Which graphics tablet for a photographer should you choose? How to choose a graphics tablet for drawing

Purchasing a graphics tablet is an important decision in the life of an artist. With the help of computer technology and programs, you can develop your creativity as an amateur as well as a professional. But before you get started, you need to figure out how to set up programs in order to start working comfortably. The graphics tablet and pen must come with an installation disk containing drivers for your equipment. Typically, installation instructions are included with the device. Once the graphics tablet is connected, we can proceed to configure it in the popular Adobe Photoshop program. We choose this particular program because it is the main and most popular one used by graphic designers and illustrators.

We will analyze the setup of Adobe Photoshop with version CS2. Other versions are similar in use, but there may be minor changes in the arrangement of tools and their improvements. Therefore, it’s okay if your Adobe Photoshop is a different version (most importantly, not too outdated), all the described settings can be applied.

Step 1. So, double-click the left mouse to open Adobe Photoshop. We see an empty area in the middle where there are no new projects yet. On the left are the necessary tools, and on the right are layers and history:

Step 2. Click on the top left corner – File – New:

Step 3. Create a new sheet on which we will draw. Its dimensions can be set using any format: pixels, inches, cm, mm, pt, picas and columns. Typically, illustrations use pixels, while print media use cm or mm. We will set the format of the horizontal landscape sheet, in cm - 29.7 (width) and 21 (height), and in pixels - 1754 (width) and 1240 (height). You should get a sheet like this:

Step 4. It is important that it is comfortable for your hand to draw, so we open the sheet to the full screen. If you need to zoom in or out, use a magnifying glass:

Step 5. Let's move on to the pen. Thickness and saturation depend on the pen itself and its quality. In addition, there are a number of settings that can be seen in the top panel. There we can find the brush size, its diameter and hardness. In addition, you can adjust the opacity and pressure (let's leave them at 100%):

Step 6. There are several basic standard brush diameters that artists most often use - 3, 5, 9, 13, 19. Of course, you can set any desired size from 1 to 2500, but this is only if you have a very large or small size surfaces. Brushes have different shapes and textures, which they use in their works. You should not be afraid to experiment in order to choose a brush that suits you, with which you will be comfortable working:

Step 7 The diameter and size of the nib can easily be compared to the softness of a simple pencil. As we remember from the article on how to choose a pencil for drawing, there are different types of a simple pencil according to the degree of softness 2H, H, F, HB, B. The relationship between the softness of a simple pencil and the size of the pen is shown below:

Step 8 If you suddenly draw an extra line, you can remove it using the eraser, which is located on the left in the tools. There we also find a “dropper”, which allows you to select any color that is on your surface. In the program you will find a palette, thanks to which you can choose any color to suit your taste:

I’ve been thinking about getting a graphics tablet somewhere and trying to use it in my photo processing process for a long time, but somehow it didn’t work out (either laziness or forgetfulness)
And then at the Photo Departure festival I had the chance to meet Wacom ambassador Timofey Trefilov and thanks to this acquaintance, I got a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet for testing, which, having thrown aside the mouse and trackpad, I used for three weeks and returned back with tears in my eyes and pain in my stomach. heart.

At first it was “painful” - uncomfortable, my hands were shaking, it was slow, I had to move my hand a lot. But I remembered Timofey’s most important commandment - to simply use the tablet instead of a mouse and other tools, doing normal actions on it, and continued to persistently and stubbornly move the pen over the black matte surface, trying to answer email.

Something like: “here’s a recipe for how to make a masterpiece.” Or come up with something that is practically impossible to do without a tablet. I spent a very long time scouring the Internet, reading reviews and forums. But it turned out that there was no secret. Just using a tablet is a life hack that allows you to process photos more accurately, accurately and quickly.
Yes, you can do it without a tablet. Especially when processing a landscape, when everything most often comes down to color correction.

The use of a tablet is usually associated with graphic artists and designers, or, in extreme cases, with retouching people, when it is necessary to paint on hairs or correct minor skin defects.
But it turned out that the tablet is convenient and useful when processing landscapes. Any operations in one way or another related to drawing or selection are much more convenient and intuitive to do with a pen than with a mouse.
In Lightroom, this is drawing masks on gradients, Adjustment Brush, and Spot removal.
In Photoshop, a tablet is useful for dodge and burn operations, stacking exposures, gluing layers, drawing masks and retouching.

