What kind of mouse/pointing device do you use?

[Sheridan]

Hey everyone,

I've been using photoshop for a few years in my spare time, and actually got into that before I took up photography. I have never been happy with a regular mouse or my laptops touch pad for certain intricate edits.

So that leads me to my question, what do you use? I've never tried a trackball, or anything really except mouse and touchpad. If you have any recomendations I'd love to hear them.

Thanks in advance,
Frank

[PacAce]

Wacom tablets (or equivalents) are great and just about the only thing I use on my desktop (other than the keyboard, of course). My tablet comes with both a pen and a mouse, both of which I use depending on the task at hand.

[wardie]

I've just got a Wacom Graphire 4 tablet for to use while editing in photoshop. After a few initial problems (PC related) I find it's a great tool. It's a lot easier to be precise and the pressure tip feature I find excellent.

It also works across all Windows programs so you don't have to swap to the mouse if another program (email, web) requires your attention. The only negative that I've seen is that the tablet is mapped to the screen so you cannot move the cursor by lifting the pen and backtracking so your hand movements are reduced. All this does is move the cursor back to the orginal point.

BR
Wardie

[Sheridan]

Thanks for the quick responses guys, I looked those up that you mentioned and they do look interesting. Since they are mapped to the screen, and the one is only 4x5, does that make it hard to be precise? Does that mean that you only have 4" of pen movment to make the mouse go all the way across the screen, or am I misunderstanding? I hope that question makes sense :)

[BaliHai]

I have used both the small 4x5 and the larger 8x10 and really prefer the 4x5 for precise editing the larger sizes are good if you are using them for drawing as I have in the past. My 4x5 covers my entire 21" screen and allows me to be as exacting as needed. There is a learning curve to using them but I'll use nothing else and I've trained my husband to use it as well.

[PacAce]

I've just got a Wacom Graphire 4 tablet for to use while editing in photoshop. After a few initial problems (PC related) I find it's a great tool. It's a lot easier to be precise and the pressure tip feature I find excellent.

It also works across all Windows programs so you don't have to swap to the mouse if another program (email, web) requires your attention. The only negative that I've seen is that the tablet is mapped to the screen so you cannot move the cursor by lifting the pen and backtracking so your hand movements are reduced. All this does is move the cursor back to the orginal point.

BR
Wardie
In case you weren't aware of it, you can remap the tablet area anyway your wish to make using the pen easier for you. See a similar discussion here:

http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=244295

[scottbergerphoto]

Wacom Intuos 3, 6"x 8". Love it!

[goatee]

Wacom Graphire (3 I think), and a Logitech MX 700 mouse. The Graphire tablets are great value, and I find having the tablet mapped to the whole screen works better for me than having it mapped to a smaller area.

[scrumpy]

I use a trackball and can't imagine what using a mouse would be like for editing the finer points. Not sure though if you can buy left and right handed ones. DA.

[Sheridan]

Thanks for all the input, I will definintely look into these. I hope that best buy or some store has one out on display so I can try one soon.

Thanks again,
Frank

[fivegallon]

Wacom Intuos 3, 6"x 8". Love it!

Scott, i've been doing lots of reading and measuring on these units over the last few days and it seems their overall size is quite large in comparison to the "work area". Do you find this to be the case? :confused:

[shrugs*]

Scott, i've been doing lots of reading and measuring on these units over the last few days and it seems their overall size is quite large in comparison to the "work area". Do you find this to be the case? :confused:

There's a visible outline for the 'hot area' oppose to just 'dead plastic'. The smaller versions are about the size of a mousepad with a photo on top.

[NicolasRubio]

Logitech MX518 mouse...

[Tsmith]

Logitech MX518 mouse...

Me too

[strmrdr]

ms optical mouse.
better tracking than pretty much any other mouse.

[CyberDyneSystems]

For Post processing work, you must get a nice Tablet :)
I like the little graphire just fine,

Of course I still use a Mouse for just about everything else.

[Dan-o]

Wacom Intuos 3, and Logitech MX 518 mouse.

[ipacmm]

I use the Wacom Intuous 3 tablet and I also have an Apple bluetooth mighty mouse.

[NickSimcheck]

Wacom Intuous3 6"X8" And An old Logitech trackball mouse, a very high quality one they stopped making about 2 years ago.


Have a peek at this bad boy:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2464,CONTENTID=10716