Recommendations for a graphics tablet? cross-posted

[katilac]

cross-posted to general education

 

dd is looking at graphics tablets. 

 

She doesn't have a ton of experience with digital art specifically- we have an old, small graphics tablet that she has used, plus some apps on the ipad - but she draws for hours every day, so I'd want something solid if we get anything at all. 

 

We have a Windows desktop, a Chromebook, and a Macbook, and I wouldn't be completely averse to buying both a tablet and a new laptop if that would make a big huge difference, but it seems like drawing directly on the screen would be easier (says the non-artistic mom). 

 

I've managed to gather that we would definitely want it to have pressure sensitivity. 

 

Any ideas? I'd love to find one for a couple of hundred dollars, but I'm not completely averse to spending $500 or even more if there is a huge difference in performance, like when older dd needed a pressure sensitive digital piano because the regular keyboard was too limiting. 

 

Edited November 29, 2015 by katilac

[Rockhopper]

There was a thread yesterday about tablets - someone asking specifically about a Wacom. I'm on my phone and can't link, but it may ght be helpful if you can find it. There was another one about a month ago too IIRC.

[Lanny]

OP:    I believe what you need to look at is a Wacom Bamboo Connect tablet. Or, another  Wacom model. Wacom has many models  During October 2012, when DD began the 6th grade TTUISD Math course, she told me, to my astonishment, that we needed to buy a "DigiMemo" for her. I had no clue as to what a "DigiMemo" was, and when I investigated, I found that they are not sold in Colombia.  We bought a Wacom Bamboo Connect CTL470L, from a company in Colombia for her. That was a "low end", low cost model, at that time and I believe the "L" is for Latin America.

 

The product, and the free Software that is bundled with it, are both excellent.    :hurray:

 

I don't think DD uses it for Math courses now, but she uses it a lot for Drawing. 

 

We bought a program, from Japan, which "everyone" uses. I think the same is "PaintShop KAI" or something like that.  It is 548 A.M. so I cannot ask my DD for the correct name of the program for you.  Depending on the Exchange Rate (the U.S. Dollar is extremely strong at this time), it is about USD$40 as I recall. We paid with PayPal for the program.  DD had previously been using a Free or Shareware or Trial version of the program, which is more limited in what it can do. 

 

You can probably use the Wacom Bamboo Connect or another Wacom tablet, with any Desktop PC or Laptop. DD normally uses it with her Windows 7 Desktop, but I believe she could also use it with her Windows 8.1 Laptop. It connects via USB cable to the computer.

 

The Wacom Bamboo tablet we have was an excellent purchase and we highly recommend it to you for your consideration    :hurray:

 

I will try to remember to ask DD for the correct name of the Shareware/Software we bought from Japan, which is apparently used by *many* people.

 

There is, obviously, a "learning curve", for one to become comfortable with the Bundled Software or the program from Japan, or any powerful program (WORD, EXCEL etc.)  before one can truly utilize the power of the program, so your DD will need to be patient, until she gets the hang of it. I believe Wacom has a Tutorial built in on CD/DVD that came with the Tablet, or something that DD spent a week or so with, to begin using it properly.

 

GL

 

P.S.

I believe we paid less than USD$100 for the tablet we purchased 3 years ago and in Colombia the prices include 16% Value Added Tax.

 

P.P.S.

As I recall, when I began looking into this, 3 years ago, I found that Wacom "owns" the market for these tablets. You will find lots of User Reviews, on Amazon and probably on other web sites.  You will probably *not* need an upscale model.

[DawnM]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but do any of these allow for animation?  Including having characters actually animate and move?

[Lanny]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but do any of these allow for animation?  Including having characters actually animate and move?

 

Another question I will try to remember to ask DD...

 

As I recall, the Wacom tablets are recognized, by many Applications (MS WORD, etc.).   My belief is the answer to your question would depend upon the Software being used.

