Intuos graphics tablet (intelligent graphics tablet system)
Written: Jul 26 '01 (Updated Dec 27 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy to use, easy to install, makes graphics easier to draw-up
Cons: Is kind of hard to keep clean
The Bottom Line: An extremely great tool for anyone who uses Photoshop or any other photo editing devices.
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| three_ster's Full Review: Wacom Intuos Tablet Series |
Well we thought that having a mouse at work was a pretty good thing. The only problem, is that when you're trying to draw objects in Photoshop, or in a paint program, you run across the problem of a non-responsive mouse. When you use a mouse, you do not really have the ability to move it in the way that you would normally move your hand to write, or to draw. The reason for that, is that the tracking ball in the mouse was not really designed to be helpful in that aspect, but rather to draw straight lines, or 90-degree angles. For those purposes, a mouse is perfect, but if you want to be able to draw circles, or shade in just a small portion of a picture, then a pen works much better.
Until recently, this seems like a pipe dream, because you cannot really expect to use a pen and have the image come out right on the screen. Then we purchased The Intuos graphic system. It was by no means cheep, but it now allows us to go into pictures and make precise additions or subtractions to them. If you are trying to edit a picture in Photoshop, it is much easier to use this tool, because it is far more responsive to the touch than a normal mouse could ever dream to be. The fact is, that you will not want to stop using this tool once you get your hands on it. Being addictive in its own right, I spent a couple of hours, just goofing off with pictures rather than doing any real work with it. For those out there that like to edit photos to make them look funny, or simply to clean up a scanned image, this is a great tool for you.
The system that we purchased came with the following devices:
The Intuos 4 inch by 5 inch Graphics Tablet.
The Intuos Pen.
A Pen Stand for the pen to sit in.
A Compact Disc with the Wacom Tablet Driver Software and a User Manual to go with it.
A 120 volt AC Power Adapter.
And of course the cables to install it into your computer.
The pad fits nicely beside your keyboard, and is gray in its color. On the pad itself, are options that you can click on to make the pen do specific things. The options are placed within small little boxes, that become active when the pen touches them. These options are: new, open, close, save, print, exit, cut, copy, paste, and pen/mouse. All of them are pretty straightforward to anyone who has used a computer. The pen/mouse function is for you to be able to switch back to the mouse if you so desire. The pad works on the basis of sensitivity, and it provides you with a superior feeling as compared to other graphics software. The menu strip that contains all of the options makes it easy to use, because that way you are not searching through the tool bar all day trying to find a specific function. It is laid out in front of you, and makes all of those shortcuts come to the forefront for you.
The pen itself is a work of art. It is built like a wide pen and could almost pass as one if you did not know what it is used for. On the top where you would normally have a push button to click in and out the tip of a pen, there is a push button "eraser". It is an eraser in the aspect that you can use it to erase or even highlight stuff in your picture or your document. Instead of going through the hassle of finding the erase buttons in the tool-bar, you can simply press down the top of the pen, and erase stuff in your files. This is very helpful, because it allows you to just stay with one device while working. On the side of the pen, is another button that allows you to click the same as a mouse would. By rolling your thumb or finger along it, you can even toggle between functions on your screen. The pen barrel is set up so that it does not hurt your hand while you are holding it, and it also makes it seem like you are just writing while you are using it.
What do I like the best about this system? The fact that you can set the pressure sensitivity to your own desire. As you are probably aware, people have different styles of typing. Some like to stroke the keys delicately, while others pound out what they are typing. With Intuos, you can have the best of both of these worlds. Intuos comes with a control panel that lets you decide how much pressure that you want to use on the pad to get a response. You can choose to have to press the pen firmly, or even a softer, more delicate approach if that is your preference. This is nice, because you can also alter which type you use according to what you are doing. If you are going through using it like a mouse, you may want to have it set specifically for web browsing.
The install of the system is very easy as well. You simply plug and play, and you are off to the races. I love how easy this tool is to use, but I often cringe when I hear about how much we had to pay for it. While it is very useful and fun to play with at work, with the near $300.00 purchase price, I do not think I could afford to have something like this at my own home. But, if I was "in the money" so to speak, this would be the first thing that I added to my own personal computer. It is because of that, that I highly recommend this product to anyone that uses photo devices on their computer, and would like to improve their outputs.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 269.00
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