Who is the AppleNinjal?
AppleNinja is an unapologetic Apple lover and a professional illustrator of all things girly-girl. You can see her art and read more about her at BriannaSpacekat.com, and can contact her here.
Wacom Intuos 4 Medium Review
01.08.10 06:35 PM Filed in: Gear Reviews
Let’s start off by dropping the the truth bomb. Wacom products have barely changed in the decade I’ve been using them. Yes, they’re prettier. Yes, they are more sensitive and have more buttons. But the core digitizer technology and user experience have barely changed at all.
In general, that’s a good thing - the Wacom line is the only serious choice for a graphic artist. There are few that would argue that they make the best tablet in graphic arts. Their technology has always been tied directly to the Adobe apps most creative professionals use. But, there’s also the skeptical argument that they are quite overpriced for what you get.
I’ve owned every generation tablet in the Intuos line, and all of them have been very solid. The Intuos 4 is unquestionably the best in the line so far, but is it worth $350?
The Good -
This is the sexiest tablet I’ve ever owned. The Wacom emanates black, sleek style. It’s gently rounded at the edges, and can simply be flipped over if you want to use it in a left-handed configuration. It can sense 2048 levels of pressure, meaning your strokes will be smoothly graduated.
Upon opening the box, everything is beautifully presented to you. It’s a product truly worthy of being paired with a Macintosh. The Intuos 4 is presented to you the way an artist would present their product.
I really like all of the evolutions Intuos has made to their line this time around. For starters, the cord is not built into the tablet - it’s a removable, replaceable mini-usb cord. Because my last Wacom cord was helpfully chewed up by the 6-month-old Wampa pictured below, I especially appreciated this change.
I also really like the evolved base for the pen. For starters, it can hold the pen both horizontally and vertically. It’s also nicely weighted - it has a very professional, high-quality feel to it. The true innovation comes with the ingenious idea to store your extra nibs inside the base! You can pull the base apart, and inside is a circle of replacement tips for the digitizer! There is even a circular, metallic nib removal tool that rests in the center. To be honest, I rarely replace my nibs, but I appreciate the option greatly.
I’ve never seen such an excellent line of accessories for the Wacom line before. There’s the art brush, which detects when the stylus is rotated. There’s an inking brush, which accepts pen cartridges so you can draw on paper while drawing with your stylus. There’s the minimally-changed airbrush tool, and even an official line of Wacom carrying cases. The Geekgal picked up both the airbrush and the art pen, and will be reviewing them both shortly.
The new Wacom digitizer has the best feel of any I’ve ever used, though the difference is very subtle. I really love the new spring-enabled nibs, and the weight of the pen is just sublime. The switch feels very solidly constructed, unlike the Intuos 2, and doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall off.
My strokes and line work with the new Wacom are the best they’ve ever been. Geekdude noticed it immediately when I finished my first piece with it. I’m not sure if it’s the improved sensitivity, the improved ergonomics, or the spring-loaded tip - but the combination of all the refinements let me create the smoothest strokes I’ve ever made. In Illustrator, I find myself needing to use the “simplify” command less than ever before to clean up errant linework.
The Bad -
On one side of the Wacom are a series of buttons you can program for specific functions in Photoshop, Illustrator, and other programs. On the medium and large versions of the Wacom, you get a really wonderful LED readout that will tell you what the name of the function is you’ve assigned to it. This is a great evolution, and I hope it stays around for future models.
Less impressive is the evolved “touch strip” which is now the “touch ring.” It’s a touch sensitive circle that you can program to zoom, change the opacity or weight of your brushes, or to scroll around the page. It’s a great idea in theory, but doesn’t really work in practice. The reason the scroll wheel works on an iPod is because it’s so instantly responsive. Not so with the Wacom touch wheel.
If I wanted to use it to zoom in and out of a drawing, I would have to touch the wheel, wait half a second for it to register, then lightly rotate the wheel and then wait another half second for the screen to refresh. It doesn’t feel precise, so a quick, instant movement usually doesn’t result in the desired amount. By contrast, by pressing Command (+) or (-) means I can zoom in instantly. In practice, you’re wanting these functions as fast as you can think, and the delay is unacceptable.
After being treated to the universal Apple-style keyboard adopted across all machines, the keys on the Wacom Intuos get a C-. The travel distance is in an uncanny valley, having very little key travel and requiring too much pressure. They are also at a strange angle and feel difficult to hit, even with my long, thin artist fingers. If implemented better, I could see myself exclusively using the tablet for my keyboard shortcuts. But, as they are, I find myself preferring to use the keyboard whenever possible. They do work fine in cramped situations when using the Wacom in your lap and accessing the keyboard isn’t possible - on a plane or a small coffee shop table.
