How do you customize your tablet?

[Kathleen]

I recently upgraded my table to an Intuous4 (small) tablet, and am using it way more than my old one! I thought I would share what I like about it, what works on my desk, and how I have customized the buttons on my tablet.

First, when I sit at my desk, from my belly forward I have the tablet, the keyboard and then the monitor. This means the tablet is always easy to reach, comfortable and ergonomic to use!

Silly as it seems, the fact that the cord can be connected on either side is a big plus on my desk! My old tablet it was fixed on the left side and it was either in the way or tangled in something. Now on the right side, it works much better!

I haven't totally given up my mouse, but in Photoshop in particular I have no problem using the tablet almost exclusively!

The small Intuous4 has 6 customizable buttons and a touch ring. I have set the buttons to be:


Back for web navigation / File > Place in Photoshop
Undo
Shift
Ctrl
Alt
Pan/Scroll

The touch ring has 4 uses (I use the first one the most, and so far not in the habit of changing this yet, even though it is a simple click):

Auto Scroll / Zoom (love the scroll on the web, and the zoom in Photoshop!)
Cycle layers
Brush size
Canvas Rotation (really need to find a better one for this since this isn't a supported feature in CS3)

To reinforce what the settings are so I will use them more, I made a little tent card that is right in front of my keyboard until the keys are fixed into my brain!

So, what works for you? Make sure to include what kind of tablet you have!

[Caro]

I have my star menu under command which breaks down to 8 setting set to all my most commonly used short cuts in CS4

oh I have the intuous 4 wacom as well

[Robyn]

I need to reprogram mine because I had to reinstall it when my windows drive gave out. I use an Intuos 4 and would love to know your favourite shortcuts because I only used a few before, and do want to make use of it more.

[Kathleen]

I have my star menu under command which breaks down to 8 setting set to all my most commonly used short cuts in CS4

oh I have the intuous 4 wacom as well

What are your most used shortcuts?

[Lauren]

The new drivers for the intuos 4 allow you to save and restore your settings btw.
You can grab the drivers from the Wacom site.

[Caro]

What are your most used shortcuts?

Ctrl t to transform
Ctrl e to merge layers
Ctrl alt i to resize image



have to check what other ones I use

[tora]

does this work on Bamboo Fun table too???

[Kathleen]

The current features list on Wacom's site for the Bamboo Fun lists:

Quick access to user-defined shortcuts with four ExpressKeys™

So, it would seem there are four customizable keys on the Fun!

[suvgal]

Thanks for starting this thread....will be checking it often

[Many Feathers]

Kathleen, thanks so much for starting this thread. It's just what I've been looking for. Yesterday, I found a link from NAPP that allows you to download the preferences for PS, Bridge and LR from the Photoshop Guys. Interesting shortcuts. If you belong to NAPP, you can go to their website and download it and have all their preferences automatically installed. One interesting one was having the blending modes cycle.... I think I'm going to try that.

You've given me an idea to try putting in different shortcuts for Internet Explorer.... a back and forward button would be nice and of course, a scroll/zoom button. I'm wondering if I can have a button to automatically go to dsp store and log me in. Hmmm.... let me go try. One of the BIG things about this tablet is that you can set up different shortcuts for different programs. So....let me go try :-)

I'll be back.... :-)

[Many Feathers]

Ha, what I got it to do is this. I put in on one of the Express Keys to open the login at the dsp store. That's all I could put on one Express Key. Then on the next Express Key, I put in the keystrokes of my email address and Enter for the password (I have my puter remembering my dsp password). Voila...up pops the first page of the store and I'm logged in...just by hitting the 2 keystrokes. Cool! :-) I wonder if I can have it get me to the new kits...that's where I go the most.... oh, if it could put some money in there too. That would be great!

I have to go to work, but I'm going to play around a bit more and get back to you. Have a GREAT one!

