Input Devices: Wacom Tablet, Mouse or Trackball for Image Editing
Question:
I am considering a Wacom tablet. Do you use one? If so, do you recommend it for image editing?
Answer:
Short Answer: I use a trackball by choice for all image editing.
I was once allowed by a former employer to sample about every device known on the market for input. The range included cordless, optical mice, tablets/pens and trackballs of all shape and size. I ended up the beneficiary of some experience that is hard to get otherwise, and my image editing likely improved because of it. By the end, I'd selected the Kensington Turbo Mouse (http://aps8.com/kensington.html) as my input of choice above tablets and any mega-mouse you could find. I still use the device for digital photo-editing work to this day, though in a newer and even better model. I don't know that a trackball is the solution for everyone, but for my skills and experience, this item is better.
Just to review the benefits of a trackball as I see them:
1) They don't require lift-and-move motions like a mouse, so they are easy on the wrist, and likely help keep you from getting carpal tunnel or other computer stress syndromes.
2) They have a small footprint on your work desk, don't need to move, and don't require a mouse pad, so they take up little desk space, and can always be found where you last left them (even in the dark). You don't ever fuss with wires, so being wireless is redundant.
3) The large ball on the Kensington device offers stability and control that you will not get in devices that have smaller controllers. The software has a very neat variable speed option which lets you slow the cursor movement as the ball speed slows. A big, slow ball means pixel by pixel pinpoint accuracy--and you can rest between or during moves (unlike with a pen).
4) Maintenance/cleaning requirements are near nill. Tip it over to get the ball out, and blow. Replace the ball and you are ready to go.
5) The replacement and service for Kensington products is excellent (the one time I had a problem after 5 years of service, the item was completely replaced with a new device).
6) I am not drawing oriented. If I were I would likely draw more often. I take pictures because I don't draw as well as I'd like, and likely that is because I am not so good with a pen/pencil. Pens seem unstable and difficult to control to me.
7) There are four programmable buttons and chords (combinations of buttons) that allow you to assign custom commands and menu calls for customization.
Don't be fooled by cheap immitations. I was. I'd used bad trackballs before my testing and thought they were completely useless devices. Regretfully the ones I used were stiff, small and inaccurate. With the Kensington I have great control and comfort. When my daughter was 3, I had both the mouse and trackball hooked to the machine, and once she knew how to use both, she always used the trackball...It isn't a great study, but I think it says something. The only thing a tablet can really do that my trackball can't is pressure control, and while I see that it could be useful to those with artistic skills in drawing, it isn't, again, for me.
I have been using a Kensington since 1995, and I have sampled new devices and even other Kensington products, but nothing has swayed me from the Turbo Mouse. I highly recommend it!
PS -- My courses are signing up for the Spring semester at betterphoto.com. I'll be teaching From Monitor to Print, Leveraging Layers, and Photoshop 101. New additions from my good friends include: Right-brain Photoshop, by Al Ward and Photographing Fast-Action Sports, by Greg Georges
I am considering a Wacom tablet. Do you use one? If so, do you recommend it for image editing?
Answer:
Short Answer: I use a trackball by choice for all image editing.
I was once allowed by a former employer to sample about every device known on the market for input. The range included cordless, optical mice, tablets/pens and trackballs of all shape and size. I ended up the beneficiary of some experience that is hard to get otherwise, and my image editing likely improved because of it. By the end, I'd selected the Kensington Turbo Mouse (http://aps8.com/kensington.html) as my input of choice above tablets and any mega-mouse you could find. I still use the device for digital photo-editing work to this day, though in a newer and even better model. I don't know that a trackball is the solution for everyone, but for my skills and experience, this item is better.
Just to review the benefits of a trackball as I see them:
1) They don't require lift-and-move motions like a mouse, so they are easy on the wrist, and likely help keep you from getting carpal tunnel or other computer stress syndromes.
2) They have a small footprint on your work desk, don't need to move, and don't require a mouse pad, so they take up little desk space, and can always be found where you last left them (even in the dark). You don't ever fuss with wires, so being wireless is redundant.
3) The large ball on the Kensington device offers stability and control that you will not get in devices that have smaller controllers. The software has a very neat variable speed option which lets you slow the cursor movement as the ball speed slows. A big, slow ball means pixel by pixel pinpoint accuracy--and you can rest between or during moves (unlike with a pen).
4) Maintenance/cleaning requirements are near nill. Tip it over to get the ball out, and blow. Replace the ball and you are ready to go.
5) The replacement and service for Kensington products is excellent (the one time I had a problem after 5 years of service, the item was completely replaced with a new device).
6) I am not drawing oriented. If I were I would likely draw more often. I take pictures because I don't draw as well as I'd like, and likely that is because I am not so good with a pen/pencil. Pens seem unstable and difficult to control to me.
7) There are four programmable buttons and chords (combinations of buttons) that allow you to assign custom commands and menu calls for customization.
Don't be fooled by cheap immitations. I was. I'd used bad trackballs before my testing and thought they were completely useless devices. Regretfully the ones I used were stiff, small and inaccurate. With the Kensington I have great control and comfort. When my daughter was 3, I had both the mouse and trackball hooked to the machine, and once she knew how to use both, she always used the trackball...It isn't a great study, but I think it says something. The only thing a tablet can really do that my trackball can't is pressure control, and while I see that it could be useful to those with artistic skills in drawing, it isn't, again, for me.
I have been using a Kensington since 1995, and I have sampled new devices and even other Kensington products, but nothing has swayed me from the Turbo Mouse. I highly recommend it!
PS -- My courses are signing up for the Spring semester at betterphoto.com. I'll be teaching From Monitor to Print, Leveraging Layers, and Photoshop 101. New additions from my good friends include: Right-brain Photoshop, by Al Ward and Photographing Fast-Action Sports, by Greg Georges
Labels: al ward, Elements, greg georges, image editing, input devices, mice, Photoshop, trackball, Wacom tablets
1 Comments:
I agree with Richard's comments about a trackball. Note that not all trackballs are created equally, and that it takes some getting used to. I previously used a different brand trackball. In terms of comfort, I preferred a smaller trackball than the Kensington Turbo, although the Kensington does offer very good control and is widely considered the best trackball. When the model I used finally needed replacement, I found that the company's newer version was too stiff, and I gave up on it after trying two new models.
I then began using a Wacom tablet: 6" x 8" is a good size for Photoshop. It gave me much better control than a mouse, and was kinder to my wrists. The main disadvantage is having to switch back and forth between using the pen and the keyboard.
When optical mice became available, I found myself using the mouse more and more, including basic image editing. Note that some mice offer higher resolutions (pixels per inch) than others.
When I need to do detailed editing, I use the Wacom. Note that the tablet approach is particulary advantageous for drawing, and the pen's pressure sensitivity is good for painting effects, such as the airbrush tool.
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