Wacom Bamboo acting strange

[Sugar Lion]

Hi

I am using a Bamboo CTH-470 and it has been fine to work with up until yesterday. In Affinity 1.6.5 all I get now are straight lines. I cant see what I am drawing when the pen is down and then when I lift the pen a straight line appears. What is strange is that if I put my pen tip down then click my bottom pen button it draws fine. This is only happening in this version of Affinity Photo. When I try to work in the current Beta it works perfectly. 

I am not sure if I did something to cause this to happen or if it is just a strange ghost in the machine. I did try a repair install but that did not fix the issue. For today I am going to work in the beta but any help would be welcome.

Thanks

[PixelPest]

Hi.

My CTH-460  still works as ever - but may I ask why you have not upgraded to the recent version which is 1.6.7?

Cheers

[v_kyr]

My CTH-470 also works as usually here. - Which OS and did you changed any settings or the driver etc.?

[Sugar Lion]

17 hours ago, v_kyr said:

My CTH-470 also works as usually here. - Which OS and did you changed any settings or the driver etc.?

So sorry I forgot to mention. I am using Affinity Photo 1.6.5 with Windows 10. I did not make any changes to the computer so I don't think that was it. I have been trying to run the recent Windows update but it has issues with my computer for some reason and won't install. So the only updates have been security patches. The other odd thing is that it works perfectly in the current beta. I also did try re-installing the newest drivers for the Bamboo with no luck.

 

21 hours ago, PixelPest said:

Hi.

My CTH-460  still works as ever - but may I ask why you have not upgraded to the recent version which is 1.6.7?

Cheers

No reason I have not updated. I am going to do that now. 

[Sugar Lion]

I don't see that version in my account or in the list of available downloads here https://store.serif.com/en-gb/update/windows/photo/1/

Where did you find the update? 

All the best

[v_kyr]

If the actual beta behaves better for you here, it's probably an indication for some code changes or fixes etc. - I work mostly on Mac with the tablet since the Win versions aren't behaving that snapping for me.

[Gabe]

Hi all,

1.6.7 is the latest release on MAC. On windows it would be 1.6.5. 

As @v_kyr mentioned, if the beta works fine for you, the fix should make it to the public release 1.7 

Thanks,

Gabe. 

[Sugar Lion]

Cool thanks guys.

For me the tablet is working pretty fast. I am not sure if it is possible for it to be more responsive but I am not a great illustrator/painter. For me I think the only thing slowing me down is my CPU/Video card when using large complex brushes. That gets VERY frustrating. My computer is not exactly slow either. I think it is just the nature of the medium though. 

[Sugar Lion]

I am still having this problem. Anyone from Sarif care to offer a hand? 

[Gabe]

We have not released the 1.7 stable version yet. We will not be releasing another patch update before the 1.7 stable, so, unfortunately, it would be a matter of using the beta for the meantime, or use the 1.6 as is and wait for the release date. 

 

[Sugar Lion]

The problem is the beta is not stable for me. I have had serious problems with LUT files crashing the program and I don't trust the macros anymore. The drawing tablet was working fine and then with no reason I can think of it just stopped working and only with Affinity Photo 1.6.5. 

[Sugar Lion]

GabrielM I have to say that this issue has gotten a little under my skin. So your saying that I should use the un-stable version of 1.7 or just tuff it out with 1.6 with a no longer functioning tablet?

 

Quote

GabrielM "unfortunately, it would be a matter of using the beta for the meantime"

No support at all offered in a public forum for a supported feature?

 

It was working fine. Then it stopped working. It is not like it was never supported and I am waiting for it to come down the pipe. The tablet works fine in all other programs. It is an Affinity Photo Problem.

 

I would like at least a suggestion as to what I could try to attempt to fix the issue. Here is a quote from Andy Somerfield that took all of about 10 seconds to google up. Yep should work it seems so why not offer some support? I posted this a month ago. 

 

Andy Somerfield

• Affinity Photo Lead
•  
• 
• Moderators
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•  2,208
• 2,241 posts

Posted February 15, 2015

 

Hi,

 

We support pressure and pretty much all other features of modern graphics tablets

Thanks,"

 

 

 

[Gabe]

The only thing you can try would be to reset the app to default. 

Close Photo. Navigate to %AppData%\Affinity\Photo\ and rename 1.0 to 1.0.backup. Reopen photo. 

If it's still the same, go back to the same location, delete the new 1.0 created and rename 1.0.backup back to 1.0. 

If your tablet worked under the same Photo version some time ago and not it does not work, it's most likely a 3rd party issue(Tablet drivers, windows drivers, other apps, etc).

Somehow, 1.7 seems to have fixed this. 

[SrPx]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:22 PM, Sugar Lion said:

I am not sure if it is possible for it to be more responsive but I am not a great illustrator/painter. For me I think the only thing slowing me down is my CPU/Video card when using large complex brushes. That gets VERY frustrating. My computer is not exactly slow either.

Out of curiosity, what machine / card do you have ? I typically wont be able to use +300 -400 pixels brushes in about any graphic app, but my machine is old cr4p...

 

Quote

the recent Windows update but it has issues with my computer for some reason and won't install. So the only updates have been security patches.

Still, it could have wrecked something... don't defy the all mighty power of Windows 10 updates in screwing....

I'd check some stuff ... :

- Look very carefully if you have somehow configured the app (Photo)  in your Wacom panel (the one from Control Panel / Windows Settings), ie, you added it in the past. Review carefully that all BOTH PEN TIP and pen side buttons have proper configuration (ie, not repeated keys, or sth incorrect).

