sufficiant?

photosourcing is taking a photo of an article of clothing and applying it to the template, stretching it to have it fit. THe lazy persons solution to make clothes.

I use photosourcing on difficult projects. but i try to do it by hand when i can. But i am still a beginner with PSP. self taught hehe, so im learning new techniques all the time.

I have a Wacom tablet too, i love. its one of there low end, but at the time i wasnt sure of how much i was gonna use it. but with SL now, i use it fairly often

Alex - the size of the tablet really doesn't matter, from what i've heard. Some people say they prefer thier smaller ones over the big huge monster that sits beneath my desk. *chuckle*

Gattz got photosourcing right. *nods* It's taking an existing photo of an existing article of clothing (or other thing) from RL and applying it to SL.

Does photosourcing include taking a picture of just a fabric pattern or texture? I do that a lot, but as far as the outfit itself I usually design off of my own ideas using a photo of a pattern that I defined from a picture. I appreciate the feedback on tablet size Changeling. I don't have a lot of room left on my desk and the 4x5 is the right size/price.

I couldn't resist chiming in on this one. A drawing tablet is must-have, no question about it. It takes about 2 days to get used to using it if you are used to a mouse, but after that you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. It speeds up your work exponentially, and does things you could NEVER do with a mouse.

I agree with Changeling and Yuki that Wacom is the way to go. There are other (cheaper) brands on the market, but Wacom is the only brand that you know for sure will work flawlessly with just about every piece of software out there.

Wacom has 3 lines of tablets: Graphire, Intuos, and Cintiq. Cintiq puts an actual LCD monitor right inside the tablet so you can literally draw directly on your work. It's the the best technology out, but it costs a frtune, so you may nto want to go that route if you are not either rich or trying to make a career of digital art.

So the choice really is between Graphire and Intuos. Both are great. The primary difference between the two is that Intuos will sense not only pen pressure, but angle as well, giving it an extremely realistic feel. Also, the Intuos line has a few more hardware tools in it than the Graphire line. Intuos costs a bit more than Graphire, but most people feel it's worth it. If you're looking for a bargain though, a 4x5" Graphire 3 is under $100 US and works beautifully.

Word of advice, when you get your tablet do NOT abandon your mouse. It's not always conveneint to use the pen for everything, and although Wacom tablets do come with a mouse that will work on the tablet, it is largely useless unless the tablet is huge since the mouse will not work on any other surface. I use a Logitech MX510 gaming mouse. It sits right next to my tablet, and it's another tool I can't live without now that I have it. It's refresh rate is so high it is ideal for the subtle movements required for detailed 2D and 3D artwork. (Besides, it's pretty and brightens up my desk )

lol, that helps too. Sorry, when i saw that last part i couldnt help but find that a little funny hehe.

This is slightly off the original question so please forgive the diversion, but I think this is an important point, and one that I rather disagree with.

Photosourcing is not just a lazy way of doing things, although like anything it can be used that way. There are lots of good designers in SL who use photosourcing because it produces a completely different effect to a hand painted item, and it's an effect that many people prefer. To create a really good, seamless photo-realistic item in SL often takes more time and effort than many originally created works; not to mention a considerable amount of artwork as well. Anyone who thinks photosourcing consists of grabbing any old photo off the web and slapping it in the template, either hasn't tried it or has extremely low standards.

Of course, it's a matter of personal taste as to which style one prefers, and there have been canvassing threads in the past in which opinion on the subject is divided. Personally, I much prefer photo-realistic clothing, although i also own and admire the work of many of the very talented clothing artists in SL.

Good luck in finding the right tablet, Alex.

thats desription was just a basic explanation of photo-sourcing. Its not as easy as just sticking a photo on it. You have to use clone brushes to get it fitting into the template, adjusting color, brightness, contrast just to make it realistic because that photo was not made for this purpose.

The fact is im not very good at hand painting using PSP or PS. Ive seen the work of the highly talented artists in SL and im just astounded. My skills with PSP are pretty basic, ive been using it for about 2 years now and im slef taught. I pick up new tricks by looking at other peoples work or just playing around with different settings. The thing that would help me a lot would be folds for clothes. I know how to do it in theory, but its how to know where to put them and where to put the sahdows and light for the folds that im not good it. So, what i use it Bevel effect.

hmm.....seems like a rambled off :/ oh well
Its a shame you can make a career of making stuff in SL :/

Viola, I agree with everything you said, except for this point. Although I know a lot of people prefer the look of photosourced clothing, I think it's unfair to say that it takes more time and effort. When I create something, I research many different items, often do sketches, and then will practice painting different textures or using different swatches. Photosourcing does take skill, but it is a derivative work. Someone else created the actual design. Original clothing creators start from scratch. So I think by nature it takes more time.
Though of course, there are many different levels of designers in SL. I don't think you can really use a blanket statement. After all, an 'original' designer is everyone from someone who uses a tileable background texture and slaps it on a skirt, to someone who designs complete outfits from their own imaginations. Same way that the photosourcing side goes from someone who does just grab any old photo and slaps it on there, to someone who makes sure they get the highest rez image and makes sure every last bit is lined up immaculately and that the light on the material is adjusted to be realistic.