 

(For the original purpose we purchased the Wacom tablet for, Math courses, I believe DD now enters her Math stuff directly into MS WORD and that she doesn't use the Wacom tablet for Math courses at this time)

 

NOTE: The Wacom Tablet is like an incredibly precise Mouse

[katilac]

Thanks, Lanny, I will check that one out! 

 

And I will search for that other thread, Rockhopper. 

[Lanny]

This is my 2nd attempt to post this. Fingers crossed...

 

@OP   DD said the name of the program from Japan is PaintTool SAI.   She used it for quite awhile (probably not all features are enabled when trying it without paying for it) and then we bought it. Apparently it is commonly used around the world.

 

@DawnM  DD said that Adobe PhotoShop has an Animation feature.  I wonder if "The GIMP" (which is free) also has an Animation feature?

 

DD said that you can Animate with PaintTool SAI, you can draw Frames, but cannot organize them into film.

 

HTH

[Lolly]

I have two who have Wacom tablets. They both love them. I don't think the Bamboo has pressure sensitivity. You will probably need to go to the Pro models for that. (Just rechecked the site. Medium Intuos Pro is the one I would recommend.) The ones my girls have a older models. They hold up well! They have completely changed their names/designations now. But, the going by the ones on their website, they would be the equivalent of the Pro medium. The girls say that you do not want a Bamboo for drawing. The surface is too small and would drive them insane. The medium is a very nice size and lends itself well to most anything. (We were looking for a replacement pen for dd21b. After 4 or 5 years, it has broken. It still works, it just is missing something that makes it easier to switch between "stuff". ) https://www.wacom.com/en-us/store/cm-intuospro-november

 

Adding: Gimp no longer works with the Intuos. Dd23 had to switch to a different free program. Don't know what it is, but I can check if you need to know. DD21b uses Photoshop with hers.

Edited November 29, 2015 by Lolly

[6packofun]

DD said the name of the program from Japan is PaintTool SAI.   

 

@DawnM  DD said that Adobe PhotoShop has an Animation feature.  I wonder if "The GIMP" (which is free) also has an Animation feature?

 

DD said that you can Animate with PaintTool SAI, you can draw Frames, but cannot organize them into film.

 

HTH

 

SAI is not for animating, but it's an excellent drawing program.  Our girls use PhotoShop for animating.  They both have an off-brand tablet for their digital art that has been working for years but when either one goes we'll be replacing with Wacom.  Be SURE that the "active area" is LARGE enough!  Many, many people use graphic tablets for photography/photo editing.  That requires very little tablet space!  If it helps, cut a piece of paper to the active area size given for a tablet to really see how much space she's getting.  FYI, our tablets have 12 x 7.25 inches for drawing.  (I'd link it, but if you can afford Wacom, go for it.  Ours was only $140 and has lasted a few years so far.)

 

*Editing to add that after posting this I checked around at more other-brand graphics tablets and there are a lot more now!  Ugee is one that gets good enough reviews AND is cheap so we'll be trying one of those out just to see if it's worth saving, oh, about $400.  LOL

Edited November 29, 2015 by 6packofun

[Rockhopper]

My 11-year old dd loves her Huion 610PRO and I love the price point. We just replaced her original Huion, which I've guesstimated had over 1000 hours of use on it -- not bad at all for about $50, IMO. My dd now draws primarily on her tablet over paper - she loves how quickly she can switch brushes, and how she can add and edit layers.

 

She also draws primarily with PaintTool SAI, and occasionally Photoshop when she's on my computer. She loves SAI and I love that it has layers and general set-up similar to Photoshop so Photoshop seems less intimidating to her. A lot of her favorite YouTube speed-painters use SAI.

[wapiti]

Hmm... anyone have thoughts on the following situation?  My dd14 is serious about art (drawing and painting) but doesn't have a clue about digital and has not expressed an interest in digital, though she frequents art sites online and posts photos of her work.  I'd love to get her one of these tablets for Christmas so that she can start to play around.

