For years, I've been designing logos and advertising on Adobe products with just a mouse and keyboard. I've never used a pen tablet, so I don't know if I'm missing anything. Does anyone know the advantages of a pen tablet for design? Should I make the investment?
sometimes, pen tablet is good if you want to sketch, or want to do extraction of hair,etc. In my opinion, it gives u greater control at doing certain tasks.
YES YES YES...... The pen tool is faster to click and reach for buttons.. is far more intuitive and easier on the fingers as far as RSI goes. I made the switch to a small tablet a couple of years back... wierd for a while.. but then suddenly you realise you are NEVER going back. I use it to operate Non-linear edit programs, design tools like After Effects - I never actually draw with it.
a graphics tablet isn't necessary to do it, but its FAR more intuitive, I often use it where I would be drawing with a pen or pencil, although during the periods when I have it out, I end up using it for everything instead of a mouse. They're great for web browsing, great for sound editing, pretty much anything you need to do. Once you have one, you'll find all sorts of use for it - I promise you
If you have been editing for years, and you have never used a pen tablet - you have missed a lot. When your doing fine detail editing, there is no real comparison between a pen tablet and the mouse. My wife does photo editing. When she first started getting into it she was trying to use the mouse. After about a month she got a pen tablet - and has been much happier ever since. If your serious about editing, dont waste your time with the mouse. Go ahead and get a pen tablet.
Tablets are nice (I use one a lot, and a tablet PC), but if you're already very used to the mouse & not a hand drawer, you might not get much out of it. They have a bit of a learning curve
I think it is a personal preference, I use both, i think a wacom tablet is good for people that are good at drawing/sketching, overall i prefere the mouse but the tablet does come in handy...takes some getting used to for new users... Cheers Ryan
Hey now, only knock it if you've TRIED it and found you didn't like it @Random Guy. I'm not a 'sketcher' or a 'drawer' by nature and I don't have sketchbooks overflowing with doodles, even though I am a graphic designer. I am artistic in a different way than most visual artists and most of what you'll find in my 'sketchbooks' are in fact creative problem solving and word association and free-form object grouping to keep ideas and concepts straight. BUT, this isn't about whether you sketch or not, the pen has a tip with pressure sensitivity, a switch with two buttons (can be set to right click, or scroll wheel for example) an 'eraser' tip, as well as coming with a mouse that works on the pen tablet. The REAL advantage to using it, for those who have never used it, isn't just that you can use it as a pointer like a mouse, but that it maps your screen coordinates to the tablet. If you place the pen on one side of the tablet, it shows up on that side of the screen. If you lift it off and move your pen to the OTHER side of the tablet, the cursor JUMPS to where the pen is located. If it were a mouse, you'd have to push the cursor all the way to the other side accurately. Now using a mouse has never been an issue for me, I play and develop First Person Shooter games too (with *well* over 150 million downloads) and so my mouse accuracy is as good as it's ever going to get. Using a pen is a UNIQUE experience. I think the closest equivalent would be riding a bicycle. With a mouse, you're stuck standing beside the bicycle, and you have to push the bike wherever you want. It's possible, you can easily do it, it's just not as intuitive. A pen tablet is like getting on the bicycle. It's faster, makes more sense, and it feels like your fingers are actually inside the screen touching things, instead of outside pushing one thing at a time. There you have it.