[Many Feathers]

Kathleen, you wanted something instead of canvas rotation. Maybe try brush hardness/softness...that's kind of cool. Or "cycle through the brushes"... that's a PS guy recommendation, although I haven't tried it yet.

[Kathleen]

Kathleen, thanks so much for starting this thread. It's just what I've been looking for. Yesterday, I found a link from NAPP that allows you to download the preferences for PS, Bridge and LR from the Photoshop Guys. Interesting shortcuts. If you belong to NAPP, you can go to their website and download it and have all their preferences automatically installed. One interesting one was having the blending modes cycle.... I think I'm going to try that.

You've given me an idea to try putting in different shortcuts for Internet Explorer.... a back and forward button would be nice and of course, a scroll/zoom button. I'm wondering if I can have a button to automatically go to dsp store and log me in. Hmmm.... let me go try. One of the BIG things about this tablet is that you can set up different shortcuts for different programs. So....let me go try :-)

I'll be back.... :-)

OK, you have me curious, what do you mean by downloading the preferences? I'm not a NAAP member, and don't want anything proprietary, but I'm curious. Just a list of shortcuts? Or something tied into a Wacom tablet?

Cycling through blending modes could be pretty cool to try!

I love that you can assign application specific functions to the buttons. Makes a lot of sense!

Ha, what I got it to do is this. I put in on one of the Express Keys to open the login at the dsp store. That's all I could put on one Express Key. Then on the next Express Key, I put in the keystrokes of my email address and Enter for the password (I have my puter remembering my dsp password). Voila...up pops the first page of the store and I'm logged in...just by hitting the 2 keystrokes. Cool! :-) I wonder if I can have it get me to the new kits...that's where I go the most.... oh, if it could put some money in there too. That would be great!

I have to go to work, but I'm going to play around a bit more and get back to you. Have a GREAT one!

keystrokes for your email address! Great idea!!

Going to the store catalog (it is a specific web address) should be doable!

The money thing... you let me know if you figure that one out, it will be just our secret!!

Kathleen, you wanted something instead of canvas rotation. Maybe try brush hardness/softness...that's kind of cool. Or "cycle through the brushes"... that's a PS guy recommendation, although I haven't tried it yet.

For brushes hardness/softness and size, I already use keyboard shortcuts for those ([ ] to increase/decrease brush size, shift+[ and shift+] to increase/decrease hardness), so those are pretty quick.

Cycle through brushes would be a good one, need to give that a try!

[Wanda]

I just my pen & touch tablet last night so haven't had a bunch of time to play with it yet. So far I'm at the stage of what do I like vs. what don't I like.

What I like is its low profile compared to my Graphire 4, and I like the texture of the tablet surface--seems to give some grip to the pen.

What I don't like is no zoom wheel and the fact that USB cable can't be rerouted to come out at a different place (it exits the tablet at the narrow edge by the express keys. Since I am right handed and keep the tablet butted up to the right edge of my laptop, it seemed like it got in the way. BUT, you can change the orientation of the tablet for right or left handed use, so I changed mine to left and then remapped the surface so, hopefully, I won't inadvertently hit the express keys when I'm moving around.

I haven't done much with the touch yet but the little bit I did do seemed to work OK--it will just take awhile to get used to the motions and the one finger vs. two finger operations.

I'll be back with more when I decide how I'm going to program some of these options--choices, choices!

[Many Feathers]

Hi Kathleen,
As far as downloading the preferences, they are preferences that go directly into the Wacom Tablet Properties, replacing yours with theirs. I wanted to see what they suggested, so I thought I'd give it a try. They indicate that Wacom doesn't recommend we use their new update like this, to share properties, but only for backing up our own properties...i.e. you set up all your programs to work a certain way and then better back it up....you know, back up, back up, back up! :-) Still, it works just to take someone elses backup and put it in your own properties....providing you have the same tablet and the same operating system. So, on the NAPP website, they have the properties for all the different sizes of Intuos 4 for Vista, Mac...maybe XP, can't remember. You load in their preferences and they replace your own with theirs for PS, Bridge and LR. So, for example, for PS, for the express keys, they use from bottom to top: Radial Menu, Alt, Scroll Blend, Normal, Screen and Multiply. I like the idea of the Normal blend mode on the Express Key too....much quicker than clicking through all of them and I use that quite a bit. For the Radial Menu, they use: Curves, Levels, Color Balance, B/W, Hue/Sat, Merge Visible, Create Clipping Layers, Brush Panel. None have any submenus.

