Enhancing Your Inner Skill with the WACOM Intuos!

I enjoy my Intuos more than my Graphire after a year of usage. The main reason is the increased pressure sensitivity as it allows me to add an extra dimension of refinement that is difficult to do on a Graphire.

There are other physical options too like the tilt function. Basically, you can tilt the stylus to digitally paint in new ways. The extra buttons on the physical drawing pad make it easier to navigate as well.

So what is the Intuos all about?

1. A quick overview

The WACOM Intuos has three physical items not found on the regular Graphire: ‘ExpressKeys,’ a tile function, and increased pressure sensitivity.

The ExpressKeys are a set of eight keys positioned on each side of the main drawing board whereby you are able to designate specific functions through the software driver.

What’s more, there is a touch-sensitive scroll pad (same concept found on a laptop navigation pad) right beside the keys so you can scroll up and down to help you navigate your canvas.

The tilt sensitivity is self-explanatory. Anytime your tablet tilts, your digital art program will alter the brush so it mimics real media. Personally, I have not really used this feature as much as I could rarely find a use for it.

The important feature is the pressure sensitivity. There are 1024 points of sensitivity of the Intuos versus the 512 points of sensitivity for the Graphire.

This is one of the most important features as I use this the most! While it does not matter when you push hard on the stylus (the Graphire is adequate for this), it does matter for when you just want to paint something lightly.

The ability to lightly ‘graze’ a brush stroke is essential for digital painting.

2. Tablet functions

Once the drivers are installed on your computer, you can bring up the driver software and have it customized to your needs. I usually leave everything as it is in default mode and change settings through the digital art program.

However, you may want to play around with the settings to find something that you would like. For starters, you can set what each of the ExpressKeys can do. The default is good as you need the CTRL, SHIFT, and ALT keys to manipulate your brushes.

But that doesn’t means you can’t change it to something else. For example, one button can be set to right click or middle click.

The touch strip options allow you to choose between scrolling, zooming, or a combination of both. This is very handy for navigation purposes.

Lastly, the Pop-up Menu allows you to designate a key, whether on the WACOM Intuos mouse or stylus, to open up an additional menu bar. While I can see this as potentially useful to save time, I have yet to use this function for digital painting.

3. Pen options

Normally, pressure sensitivity is automatic and is based on the settings in your digital art program. For that reason alone, you don’t need to worry about setting the pressure sensitivity too much. Focus on the tilt sensitivity and the pen buttons.

Personally, the default settings are usually good enough for a large number of tasks. However, if you need any additional functions, you know where to look!

This is the same for the eraser as you can set the pressure sensitivity and general feel. Again, it’s not something that needs to be explored as the default settings are more than adequate.

What is unique is the mapping customization. If, by chance, you don’t like how the tablet reflects your monitor, you can always customize how the stylus moves with the screen.

As well, you can change the tablet orientation to landscape, portrait, landscape flip, and portrait flip. It’s fairly useful if you discover wear and tear on one side of the board.

4. Is it worth getting a WACOM Intuos?

The answer is yes! While you may not use all the options available through the driver, the 1024 points of sensitivity is very helpful for you specifically as a digital painter. The question is picking up the right size.

Unlike the Graphire, the Intuos comes in a wide variety of sizes. The smallest is 4 x 6 inches while the largest is 12 x 19 inches. Don’t be fooled, though. This is the dimensions of the usable drawing pad and not the total dimensions.

For example, I bought myself a 6 x 8 for ~300 dollars US. The actual dimensions are 10 x 13.5 inches! For versatility and pricing, it’s the best compromise.

There is one more upgrade from the WACOM line and that’s the Cintiq tablet. It’s basically a pressure sensitive monitor. It has the same 1024 points of sensitive from the WACOM Intuos and other similar options.

Though it would be nice, once more, it’s definitely not necessary as the Intuos is the best overall compromise between price and functionality. Regardless, don’t spend too much time analyzing hardware. Let your artistic skills do the work and not the equipment!

Return from WACOM Intuos to Digital Art Tools.
Return from WACOM Intuos to the 2d Digital Art Guide.