 

We hopefully won't buy a new laptop for another year if we can help it, so she'd be left using the still-kicking 5-year-old Dell laptop that the little kids share now that our ds12s have Surface 3s.  For school, dd has an iPad Air 2, though I'm assuming that's not helpful.  As it is, I'm probably going to install Windows 10 on the laptop because 7 is "broken" and is slow/freezes up no matter how much I clean the thing off with virus scans and I've disabled auto update ever since the bad updates that broke it to begin with.  (As an aside, should I take it to Microsoft and have them install 10 or should I do it myself?)

 

I'm thinking I should go with a cheaper one for her to get a taste.  On the other hand, if the drawing experience isn't high-quality, I'm afraid it could turn her off to the digital medium.  I suppose I should spend just enough for a decent quality drawing experience.  If anyone can comment on the Wacoms, I'm all ears - $69, $99, $199...  or would it be better to spring for the $299 medium pro?  I admit I haven't researched this at all  :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA, looking at the Huion H610 at amazon, there's a black glove - is this a necessary piece of equipment?  sorry if this is a dumb question...

Edited November 29, 2015 by wapiti

[Lanny]

Hmm... anyone have thoughts on the following situation?  My dd14 is serious about art (drawing and painting) but doesn't have a clue about digital and has not expressed an interest in digital, though she frequents art sites online and posts photos of her work.  I'd love to get her one of these tablets for Christmas so that she can start to play around.

 

We hopefully won't buy a new laptop for another year if we can help it, so she'd be left using the still-kicking 5-year-old Dell laptop that the little kids share now that our ds12s have Surface 3s.  For school, dd has an iPad Air 2, though I'm assuming that's not helpful.  As it is, I'm probably going to install Windows 10 on the laptop because 7 is "broken" and is slow/freezes up no matter how much I clean the thing off with virus scans and I've disabled auto update ever since the bad updates that broke it to begin with.  (As an aside, should I take it to Microsoft and have them install 10 or should I do it myself?)

 

I'm thinking I should go with a cheaper one for her to get a taste.  On the other hand, if the drawing experience isn't high-quality, I'm afraid it could turn her off to the digital medium.  I suppose I should spend just enough for a decent quality drawing experience.  If anyone can comment on the Wacoms, I'm all ears - $69, $99, $199...  or would it be better to spring for the $299 medium pro?  I admit I haven't researched this at all  :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Depending on the configuration of your 5 year old Dell laptop, it is probably quite OK.   My DD uses, primarily, a Dell Inspiron 660s Desktop PC we received during November 2012. It has 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard disk drive. It has Windows 7.  Her laptop is a Windows 8.1 (Dell Latitude E6400) that has 4 GB RAM and a 500 GB hard disk drive. It has Windows 8.1.  Her laptop was probably assembled during 2008 to 2010.

 

I suggest that you STAY WITH WINDOWS 7 as long as Microsoft is providing Security/Stability updates for Windows 7. Consider doing a "Clean" install of Windows 7 onto your hard drive. I did that, from a DVD, earlier this month, on my laptop and on my wife's 2 laptops. Then, do all of the Security/Stability updates. Then, install your Anti Virus program and begin installing your Application programs. 

 

Periodically, make "System Image" backups and store them on an External USB hard drive.

 

Depending on the Application programs you use, they may or may not work properly under Windows 10.  My wife upgraded her E6400 to Windows 10, liked some things about it, but then she had me nuke everything and do a "Clean" install of Windows 7...

 

Before I did the "OOBE" (Out of Box Experience or first boot of Windows) on the Windows 8.1 laptop, I did some reading. I set it up to: (a) Boot to the Desktop and (b) Login from a Local User account, instead of logging into Windows via a Microsoft account (Hotmail, etc.).  I asked my DD, today, if she has had any issues using her Applications, on the Windows 8.1 laptop. She has had no issues with it. It was delivered in May.