Settings
Half the success is proper setup of the tablet. You can make the transparency of the tool depend on the degree of pressure on the pen, or you can make the pressure influence the size of the brush. I like it better when a strong pressure determines transparency - a light pressure with a pen - an imperceptible effect. But this is only suitable for brushes. When working with the Healing Brush, on the contrary, it is more convenient for the size of the tool to depend on the force of pressing, then you can not constantly select the size, but simply press with the pen with different forces.
In Photoshop CC, these settings are hidden in the top tool settings panel - the rightmost button in the form of a target with a pencil is what you need :)

When working with a regular brush, the most convenient setting option for me turned out to be to make the transparency dependent on the degree of pressure, and to change the size on the touch ring of the tablet.

And when working in Lightroom, using this ring is very convenient to scroll through the image panel. There is no need to switch to the Library module.

The behavior of almost all of the tablet's keys and controls can be customized individually for different applications. You must first select for which application the settings are being made, then select what exactly we will configure and set your own commands for each button. You can assign an arbitrary command to each button or radial menu item simply by using a combination of hot keys.

This screenshot clearly shows how many different options there are for customization; if you approach this process thoughtfully and competently, you can process photos without ever touching the keyboard.

For example, I found it very convenient to add a command to reduce the size and add sharpening to the radial menu for the web, as well as to save a photo. Now, for these frequent actions, you don’t have to go to the menu or the actions panel.

Two keys on the pen can be configured similar to the left and right mouse buttons, and you can assign additional frequently called actions.
For example, when working with Lightroom, I added a function for adding a gradient to one of the buttons - I don’t have to go to the toolbar every time and click there again.

Another convenient feature was multi-touch support - these are the same gestures with one or more fingers that we are all so accustomed to when using a trackpad (well, I’m used to it, okay). Flipping with fingers, resizing images using gestures and other convenient things. Thanks to this feature, the tablet is fully capable of replacing a trackpad.

For those who know a lot about drawing, the tablet comes with a huge variety of interchangeable tips. And in order not to get tangled in wires, the tablet is connected to the computer using a wireless module. It is very convenient that if the module is not in use, you can hide it in the tablet and there is no fear that it will be lost.
I don’t know how long it would take me to do this retouching with a mouse, probably about an hour, but with a tablet I did it in 15 minutes. And this is taking into account the fact that this was the first time such an operation was performed. With the help of a pen, all retouching essentially comes down to drawing, and you have to draw with your hand, which is familiar and convenient. Everything turns out much more accurately and accurately than when using a mouse.

My second experiment with the tablet led to the following result

Writing text is convenient and simple. Drawing something over a photograph is even easier, and the result resembles something in the style of Pyotr Lovygin, although his handwriting is more artistic :))

HDR and focus stacking
Well, in order to make this review as useful as possible, I will show an example of processing a photograph without coming up with any complications such as retouching and inscriptions. This is the algorithm by which I usually process my photos, with slight variations, but the general meaning remains the same.
To confuse you, as an example, I chose a photo taken with focus bracketing and also in hdr. That is at the input we have 4 frames - light and dark with focus on the foreground and light + dark with focus on the background.
It’s best to shoot such “blanks” from a tripod, but as always, I was too lazy to shoot them handheld in bracketing mode.


The point is that first, in Lightroom, an hdr file is glued from each pair of bracketed frames using the Photo merge -> HDR function. It turns out two files with focus in different places from which you just need to get a picture with an infinite depth of field.

Here are all the layers that took part in shaping the result

Now, in order.
1 . Combining two images with focus in different places. To do this, place the two files on different layers and simply wipe the desired areas over the mask. Using a tablet to draw masks is incredibly convenient; you can press harder or weaker to make the mask less or more transparent. Again, accuracy and detail are improved.


After a minute of drawing with a pen, we have a photo with an infinite depth of field, which includes both the foreground and background.
2. Crop and geometry adjustments
3. Filter Nik Color Efed -> Pro Contrast and, it seems, Sunlight
4 . Dodge and Burn. Using a tablet, we draw with white what we want to lighten and with black what we want to darken. Here I went wild, I had never drawn the details in such detail before. Thanks to the tablet, I was able to highlight almost every clover petal. I simply wouldn’t undertake such work with a mouse, but with a pen it somehow happened by itself.

5. Healing Brush- rubbed interfering and flickering blades of grass
6. Edit->Transform->Warp - corrected the geometry and tightened the corners
7. Lab Color - curves and saturation
8. Resize and save for the web.

And the result

Conclusions
The tablet fits perfectly into my photo processing process. At first it was quite unusual and inconvenient to use a pen instead of a mouse, but after a few days I got used to it. But performing operations in Lightroom and Photoshop related to drawing, masks and retouching is much more convenient and enjoyable to do using a pen. No matter how trivial it may sound, holding a brush in your hands and drawing directly from a photograph with it is much more convenient than using a mouse-shaped adapter for this purpose.
Half of the basic landscape photography processing can be done with a tablet.
The size of the tablet should be selected depending on the size and resolution of the monitor or laptop screen. In my case, the tablet turned out to be too big for a laptop and I had to move my hand quite a lot to move the cursor from corner to corner.
I worked on a 13" MacBook Pro and the Intuos Pro M turned out to be too big - it was not very convenient to move your hand. It would be possible to configure the tablet so that only part of its surface corresponds to the screen, but then it is not clear why you would pay money for a larger tablet size.

