Graphics tablets - bigger is better?

[jamesgiles]

Hi,

I have started using photoshop a lot recently, and when doing detailed work I find the mouse too jerky and cumbersome to use.

So I therefore have decided to buy a graphics tablet. I was looking at the Aiptek 14000U, which goes for around £85. The main reason i chose this was for the size, while not compromising on quality.

But as I have never used one before I am worried that it will be too big and will be counter productive when doing detailed work.

Anyone have any views on this

cheers.

[TommyO]

I chose the Wacom 6in x 11in (15.24cm x 27.94cm) as it matched my screen aspect ratio. My desk is a normal size, about 2m wide x 1 m deep. Hence, the keyboard, tablet and all the rest of my stuff lay out on the desk fine. I keep the tablet close when in PS and simply slide the tablet a bit out of the way when I'm not. In my opinion, larger has been nice and has not gotten in the way. I think even their 12in x 19in would be nice if I was doing retouch as a full time endeavor - I only do it part time now. In fact, now that I'm used to the tablet, sometimes I feel the 12 x 19 would be better even when working part time.

[AndrewBytheWay]

I have a Wacom Bamboo that is 4 x 6 inches, and it works great for detailed work.

I thought that I would want a larger one, but I tried a friends and found it to be a hassle compared to a smaller one. It maps out to your screen so that each corner of the tablet is the corner of your screen. So to go from one end of the screen to the other on a 12 x 19 would require a large arm motion that would tire you out. I think the larger ones would be useful if you did a lot of drawing, but for photos a small one is perfect, I have a 24 inch monitor and it doesn't seem jerky one bit.

Hope this helps. If at all possible I would suggest finding a way to try a few different sizes keeping in mind the amount of time you would spend using it, and which would work best.

[Davey]

I prefer smaller ones myself although never tried a 12x19 or similar size. I know many people complain of wrist/arm strain with the larger ones and find smaller tabs are easier on the wrist and you can perform some tasks easier such as completing long lines in single wrist movement. With that in mind I'd personally try a larger sized tablet out before buying one.

[sag-girl]

Hey everybody. I was wondering what you all thought about the wacom cintiq 21 tablet. Is the pen and paper capabilities of this tablet helpful or a waste of mooney.

[shreds]

I believe that if you are used to a regular tablet, the Cintiq can prove awkward with your hand blocking your view of the work in some situations, but it does seem to be well recommended by those who have shelled out the extra for this state of the art unit.