What tablet do I use

[ronnyb]

Paolo, have you seen these guys? https://www.umake.xyz

 

 

My thoughts on Concepts which I use since first release...

Tools are amazing but they change continuously usability patterns...

Working with layers is really hard...  :unsure:

[paolo.limoncelli]

Yep! It's an old project which is growing pretty fast!

Really interesting for Industrial Designers.

[ronnyb]

Here's a nice video of the iPad Pro and Pencil in action.

 

 

The Apple Pencil is a fantastic piece of news! :)  

[ronnyb]

The Sensel Morph got funded; it might make an amazing retouching device for APhoto....

[O. Chevetaigne]

The Apple Pencil is a fantastic piece of news! :)  

Why Apple Pencil blows away Wacom Cintiq

[O. Chevetaigne]

and this:

 

Only Apple can Make the Perfect Stylus it Once Spurned

[O. Chevetaigne]

A video comparison of an iPad Pro with AstroPad vs Wacom Cintiq 13HD.

[paolo.limoncelli]

Responsiveness via AstroPad is not yet top-notch...

Direct input of Pencil with native Apps (eg Procreate or Apple Notes) is really close to Cintiq13HD input.

[ronniemcbride]

I put my order in! I did not do the pencil yet. I want to try that before I buy it! I already have a Adonit Jot pro pen I got awhile back I never got to use cause I didn't read the fine print it only worked with newer Ipads and I had the IPAD 2 for quite some time. i could sent it back, but I knew I was going to buy this Ipad so I kept it. I 've been saving for this one. 

[O. Chevetaigne]

I put my order in! I did not do the pencil yet. I want to try that before I buy it! I already have a Adonit Jot pro pen I got awhile back I never got to use cause I didn't read the fine print it only worked with newer Ipads and I had the IPAD 2 for quite some time. i could sent it back, but I knew I was going to buy this Ipad so I kept it. I 've been saving for this one. 

Can't wait to hear what you think about it!!   :)

[paolo.limoncelli]

I put my order in! I did not do the pencil yet. I want to try that before I buy it! I already have a Adonit Jot pro pen I got awhile back I never got to use cause I didn't read the fine print it only worked with newer Ipads and I had the IPAD 2 for quite some time. i could sent it back, but I knew I was going to buy this Ipad so I kept it. I 've been saving for this one. 

 

Ronnie.. Trust me Pencil is on another league.

I tried all Adonit products and still own Adonit Jot Touch 1 and 4 hacked.

Jot Touch 4 was suggested as best working stylus by Astropad Team too (at least few months ago...)

 

I had a chance to try Pencil last weekend with Apple Notes and quickly with Procreate 3 (which seems to be optimised):

• palm rejection works (Adonit's one is unreliable )
• point precision is very good
• tilt works fine (Adonit doesn't feature it)

About responsiveness I just said, but have to double check to be sure.

My benchmark remains Wacom Cintiq tech and the Apple combo seemed to me really close.

 

I'm sure instead that Pencil (even if minimalistic compared to Jot Touch) worths more, because is designed for and this is perceivable.

[O. Chevetaigne]

Ronnie.. Trust me Pencil is on another league.

I tried all Adonit products and still own Adonit Jot Touch 1 and 4 hacked.

Jot Touch 4 was suggested as best working stylus by Astropad Team too (at least few months ago...)

 

I had a chance to try Pencil last weekend with Apple Notes and quickly with Procreate 3 (which seems to be optimised):

• palm rejection works (Adonit's one is unreliable )
• point precision is very good
• tilt works fine (Adonit doesn't feature it)

About responsiveness I just said, but have to double check to be sure.

My benchmark remains Wacom Cintiq tech and the Apple combo seemed to me really close.

 

I'm sure instead that Pencil (even if minimalistic compared to Jot Touch) worths more, because is designed for and this is perceivable.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Paolo!  :)

 

I wonder if responsiveness will be improved with Astropad in the future...

 

Any other alternatives (to Astropad) out there for iPad Pro/Apple Pencil anyone is aware of?

[ronniemcbride]

Ronnie.. Trust me Pencil is on another league.

I tried all Adonit products and still own Adonit Jot Touch 1 and 4 hacked.

Jot Touch 4 was suggested as best working stylus by Astropad Team too (at least few months ago...)

