David Esp Video Technical Blog

Web-research about graphic tablets – having seen and heard of their use by many editors, e.g on Avid and Adobe.  Bear in mind however that tablet computers like iPad might become (or already have become?) game-changers…

• Graphic / Pen Tablet:
  • Google: [graphic tablet avid media composer]
    • http://community.avid.com/forums/t/84575.aspx
      • Mouse vs. Graphics Tablet
      • CyberCat, Sun, Jun 6 2010 5:10 PM
        • Has: Avid Media Composer 5.5.2 | Windows 7 x64 | i7-990x | GTX 580 | 24GB DDR3 | GA-X58A-UD3R
        • Q: I’ve noticed that most editor’s I’ve worked with tend to use graphics tablets instead of mice for their input device. I would imagine there are many on this forum who do as well. I’m just curious why this is, are they just more comfortable to use, or more accurate or what? I’m considering getting one if they’re worth it.
      • Responses:
        • It’s just a matter of which tool you’re more comfortable with. If you’re considering installing a tablet, do some searches on this Forum for Waacom, as there have been conflicts using them, and specific driver versions needed to solve the problem
        • I’ve used graphics tablets for many years and we have several here — 2 Wacoms, Calcomp large format and Acecat wired.. The Wacom Intuos 4 is excellent. It is indispensible for Photoshop, Painter, etc., and I feel lost without it regardless of the software http://intuos.wacom.com/Americas/?gclid=CMP6hMaQjKICFQNinAodNG0EUQ
          • This link is to a great overview/chooser for a set of variants of the Intuos 4 tablet.
            • I like the Wireless one. Seems the most useful when not at a desk
              (e.g. in bed or on a train).
              • Available from Amazon UK for under £300
              • One user recommends putting acetate on its surface before use. This reduces scratches and also reduces nib wearout. Several users report (unexpectedly quick) nib wearout as an issue.
              • Some users report issues with the wireless (BlueTooth). One responded with advice: Make sure on at least the first 4 charges, that you fully charge the battery, and use it till it runs out of battery (not just red light) rinse and repeat this process, and you’ll be fine with the wireless.
              • Some users were concerned that the tablet doesn’t come with a bluetooth receiver (e.g. USB stick?). Not a concern for my MacBook which has it built-in.
            • The Wacom Tablet changed the way I interact with the Avid application. For me, it’s much faster and intuitive for my hand to simply move right to the spot on the screen I need and click. No more dragging a mouse along. I feel like I’m moving faster and the carple tunnel I was developing has gone away.
  • http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=245&lang=en
    • The Wacom Intuos4 pen tablet

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 18:58 and is filed under Adobe, Avid, Media Composer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.