- Do the same revision of all buttons in your wacom device, pen and tablet in the "all other apps" or however it calls your default generic configuration in the wacom panel, versus the per each app customization. A safe bet would be to probably delete any config you have with any Affinity app. 

- Look in "advanced" a button that you have somewhere in the wacom panel main tab. tel it to set it as default. Or if can't see the button, set NO to compatibility with older apps that only support 1024 levels of pressure, and set "click in the air", as I believe those are the default ones. (and tend to give less probs).

- I tend to disable Windows Ink in some apps, and enable for another ones: It can go as far as disallowing some apps to work correctly. This is done in the same Wacom panel.

- I also disable tablet PC input. (this in general control panel in windows, I am now not sure -don't remember right now- if it's a service or sth you can access by point and click in the tablet pc icon).

- If you tried uninstalling your wacom driver, try to remember if you actually cared to fully uninstall the current wacom driver AND any previous other wacom driver, or other tablet driver that could have been left there due to bad deinstallation or sth. Be sure to wipe it all clean, and then REBOOT the machine. Only after that, install the most recent driver downloaded directly from Wacom, but the one version that supports your exact Bamboo.

If you just installed the driver again, but did not fully uninstall any other previous tablet driver (with reboot after that), then is like you did nothing, wont remove a collection of issues.

Cheers, 

 

[Sugar Lion]

17 hours ago, GabrielM said:

The only thing you can try would be to reset the app to default. 

Close Photo. Navigate to %AppData%\Affinity\Photo\ and rename 1.0 to 1.0.backup. Reopen photo. 

If it's still the same, go back to the same location, delete the new 1.0 created and rename 1.0.backup back to 1.0. 

If your tablet worked under the same Photo version some time ago and not it does not work, it's most likely a 3rd party issue(Tablet drivers, windows drivers, other apps, etc).

Somehow, 1.7 seems to have fixed this. 

Amazing. I will try that. 

[Sugar Lion]

1 hour ago, SrPx said:

Out of curiosity, what machine / card do you have ? I typically wont be able to use +300 -400 pixels brushes in about any graphic app, but my machine is old cr4p...

I use a Intel I7 3800 Clocked at 5000 with 16 gigs of 2600 DDR3. My video cards are nothing special R7 200 Series. It seems from looking at the performance monitor in Windows 10 that Affinity Photo almost gets no use out of the video card. It all seems to hit the CPU. This has been confirmed in other threads here on the forum. I am not sure why this is but I am guessing trying to account for all the different video cards would be pretty tough and CPU's are getting pretty dam fast these days. 

 

Thank you so much for your lengthy reply to my message. I will go through it and try all of it! 

[SrPx]

1 hour ago, Sugar Lion said:

why this is but I am guessing trying to account for all the different video cards would be pretty tough and CPU's are getting pretty dam fast these days. 

Yep, Affinity I believe is mostly CPU, and I do applaud that , too. It's also kinder for the small pockets ! As a high end card is a bit of a luxury, due to costing like an entire PC.  . And AMD is going to make a revolution on 7th July with the 3000 series (Intel will have to respond).

In Krita, for example, the brush size depends on the CPU cache (don't ask me WHICH cpu cache, lol) among other things. I only know that detail... And yep, is pretty common , in most apps, that brush size heavily depends on hardware, be it CPU or GPU. Some apps like Photo or Art Rage depend heavily on CPU. Others like Rebelle 3, do rely a lot on the GPU (but this quite limits canvas size, and that's a no-way for us illustrators who send large canvases to print).

1 hour ago, Sugar Lion said:

Thank you so much for your lengthy reply to my message. I will go through it and try all of it! 

You are welcome ! In other situations similar to those observed effects, it is one of those factors, so, it will worth it a try of each 

[Sugar Lion]

On 2/25/2019 at 3:54 AM, GabrielM said:

The only thing you can try would be to reset the app to default. 

Close Photo. Navigate to %AppData%\Affinity\Photo\ and rename 1.0 to 1.0.backup. Reopen photo. 

If it's still the same, go back to the same location, delete the new 1.0 created and rename 1.0.backup back to 1.0. 

If your tablet worked under the same Photo version some time ago and not it does not work, it's most likely a 3rd party issue(Tablet drivers, windows drivers, other apps, etc).

Somehow, 1.7 seems to have fixed this. 

Gabriel I could not even find the file you where talking about on my computer it did not seem to exist and I honestly could not be bothered to come back here to try and drag more information out of you. 

 

I just wanted to follow up on this thread in the hopes that if this happens to anyone else they know how to fix it with out having to go through all the waiting around.

To fix the problem

On windows 10 machines navigate to C:/Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Affinity/Photo/1.0/Settings.

The AppData folder is hidden so you might need to reveal it by going to the top of your file explorer and check the box beside the "Hidden items" in the "View" tab.

Once in that folder find the file named ToolsPreferences and rename it to ToolsPreferences.backup

Run Photo and hopefully your problem is fixed. 

I don't know where that file would be on mac but hopefully if you run into this problem you know where that might be. 

All the best Affinity Photo users! 
Peace

 

Anyone who cares about the details the only difference between the two files is this line at the end     <HighPrecisionTabletInput>True</HighPrecisionTabletInput>
For some reason this line of text was causing the problem. I don't know why or how it got there. I don't imagine another program or driver added it to the affinity ToolsPreferences file. But hey I am not a programmer so I don't rely have a clue.  I did take a look to see if the offending line was in the Beta ToolsPreferences file and it was not.

[Gabe]

That line is basically this tickbox in Preferences > Tools - True being ticked, false being un-ticked. 

 

 

[Sugar Lion]

!

Right!

 

Thanks Gabriel for pointing that out I am not sure how long it would have taken for me to have just stumbled over that one day and gone "wait a second here".