Here's a pretty clear sign:

The wireless module drains the laptop battery quite a lot. I have a sneaking suspicion that even while the laptop is in a sleeping state. In any case, several times during testing of the tablet I came to the office with a completely dead battery, although it was clear in my memory that there should still be 50% left. When used with a desktop computer, this is not very important, but when working with a laptop, it is worth remembering about charging.

The tablet itself is quite large, it turned out to be even slightly larger than my laptop. Approximately 1/4 of the surface is unused areas and buttons.

Intuos Pro is the most advanced model.
2048 levels of pressure, resolution 5,080 lpi, which means very high accuracy, sensitivity to pen tilt, many programmable keys.
I have the impression that for processing photographs, at least landscapes, this is somewhat redundant and it is quite possible to limit oneself to the younger Intuos Photo model, which costs several times less and has more modest characteristics (2,540lpi and 1024 degrees of pressure), which, however, less than that is more than enough for photo processing. In addition, Intuos Photo is more compact and comes with special programs for photo processing.
I was wondering if I should buy one of these :)

More detailed technical specifications can be found on the official website
Wacom Intuos Pro -

Today we will talk about such a useful tool in photo processing as a graphics tablet. And let's look at the Wacom Intuos Pro in particular. Also comparing it based on your experience of using it with other models.

And why is it so remarkable for processing? And the fact that we have in our hand a device comparable to a pen or pencil. We have been accustomed to working with these tools since childhood and can easily draw a straight line or, conversely, a smooth curve. Try using your mouse to draw, for example, eyelashes or hair. And you will immediately understand that it is almost impossible to do this accurately. If you ask: “What if I don’t need to draw hair?” But in any case, even without drawing something from scratch, we will process photos, draw masks, darken/lighten, and simply draw neat lines. And here the mouse loses in all respects, and most importantly, in time. Doing the same dodge&burn with a mouse is a pain. A tablet is much faster and several times more convenient.

Here it is worth clarifying that I am talking specifically about high-quality processing. By the way, at the beginning of my retouching career I worked without a tablet, using a mouse. There was such a time :) Yes, I did dodge&burn, even a neat one. But it took me 3 times more time than with a tablet. But I couldn’t draw anything exactly. In addition to smoothness and other delights, the Wacom tablet has pen pressure sensitivity. And recognizes from 1024 to 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. Modern tablets also have additional keys, both on the tablet itself and on the pen, each of which is highly customizable. The number of keys on the tablet depends on the model and size. More advanced models also have a touch ring (not like Harry Potter, but also cool). You can use it to change the brush size, rotate the canvas, select a layer and much more to your liking (also customizable).
Which tablet would I recommend? Anyway - Wacom. But look at the model based on convenience and budget. Previously, Wacom had 2 lines of tablets - Bamboo and Intuos (named by numbers: Intuos4, Intuos5). The first is for amateurs, the second is for professionals. But it is worth noting that even Bamboo has characteristics that allow professionals to work with it without any problems. It has a limited number of additional keys, does not have any nice things like a pen stand, a large number of different nibs, a touch ring, etc. Now the names of the models have changed, and now there are Intuos (formerly Bamboo) and IntuosPro (formerly Intuos). Naturally, the design of both models has changed, but the basic functionality remains almost the same.
I would like to talk about the IntuosPro tablet, since this is the latest model in the professional line, and today we’ll talk about it. I have size S. This is approximately the same as an A4 sheet in physical dimensions, and the working surface is approximately A6. It is larger than the regular S size Intuos (Bamboo).

In the kit, not counting the instructions and the disk, I have the tablet itself, a pen, a pen stand (which comes with 10 nibs and tweezers), 3 replaceable pen rings (for beauty and identification of pens, if, for example, you work in a studio, where each employee has his own pen), a USB cable and a module for wireless connection. The tablet itself has a soft-touch coating, which is very pleasant to the touch, better than the glossy plastic of the Intuos4. Regarding the wireless module, I always thought that it was more of a toy than a really useful thing. But it turned out to be quite convenient, I like it. One less wire on the table. There are no delays in pen drawing speed. I compared it with the wire and didn't notice any difference. The tablet also has a multi-touch function, i.e. You can scroll websites with your hands, rotate photos in Photoshop, use many gestures (up to 5 fingers at a time), etc. All this is easily customizable for any action you need. I usually turn off touch functions when processing photos, because personally they sometimes interfere with me.

