Yes, give it some time, a couple of weeks is normal before you start feeling comfortable using it for everything, maybe try unplugging the mouse so you dont reach to it out of habit :-)
When i started using a wacom, 15+ years ago, it was because i started feeling the carpal tunnel syndrome with using the mouse, so i forced myself to use the wacom for everything and i havn't had any issues since then.
As Steve says, you can try out the mouse mode, i really dont like that mode but i know some do, especially if you have multiple monitors. When i started to use a Wacom i also went from a dual 4:3 monitor setup to a widescreen single monitor setup, mostly because of the issue with a wacom setup over such a large screen area.Â
There are some options on the wacom to toggle between multiple displays if you focus mostly on one of the monitors, it requires a button press on the tablet though. Also remember to try out the Precision Mode on the wacom, that can be really useful at times when precision work is needed and you dont want to zoom in.
The double tab to double click is sometimes harder than it should be, since some apps need you to keep the pen very still while doing that. Thats why i have set it as a default on the lower wacom button. After a while you will figure out what works for you :-)
Another small tip if you are on Windows (i think i remember you are), turn off "Use Windows Ink" under the Mapping tab in the Wacom Tablet Properties, that will save you some frustrations with the annoying rings that otherwise will always show when you click around. Just remember to turn it off for all Application settings you have setup for each Pen you have registered.
never knew there was a mouse mode! though it does sound weird when the #1 popular reason for using a Wacom (as described in the media) is that you don't have to drag. will try that.Â
BTW I got a 24" monitor, just the one.Â
about the buttons, I think the most used functions for me (other than double click which I tap twice with my pen so far) are "scroll/pan" and "right click".
so how do you scroll?Â
and as for pressing the buttons, this may seem like a funny question, but can you describe/preferably show me how you hold your pen? I can't seem to click on the buttons without moving the pen.Â
and the buttons keep turning away from me as I hold it, so when I need them, the movement is unnatural.Â
Robert,Â
I see you too use the double click and right click (the default). I just thought tapping twice seems pretty natural so I can save a button for pan/scroll but maybe I haven't been bitten in the A@@Â Â yet by tapping accidentally?
as for tablet setup, after experimenting, I too found that having the Wacom on the side is crucial since the keyboard is very needed for shortcuts.
will look into that chrome extension. Â thinking a scroll wheel just at the tip of the pen would be nice.Â
probably just need more pen time, I have only been using it for a couple of days. I think I just need to learn how to hold it in a way
that pressing the buttons will be second nature. probably just need more pen time, I have only been using it for a couple of days.
i have been an exclusive Wacom user for many many years now, i actually think using a mouse is kinda awkward now :-D
my setup is doubleclick on the lower side button and right on upper, and for apps that require middle mousebutton i set it up as middle on the lower. That works very nicely for me.
I have the wacom to the right of the keyboard, but know many wacom users prefer to have the wacom infront of the keyboard. I like to have it to the side so i can easily access the full keyboard for shortcuts that are very important to be efficient in AE.
As you have found out there is some mousewheel behaviors that is not as easy to perform with a wacom. There is the scroll wheel on the Wacom tablet that you can use, but that require you move your keyboard hand quite a bit, so its not so fast and i tend not to use that very often, and just don't use some of the mousewheel features that are in some apps.
Im looking for a new keyboard and are thinking og gettting the new Logitech Craft when/if it comes in a 105key nordic edition, that has a builtin multipurpose wheel at the topleft that could be helpful for at least us right-hand users.
If you use Chrome as your browser of choice, i highly recommend to download the addon called "scollbar anywhere" that makes it easy to scroll most websites by flicking the pen anywhere with eg the right button held down.
Then you will find out some applications are just not tested with wacom users before being released, where they require a very precise click where the pointer cant move any pixels before registering the click. Some Adobe apps have had this in the past, Premiere being bad at one point, AE for one version many years ago too, but they are mostly fine now.
Any plugin that uses a custom UI can have problems, eg Video Copilot Element is a bit frustrating to get into numerical value input mode, and a particular bad example has been Colorista that has such bad precision controls of the color wheels when using a Wacom.
Keep using the Wacom exclusively for a couple of weeks and you will soon surrender your mouse to the graveyard, overall its a much more natural and pleasant to work with a pen :-D
Thanks Jim. I consider myself very fast with a mouse too.I have not switched to a tablet for health reasons, though I see many advocate using a wacom for that reason alone.Â
I just want to make sure I am as efficient as I can be, and as I said, adjust myself to the customs of the places I work in. ("get a mouse for that new guy!", "-a what?", "-he uses a mouse??!")
if everybody there is using a wacom, I might as well get up to speed. that's what it comes down too I think - speed. and health some say...Â
A lot of people like tablets, but I can work faster with a mouse. Most of what I would use with a tablet is cutting masks in Photoshop for faking 3D moves on stills (The Kid Stays in the Picture effect). I lost a lot of time going back and forth between mouse and tablet. I should add that I’m left handed with the pen, and right handed with the mouse. The times I’ve tried the tablet while my hand was still on the mouse, the cursor jumps all around the screen.
I’m not an advocate for control surfaces, like audio mixing board with multiple faders either. I’m used to "rubber band" mixing of faders with a mouse (which is easily doable in Pr, even though it has real-time mixing capabilities using faders as well), because visual editing of audio is so intuitive.
It also may be worth considering whether carpal tunnel is an issue for you and made better or worse by tablet vs. mouse.
My .02
> On Sep 16, 2017, at 5:49 AM, Roei Tzoref <AE-List@media-motion.tv> wrote:
>
> Hi, just bought the intuos pro medium. Trying to get into the habit of working soley with a Wacom Tablet. I don't paint, but I composite, animate, roto and track. Rarely used it before, but have been freelancing in a place that doesn't even have a mouse, so I want to make a smooth transition.
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> I find it a struggle using the pen buttons. I set them to right click (the button near the tip) and scroll/pan (the other one). It's makes me move my hand slightly (and the cursor as a result) when I want to use them.
>
> Scrolling with the mouse wheel is a feature I use in Ae all the time. I am missing finer control there. Right click is also used a lot. Do any of you have a recommendation for a pen setup?maybe pen holding posture that could help make this easier? Or is it just something to bare through for a while? What do you use? What is your tablet position setup?
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