Thoughts on the Intuos4...

...just in time for the release of the Intuos5!

Back in January, I plunked down the cash for a new Wacom Intuos4 pen tablet.  I wanted to take some time to use it before writing a review, and while I was getting accustomed to the Intuos4, the Intuos5 was released.

Obvious obsolescence notwithstanding, here we go:

I've been using my Intuos4 with Photoshop and Manga Studio EX for almost two months now, and it's been a real time and space saver. Since I'm mostly using the tablet to draw a comic that is published online, I don't have to worry about having to scan or store physical drawings. I do prefer drawing on paper, but time and space are tight, and this lets me streamline the process from concept to publication in a pretty significant way.

The initial investment was just shy of $180 after tax and shipping, but I'll be saving money on materials like paper and pencils in the long run. Actually, the cost of the Intuos4 is roughly the same as 200 sheets of 14″ x 17″ Bristol board. It also came with a wireless mouse which never needs batteries, which is another thing I won't have to buy for a good while. The mouse has to stay on the active area of the tablet to work, but that's not a big concern of mine – it's no worse than having a trackball mouse that only works on a textured mouse pad.

A lot of users posted complaints about how the pen nibs (replaceable plastic tips) needed to be swapped out too often due to wear. Again, this was not a big concern of mine, since real pencils, pens, and brushes wear out and need to be replaced over time as well. I'm not particularly heavy-handed when it comes to drawing, but the more you draw, the more you're going to spend on pencils and paper anyway. I tend to think of replacement nibs as part of the cost of doing business.

My only complaint is that my computer doesn't always recognize the tablet on startup, but I'm not sure if that's an issue with the Wacom drivers or if it's a problem with Windows 7. At any rate, it works as advertised 99% of the time, and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to start creating digitally. It's easy to set up, relatively inexpensive, and it works with industry standard software like Photoshop and freeware like Gimp.

If this is any indication of things to come, I'll be ready to post a review of the Intuos5 about a week or two before the Intuos6 comes out.

wickedoffkiltah.com/2012/03/05…