The tablet itself has a working area smaller than it physically is. Area boundaries are highlighted with glowing triangles. Intuos did not have this until the 4th. On my main 4th, the entire work surface is a work area. Controversial point. Due to this “extra” part of the working area, the tablet is not as compact in size as we would like. Also, the Intuos4 has gaps in the plastic (grooves) in the places of the buttons and the function ring. Sometimes all sorts of rubbish gets clogged there in the form of crumbs (hello cookies) and similar small grains of sand. In Intuos 5 this issue was well corrected, making almost the entire tablet homogeneous, without grooves. But in IntuosPro these grooves were returned again. To be honest, I don’t really understand why.

And about the buttons themselves. In version 4 they are the most common ones, and in Pro they have touch sensitivity. Without pressing, you can place your finger on top of the button and after a second you will see a hint on the monitor which function is assigned to this and other keys. Comfortable. The additional keys themselves (there are 6 of them, 2 rows of 3 in my Small model, and 8 each in larger models) are very conveniently separated by a convex area on the middle of the 3 buttons. Those. You can even control where your finger lies even without looking at the tablet. A very convenient function is to call up tablet parameters from an additional button. I don’t know if this feature is configurable on Intuos4, but it’s definitely not there by default.

A full charge of the wireless module lasted me 3 days of active work. The tablet turns itself off after 2 minutes of inactivity. The shutdown time is configurable. There is an icon in the system tray that shows the battery level. The pen for the Intuos4, Intuos5, IntuosPro tablets is the same. They are compatible between models. And now about the fly in the ointment. Covering the work area. For me, as a retoucher, this is partly a disappointment. On Intuos4 it was matte, but smooth in feel. But with IntuosPro (and Intuos5) it is rough. Those. The feeling of drawing with a pen is not so soft. This, apparently, was done to please not the retouchers, but the artists. With such a coating, of course, the difference in the tips is better felt and the sensations are really different (marker, pencil...). But for retouching this is simply not necessary. Even with the softest tip, I still don't feel a very soft glide. Although I can’t say that everything is bad. Just not the way I'm used to on the Intuos4. In this regard, a dinosaur like Intuos3 was ideal. It just has a thick glossy film on it and it glides on perfectly. I also noticed an unpleasant feature when using the touch ring. There is a slight delay in the tablet's reaction to sliding a finger along the ring. Regardless of whether you change the brush size, scale or anything else. In Intuos4, this function works perfectly when you just start moving your finger along the touch ring, and the specified parameter immediately changes. In IntuosPro this response is slightly slower. This is literally for a split second and many will most likely not even notice it. But when compared to the Intuos4, which I've been using for the last 2 years, it's noticeable. I tested via USB and wireless module - there is a delay in both. Otherwise, this is an excellent tablet that has a huge number of customizable functions and allows you to solve all your image processing tasks.
What conclusion can be drawn from all of the above? If you often process photos and want to improve the level, simplify the process and make it more comfortable and faster, then a tablet is a necessary thing for you.
In terms of size, you can take S if you have a screen size up to 24". It will work comfortably. If the monitor is larger than 24", then it is better to take M. I now have a 24" monitor and I am comfortable with both size M (my Intuos4) and size S (IntuosPro). But on a laptop (15"), size M is inconvenient - very large. But size S is generally excellent.
I write all this purely based on my feelings and precisely as a retoucher. Artists may have a different opinion about some things (covering the work area, etc.).
With that, thank you all for your attention and see you next articles! If you have any questions, write. I will be happy to answer!

Drawing and retouching photographs is a fascinating creative process that requires precision and scrupulousness from the artist and designer. It is especially difficult for beginners and children who are just learning the fine arts to master these professions. This matter can be significantly simplified if you choose the best graphics tablets that allow you to bring to life the most original ideas. With them, work will go faster, better and even more interesting, but for this you will need to buy a really good gadget. You will find out what exactly we are talking about by reading our rating, compiled based on user reviews.

The leading manufacturer in this area is the multinational corporation WACOM, whose head office and main production facilities are located in Japan. Most of its products are aimed at the amateur segment of the market, but the company’s assortment also includes models for professional designers, artists, and retouchers. This company has become known, in particular, thanks to the use of modern patented electromagnetic resonance technology, which allows the gadget to function without batteries and wires.

Watch a video review of new products from WACOM here:

So far, no other company can compare with WACOM, but the Genius brand comes closest to it in terms of rating. The trademark is registered by the Taiwanese corporation KYE Systems, specializing in the production of computer peripherals. Their selection of graphics tablets is small, and the warranty, unlike other companies from our TOP, is only given for a year.

