Intuos3 6X11 Tablet- Wacom, Inc.
Few products have piqued my interest like this digital tablet from Wacom. I'd already reviewed the Graphire4 6x8 Tablet, and thought the Intuos3 might be just an overblown version of the smaller Graphire. Was I ever wrong! The Intuos has been advertised as a product for "the serious photographer, designer, and artist." I've heard similar claims before, but I have to say, this product met and exceeded my expectations.
If you've never used a pen tablet before, rest assured that Wacom has removed the intimidation factor. Plug in the USB connetion. Install the driver via CD, and you're ready to roll. This sleek, widescreen tablet will put your mind at ease as you quickly discover that using a pen tablet is as easy as writing. Movement is natural and instinctive. Each click of the mouse or stroke of the pen directly corresponds with a point on your monitor screen. Tap the pen and it's equivalent to a mouse click. The tablet is equipped with both a mouse and a pen, making it not only versatile, but an excellent choice for preventing repetitive stress injury.
The Intuos3 Grip Pen is pressure-sensitive, giving you full control over software tools like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, and over 100 others that are adaptable to this product. Built with over 1,000 levels of sensitivity, the pen is coated with a soft, comfortably padded grip area, plus a two-switch button that rests conveniently at thumb level for easy clicking. What's more, the switch is programmable to suit each user's unique needs. I use it as I would the click of a mouse, to open programs, and to select photo-editing tools such as Photoshop's "curves." Holding down my iMac Option key, I can click an area of a photo to use corrective tools like Clone or History Brush. I discovered early on that the pen is active even when it's not touching the tablet. Hold it an inch or two above the tablet's surface, click on a tool, and watch it spring into action. In a very short time, it felt quite natural to be "clicking air" and receiving quick results.
I was able to control my favorite Photoshop tools by using either the Grip Pen or the five-button mouse, which sports one button on each side, two on top, plus a wheel. The mouse buttons are fully programmable, too. I absolutely love the idea of being able to switch between a mouse and the pen when my hand tires from working with one or the other. That kind of versatility allows me to work for longer stretches than I normally would. The pen comes with three different tips (nibs)--standard, for everyday use; felt, to give the feel of a felt-tipped marker; and stroke, to mimic the feel and movement of a brush stroke. Flip the pen upside-down and use it as you would an eraser. Pressure sensitivity lets you control your software tools by changing how hard you press the pen tip to the tablet surface. Using pressure sensitivity, you can dynamically control things like brush size, opacity, and more. (Tip: remove the mouse from the tablet when switching to the pen, or you'll find that they compete for control.)
Add the 6D Art Pen accessory to expand on the tablet's cordless, battery-free capabilities. Paired with Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Illustrator CS2, designers and artists can gain detailed control over tools, making each stroke feel as if they're working directly with paper. Many other companies are creating programs adaptable to this innovative tool, as well. Corel Painter IX is one example. The 6D Art Pen can take advantage of every type of brush, giving artists total freedom to do what they would naturally do with pen, ink, and paper. The pen's barrel rotation feature allows you to create broad or narrow strokes with a simple movement.
It's hard to choose a favorite feature of the Intuos3 Tablet. Its Touchstrip and customizable ExpressKeys helped increase my workflow impressively. I tried using the digital pen or mouse while working ExpressKeys with my other hand. For example, I zoomed in close on a photo to check for blemishes and used the small key at the bottom of the ExpressKeys cluster as a shortcut. It's a space key, and used while dragging the pen tip across the entire screen, I was albe to move the photo around in order to check every inch of the picture.Need to scroll vertically? No problem; the 2" Touchstrip is actually a scrolling tool. I slide a finger vertically in either direction and an application responds immediately. Each of the ExpressKeys can be programmed to work in specific ways in the application(s) of my choosing. For instance, I can program the pen to use a softer pressure in a frequently-used application. The programming feature is a major time-saver, especially when facing an impending deadline. In addition, pressure sensitivity let me control software tools by changing how hard I pressed the pen tip to the tablet surface. Using pressure sensitivity I was able to dynamically control things like brush size, opacity, and more.
The Intuos3 comes with a user's manual (a well-organized Adobe PDF file) plus Corel Painter Essentials 2, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0. Corel Painter is one of many prograns which recognizes this tablet's tilt sensitivity field. Tilt sensitivity controls the direction of certain results in graphics programs, such as Airbrush. Hold the pen at an angle, and the tilt-sensitive brush will issue a fine spray in the direction the pen is pointing. Hold the pen straight up, and you'll get a nice neat airbrush circle instead of an arched spray.
Experiment. Customize. Put it through its paces and I think you'll agree that the Intuos3 is the most intuitive tool you'll ever want or need.