The Conclusion -
Is the Wacom 4 worth the price to upgrade? It depends heavily on your level of skill. Any beginner will be perfectly well served by the $100 Wacom Bamboo line of tablets. The intermediate can pick up the Wacom Intuos 2 or 3 on eBay or Craig’s List for a fraction of the price.
But, for someone wanting the best possible tablet short of the bulky $1000 Cintiq? This is undoubtedly the best tablet Wacom has ever put forth. Because I change programs frequently, I found myself really appreciating the LED readout with my shortcut names. I also really like the heavily weighted pen base and the subtle improvements in the digitizer that let me produce such gorgeous, subtle linework.
Worthy of additional praise are the Intuos 4 accessories, particularly the Wacom art pen which detects barrel twisting - it’s a must buy for anyone wanting to bevel the edge of their strokes.
If you’re looking for the best non-display tablet ever made, this is it. If you’re looking for bargains, they will be found elsewhere.
GeekDude’s Perspective
The Wacom Intuos 4 is the key to a happy marriage.
Geekgal spends a lot of time doing art. A LOT of time. Which is awesome, because she does great art. But... I’ve watched her process in the past, and it was agonizingly laborious. Painful. Worse than watching paint dry, it was like watching some mix all the colors to get the right color paint with every brush stroke. And then wipe all the paint off and try again. And again. With every stroke. Ack.
So... she’d be working in Illustrator, drawing inked lines over her scanned pencil work with supple, curvalicious lines. And then - pow! The program would take her Illustratored line and mutate it into this horrid bulbous line nothing like what she drew. Then she’d find all the keypoints and move them one by one. And THEN she wouldn’t be satisfied, and she’d have to start the whole process over.
I swear, I’ve seen her spend five minutes trying to get a single line right. Well, that’s what it seemed like to me, when instead of watching her over my shoulder I could have been watching DVDs of giant monsters and flying saucers destroying cities instead.
Anyway.
All that’s in the past with the new Wacom 4. She draws a line. And bingo! It’s done. Wow. Then she draws another line, and poof! Perfect. Then another and another. For the first time EVAR, it’s actually fun to watch her Illustrate a drawing. Not as fun as watching Mechagodzilla take on the Big G, but you get my point.
I’ve seen GeekGal slave over drawings (well, not slave, because she’s not wearing the Princess Leia bikini, no matter how much I’ve begged her). But SLAVE for an entire month or more on a single image.
Not any more!
She’s pumped out two drawings really quickly. Her last two images took about a week, maybe a little more. Rather than a month. It’s not like they’re a lot less complicated or anything. But... I think the extra thirty seconds or one minutes or... um... five minutes per stroke really adds up.
So, all this is just a convoluted and funny way to say that she’s a lot more productive with the Wacom 4. And that makes our marriage better. Yeah!
This is the sexiest tablet I’ve ever owned. The Wacom emanates black, sleek style. It’s gently rounded at the edges, and can simply be flipped over if you want to use it in a left-handed configuration. It can sense 2048 levels of pressure, meaning your strokes will be smoothly graduated.
Upon opening the box, everything is beautifully presented to you. It’s a product truly worthy of being paired with a Macintosh. The Intuos 4 is presented to you the way an artist would present their product.
I really like all of the evolutions Intuos has made to their line this time around. For starters, the cord is not built into the tablet - it’s a removable, replaceable mini-usb cord. Because my last Wacom cord was helpfully chewed up by the 6-month-old Wampa pictured below, I especially appreciated this change.
I also really like the evolved base for the pen. For starters, it can hold the pen both horizontally and vertically. It’s also nicely weighted - it has a very professional, high-quality feel to it. The true innovation comes with the ingenious idea to store your extra nibs inside the base! You can pull the base apart, and inside is a circle of replacement tips for the digitizer! There is even a circular, metallic nib removal tool that rests in the center. To be honest, I rarely replace my nibs, but I appreciate the option greatly.
I’ve never seen such an excellent line of accessories for the Wacom line before. There’s the art brush, which detects when the stylus is rotated. There’s an inking brush, which accepts pen cartridges so you can draw on paper while drawing with your stylus. There’s the minimally-changed airbrush tool, and even an official line of Wacom carrying cases. The Geekgal picked up both the airbrush and the art pen, and will be reviewing them both shortly.
The new Wacom digitizer has the best feel of any I’ve ever used, though the difference is very subtle. I really love the new spring-enabled nibs, and the weight of the pen is just sublime. The switch feels very solidly constructed, unlike the Intuos 2, and doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall off.
