[V12]

anyone own one of these? if so what do you think of it, i am looking to get one to use for drawing with directly to my mac, and to edit photos with.

must you use both the pen and their mouse? or can i just use the pen and my mouse?

[paingold]

I'm saving up to get one of their new models (Intuos 3 or graphire3). I had an older one but sold it since it had a serial connection. It wouldn't work in OS X.
You can still use your mouse along with the tablet. From what I've read the mouse that comes with it isn't very good. That was with the last generation. Maybe wacom improved it.

If you run a search on this site you should be able to find plenty of info.

[tooki]

1. It's Graphire.

2. You can use your mouse. Just make sure to remove any Wacom input devices from the tablet, so that they're not moving the pointer while you try and use the mouse.

I don't have a Graphire, but I do have an older Wacom tablet (a predecessor of the Intuos series). It's delightful for editing photos and for tracing. (I can't draw worth a crap, so I don't use it for that.)

tooki

[V12]

thanks tooki and paingold yea it seems that it will fit when into my computing. I'll probably just plug it in and use it when i want so that would casue problems with the mouse(s).

i'm not sure if anyone would know but it says that it comes with ps elements 1.0, this is a mac compatible software copy right?

[bells0]

got a used Graphire 3 direct from wacom in Germany for £45 delivered [cost £90 new in UK] and works a treat.

use it in PShop CS for editing pics, makes life a lot easier than using a mouse. It comes with a wireless mouse, which i haven't used, i only use the pen and my standard new laser logitech mouse

[tooki]

You definitely need to install the Wacom drivers -- without them, it just acts like a gigantic trackpad, with no absolute positioning (the key to tablet drawing), no pressure sensitivity, etc.

But the drivers don't interfere with the mouse. Macs have no trouble with multiple input devices.

Photoshop Elements is for Mac, but 1.0 is not Mac OS X native. PS Elements 2.0 is Mac OS X native, and PS Elements 3.0 just came out, which adds the wildly useful healing brush.

tooki

[winwintoo]

Just to add to what others have said, the mouse is "wireless" but it is positional on the Graphire tablet so it doesn't need any batteries - a big plus in my book and it's not that bad as mouses go.

I have the Graphire 3 and the mouse is much improved over the earlier version.

PhotoShop Elements 3 just came out and it has some new interesting features but if you're really into doing photo manipulations, and you happen to be a student, go for the student edition of PhotoShop CS, there are features in the full package that are absent from the PS Elements package.

On the other hand if freehand drawing is what you want to do, Photoshop might not be the best choice anyway - there are other products better suited to that.

If all you can afford right now is the Graphire, PSE 1 will get you started (Classic isn't that hard to use) and there are some pretty decent freeware drawing apps floating around now that you can use. The one advantage of PSE is the layers - once you get used to them, you can't use anything else.

Margaret

[The Godfather]

If money was no object, you should get:

http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_15x.cfm

The artist of one of my favorite webcomics just got one, and she loves it to no end.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/mar...53.html#cutid1

[Crusoe]

I used an old serial 4x5 intuos or whatever it was called back then with Painter for mostly freehand drawing and it worked great. Still have it somewhere.

I have a graphire 2, bought in about a month before the 3 was released. It seems to perform worse than my old intuos and the mouse is "sticky" feeling. I haven't used it in a while and haven't done any painting with it.

I would recommend an intuos and at least the 6x8 if you want to use the mouse too. Found I hit the edges of the active area too much on the 4x5.

[V12]

well i was looking at the graphire mostly because it came with the oftware however i may be better off getting the macally tablet and purchasing PS Elements 3 on my own.

i really like that $1500 tablet, but its way out of the question.

decisions, decisions.....

[IceEnclosure]

Originally posted by V12:
however i may be better off getting the macally tablet and purchasing PS Elements 3 on my own........decisions, decisions.....

you don't buy a tablet unless it's made by Wacom. right?

and you CERTAINLY don't buy one if it's from Macally. right?