The third most popular company after WACOM and Genius is XP-PEN - a supporter of the optimal balance of quality and convenience of technology. When developing their devices, the manufacturer takes into account the individual needs of users. It has reliable service and good feedback from the market, analyzing complaints and correcting shortcomings with the release of new models.

Rating of the best graphics tablets

The main selection criteria were pen sensitivity and screen resolution, since the image quality depends on these two characteristics. Among the secondary, but no less important parameters, the following were considered:

• Weight and dimensions of the work area;
• USB cable length;
• Pen feeding method;
• Equipment (number of spare rods, tongs, instructions, etc.);
• Ability to work without installing drivers;
• Case color;
• Functionality (can it be used as a mouse, access to hot keys, etc.);
• Build quality;
• Popularity of the manufacturer.

An important point was the purpose of the tablet - for beginners, amateurs or professionals.

Since when choosing them we focused primarily on the quality, functionality, price, ease of use and popularity of the devices, these parameters were taken as the basis when compiling the categories.

Best quality

Established in this title WACOM Bamboo Pen CTL-470k, characterized by ease of operation and precision. The pen here is very sensitive and does not require strong pressure, so it works very well to draw even the smallest details. The dimensions of the work area are slightly smaller than A4 paper (278 x 176 x 11 mm), which will be quite convenient for artists, designers and children. The manufacturer designed this best graphics tablet for hobbyists, as evidenced by the average resolution of 2540 lines per inch.

Advantages:

• Value for money;
• Fits comfortably in the hand;
• Reliable brand;
• Drivers work stably;
• The cord is quite long enough;
• The rods do not wear out for a long time;
• High pen sensitivity.

Flaws:

• Inconvenient cord.

WACOM Bamboo Pen CTL-470k was originally designed for use by amateurs, but is generally suitable for professionals.

Most functional

The first place in this category went to XP-PEN G430. In reviews, users often talk about its incredibly small thickness (2 mm), which naturally makes work more comfortable. The pen does not glitch due to its high sensitivity (2048 pressure levels), and together with the function of automatic line correction and stylus stabilization, this model will be indispensable for novice designers, artists, and engineers.

An important feature is that the pen is independent of the battery; it does not need to be charged. If you want to buy this really good graphics tablet, you need to consider that it can also be used to play OSU without first installing drivers.

Advantages:

• Price;
• Appearance;
• Work "out of the box";
• Dimensions, especially thickness;
• Passive stylus;
• Large supply of pen nibs.

Flaws:

• Drivers included for Linux;
• Relative mode in portrait orientation;
• Doesn't work wirelessly;
• Stylus marks remain;
• When the stylus is lifted from the working surface, the cursor position is not remembered.

Due to its small size, the XP-Pen G430 gadget will find use in businesses where biometric signatures are often required.

Most Popular

Here, the best graphics tablet is the one that deserves attention if only because it has a comfortable pen-shaped stylus. You can draw both thin and thick lines with it, choosing the desired thickness by reducing or increasing the pressure on it. An important nuance is the ability to connect a wi-fi module to the device for wireless operation. It is similar in size to A5 paper, which will be just right for beginner users. You will be especially pleased with the responsive work surface here.

Advantages:

• Reacts only to the pen;
• Doesn't overheat;
• Convenient format;
• Powered by USB;
• Slim body.

Flaws:

• Small sizes;
• Stainless color;
• Not the highest pen sensitivity.

The Wacom Intuos Draw gadget is designed for sketching and drawing, but can also be used for photo editing.

The best of the inexpensive ones

A prominent representative of such tablets is Genius EasyPeni405 from the amateur class. It boasts an ergonomic and fast pen that runs on a single battery. With it, you can not only draw, but also access various applications through 28 hotkeys. It has 2 keys, thanks to which the gadget can serve as a mouse. With this model, you should have no problems creating lines of any thickness thanks to a pen with a pressure sensitivity of 1024 degrees.

Advantages:

• Long wire;
• Light weight of 340 g;
• Replaceable nozzles;
• Several supported OS.

Flaws:

• Few tips in the set (2 pcs.);
• It doesn't work well without installing drivers;
• White.

When deciding to choose the Genius EasyPen i405, you need to take into account that you should be more careful with it, since if you lose your “native” pen, it is unlikely that you will be able to find a suitable one on sale.

The most convenient

Enter the TOP as the best graphics tablet in terms of convenience Wacom One Small CTL-471 made possible by the fact that it weighs only 240 g, has rubberized legs and a long cable (40 cm) for the PC. The set here is optimal; in addition to this, it also includes several spare rods, pliers for replacing them, and drivers for installation, although you can draw without them.