 

I had a chance to try Pencil last weekend with Apple Notes and quickly with Procreate 3 (which seems to be optimised):

• palm rejection works (Adonit's one is unreliable )
• point precision is very good
• tilt works fine (Adonit doesn't feature it)

About responsiveness I just said, but have to double check to be sure.

My benchmark remains Wacom Cintiq tech and the Apple combo seemed to me really close.

 

I'm sure instead that Pencil (even if minimalistic compared to Jot Touch) worths more, because is designed for and this is perceivable.

 

Paolo,

 

Thank you so much for you input. You touched (no pun intended) on all the things I was questioning. I trust you especially since you seem to have extensive familiarity with Adonit product line and your skilled and experiences as well. Procreate was my main tool of choice for sketching so to hear that it seems to be most optimized for the new Ipad Pro is great to hear. As with all new apple products, it is going to take a bit of time for developers to optimize their products to work with the new hardware and size format, so the reviews are going to be mostly on the negative for the most part. Most review I watched or read seemed to come from people outside the perceived target market. Many of those people would not even consider a Cintq or Cintq Companion, so many of the reviews are a mute point to me.Woh the hell gonna spent that much for a huge tablet just to watch movies. I am an early adopter on this one and I am sure the next version going to be better, but you have to jump on the boat at some point. Right? I have been toting this IPAD 2 for awhile and it still a fine product but it has its limitations I have always wanted a larger portable iPad for sketching and for photography work. I never felt any of the incarnations of the IPad was fast enough or large enough for what I want or need to do. I am really hoping in the future I'll be able to install Affinity line of ios product on my big bad Ipad Pro freeing me from my laptop  and all these peripherals connected to it. I already have a great laptop so I'm not really looking for a replacement just an addition for my creative and presentation needs. I can't wait to get mine December 2nd my schedule delivery. I guess I cough up the extra 100 bucks and get the damn pencil lol. Ugh, I hate allowing apple to stick to me like this, but I guess you have to" let it happen"  the more you fight the worse it feels...

 

Thanks Paolo!

 

-R

[paolo.limoncelli]

You're welcome!

I'm not an hw guy as told before, my approach with tools is really basic and pragmatic.

I find Adonit products well built and professional, but I waited too long for a proper implementation and responsiveness...

Anyway I think that these actors are almost guiltless.

 

Adonit? They made their best... SDK, R&D, partnerships, new products...

Software houses for SDK implementation?

Even Bamboo Paper paired with a Wacom stylus works so and so...

Former iPad generation was not designed to work with styluses. Period.

 

Now let's see what will came out do with the new technology in terms of third party styluses.  :)

 

I bought an iPad Pro for your same reasons and waiting for Pencil (there are some issues with stocks because in Italy and Ireland delivery expectations are 4-5 weeks... :( ).

The concept of "workstation" is today really fluid.

Start my work somewhere, continue it on my desktop and than back to mobile for sharing/feedbacks/presentation.

 

I'm sure Affinity crew will offer us breath-taking solutions for iPad Pro.

[O. Chevetaigne]

Just in case anyone is interested in how it is built, the folks at IFIXIT took an Apple Pencil apart!

[O. Chevetaigne]

A handy setup tip:

 

Jason Cipriani has posted a way to quickly check the battery status of an iPad Pro and of an Apple Pencil.

[O. Chevetaigne]

More info for those who are interested: 

 

What you can and cannot do with an Apple Pencil on iPad Pro

 

Still saving up .... Apple recently added my older iMac to their no longer serviceable list... (sigh) ... so may need to replace the iMac first.  (re-sigh)...

 

:(

[DivSmart]

I received a couple of emails asking about what tablet I use since I don't use a Wacom.

 

Wacoms are nice and I even own a Wacom worth about 800 bucks that you can draw directly on the screen (the 2 model below the centiq) but I want to sell it because  my new computer connection does not have DVI port.

 

Anyway I use  80 dollar nock off from a company in china  that to be honest I think it works just as well as an intuous. for a fraction of the cost. you can check out here.

Ronnie,

 

I just read this post tonight, and ironically my UGEE M1000L arrived this afternoon. The this ing is , I posted a question on tablets weeks ago and 176 members read it, but not one replied HERE. it is. 