 

The only PC we have ithat cost more than USD$200, with shipping in the USA, is the Dell Inspiron 660s we ordered from Dell Latin America during October 2012.  The 3 Dell Latitude E6400 laptops were Refurbished by Blair Technology Group (BlairTG) and the "hot rod" Dell Latitude E6410 was Used, and I won it on an eBay auction on September 10th, for my wife.  I am watching for another one, configured like that one, for myself...

 

Two of our laptops have a Discrete Nvidia card. DDs Dell Latitude E6400 and my wife's Dell Latitude E6410. That helps for Graphics, but causes more heat.The E6410 has a higher quality panel in the display, and my E6400 also has that upscale panel. The Dell Latitudes are designed for and sold/leased to Corporate (Enterprise) customers, so they usually have better design and better components than models designed for and sold to Consumers, which are sold at much lower prices.

[Rockhopper]

Hmm... anyone have thoughts on the following situation?  My dd14 is serious about art (drawing and painting) but doesn't have a clue about digital and has not expressed an interest in digital, though she frequents art sites online and posts photos of her work.  I'd love to get her one of these tablets for Christmas so that she can start to play around.

 

We hopefully won't buy a new laptop for another year if we can help it, so she'd be left using the still-kicking 5-year-old Dell laptop that the little kids share now that our ds12s have Surface 3s.  For school, dd has an iPad Air 2, though I'm assuming that's not helpful.  As it is, I'm probably going to install Windows 10 on the laptop because 7 is "broken" and is slow/freezes up no matter how much I clean the thing off with virus scans and I've disabled auto update ever since the bad updates that broke it to begin with.  (As an aside, should I take it to Microsoft and have them install 10 or should I do it myself?)

 

I'm thinking I should go with a cheaper one for her to get a taste.  On the other hand, if the drawing experience isn't high-quality, I'm afraid it could turn her off to the digital medium.  I suppose I should spend just enough for a decent quality drawing experience.  If anyone can comment on the Wacoms, I'm all ears - $69, $99, $199...  or would it be better to spring for the $299 medium pro?  I admit I haven't researched this at all  :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA, looking at the Huion H610 at amazon, there's a black glove - is this a necessary piece of equipment?  sorry if this is a dumb question...

 

Ours didn't come with a black glove. I had to go look at the picture -- that's kind of funny! :-) I can't imagine my dd sitting around drawing with one black glove on, unless she was, you know, channeling Michael Jackson.

 

One thing to keep in mind re your computer: thankfully there's not really any way your computer being messed up can mess up the tablet. Think of it like a mouse -- there's a little bit of a driver program to install, but no information goes BACK to the tablet. And the drivers seem to be pretty user friendly across operating systems, IME. (FWIW my dd's tablet has been on computers with Windows 7, 8 and 10 and can even move back and forth between them without a lot of problem.)

 

As to price point, we did start cheap to see if dd liked it first -- but after about a year and a half, she's still perfectly content with the quality of the Huion. I will say, we got it for her when she was 9, and it sat for about 6 months because she was uncertain about the whole digital thing. One day, though, she decided to really give it a try -- and after an hour or so she was hooked. She now draws on her tablet at least a couple of hours a day.

 

Oh, there's a newer model of the Huion you looked at -- the 610PRO.

 

HTH!

 

Oh, here's a fairly recent drawing my dd did, to give you an idea of the kind of thing she uses the tablet for. She mostly draws cats, tbh, but she sometimes branches out to other animals...

 

[wapiti]

I suggest that you STAY WITH WINDOWS 7 as long as Microsoft is providing Security/Stability updates for Windows 7. Consider doing a "Clean" install of Windows 7 onto your hard drive. I did that, from a DVD, earlier this month, on my laptop and on my wife's 2 laptops. Then, do all of the Security/Stability updates. Then, install your Anti Virus program and begin installing your Application programs. 

 

Periodically, make "System Image" backups and store them on an External USB hard drive.