Separately, it should be noted the sensitive touch panel, which quickly and accurately responds to pen touches. To use it as a mouse, you need to move it, slightly lifting it off the working surface. This is an ideal option for those who draw a lot, because the ergonomic “handle” prevents the brush from getting tired. There are no complaints about the assembly, although it is Chinese. The resolution is also quite decent - 2540 degrees of pressure.

Advantages:

• Suitable for both right-handers and left-handers;
• Stylish;
• Build quality;
• Ease of use;
• “Flies” even without installing drivers;
• Easy for beginners;
• Does not require batteries.

Flaws:

• Not found.

The best choice for professionals

For those who decide to get serious about graphics, a good option would be Wacom Intuos Pro L. Here, for comfortable work, high sensitivity to a tilt angle of more than 60 degrees is provided. For increased productivity, there's a Touch Ring and ExpressKeys. The ability to connect a module for wireless operation allows you to avoid being tied to a workplace; the device operates at a distance of up to 10 m from it. The packaging is also impressive; the set includes several nibs - rigid, line, flexible and standard. This variety allows you to create absolutely any drawing. True, the device is definitely not cheap.

Advantages:

• Equipment;
• Large working surface dimensions;
• Autonomy;
• Availability of Multitouch.

Flaws:

• High price.

According to reviews, Wacom Intuos Pro L is ideal for working in absolutely all graphic editors, including Photoshop.

Which graphics tablet is better to buy?

Before you choose a good gadget, you should decide why exactly it is needed. Children and beginners don’t have to buy expensive high-resolution models (more than 2540 lines); models with a small A5 screen will suit them.

• For professionals - designers, artists, retouchers - it would be better to buy a Wacom Intuos Pro L. It works quickly and opens up a wide field for a wide variety of manipulations with the pen.
• For those who plan to use the gadget as a replacement for a mouse, you can choose the inexpensive Genius EasyPen i405.
• Children, including teenagers, will be just right to buy the Wacom One CTL-471, although it cannot be called budget.
• For anyone who works on a tablet for a long time, the Wacom Intuos Draw Pen S North White is an ideal choice due to its small size and ergonomic stylus.
• Those who want to buy an amateur device that is also inexpensive but of high quality can be advised to purchase the WACOM Bamboo Pen CTL-470k.

Who, if not an illustrator, knows how to choose a tablet for creating graphics. Some tips are available in this video:

In the best graphics tablets, the pen is a kind of author's brush, and the screen is the canvas. Working with them should be comfortable, only then the results of your work will be impressive and you will be able to reveal yourself as an artist or designer. But, of course, you need to focus on how much the device costs.

From professional photographer Andrey Turtsevich. In the article, the author explains the advantages of each line and helps you choose the most suitable model.

Creating a photo collage is one of the areas of application of a graphics tablet. In this example, the clouds in the photo are highlighted with several strokes of the stylus on the surface of the Wacom Bamboo Fun Pen&Touch tablet, cut out and transferred to a landscape photo illustration

How is a graphics tablet useful when working with digital photography?

If you are into digital photography, then you probably know that getting a high-quality photo often requires a lot of effort. A good photo must accurately express the author's idea and be technically perfect. To this end, the photographer not only captures what he sees by pressing the shutter, but also usually performs post-processing on a PC in an editing program like Photoshop. The processing process is in many cases the most time-consuming part of creating a photographic work. Often, such operations require local corrections - changing the color, brightness and saturation of individual areas, removing dust and unnecessary details. Collage techniques and photo colorization are common in photo post-processing.

Although automation tools for these processes are constantly being improved (there are already automatic skin retouching tools, red-eye removal algorithms, and intelligent replacement of details in images), most operations are impossible without a manual input tool, such as a mouse or electronic pen. The ability to perform certain operations depends not only on the experience of the specialist, but also on the accuracy of the tool he uses, therefore, to increase work efficiency, its correct choice is important.

Many photographers are interested in whether they need a graphics tablet to process digital photos, or whether a mouse is enough. The answer is obvious to me - due to the higher accuracy of actions performed by an electronic pen, its use significantly speeds up any actions related to the manipulation of image fragments. Ultimately, the time and effort put into a job affects how well it is done. Even such a familiar procedure as cropping a series of photographs is speeded up when using a graphics tablet. When creating masks, coloring, removing small particles and cloning fragments, the efficiency of actions using an electronic pen increases by an order of magnitude. Therefore, if you plan to use not only general tone adjustments when working with photos, but also use local processing, Using a graphics tablet will make your work much easier and faster.

