Anyone using a pen tablet to edit?

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Level 1

0 points

Anyone using a pen tablet to edit?

Hello,

I'm a professional film and TV editor (Final Cut at home and Avid at work), and I'm curious about using a graphics tablet with a pen to edit. I seem to hear some pretty good things about tablets, but haven't been able to find that many reviews from people who use them to edit video. Anyone out there? These are the questions I have, thanks for your help!

1.) How are they to edit with, especially using two monitors?
2.) Do you use the pen all the time, not just when editing? For example, when surfing the web or doing e-mail? Is scrolling an issue?
3.) I seem to get a lot of wrist strain with mice, how is it with a pen?
4.) Do they work well going back and forth with Windows and Mac, Final Cut and Avid?
5.) What brand and size would you recommend? From reading reviews it seems like the Wacom 6x11 would be best for a widescreen 2 monitor setup.....

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Aug 2, 2008 10:23 AM

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Answer 1

gogiangigo

Level 6

8,035 points

Aug 2, 2008 10:57 AM in response to abutler76

Hi Abutler,

1.) How are they to edit with, especially using two monitors?

They are great but look for the A3 size, the small one is far less comfortable.

2.) Do you use the pen all the time, not just when editing? For example, when surfing the web or doing e-mail? Is scrolling an issue?

Not all the time. Photoshop is the software I use it most with. I like editing using as many shortcuts as possible.

3.) I seem to get a lot of wrist strain with mice, how is it with a pen?

It's great, but when holding it tight for a very long time (many hours everyday for example on a Photoshop retouching job) it can cause pain to your fore-harm and wrist and make your finger tips numb. However, these are symptoms that many people may not experience or experience in a very mild way. Make sure you elbow rests on the desk.

4.) Do they work well going back and forth with Windows and Mac

Plug and play, never had problems between the two systems (Mac, Windows).

5.) What brand and size would you recommend? From reading reviews it seems like the Wacom 6x11 would be best for a widescreen 2 monitor setup.....

I use Wacom.

Best,

G.

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Answer 2

Aug 2, 2008 11:16 AM in response to abutler76

I've been using the Wacom 6x11 for about a year now with a dual 23" monitor setup. Since using the pen, I've had no more wrist strain. I use it instead of a mouse for everything. One of my favorite features is the ability to customize the function and pen buttons per application.

The pen is mightier than the mouse.

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Answer 3

Nick Holmes

Level 7

30,018 points

Aug 2, 2008 1:29 PM in response to abutler76

I feel lost without my Wacom A4, been using a pen and tablet since the mid 80s on Quantel kit. I tend to use the keyboard more in FCP and hardly touch the mouse anyway.

For Photoshop and Shake, it's the tool I use 90% of the time.

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Answer 4

Danny_boy

Level 4

1,125 points

Aug 2, 2008 2:50 PM in response to abutler76

I use a 6x11 Wacom Intuos3 at home and a 6x8 Wacom Graphire Bluetooth for traveling. I love them both, I use them for everything. I don't even have a mouse connected to any of my systems.

The Intous3 tablets have touch strips on the sides that you can use for scrolling or you can just hit the space bar on your keyboard (this of course doesn't work in all apps, but it works in browsers).

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Answer 5

Aug 2, 2008 5:12 PM in response to abutler76

I'm actually not a fan of using a tablet with Final Cut. Maybe it's because I started out on Fire, which has a tablet-driven interface. The Fire (now Smoke) user interface is completely different from the Final Cut interface. It's full-screen, with huge buttons and lots of swipe-gestures. Final Cut, with its itty-bitty on-screen controls is not meant to be used with a tablet, in my opinion. Just try — just try — toggling the mute button on an audio track with a tablet. Go on, I dare you.

That said, it can be done, and it's trivial to hook a tablet up to a Mac. So maybe the best thing to do is buy one from a store with a good return policy and try it out.

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Answer 6

Danny_boy

Level 4

1,125 points

Aug 2, 2008 6:22 PM in response to Jeff A. Harrell

Bad example, I do that almost everyday without problems.

Though I also have an audio control surface, so I can do that there too.

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Answer 7

Zebulun

Level 5

6,749 points

Aug 2, 2008 9:22 PM in response to Jeff A. Harrell

Jeff,

You always have an excuse to not do anything.

I learned to edit on Sony UMatic machines, machine to machine. BVU850s? If I'd let that experience dictate any sort of future (it probably should have) for me, then I'd have gone to law school!

I can edit on any system under the sun, but I am still learning how to edit.

To the Original Poster, personally, I love the Wacom tablets. I cheaped out 4 years ago and bought a Graphire 3. It has problems but I love it anyway. If I were to do it over, I'd buy the biggest, baddest Wacom tablet that is out of my price range, you will love it.

Z

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Answer 8

Aug 3, 2008 6:01 AM in response to Zebulun

Hee hee. It's true, Zeb. I'm one lazy son of a gun. Computer says "I want you to do it this way," I'm way too tired to fight over it. "Meh," says I, "whatever. Just let me cut my show."

The parallels between my attitude toward editing systems and my attitude toward my last long-term relationship are striking.

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Answer 9

Zebulun

Level 5

6,749 points

Aug 3, 2008 9:26 AM in response to Jeff A. Harrell

My attitude towards pontificating and opining on anything and everything precludes me from ever finishing anything.

I think I may have overstated my qualifications above: to this day I still cannot understand nor work within iMovie.

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Answer 10

Lust

Level 3

515 points

Aug 3, 2008 11:02 AM in response to Zebulun

Ahahaha...last two posts. 🙂

In another life working on Silicon Graphic's I had the biggest badest Wacom lol.

I never did like reaching across the big tablets. I assume most do but I much prefer small tablets.

I got me a Wacom Bamboo for Shake. But for the longest time I hadn't thought to use it with FCP. Awhile ago I gave it a go and I seem to use it more and more.

If I had a point here...uh the Bamboo is certainly cheap enough ( comparatively ), to see if it works for relieving your mouse hand and if you like using it for editing.

Yep I use it for other tasks also. Web, Photoshop, etc.

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Answer 11

abutler76 Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2008 7:31 PM in response to abutler76

Thanks to everyone who replied, I think I'm going to give it a try, and get one that can be returned just in case. If you have any tips or advice on how to adjust to using one, feel free to drop a line.

Thanks!

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Answer 12

Danny_boy

Level 4

1,125 points

Aug 5, 2008 10:55 PM in response to abutler76

The key to using a tablet is to hover. Only touch the pen to the tablet when you actually want to click.

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