 

Thanks for this advice, Lanny!  I was afraid that might be the case.  I'm just not sure how to clean install Windows 7 without paying a shop to do it - I don't have Windows 7 on a disk and our other Dell was likewise compromised by the same update process.  I didn't make a System Repair disk until after the bad update (duh).  They are both Inspirons, the kid one has an i3 with 4 gb ram and my old one (that ds12 took over, up in his room) has an i5 with 8 gb ram.  Of course, they do have the product keys for Windows 7 (64 bit) on the sticker on the bottom, so I suppose there's an online way to download a clean install, but I don't know if I have the patience to figure it out.  Ok fine I'm procrastinating - I bought my MacBook a year ago already.

Edited November 29, 2015 by wapiti

[Lanny]

Thanks for this advice, Lanny!  I was afraid that might be the case.  I'm just not sure how to clean install Windows 7 without paying a shop to do it - I don't have Windows 7 on a disk and our other Dell was likewise compromised by the same update process.  I didn't make a System Repair disk until after the bad update (duh).  They are both Inspirons, the kid one has an i3 with 4 gb ram and my old one (that ds12 took over, up in his room) has an i5 with 8 gb ram.  Of course, they do have the product keys for Windows 7 (64 bit) on the sticker on the bottom, so I suppose there's an online way to download a clean install, but I don't know if I have the patience to figure it out.  Ok fine I'm procrastinating - I bought my MacBook a year ago already.

 

 

@wapiti   DO NOT PANIC or pay someone to do this for you!    I need to shutdown now, but I will try, when I come in here Monday morning, to find you the information about the Windows 7 reinstallation DVD I bought, from someone in San Francisco, on eBay, in September, after I won the Used Dell Latitude E6410 for my wife.  The company I bought the E6410 from wipes all the hard drives, in all the computers they sell. The E6410 I won in the auction has a Windows 7 Professional COA (Certificate of Authenticity) with a Product Key.   I think I paid USD$6.99 (?) which included shipping in the USA.    I used that DVD to install Windows 7 Professional on the E6410, and on my E6400, and  I used it to install Windows 7 Home Premium on my wife's E6400.  After installation, all were able to be Activated with Microsoft again and all are getting, via Windows Update, the Security/Stability Updates. 

 

NOTE: You cannot download the installation files for Windows 7.  If you find a site that permits that, what you download might be compromised. DO NOT DO THAT!

 

(My wife's E6410 has an i7 CPU and 8 GB of RAM and an Nvidia discrete card for video.  I hope to eventually have one like that). 

[wapiti]

LOL don't worry Lanny, I won't panic.  I might whine, though.  I'm pretty sure I should be able to download from Microsoft with the product key, once I go buy some flash drives (I can never seem to find any around here when I'm looking for them).  Maybe I'll get it done this week.  It's just a matter of time and focus and aggravation.  And then I'll need to re-download Office from Dell, if I can figure out what happened to my account.  The key to not completely losing my mind is to do this while the kids are not home.

 

ETA, hmm, do I need to worry about drivers from Dell...  Another alternative:  apparently I can request that disks be mailed to me from Dell.  Maybe that would be best though that would involve more waiting, I'm sure.

 

(OP, sorry for cluttering up your thread)

Edited November 30, 2015 by wapiti

[Lanny]

@wapiti

 

Microsoft no longer permits people to Download the files needed to install Windows 7. DO NOT DOWNLOAD them from any other source. Too much chance the file you Download is corrupted......  You CANNOT LEGALLY Download those files. That was apparently possible, in the past, but it is not possible now... Unlikely Dell will send you the DVD with the files you need...

