Question/asking for suggestions

[uftaki]

This goes out to all artists there on my friends list. I'm interested in possibly getting a tablet for my computer, for drawing/art purposes. Graphics program would be bundled in along with it, probably.

What are good brands for tablets, out there. It doesn't have to be too big, or fancy, or complicated... but at the same time, I don't want the smallest, cheapest thing out there, either. Something middle-of-the-road, that I can use occassionally, but that will still work nicely, etc.

Also, what graphics programs do you recommend? Some version of Adobe Photoshop might be packaged along with the tablet, and that might be well and good, and suit my needs. What versions are good? Are there other programs which might be nice as well? Something that'll allow me to colour a variety of images, and re-size pictures without pixellating/losing too many details, etc.

My computer is an ACER, running Windows Vista, FYI.

Thank you for any and all suggestions. ^_____^

(now I just have to kick this MASSIVE block that's been plaguing me for months, and actually start drawing again. x_x Writing, too. I might be tossing up another post, asking for prompts from various fandoms, later... if just to help me get into an RPing kick again. c.c)

Comments

[middletails.livejournal.com]

I'm using a Wacom Bamboo which is kindof small but if you don't need massive drawing space, it might suit your needs. It's probably the cheapest wacom you can get. Otherwise there's the bigger ones which are more expensive..um...I haven't really looked at them in great detail though. If you want to drop by a London Drugs one day and check out their computer and sofrware section, they have a pretty decent selection.

The programs that get bundled with wacoms is usually a watered down version of Paint. There might be other programs, but since I have a full version of Photoshop, I don't really bother with the bundled stuff. You might want to check out Open Canvas if you're serious about CG'ing. Cheaper than Photoshop, that's for sure.

[dixxymouri.livejournal.com]

I've got a Bamboo as well - it is the only tablet I've ever really used extensively so I have nothing to compare it to.

Mine came with Photoshop Elements and Corel Draw. Another free alternative to Photoshop you can get online is Gimp, which is the GNU version of Photoshop. That's what I have on my computer.

[oreobot.livejournal.com]

I have a Wacom Intuos 6x8 tablet and Photoshop CS. As far as I know you have to buy the two separately. Check out Amazon.ca or Adobe's site for deals on Photoshop. It's an expensive program but sometimes there are promotions. I saw one where an extra couple of hundred you could get Photoshop and Illustrator.

[dev-chieftain.livejournal.com]

I also use a bamboo, and I like photoshop okay. Any program that has pen sensitivity is gonna be preferable. For reference, if your lines are all uniform in width, then pen sensitivity probably isn't on or isn't a feature. (With photoshop it sometimes doesn't register, so I'll close and reopen the program until it does. The easiest way to tell is make the brush huge and do a single stroke to see if it comes out blocky or like a paintbrush stroke. Paintbrush good, blocky bad!)

[playswithworms.livejournal.com]

No advice for you on the tablets, but here's some umph to start drawing and writing again:

DRAW SOMETHING!!!
WRITE SOMETHING!!!
:D

[dessa-gepichu.livejournal.com]

I use the Wacom Bamboo Fun, too.

For programs, resizing isn't going to be drastically different between them. If you resize up, you'll get pixellating. If you size down, you'll lose details. Depending on how you size down (do it a small amount at a time), you can sometimes get more definition, but you'll still lose some.