The electronic pen is convenient for quickly creating selections in mask coloring mode. The example above shows a mask created with a few strokes of the Bamboo stylus, allowing you to cut out a cloud from a photo

In addition, the advantage of a graphics tablet over a mouse is its ability to respond to pressure, which allows you to change the diameter of the brush while working. A great advantage of tablets is the presence of programmable keys that can replace the keyboard when working with images. A high-quality tablet costs more than a mouse, but experience shows that the investment is justified - after all, the final result depends on the right choice of tool!

Wacom tablets

For digital image processing, Wacom graphics tablets are the most suitable - thanks to the ownership of patents for unique pen input technologies and high quality products, the company is a leader in this segment. Even if you take the closest competitors - tablets with battery-powered wireless pens - due to the greater mass of the stylus, they are less accurate and convenient than devices for home users. Professional series Wacom Intuos And Wacom Cintiq currently have no analogues.

Wacom styluses do not have batteries (the pen reflects the signal generated by the surface of the tablet), so they were made lightweight and sensitive. However, the advantages of Wacom devices are not only in ergonomics - the manufacturer’s devices are most accurate when changing the pressure on the pen and its tilt. The modern Wacom line includes a wide range of devices aimed at different applications in a wide price range, which makes it easier to select the right model.

Some new inexpensive tablet models are not inferior in positioning accuracy and pressure sensitivity to professional devices from the previous generation manufacturer. So, an A5 format model will cost you $300 (for comparison, a professional Intuos3 with similar characteristics will cost about $500, and the recommended price for a tablet of the new Intuos4 line is about $600). If you're on a budget, I recommend taking a closer look at a model that costs around $100 and has a sensitive stylus, which significantly increases the efficiency of photo editing.

At the same time, prices for Wacom devices are directly related to their functionality, so professional models will provide the greatest savings in working time and maximum comfort in work. We also can’t help but mention the unique tablet display Wacom Cintiq, latest modification 21UX which can be considered the most advanced of modern input devices. Below I will provide a brief overview of Wacom models with an emphasis on their features that are useful when working with photo images.

Ruler Bamboo is aimed at home users, however, many tablets in this series are quite suitable for professional work. The peculiarity of the new Bamboo is the presence of high-precision models with pressure sensitivity of 1024 levels and support, simultaneously with pen, touch input. So far, Bamboo is the only Wacom tablet that provides control over the surface of the tablet with both electronic pens and fingers.

For example, a touch with one finger corresponds to a mouse click, with two adjacent fingers it activates a right-click, and a horizontal movement scrolls the contents of windows. Working with your fingers speeds up many operations when working with photographs - for example, by moving your index finger and thumb away from the center, you will enlarge the photo on the screen; by making a rotational movement with two fingers on the Bamboo surface, you will be able to rotate the frame.

Appearance of the new generation Bamboo interactive tablets and packaging of models

Bamboo Touch, Bamboo Pen, Bamboo Pen&Touch, Bamboo Fun Pen&Touch.
There are four modifications of Bamboo tablets on sale in our country. Bamboo models differ in characteristics, functionality, software, and design. The key differences between tablets are reflected in their names.

Bamboo Touch - black tablet, black stylus, on the package - photo of the device on purple background. Working surface - about 10x15 cm (A6 Wide). This tablet has only the Multi-touch function - touch control, there is no pen input, so the device comes without a stylus. Due to the lack of a pen, the tablet is not suitable for processing photo images, but it is convenient for viewing them.

Bamboo Pen - black tablet, black stylus, on the package - photo of the device on green background. Working surface about 10x15 cm (A6 Wide). Features pen input function with pressure sensitivity - 512 levels. Does not support touch input. This is the cheapest device that allows you to increase the efficiency of photo retouching. The sensitivity of the stylus is quite enough to quickly remove dust from images, cut out objects, and colorize photographs. The absence of an eraser in the stylus does not harm such work, but the function keys in this model are missing.

Bamboo Pen&Touch - black tablet, black stylus, on the package - photo of the device on blue background. Working surface about 10x15 cm (A6 Wide). It has a pen input function with pressure sensitivity - 1024 levels. Has four programmable keys. The device has an excellent price/quality ratio for working with photographs. The tablet provides precise and fast actions for retouching, coloring, and creating masks using a pen. At the same time, touch input makes photo navigation, zoom and rotation functions more efficient.

Bamboo Fun Pen&Touch - silver tablet, silver stylus, photo of the device on the packaging orange background.
Available in two versions:

1. working surface about 10x15 cm (A6 Wide),
2. working surface 21.6x13.7 cm (A5).

It has a pen input function with pressure sensitivity - 1024 levels. Has four programmable keys. The A6 Wide model is in many ways similar to the Bamboo Pen&Touch, but here the pen has an eraser and additional software is included.

