Wacom Graphics tablets vs. Mouse

Not many practicing photographers can afford sending their images out to a professional retoucher, so we end up spending a lot of time in front of the computers editing our photo shoots. It's time consuming and... just imagine how you could use every hour that you free up from your post-production activities!

I am working on a blog post and video tutorial on how I have managed to cut my client shoots editing time down from 5-8 hours to 1-2 hours, not bad, huh! Stay tuned and I will share my tips here soon! But now I would like to talk a little about my main tool, my best retouching friend - Wacom graphics tablet! 

I have been teaching retouching and photography for a while now, and a lot of people who approached me to do a retouching course were practicing photographers who still worked with a mouse. Most of them are now happily retouching with Wacom tablets, and thanking me for pushing them out of their comfort zone. Yes, that's exactly what it is - you are so used to working with a mouse, so that when you grab a Wacom pen for the first time and it feels like your own hand turned into a chicken foot, you give up the idea of giving up your mouse right then. Too bad, because I know from my own experience, and from what I hear from my past students - it only takes from a couple of days up to a week to become a virtuoso with this great retouching tool in your hand!

Let's see why you should consider upgrading your retouching instrument from a mouse to a Wacom tablet and pen. 

No matter how great your retouching [with a mouse] skills are, a pen will always feel more comfortable and natural in your hand. Its pressure-sensitivity can control line thickness, transparency, and/or color. The higher the pressure-sensitivity, the more responsive and natural your tablet will feel and the more control you will have.

Many types of editing work are done much quicker and easier with a tablet: selecting small objects, complex skin retouching, and everything that has to do with retouching human faces, bodies, eyes, hair, etc.

Samples of Before & After images by Alyssa Erontieva

What is a graphics tablet?

Also referred to as a digitizing tablet, graphics pad, or drawing tablet, a tablet is an alternate type of input device that can be used in place of, or in conjunction with, a mouse, trackball, or other pointing device. The tablet consists of two parts, a flat surface for drawing, and a pen or stylus that is programmed to work with the tablet. Usually, you also get a pen holder, and additional pen nibs. (source: About.com)

Before you get one

Make sure you know what types of Graphics tablets there are out there, and read some reviews before you buy one. I personally choose Wacom Intuos and use Wacom Intuos4 (small) with my 27" iMac at home, and Wacom Intuos3, which I bought in Australia in 2009, for when I'm travelling (just because I'm not too worried if it breaks).

There are a few types of Wacom tablets that you can buy these days: Wacom Intuos4 (they may be harder to find available for purchase now) - they are older and cheaper, great choice if you would like to improve your work tools, but would still like to save a little. And Wacom Intuos5, which come in a few sizes:

-  Small with active area: 6.2" x 3.9"(157 x 98 mm); 

-  Medium  with active area: 8.8" x 5.5" (224 x 140 mm); 

-  Large  with active area: Pen: 12.8" x 8.0" (325 x 203 mm), Touch: 11.8" x 7.5" (299 x 190 mm);

There are also the amazing Cintiqs, which are pen-on-screen tablets, so you retouch, draw or paint right on the tablet surface. They are amazing, and pretty costly, starting from around $900 (Cintiq 12WX), the next step up would be around $2,000 (Cintiq 22HD) followed by Cintiq 24HD and Cintiq 24HD Touch which range anywhere from $2,300 (used) up to $3,699 (new).

Just like I mentioned before I own an older Intuos3 (Medium) and Intuos4 (Small) and I personally prefer working on the small tablet, because I don't have to move my arm and hand as much. The active area is so small that I can easily reach from one corner of my 27" screen to the opposite without lifting my arm/hand. Apparently, it also works great for your shoulders and back, because your elbows are resting on the desk while only your hand is moving, whereas with a larger tablet you have to constantly lift/move your arm, adding tension to your shoulder muscles.

Installing your new tablet

After you bring your brand new tablet home, hook it up to your computer and install the driver, go to the tablet preferences and make sure your tablet mapping mode set on Pen, and Screen Area and Tablet Area are set on Full (see screenshot below). With such settings every spot of your tablet surface has a matching spot on your screen. You don't have to drag your cursor as you used to with your mouse anymore, just touch the tablet anywhere in the Active Area with your pen and the cursor will appear in the matching area of the screen. You can also match your tablet surface to serving two screens if you`re using two monitors (I used to have two monitors back in Australia before I got my first iMac).

It took me about a week to get used to working with a tablet and pen when I first bought it.  I had to actively make myself get into the habit of working with the stylus, but I kept jumping back to using a mouse during that first week.  It`s been almost 4 years now, that I don`t even have a mouse on my desk. I cannot stress enough how much more precise and accurate your retouching will become as soon as you get the hang of your new graphics tablet.

Happy retouching! :)

PS: While researching for this post, I realized that there are 10 replacement nibs (five standard nibs, one flex nib, one stroke nib, and three hard felt nibs) in the pen stand!  And a little video by MaryDesigns on how to change the nibs for you here.

This is a revised and updated post from the beginning of 2012.