 

IThe Ugee seems similar to the Huion 610 (same manufacturer with some badge engineering I believe). It is my first foray into the world of tablets, and I can easily see how they make work more efficient. But I ran into a real practical problem: I am a left hand writer and the buttons  are on the left, so for me to use it I have to cross over with my right hand--picture that sight. From what I can see all flat tablets have their programmable keys on the left.

 

So is there a model you can recommend with software buttons that are movable? Or are all us south paws out in the cold as far as tablets?

 

Michael

[SrPx]

I'm right hand, but I believe all Wacom Intuos are prepared for both hands (I believe you can rotate them and work with it as you exactly need). Not all tablets brands do this. Wacom allows it since very long .

 

Specially at the low end, I entirely recommend wacom. Is not that big money for the hobby you love.  (Intuos Draw, as is cheaper, medium size if it is for illustration or comic, small is fine for just photo retouch... the golden purchase.). IMO, a different brand can be more sensible in the case of cintiqs (due to the super high price)

 

Now I'm totally sold on the new paper edition version. It's amazing, seen it working. Great accuracy. You can ink over paper OR use it as a regular intuos pro, both things.  I believe is a dream come true for those of us who need to ink line art from time to time.  (or for every day inkers in comics' world). But that one is an expensive Intuos Pro (500+ bucks.)  The one I recommend in the low end is just the non pro intuos. I was ready for a cintiq alternative, but in the end, i paint easy -digital painting- with my intuos pro, it was only for line art accuracy in inking. Seems the gap is solved with this new product. Plus, the wacom pen's vrsion 2 is extremely better : 8k pressure levels, clearly more accurate to your actual hand movement, much improved in many areas. Itself would have worth for me the upgrade. (it will, pretty soon)

 

Probably there's a chinese alternative (XP Pen, Yiynova or Huion) in non screen-tablets, super cheap small tablets, providing both hands usage, but can be a bit of a gamble. Seriously, while IMO makes no sense to put 3k on a Cintiq 27, some 100 bucks or 70 in Amazon, make real sense for such a quality hardware as an Intuos (medium or small depending on planned usage). If gonna be your work horse, my advice, go with Wacom...

[SrPx]

That Ugee you bought though, I had seen the infos a while ago. Has a great advantage: Size for that price. I just don't know how good it is in serious usage, how accurate, etc. And of course, I do know how many  years a Wacom lasts,  but no idea about other brands.

 

I'd keep that Ugee despite the buttons location, technismart.

The side controls are not  that key if you have your keyboard in the side where you would have those buttons, and just asign hotkeys to those functions. Anyway, any heavy usage in graphic work will need constantly the keyboard. IMO is not true those can totally replace the keyboard. Look, I ONLY use the ring, and just for brush size change (fine tunned the step increment to make it functional). BUT, I could totally do that as well with the hand holding the pen, in the other side, probably faster. never used the ring for zoom other than to try it, as I'm fully fine to rotate with my Logitech mouse's wheel  and panning by mid click-drag. (i use that utility that allows me to force panning and zooming so in every application I use, no matter what.) This setup:  keyboard on my left side (change left-> right in your case in this paragraph), left hand always over it constantly hitting ky shortcuts. A Wacom Intuos small in the middle (but was way less accurate than medium size), and the right of it, my standard mouse. Just switching as needed right hand from pen and mouse (becomes a mechanic thing, your mind wont even notice after a little while...) , and left hand hitting the shortcuts as needed. Mates, colleagues, would say i worked as a car production chain robot with it, so , I even know from external viewers that it's functional ! :) . I produced all 2D retouch and drawings during 8 months with just that. (was the one and only 2D guy there). And it was a commercial large game, just not a huge production. Later on, similar workflow but then it was my old Intuos 1 A4 which was in the middle, another company.  And a bit later, 11 years ago the one in the middle was a graphire or the one previous to that, but a small size, too. Today it's an XL of 65 cm wide, at home as a freelancer, and still same work flow --> keyboard in left side, large swimming pool of a tablet in the middle, logitech (hey, they are really sturdy, those) cheapo standard wired optical (no wireless, no laser, thank you) mouse on the right. Just doing the same than with the others, just a lot more chances of inking being productive.

