tweaking GIMP for use with a Wacom, and/or general Wacom tips plx

[TdC]

recently acquired a Wacom Bamboo pen tablet to see if I can get along with it for my artsy things. Up to now...mmmm nah, I'm so used to my mizouse that things are hard, and not in a good way.

so, anyone use a wacom? any tuning best practices? anyone use it with GIMP?


any help greatly appreciated

 

[TdC]

oh gads none of you muckers have any idea what I'm on about, yes? it's ok, you can tell me

 

[nath]

You want to tweak your gimp, we're all aware of your fetish but I don't know how we can help you with that :\.

 

[TdC]

 

[DaGaffer]

Get a decent illustration program you cheap bastard Gimp is supposed to work though.

Is the Bamboo any good? I've been meaning to get a pen and tablet for years, but was always put off by the prices, but the Bamboo seems pretty good value.

 

[TdC]

lol you tell me to spend three thousand euros eek on fucking photoshop, and in the same breath say the cheapest cheapass Wacom is good value (49e over here btw)

I know the Wacom works, as I used it to mess with during the weekend already. if I can complain about anything, it would be the way the tip of the pen feels against the surface of the touchpad. it's (ok maybe slightly exaggerated) like writing on sandpaper with a magic marker. that's nasty. also, the stylus makes my fingers sweat, which is weird, but I think I can combat that with a little cork tape or something similar, as it's completely smooth where I hold it, no grip or anything. I'm kinda thinking that it's like holding a ballpoint without the filling. it's extremely light in other words. other than that, it works fine, pressure sensitivity and everything.

I've never used a (Wacom) touchpad before though, so I am full of noobness. it took me a while to twig that the surface of the pad is not your image but your screen for example.

 

[DaGaffer]

Jesus, where the Hell are you buying Photoshop? Remind me not to ask you for shopping advice. And anyway, who mentioned Photoshop? Paintshop Pro does a good enough job for about sixty quid and is far more intuitive and generally useful than Gimp. The only reason I ever use Gimp is because you can run it as a portable app which gets around some of the software blocking at work (or it did until they finally gave me a copy of photoshop).

 

[TdC]

meh I don't know what PS costs so I checked a price site for the real ultimate awesome complete awesome ultimate edition of CS4. I think that also gets you literoom and all the other shizzle you normally have to pay for?

 

[Yaka]

this is going back 4 years or something but inkscape and gimp have issues with wacom devices. id be very surprised if the issue wasnt fixed. only buy p/shop if you really are gonna use it. gimp and paint.net should be enough for most users

 

[Fweddy]

I <3 my wacom. Make sure it's set up to match the same aspect ratio as your screen. Iirc by default it uses the whole pad's surface area and if that isn't the same shape as your screen you'll get an oval if you draw a circle.

If the surface is bothering you then tape a sheet of paper (or tin foil or underwear) over it to get a different texture. The pen will work through thin things and you can adjust the sensitivity to suit.

It takes a bit of getting used to so try and use it for everything for a while instead of touching your mouse. Drawing, surfing the net, scratching your balls, whatever.

 

[TdC]

ta Fweddy, some good tips there mate!