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Retouching with the Wacom Intuos Pro
05/22/2019
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Post processing, most of us do it in one form or another whether choosing an Instagram filter or full on retouching in Photoshop. For years I was one of the many clicking and dragging my way through with a mouse, until now...
Wacom with the Intuos Pro has been around for awhile so the product and idea of using a pen/tablet for retouching is definitely nothing new, it just took me this long to take the plunge and order one to try out and see if it worked for my workflow and style. I was pretty confident it would since I'm a huge fan of Apple's iPad Pro and pencil for various tasks but it can't quite do the task as well as the Wacom according to reviews I had read. With over 8000 levels of pressure sensitivity, this type of work is exactly what the Wacom was made for.
Lucky for me, Wacom has very recently released a new size to their Intuos Pro line, the Small size. It looks really sleek and its smaller form factor will fit easily on a desk if you don't have much space. But, is it too small?
"Small is the best size for photographers..."
To be honest, I decided on ordering the Large size first. That thing was HUGE. I could see it being perfect for sketchers/illustrators who need more space for a more natural feel to drawing on paper etc but in my opinion it's not a good workflow for photographers and retouching. My monitor setup is two 32" 4K monitors side-by-side, this is part of the reason I initially opted for the Large. I knew I could re-map the size so that only a portion of the tablet is usable but overall that's just a waste of space if I'm never going to be using the full surface. I mapped the surface size for what it would be like to use the Small, Medium, and of course the full area of the Large. The Small was most definitely the best feel for me even on the larger 32" monitors. I had also mapped it to use only one of my monitors since when I'm in Capture One Pro or Photoshop I'm only using one monitor to do it.
After using it for a couple days I had confidently made up my mind that the Small size was the right size for me so I returned the Large for the Small, and saved a good chunk of change at the same time! Even using the small you get super precise movements and very accurate tools within your favorite retouching program which was an early concern of mine.
I use it with both Capture One Pro and Photoshop and it has indeed made my workflow much easier and more fun as well! I don't believe there is anything you can't do with a mouse that you can do with the tablet pen but it makes everything more efficient to make those on demand adjustments. I'm super happy with my new workflow and the more I use it the more I feel the Small is the best size for Photographers.
So if you're on the fence about getting one for your workflow, stop thinking and just do it, it's worth it! At the very most if you think the Small will be too small then order the Medium. However, look up reviews one youtube etc of other photographers using them for their workflow and most of them seem to be re-mapping the surface of their Medium to use a small area, so save yourself some money and some desk space and order the Small :)
RECENT POSTS
05/22/2019
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