A Peek at Graphics Tablets

If you're a frequent visitor to HotHardware then you probably know that we tend to include a fair number of photos, screenshots and other relevant art elements in all of our product reviews. We try hard to delve deep into the technical details of the products in the text of the reviews, but we also know how important it is to include visual elements that illustrate what we are talking about. In fact, if we've done our job right, you should be able to learn a lot about the product just by studying the pictures.

Unfortunately, it's seldom that easy to make the images look good enough to be included in a review, simply by copying the image from the camera and uploading it to the site. Images usually require visual manipulation—typically in the form of color, brightness, contrast, and level adjustments. In product shots, we often need to matt parts of the image background; and at the very least, we need to scale each image so its dimensions fit the page properly, and compress the image so it loads quickly. The preferred application for these tasks is Adobe Photoshop. And while a mouse and keyboard will get the job done, a graphics tablet is much better suited to the tasks at hand.

I use the Wacom Bamboo tablet during my daily photo editing. The Bamboo is an inexpensive ($79) and small (active area: 5.8 x 3.7 inch) tablet that packs fairly limited bells and whistles (compared to its more expensive siblings). It has 2,540 lines per inch (LPI) resolution, 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, four programmable buttons, a scroll wheel, and comes with a two-button pen that doesn't require batteries. Since I only use it for photo editing, its small size and limited features meet my basic needs. That's partly because I'm anything but a Photoshop power user. Certainly, those who are savvy with the art of Photoshop, and especially those who create illustrations (with apps like Adobe Illustrator), are better served by a larger tablet with more features (e.g. higher resolution, more pressure ) use sensitivity and more programmable buttons).

The problem is that larger tablets with more features can cost a lot more than the mere $79 I paid for the Bamboo (yes, I bought it with my own hard-earned cash). Wacom's most affordable professional-level tablet - the Intuos4 Small - costs $229 and has an active area of ​​6.2 x 3.9 inches. The Intuos4 Large has an active area of ​​12.8 x 8.0 inches and costs $469. Of course, if you're a graphics professional who makes a living off apps like Photoshop and Illustrator, these professional tablets are often a necessity. The Wacom Intuos line is perhaps the most popular brand of graphics tablets on the market today. Specifications for the entire Intuos4 range include 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity, 5,080 LPI resolution, 8 programmable buttons, a scroll wheel and a stylus that doesn't require batteries.

A relatively new product category gaining traction among graphics professionals is the "interactive pen display." You can look at these products in two ways depending on their size: you can look at them as a graphics tablet with an LCD monitor or as an LCD display with graphics tablet functionality. Wacom currently offers two interactive pen display models: the Cintiq.12WX ($999) with a WXGA (1280 x 800) display that measures 10.3 x 6.4 inches (12.1 inches diagonal). ; and the Cintiq.21UX ($1,999) with a UXGA (1600 x 1200) display that measures 17.0 x 12.75 inches (21.1 inches diagonal).

While Wacom might get the lion's share of attention, it's not the only graphics tablet player out there. Companies like Adesso, Genius-KYE, and VisTablet also make graphics tablets - and these manufacturers tend to focus on products that are significantly cheaper than Wacom's offerings.

A while ago, Adesso sent me their high-end graphics tablet, the CyberTablet M14, to experiment with. The CyberTablet M14 has an active area of ​​12.0 x 7.25 inches, a resolution of 4,000 LPI, 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, 34 "macro keys" (of which 12 to 19 are programmable - depending on the application), two scroll wheels and a stylus, the one AAA battery required. I've been using the CyberTablet M14 on my Windows machine while continuing to use the Bamboo on my Mac (although I've spent some time with the CyberTablet M14 also connected to my Mac to evaluate its Mac functionality). The CyberTablet M14 costs $199.99, which is $169 cheaper than the comparable Wacom Intuos4 tablet. The CyberTablet M14 has many more programmable buttons than the Intuos4 Large, and it even has two scroll wheels versus the Intuos4 Large's single scroll wheel (although the CyberTablet's "buttons" and dual scroll wheels don't work exactly as you might expect - -see below). From a purely specification perspective, however, the CyberTablet M14 cannot quite match the capabilities of the Intuos4 Large.

The CyberTablet M14 worked flawlessly on both my Windows and Mac systems without the need to install any software. However, in order to use the macro key function, you need to install drivers. I saw online that some users were having issues with the Mac version of the software, so I made sure to install the latest version that was available for download online. There were no problems with either installation, but I was dissatisfied when the respective software installations required me to reboot both my Windows Vista and Mac systems.

I found pen input smooth and predictable with no noticeable lag. At first I couldn't get the pressure sensitivity to work until I realized the driver was in "ink mode". As soon as I switched it to "graphics mode" the pressure sensitivity kicked in. In graphics mode, you can also set the tablet's tracking mode to absolute or relative; Program the two stylus buttons for left or right mouse clicks, double clicks or scroll bars up and down; and set the pressure sensitivity. I found the stylus to be a bit thicker than what I'm used to from the Wacom pen, and I would have liked a stylus that didn't require a battery.

The tablet has scroll wheels located in each of the top two corners. Buttons on the top of the tablet switch the function of the scroll wheels from scrolling to zooming or volume control. The idea behind the dual scroll wheels is that they are easily accessible for both left and right handed users. Unfortunately, you can't assign separate functions to the two wheels - whatever you want one wheel to do, the other wheel will do, too.

A total of 34 macro keys surround the left, right, and top portions of the tablet's active area. However, unlike the physical buttons on the Wacom tablets, the buttons on the CyberTablet M14 are only accessible by pressing them with the stylus. The Windows version of the software includes macro key presets for Windows XP and 2000, Windows Vista, Photoshop Elements and PhotoImpact XL SE. I couldn't see any way to add additional application presets with the Windows version of the software - you can easily do this with the Mac version. Of the 34 buttons, excluding the Photoshop Elements preset, reserve 15 of the macro buttons for predefined functions like open, save, and paste. The Photoshop Elements Preset has a total of 22 pre-programmed functions. While you cannot change any of the preset functions, the remaining unused macro keys are user-programmable.

The Adesso website claims that the CyberTablet M14 comes with Photoshop Elements 7.0 for Windows. Our device actually came with Photoshop Elements 5.0; However, this discrepancy could possibly be due to the fact that we received an older package (the CyberTablet M14 has been out for over a year now). The CyberTablet M14 also comes with Photoshop Elements 4.0 for the Mac.

I liked working with the CyberTablet M14 - especially the larger active area and the larger number of macro keys. However, I would have a hard time reserving a full-time spot on my desk for it. If I needed a bigger tablet and was trying to save as much money as possible, this would be a tablet I would seriously consider. That said, there's something to be said for the long track record that Wacom has with the quality and support of its tablets - two unproven variables as far as Adesso is concerned, at least in my view. If I had money to burn, which tablet would I buy? Of course, the Wacom Cintiq.21UX interactive pen display for $1,999!

By: A Peek at Graphics Tablets