What size tablet are you using Croc?

been using wacom's for the last ten years - for everything.

i just prefer using it to the mouse (i'm typing this still holding my pen, don't have to find / sort the mouse out when i need to move the cursor)

latest is large bamboo 6x8, comes with pen and mouse.

using the mouse now feels very peculiar.

doesn't work for everyone though - my wife still prefers the mouse.

I use a 6x8 Intuos.

When I was illustrating full time a lot of other illustrators were fooled into thinking 'bigger is better' and got the huge expensive tablets, then ended up mapping the movement to one corner and just using that. Unless you're the sort of person that uses huge expressive arm movements when trying to draw fine detail, a 6x8 is good for most users. Keep in mind that with a computer, unlike a drawing board, you can zoom in on the subject so that small wrist movements allow you to do what needs to get done, anyway.

I, too use a wacom tablet and have for many years. I use it extensively in Vegas. I find it vastly less fatigueing than a mouse (and faster and more intuitive), although I do use a mouse in vegas as well. It's very easy to use a mouse with the pen stylus in your hand at the same time. I also use a Contour Shuttle Pro in vegas, so both hands are working, but it's very fluid to go back and forth between all of these controllers and they all work well together. I don't recommend using the mouse that comes with the wacom, it works fine but it's very much an either/or proposition as the mouse has to operate on the tablet so you have to remove the mouse it you want to use the stylus.

I have several tablets, the first one I bought was a 6x9 which is the size I currently use on my edit system, but I have used the smaller ones and I was amazed at how quickly the brain adapts to the smaller size. I don't think I've ever been conscious of having less space when using a 4by5 tablet. Even in Photoshop, or Painter trying to paint long brush strokes, the brain just adapts.

I use an Intuos 3 that I bought from academicsuperstore.com with an academic discount, it was a refurbish, or a return, but it has worked perfectly for 2 years and I think I paid 189 dollars for it. Well worth it. Although I have 4 of the 4x5 cheapos and they all work great as well, the Intuos pen is quite nice though.

ddm, I also have a Wacom tablet (primarily for Photoshop) and Contour Shuttle Pro (primarily for Vegas). I haven't used the tablet yet with Vegas - what are some examples of where you find the tablet preferrable to a mouse in Vegas?

I pen left handed and mouse right handed so the tablet and mouse make a great combo for me. I'd love to learn some cool uses for the tablet in Vegas.

Jerry

hey jerry, can you type with your nose at the same time ;-)

i'd give my left arm to be ambidextrous.

all the best

leslie

I use an Intuos 3. I use it in Vegas, but have to use the mouse to use the color dropper - not sure why. By default, I tend to use the pen versus mouse for everything.