I have absolutely nothing against people who photosource. I've seen some beautiful work that clearly takes graphic design skill and is utterly seamless. But original designs that are high quality are utterly seamless as well.

It is a matter of opinion which you prefer, certainly. I admire the likes of Chip Midnight (forgive me for this list not being longer. I don't get out much. Heh. Homebody designer here) and only need to look at his pieces, especially the more complicated ones to appreciate the work that goes into it. They're two different schools, and require different techniques.

Photosourcing isn't any lazier than slapping aforementioned tileabe texture on and moving the sliders around. The way I've looked at it - I'm a little boutique in the funky part of town. I sew in the back room and make my own designs. Some of it's pretty out there and different. Down the street, is a chain boutique. Their stuff has a totally different feel than mine, and is in more common configurations. Neither is better than the other. It's all a matter of taste.

That said, I am an advocate of encouraging designers to use their imaginations to create their own outfits. It gives me warm fuzzies to see creativity in designs coming from within the SL community, and to see things in-game that don't exist in the real world.

Anyway! Tangeant! Forgive me if that was off. It's verra late.

Let me make this on topic....uh...yes. The Wacom mouse is indeed useless. I use a logitech cordless optical mouse. There. Ahem.

Forgive me, Yuki, I never meant to imply that all photosourced items require more work than original creations by wonderful artists such as yourself, Chip or Fey - just to take a couple of examples.

My point was simply that it's just as incorrect to say that all photosourced clothing require no effort or artistic ability to make, as it is to say that all hand-drawn items are inherantly superior and must require more work to create. It's a point, I think, on which we both agree.

I do agree with you also on the subject of originality. In most cases a photorealistic item will be more derivative than a comparably hand painted item - but with the caveat that this is not always the case. It's quite rare when making a photorealistic item that I don't alter something about it, be it style, colour or even perhaps combining two quite separate items into one composite to create a different effect. And of course, an original artist is always subject to influences anyway (quite legitimately), and is free to borrow ideas from well known RL designers.

Alex, I hope you've found your tablet by now and you don't mind us wittering on with our philosophical musings

As everyone else said already, Wacom Wacom Wacom! You can't go wrong with one of their products. I have a 12x12 Intous and love it. One thing to take into consideration when choosing the size to buy... drawing on a tablet is not exactly like regular drawing because you're not looking at your hand while you draw (unless you buy one of those LCD tablets which are cool but from what I hear not worth the money...yet). You'll also be drawing at a different scale than what you're seeing on your monitor depending on the size tablet you buy. I use a 12x12 for two reasons. I like to draw with the tablet in my lap since it's comfortable, and I like the 12" tablet because with my 20" monitor there's less difference in scale between my hand movements and what I'm seeing than there would be with a smaller tablet.

I made up my mind and used everyone's advice. I found a 4x5 Intuous2 for $138.00. I couldn't pass it up. After researching for a few days I believe that is the best deal out there right now. I am saving almost $40.00. For anyone who reads this and doesn't have one, the deal is on Ebay for the next 5 days. Last I looked Wacom was selling off 49 at that price. I picked the 4x5, because of the space I have on my desk. Also I travel for work and would like to carry it with me, so I can design on my free time away from home. Thank you everyone for helping me out. All of the advice has been priceless.

Please witter on everyone. I have enjoyed this thread more than most and through all the wittering I have learned a lot. I may just join in a little. I think that photosourcing would be hard. I actually just tried to photosource last night and it is no easy task. It can be useful though. I have taken a pattern from a picture and defined a pattern for the clone stamp. I do start from scratch on the actual clothing design. The only thing photosourced is the pattern. I have been impressed by the way it looks.

Once I figure out my groove for creating my own patterns with photoshop I will create my own, but to be honest I think I will go back and forth. If I see a good looking pattern out there I am going to use it. As far as putting the whole outfit from a picture on the template. I would do that only if I really liked the outfit and thought it would be equally liked in SL.

Good deal. As others have said, the size of the tablet is more a question of personal preference than functionality. If you're comfortable with 4x5, it should be great. Intuos 2 rocks, and for under $150 you can't go wrong.