[SrPx]

So, yeah, keep that Ugee. Is a very nice size at a great price. AND... I'd be grateful if you post any issues, or breakage, as is indeed a GOOD purchase. You can compensate fully the functions location with a good use and positioning of your keyboard, trust me ! :)

 

The main thing is, bigger sizes allow more accurate lines. That should be a more important factor of the purchase, except for photographers only using it for retouch and application handling. (a small, imo, not a tool for a comic inker or line art based illustrator)

[SrPx]

BTW, I dunno if is a Déjà vu, and I actually answered this in a different site... but am almost 100% positive I answered an identical question about that tablet right here... Did you use the search function ?

[SrPx]

I had answered you in depth already about that tablet.... You made many posts about it (you got one closed).... In different times..... Are you just spamming about that tablet ? (if so, not doing any favor to the brand and product )

[DivSmart]

I had answered you in depth already about that tablet

Hi @SrPx, Where did you post that? I have never seen it.

 

 

... Are you just spamming about that tablet ? (if so, not doing any favor to the brand and product )

 

 

No I am not spamming. I created this post and to this date have received no answer, but the same content was posted twice, so I asked the moderators to close one.

 

The Ugee arrived a little over a week ago, and it will stay in the family. My wife is enjoying the bundled drawing programs it came with. I will review it for use with AD and APh soon. 

 

That said, your responses to me in this thread above have been really helpful and insightful.

I dn't afford the Intuos Pro, so I bought a manufacturer refurbished Wacom Creative Pen & Touch (CTH-480) Small, but I take your point about using it on a large display. My 27" iMac is the coming in a few months, so I should be aware of the pros and cons of each tablet by then.

 

Thanks for taking the considerable time to reply. 

 

Michael

[SrPx]

Hello, Michael. Sorry, my bad. I saw the post duplicated, and these days in every community there is a lot of spam, so one might be in "over alert" about that.

 

I had yep, replied about it, in the middle of a thread, you asked for it in a thread where the subject was related. I took my time to look at it and specs, and let you know, in summary, that it was a good purchase specially for one matter: It's a big size for that price, and big tablets tend to allow more line art work. The Amazon price was really good.

 

With good line stabilization ( Krita, Sai, Manga Studio (Clip Paint), and Nezumi have offered this for a while, and (YAY) we are getting it in both AP and AD for 1.6. I'm eager to test it !  ) a small tablet can do the deal very well. Still, I keep my best recommendation about any piece of hardware ever: When possible, get a medium size. Intuos or Intuos Pro, but at least medium (once you are eager for an upgrade).  I'm heading for the Large (L) model, paper edition, but drawing and illustration is my job, so to say. I was heading to a diverse graphic freelancer (as says my sig) making use of all my profiles, but in the end built a good personal network, so it's all illustration now, hence my interest in brush features and improvements, here. 

Yep, the software bundled is a thing to quite consider. Artists doing 3D work would be amazingly crazy not to purchase the Wacom's 3D Intuos (comes with a reduced Zbrush-ish software, very useful), even if it were a small size (can't remember) , for texturing small is perfect. Is for steady line, outlines, etc, when the size is more decisive. For photo retouch, painting-only (like an oil painter) it is not so critical. Still, once you use a medium tablet, you never want to go back to smal... From my XL though, yep, I'll go back to Large, IMO the sweet spot for illustrators.

A wacom refurbished is IMO potentially a better chance than a first hand alternative. Like if I'd sell now my XL, is totally perfect after many years -I'm very careful and draw with very subtle pressure-  , so I can understand it is indeed a good purchase. Wacom makes deluxe pieces, very durable (unless you are of the type that paints with a lot of pressure, if so it can last one week ) . Specially if is an Amazon verified product, and a certified refurbished. In these cases, important to see how is the USB port (if it's wrecked in some way), and even more, how is the cable in the connection with the tablet, if is an usb cable fixed -like my Intuos 4 XL. If that breaks, That's it-  . Also if are there any bumps or scratches -noticeable when the pen goes over them, at least. How are the nibs , and if really the support is having inside it at least sufficient nibs (better: All which the product info says it must have, in the Amazon page. )

Yeah, drawing with a small tablet in a 27"...IMO not the best fit... Is doable, but... For photo retouching, it doesn't matter.  Even so: It can be very interesting to try the Small with AP or AD 1.6 with "line smoothing" on....It might do the deal.  :)

 

I don't know if your model will have all sort of nibs, but if you can, use the softer one: Best for the tablet durability. The nib can wear, no worries, is way way cheaper than a new tablet, and 5 nibs can work -for me- for decades....