Note: We’re not sponsored by or endorsing\u00a0Wacom brand tablets, they’re simply the tablet of choice for most creative professionals today.<\/em><\/p>\n The biggest benefit is speed. The same reason I use a tablet is the same reason professional swimmers shave their heads to improve their times by a fraction of a second, only in the post-production world those improvements are multiplied over time.<\/strong><\/p>\n A traditional mouse has an arbitrary correlation to its mouse pad; you can just pick up the mouse and reposition it. The tablet’s area maps absolutely to the full real estate of your monitors. The tablet\u2019s left corner corresponds to the monitor\u2019s left corner. You\u2019ll find yourself snapping to the exact point you want when navigating the operating system. It\u2019s this hand-eye coordination inherent in the tablet technology that speeds you up.<\/p>\n Over the course of a busy workday you\u2019ll trim seconds off what would take longer with a mouse. Add those seconds up over a ten-hour day and you’ll have saved a chunk of time. When you multiply how much time you save over a week or a month, it really becomes significant.<\/p>\n Think about keyboard shortcuts. Isn’t typing command-C easier and faster than selecting Edit<\/i> and then Copy<\/i> every time? You may think the time saved is minimal, but when you get into that groove, the time adds up.<\/p>\n Tablets\u00a0have a slight learning curve, but don\u2019t be afraid. At first most people don’t realize the pen hovers over the tablet as opposed to being pressed on its surface. It\u2019s similar to holding a pencil. The relaxed hold prevents hands from getting tired. Hands are important, people. Treat them right.<\/p>\n You can increase the tablet’s\u00a0speed by limiting the area it maps to<\/strong>. For instance, with Wacom tablets you can adjust\u00a0the preferences to constrain the proportion of the screen that the tablet covers. This is ideal for working with two monitors or a large amount of screen real estate. Some of Wacom\u2019s tablets may be too big for certain screens like laptops. Constraining the area gives you the right sensitivity to zip around at the speed you want.<\/p>\n Curious about the different sizes and types of tablets? PremiumBeat blogger Aaron Williams gives an AWESOME rundown on his Wacom settings, tablet recommendations, use in different post-production applications and more –\u00a0Wacom: The Hidden Manual<\/a>.<\/strong> More on my personal setup\u00a0below…<\/p>\n One of the main features that make tablets an obvious choice for designers and illustrators are their pressure sensitivities. You can achieve a wide range of nuance with a swipe, dab, or erase. This is ideal if your job revolves around illustrating either raster or vector graphics<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I’ll be the first to say that as soon as I jump on a new Wacom\u00a0at a gig, I disable all of the tablet\u2019s buttons. I dislike my hand hitting something I didn’t intend. For most users, including myself, the buttons are an underutilized feature. The newer models sport less invasive buttons, as well as a touchstrip on either side that can be used for scrolling or zooming. You can flip the newer models around if you\u2019re left-handed so the buttons really won\u2019t get in the way. Tweaking the buttons to the functions you want will make you a power user. I should probably up my game<\/em>.<\/p>\n What I have found very helpful is taking advantage of the buttons on the pen itself<\/strong>. In addition to the main pen pointer and eraser, there are two buttons on a Wacom\u00a0pen that can be set to any number of commands. I use them for right-click and double-click, so opening a document doesn\u2019t even require tapping twice on the tablet, and no keyboard presses are needed.<\/p>\n It amazes me how many people are still using conventional trackball mice. We all remember the annoyance of cleaning the accumulated black gunk from the treads of the mouse every few months. While more modern mice use lasers, it can be difficult to find the right surface which works with them.<\/p>\n Tablets operate via USB, so there’s never a need to change out batteries. Wacom\u00a0tablets come with a multi-button mouse too, just in case you need it.<\/p>\n A few years back, motion\u00a0design guru Nick Campbell at Greyscalegorilla gave his personal take on using a tablet<\/a>: “Once you go Wacom, you won’t go back.” Check it out:<\/p>\nSpeed Via Hand-Eye Coordination<\/h3>\n
Ergonomic Feel<\/h3>\n
Mapping<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"screen](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2015\/01\/screen-mapping.png\")
<\/p>\nPressure Sensitivity<\/b><\/h3>\n
Buttons…If That’s Your Thing<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"pen](\"https:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pen-options.png\")
<\/p>\nNo Cleaning Out Gunk! No Batteries Needed<\/b><\/h3>\n