Then they have it set up differently for Bridge and for LR. So, if you wanted to use theirs, it would all be there set up already...no setting it up. For me, it's only a starting point....for instance, I rarely use B/W...so probably wouldn't put that in, etc. etc. I think I would use submenu's too.

I'm already liking the keystroke for my email address in one setup for Internet Explorer, along with the back and forward keys. Great idea on those...thanks much!

As far as the brush sizes and softness/hardness, I use those shortcuts a lot too. But... you have to put your pen down in order to do so because they're on the right hand side of the keyboard. And, it takes awhile to click click click click. If you put them on the Touch Ring, there's no putting down the pen and you can do it really fast....depending on how you set it up in the Wacom Properties. Also, FYI, I set the Wacom Properties for zooming in PS to the second one from slow for now...I found it zoomed to fast otherwise and not enough control.

For now, I have my keyboard on a slide out board underneath the desktop. I put that to the right hand side and my small Intuos 4 tablet to the left of it with the Wacom mouse on top of it. I find that sometimes, if I just want to click out of something, the mouse works fine and I don't have to pick up the pen. If I'm going to be doing something for a bit, then I put the mouse on the desk and the tablet on my lap. I used to have my 9x12 tablet on the top of the desk, but I had to put my arm up higher in order to use...it's really great on my lap and has stopped this pain underneath my arm (I was ready to go for another mamo...although I really thought it was muscle pain from holding my arm up....good to have that confirmed :-). There is now more room on my desk, of course, and I have moved the monitor closer....way cool!

I'm looking forward to hearing more ideas. This is FUN! And...when I get more figured out for the different programs (assuming others of you are using Bridge and LR too), I'll put those up too. I've been just learning rather than scrapping! :-)

[Many Feathers]

Oops, one more thing, NAPP is wonderful!!!!

[Kathleen]

I have looked at NAPP for a long time, maybe I should revisit their membership.

I need to play with some different settings for the touch ring! Wonder if I will have energy once little girl is in bed? Hmm....

[Many Feathers]

It seems to me that when I am in Outlook Express looking at my emails, I would like to have a Delete express key. But... I have seen no one doing that. Also an Enter express key would be nice when surfing, downloading, etc. When I'm doing emails or surfing, I like to just sit back with the tablet on my lap and it would be nice not to have to find the delete key or enter on the keyboard.

Can anyone think of any reason why NOT to put those on the express keys (if it's possible :-)

Thanks,


MF

[Kathleen]

Delete and Enter ... don't know why you couldn't, just finding the right way to set it in your properties. You are on a mission ... love it!!

[allsmilz61772]

i have a graphire, i use it so little I dont even remember which one, 4 i think...I never could really get the hang of it, so didnt use it nearly as much as i thought I would. Think i need to read these posts more closely, break it out and give it an honest chance

[Kathleen]

Definitely giving it a chance is important. Just like any "tool", you have to know how it works and get desired results so it makes what you are doing easier! Sometimes it does take a little practice, but I think well worth it!

[suvgal]

I pulled mine out too and am using it for game playing ...never thought to use it for that

[crlin60]

I have a graphire too and have only used it for erasing to cut things out of a picture. I used to have it above my regular mouse and was having a problem with my internet pages going back to previous one out of nowhere! I think that it was caused by my mouse wire running over the Wacom! I moved it and haven't had that problem any more!