 

 

The Windows 7 Reinstall DVD I purchased in September on eBay was purchased from leo81056   On the flap of the sleeve it came in, it shows "Windows 7 32 & 64 bit All versions Install/Reinstall DVD"

 

This is the URL on eBay on 30 November 2015 at 549 A.M., E.S.T.  It is USD $6.99 and he mailed it First Class Mail with USPS Tracking

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Windows-7-32-64-bit-All-versions-install-reinstall-recovery-repair-dvd-/221928746027?hash=item33abfbec2b:g:nIAAAOSwDNdVm2zy

 

 

NOTES:

 

(1) The DVD I received in September was not labeled. If the one you receive is not labeled, immediately, with a Marking Pen, write on the DVD what it is.

 

(2) Backup Data files (photos, school work, etc.) BEFORE you reinstall Windows 7.

 

(3) Shutdown the Laptop(s) and Remove the battery. Carefully write down what the 25 character Product Key is, so you can Activate Windows 7 again, after the reinstall and get the WIndows Updates.

 

(4) in the BIOS, you need to have the Boot Sequence set so that the first option is for the Laptop(s) to boot from is the DVD drive.

 

(5) You probably have (and should use, for your i3 and i5 hardware) 64 bit Windows 7.  On the DVD, select Windows 7 Professional 64 bit. 64 bit is shown as x64 

 

(6) During the Windows 7 installation sequence, when you come to Partitions and Formatting, you will probably have at least 2 Partitions. Probably, if you are running on the 

 

original OEM installation from the Dell factory, there will be 3 or more Partitions. (a Restore partition, etc.).  DELETE ALL of those partitions before proceeding. You will 

 

receive warnings that you may be deleting data, Windows files, the Restore partition, etc. Ignore those warnings and DELETE ALL Partitions you see, so that you can use the entire space on the hard disk drive, which is shown as "Unallocated", after you DELETE the Partitions.

 

(7) After the reinstallation of Windows 7, not all of the Hardware may be working. When I installed Windows 7 Professional 64 bit, on the Dell Latitude E6410 we received in 

 

September, Windows 7 didn't find the Driver(s) for the Ethernet chip. So, connected by cable to our Ethernet Switch, the laptop was not on the Internet.  I downloaded the 

 

correct Driver(s) from support.dell.com on another machine, copied that file to a USB Memory, and then put that USB Memory into the machine that couldn't access Ethernet and installed the Ethernet Drivers. Then, it was online via Ethernet.   :-)

 

(8) Once the laptop is online via Ethernet, then do "Windows Updates", several times, until you have all of them. The DVD (and others I looked at) have SP1, which is several years old, so there are approximately 700 MB of  Important Updates (Security/Stability) available from Windows Update for Windows 7 SP1

 

This is not Rocket Science but if it should go awry the first time, start over and try again.  GL!

[katilac]

 

 

We hopefully won't buy a new laptop for another year if we can help it, so she'd be left using the still-kicking 5-year-old Dell laptop that the little kids share now that our ds12s have Surface 3s.  For school, dd has an iPad Air 2, though I'm assuming that's not helpful.  

 

On my other thread, someone posted that you can use the Surface 3 itself as a graphics tablet, and I know that there are programs for the ipad as well. The ipad does not have pressure sensitivity, not sure about the Surface, but if she has no experience that is where I would start. 

 

Even the cheap and possibly some of the free apps for ipad have a lot to mess around with and learn about before something more is needed, imo. 

 

I just googled and it looks like the Surface Pro 3 does have pressure sensitivity! You already own a graphics tablet, lol. 

 

Edited to add that you might need a special pen, not sure about the details, but it seems like she could do quite a lot of exploring with what you already have. 

Edited November 30, 2015 by katilac

[wapiti]

I'm thinking about going cheap and getting this Monoprice one.  That way, I won't mind upgrading in a year to a fancy one if she really wants to.

Edited November 30, 2015 by wapiti

[6packofun]

I'm thinking about going cheap and getting this Monoprice one.  That way, I won't mind upgrading in a year to a fancy one if she really wants to.

 

I think that's an excellent idea.  :)  If my 20yo can get by on an off-brand tablet (and occasionally get paid for her art) I'm sure your dd will do fine as she decides if it's a hobby or career she'd like to pursue!