I was put off by the price of these Intuos tablets. I assumed you'd need a larger-sized one if you wanted to do anything decent, and they are MAD expensive. And supposedly the Graphire, while much cheaper, is also vastly inferior go figure. It seemed like an instance where you'd have to spend a chunk of change, which I didn't feel like doing I wasn't convinced it was worth it. This may have had something to do with the fact that I'd never used one! They had Intuos tablets at my skool, I knew about them, but I never really bothered with them, or with Painter. I always felt like it was simpler to paint with paint and scan it for illustration work. I was keepin it real. I figured Painter was for people who didn't want to get their hands dirty. And as far as Intuos compatibility with other programs like Illustrator, Photoshop, etc, I was used to using the mouse and OK with it, so again, why bother.
However, a couple friends from skool started using Intuos tablets with Painter. Once I saw prints of some of their paintings, and realized that they were totally digital, I had to admit I was impressed. Clearly Painter was developed by people who had a real understanding of the way paint acts, not to mention chalk, ink, pencil, airbrush, crayon, watercolor, etc.
The thing is, you definitely DO need a tablet and stylus to take advantage of it. I started using Painter with the mouse, and right away I realized the extent of that problem. Painter 7 and up includes mouse-compatibility technology that supposedly allows for variation in pressure, etc, but it's still an awkward and clunky way to go. You can make it work, but you're handicapped from the start, and your results will be limited. I can't imagine that anybody would want to work that way. You need the stylus.
I went ahead and bought a 4x5 Intuos. Well, first of all, the small size isn't that big of a deal. You technically only have the 4x5 space to work on, but the fact that you can zoom in and out and move your canvas around on the screen makes this a non-issue in practice. It would be nice to have a larger working space, but I suppose I'll live.
They talk about "1,024 degrees of pressure-sensitivity" (or whatever) all over the box. That means nothing to anybody, but using is believing. Once I got the knack of the tablet (which does take a while it's not as intuitive as you might think, it's an acquired skill), I was amazed at how exquisite it really is. Different pressures, different angles, everything behaves as you would expect real media to behave; and it's (almost) as expressive, because you're using it the same way your marks are simply being recorded digitally rather than by pushing matter across a surface. You also have the convenience (within Painter) of being able to change paint color, brush type and size, "paper" type and color, and practically every other variable conceivable to the artist, all "at the click of a button" (like a 50's TV spot). From the point of view of professional illustration, this sort of thing is invaluable.
All I've done so far is talk about Intuos with Painter, but to me that's it's main application. The other one that sticks out is Illustrator and/or Freehand, et al. As you may know, actual "drawing" with the mouse in this program can be mad retarded difficult. The stylus makes it more natural. Same thing in Flash, etc, and 3D apps like Maya, for the same reason. Oh, and of course Photoshop in which I've used it mainly in making precise selections.
Anyway, here ends my valentine. I know I sound like I'm employed by Wacom, which I hate...lol...but I do really like this stylus/tablet thingy.
I have a very small desk, so the 4x5 dimensions of this tablet was just the right size for me. The installation tok 10 minutes to set up; it was easy. I really like the "omake" software that it came with. Painter Classic and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 make up a major part of the bundle. The former lets you create art that look like watercolours/oils, and the latter is great for final touchups.
The pen is light and small. I'm a woman, with a small hand; I really like how the pen fits in my hand.
[[ WHAT I DON'T LIKE ]]
The mouse is superfluous: since the mouse only registers when it touches the tablet--and since your tablet is only 4 x5 (about the size of a hard-cover book)--you are not left with much elbow space. I used the mouse once, and then put it back in the box.
I would recommend the official version, over the second-hand ones you can find on EBay. First of all, the sellers on eBay are greedy. The normal asking price is hardly less than the official version. Second, the official version comes with a lifetime guarantee.
BTW, I am NOT a professional graphics artist. I use my tablet to make desktop wallpapers for myself and my friends, to do some art, extract images on PSP 7, etc. For my purposes, I am quite happy with this tablet!I will never go back to using a mouse. Tablets are so much more natural, and don't cause as much carpal tunnel syndrome. Highly recommended for everyone.I have had my Intuos2 now for 2 years. And as of today, it has ceased functioning twice. I had to send it back to Wacom the first time for this SAME problem: my tablet stops receiving a signal from my pen... the orange light blinks erratically to green and back when I drag the pen across the surface, rather than staying green. I'm getting tired of having a $300 drawing tool that I have to pay to ship back and get fixed simply from normal use each year.
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