My strokes and line work with the new Wacom are the best they’ve ever been. Geekdude noticed it immediately when I finished my first piece with it. I’m not sure if it’s the improved sensitivity, the improved ergonomics, or the spring-loaded tip - but the combination of all the refinements let me create the smoothest strokes I’ve ever made. In Illustrator, I find myself needing to use the “simplify” command less than ever before to clean up errant linework.
The Bad -
On one side of the Wacom are a series of buttons you can program for specific functions in Photoshop, Illustrator, and other programs. On the medium and large versions of the Wacom, you get a really wonderful LED readout that will tell you what the name of the function is you’ve assigned to it. This is a great evolution, and I hope it stays around for future models.
Less impressive is the evolved “touch strip” which is now the “touch ring.” It’s a touch sensitive circle that you can program to zoom, change the opacity or weight of your brushes, or to scroll around the page. It’s a great idea in theory, but doesn’t really work in practice. The reason the scroll wheel works on an iPod is because it’s so instantly responsive. Not so with the Wacom touch wheel.
If I wanted to use it to zoom in and out of a drawing, I would have to touch the wheel, wait half a second for it to register, then lightly rotate the wheel and then wait another half second for the screen to refresh. It doesn’t feel precise, so a quick, instant movement usually doesn’t result in the desired amount. By contrast, by pressing Command (+) or (-) means I can zoom in instantly. In practice, you’re wanting these functions as fast as you can think, and the delay is unacceptable.
After being treated to the universal Apple-style keyboard adopted across all machines, the keys on the Wacom Intuos get a C-. The travel distance is in an uncanny valley, having very little key travel and requiring too much pressure. They are also at a strange angle and feel difficult to hit, even with my long, thin artist fingers. If implemented better, I could see myself exclusively using the tablet for my keyboard shortcuts. But, as they are, I find myself preferring to use the keyboard whenever possible. They do work fine in cramped situations when using the Wacom in your lap and accessing the keyboard isn’t possible - on a plane or a small coffee shop table.
The Conclusion -
Is the Wacom 4 worth the price to upgrade? It depends heavily on your level of skill. Any beginner will be perfectly well served by the $100 Wacom Bamboo line of tablets. The intermediate can pick up the Wacom Intuos 2 or 3 on eBay or Craig’s List for a fraction of the price.
But, for someone wanting the best possible tablet short of the bulky $1000 Cintiq? This is undoubtedly the best tablet Wacom has ever put forth. Because I change programs frequently, I found myself really appreciating the LED readout with my shortcut names. I also really like the heavily weighted pen base and the subtle improvements in the digitizer that let me produce such gorgeous, subtle linework.
Worthy of additional praise are the Intuos 4 accessories, particularly the Wacom art pen which detects barrel twisting - it’s a must buy for anyone wanting to bevel the edge of their strokes.
If you’re looking for the best non-display tablet ever made, this is it. If you’re looking for bargains, they will be found elsewhere.
GeekDude’s Perspective
The Wacom Intuos 4 is the key to a happy marriage.
Geekgal spends a lot of time doing art. A LOT of time. Which is awesome, because she does great art. But... I’ve watched her process in the past, and it was agonizingly laborious. Painful. Worse than watching paint dry, it was like watching some mix all the colors to get the right color paint with every brush stroke. And then wipe all the paint off and try again. And again. With every stroke. Ack.
So... she’d be working in Illustrator, drawing inked lines over her scanned pencil work with supple, curvalicious lines. And then - pow! The program would take her Illustratored line and mutate it into this horrid bulbous line nothing like what she drew. Then she’d find all the keypoints and move them one by one. And THEN she wouldn’t be satisfied, and she’d have to start the whole process over.
I swear, I’ve seen her spend five minutes trying to get a single line right. Well, that’s what it seemed like to me, when instead of watching her over my shoulder I could have been watching DVDs of giant monsters and flying saucers destroying cities instead.
Anyway.
All that’s in the past with the new Wacom 4. She draws a line. And bingo! It’s done. Wow. Then she draws another line, and poof! Perfect. Then another and another. For the first time EVAR, it’s actually fun to watch her Illustrate a drawing. Not as fun as watching Mechagodzilla take on the Big G, but you get my point.
I’ve seen GeekGal slave over drawings (well, not slave, because she’s not wearing the Princess Leia bikini, no matter how much I’ve begged her). But SLAVE for an entire month or more on a single image.
Not any more!
She’s pumped out two drawings really quickly. Her last two images took about a week, maybe a little more. Rather than a month. It’s not like they’re a lot less complicated or anything. But... I think the extra thirty seconds or one minutes or... um... five minutes per stroke really adds up.
So, all this is just a convoluted and funny way to say that she’s a lot more productive with the Wacom 4. And that makes our marriage better. Yeah!