The most interesting for photographers is the model Bamboo Fun Pen&Touch A5 format. I have already mentioned the above device due to its high accuracy, which is not inferior to the Intuos3 professional series tablets. This tablet will be an excellent choice for working with photographic images, and it is suitable not only for basic photo retouching operations, but also for creating collages, as well as complex combined graphics, including photos and illustrations. The tablet is a good and economical choice for those who are engaged not only in photo processing, but also in drawing. The disadvantages of the model include the lack of a function for programming keys for a specific application.

This series of tablets is aimed at professional work with images. As already mentioned, such devices have no analogues in accuracy and operating comfort.

Wacom Intuos4 line of professional tablets.

Intuos4 tablets are available in several sizes and proportions, and have clearly marked dimensions. S- Small / Small, work surface 15.75 x 9.84 cm, M- Medium / Medium, work surface 22.35 x 13.97 cm, L- Large / Large, working surface 32.51 x 20.32 cm, XL- Extra Large / Extra large, working surface 46.2 x 30.48 cm. When developing these devices, the task was to ensure maximum comfort in work by recreating the effect of the movement of a real brush on the canvas. The pressure sensitivity here is 2048 levels, which allows you to control the diameter of the brush in Adobe Photoshop within a very wide range, without being distracted by selecting settings and pressing additional keys. When working for a long time with a light, sensitive pen, your hand gets noticeably less tired.

Programmable buttons ExpressKeys, customizable individually for each application, allow you to fully concentrate on the image processing process, using a single input device for all operations. In models Intuos4 formats M, L And XL These keys feature OLED mode displays to help you make better use of customized application settings. Another feature of the devices Intuos4 is the presence of a touch ring with switchable modes, thanks to which it is possible to rotate the frame on the screen to the most convenient position during the retouching process. Switching the touch ring with the central button activates other navigation tools - zooming, scrolling and adjusting the diameter of the working tool. Tablets Intuos4 They are also sensitive to the tilt of the pen, which allows you to create strokes of complex shapes with one stroke - this helps when creating masks with varying degrees of blurring of boundaries.

Corel Painter: Possible use of a tilted pen stroke to quickly select a gradient area

Cintiq display tablets

Devices of this type are tablets with integrated LCD monitors. The main idea behind their design is to allow users to move the electronic pen directly across the display surface. Compared to tablet PCs, such devices have higher resolution and greater pressure sensitivity.

Appearance of the Wacom Cintiq 21UX display tablet

Like the Intuos4 tablets, these devices are designed for professional work, they also feature ExpressKeys that are individually programmable for different programs. Touch strips are used to scroll and zoom frames Touch Strips. Cintiq displays are available in several formats. The new Cintiq 21UX display tablet with a 43.18 x 32.39 cm working surface features Touch Strips on both sides of the display for maximum convenience.

Hand position when using the left Touch Strip on Wacom Cintiq 21UX

Model weight Cintiq 21UX- approximately 10 kg, display resolution 1600x1200 pixels, pressure sensitivity - 2048 levels, rotation angles ± 180°. These devices are convenient for working in a studio that has enough space to accommodate a large input device. The only drawback of Wacom Cintiq models is their high price, so Intuos4 tablets with similar characteristics are often chosen for professional photo work.

How to choose the right size and shape of a tablet for photo retouching

It is believed that the most accurate hand movements can be performed on a tablet, the dimensions of which are comparable to the size of the monitor, but with regular photo processing, speed of action and reducing the load on the hand are more important. Therefore, for retouching and coloring photos, medium-sized devices are usually chosen, and accuracy is controlled by scaling the photo on the screen.

For working on monitors with a diagonal of up to 23”, the most convenient, in my opinion, would be a tablet with working surface dimensions of about 20 x 15 cm and pressure sensitivity of 1024 or 2048 levels. Smaller models are suitable for working in tandem with a laptop. As for the proportions of the tablet, when working with one monitor, its proportions must match the proportions of the monitor. When using multiple displays, it is recommended to use large format tablets or use panoramic devices (Wide).

Resume

If, in addition to general corrections, local corrections are performed when working with photographic images, namely retouching, cutting out objects, selective color correction and coloring of frames, the use of a graphics tablet can significantly increase work efficiency. The most advanced devices for these purposes are Wacom graphics tablets, of which the best in terms of price/quality ratio can be considered models Wacom Bamboo Fun Pen&Touch A5 format. Maximum quality, performance and comfort will be provided by the models Wacom Intuos4 and Cintiq. A budget solution for retouching and coloring photographs will be a model Bamboo Pen. The main advantages of graphics tablets over other input devices when processing photos are the greatest accuracy, pressure sensitivity, the presence of programmable keys, as well as high comfort, making them indispensable devices in the standard workflow of a modern digital photographer.

Andrey Turtsevich