Anybody know about graphics tablets ?

[JaffaCake]

Hey guys. Sorry to bother you again so soon.

I've been meaning to get a graphics tablet for awhile now to start playing with animations.

looking to spend around £30-£50 would they be decent at the price \ work well ?
(I only want to mess around for now)

Also not got around to install Windows on new computer yet. could you suggest one that would work with Linux mint please, if you know one from experience.

 

[StephF]

To me, they've always seen to be a bit big to get in my mouth, and crunchy too

Seriously though, I would think anything at the prices you suggested would be pretty much of a toy. You get what you pay for.

Linux is usually ok for device recognition & drivers but whether there is further software necessary I don't know.

Maybe you could emulate via WINE ?

If you are a decent artist with a pen / brush then maybe consider the Wacom range. Wacom are good but they are not cheap.

Photoshop & Tablet should be awesome but PS doesn't like WINE.

Good luck

 

[JaffaCake]

Mmm Jaffa cakes Don't worry, I don't eat new members.

To me, they've always seem to be a bit big to get in my mouth, and crunchy too

Seriously StephF do you try and eat everything you come across. People and electronics are not food

I've read that Wacom do have drivers for Linux with some people having success.
What size tablet would you suggest to start with ?

 

[zurb]

Personally, I wouldn't touch anything other than a Wacom!
If price is an issue, see if you can get a secondhand one, even if it means using a USB adapter.
I've never met someone who regretted getting a graphics tablet.
I like 6x8", though smaller seems popular at the moment. Depends a little on how/where you intend to use it, and how much you use your keyboard.

 

[JaffaCake]

Hey zurb

I've seen a lot of the smaller ones on Amazon but they look awkward (Difficult to rest your wrist)

I've never used one before.
Might seem a really.... stupid question but I'm having trouble working it out in my head.
When you're drawing on paper you can turn the page to get at another angle. Can you also do this on computer, or do you always draw from one angle?

I can feel my IQ drop thinking about turning the monitor like paper

What are the little difference's from using paper too tablet ?

 

[zurb]

The older wacoms tended to have a lot more margin around the edge than current ones. I'm not sure yet if that's good or bad.
You can of course rotate the tablet to any angle you want, but onscreen its always straight. The only application that ever let you rotate the canvas was Metacreation/Fractal Painter (and before someone says Photoshop can rotate, that's different!). Corel removed that feature when they bought it. If you've got megabucks, you could buy a Wacom Cintiq, or a tablet that uses their technology and rotate to any angle.
Again, if you want (and can afford it), you can buy different pens and nibs to get a more natural feel, but it will never quite be the same feel.
The way I mostly hold my pen is different from a ballpoint — more like a paintbrush. My little finger and that edge of my hand rest on the tablet. Its a much more natural relaxed position.
It takes a little while for one's brain to get used to the way the tablet is mapped to the screen (usually its mapped point to point). So pointing, clicking, dragging also takes a little getting used to. Once you get it, you won't go back to a mouse as there is so much more control.
I haven't kept up with what else is on the market, but it used to be that any tablet that didn't use Wacom technology either had a tethered pen, or required a chunky pen that required batteries.

 

[Mr Allen]

If you want a decent tablet, you might want to increase your budget a bit, £30-50 ain't going to get you much.

 

[JaffaCake]

Well picked it up today.

Spent a-little bit more and got a Wacom CTL671 it's awkward at the moment but sure I'll get the hang of it.
Last question do all Photoshop's work for animation or just a few ?

 

[zurb]

You mean all versions of Adobe Photoshop? Photoshop has supported animation for a while, but that's not its strength. There may be other programs out there worth investigating - including for linux.

 

[JaffaCake]

Yes Adobe photoshop (sorry habit) It just seems to be the most used but very expensive. Hard to justify when I only doodle simple cartoons.

Using Gimp and Tupi at the moment (both free and decent) there are others floating around like FireAlpaca ? but not looked at that yet.

Sorry for the rambling I'm just exited

 

[2/3RDS]

Search ebay for secondhand wacoms. The bamboo is a perfectly good one and the wacom intuos draw is about £50 new if you search. Be aware that old wacom pens have the rubber grip on the pens go sticky over time. Not a problem but feels odd. As far as size is concerned, even small (A5 or A6) sized tablets are fine. Harder to deal with is that older tablets are 4:3 ration rather than the 16:9 of most modern screens. You can adjust the settings on all tablets too make them act more like mice which is a brilliant compromise. the only hard and fast advice I would give is NEVER buy a graphics tablet that needs a battery in the pen as they are crap