Thoughts Wacom Intuos4 & Lightroom

Currently Amazon is advertising a Intuos4 Medium Pen Tablet packaged with Lightroom 3 for $367.00
What are the thoughts on this; I have CS4 along with Portrait Professional that I use as a plug in to help speed up some of the quick facial fixes.

I have never used a tablet but like the idea and would appreciate any feedback from folks who happen to use either the tablet and/or Lightroom together. I did download Lightroom 3 when it was released and used it for the trial period; just couldn’t justify $200.00 when I already have CS4.

Thanks in advance.

LR3 is better at Raw conversion then LR2 / ACR5.7
The Wacom won't be of much use with LR (IMO), but you'll ask yourself why you didn't buy one years ago once you've used it for a while during retouching in PS…

I have PSCS4, LR3 and an Intuos3 A5 wide.

I have a Medium Intuos4... I love it. Kinda wish I got a small, because I don't need all the space.

I don't need it much in Lightroom, but it can be useful when I brush in saturation or exposure adjustments. Skin retouching, cloning, etc is all done in Photoshop. Photoshop masking is really where a graphics tablet shines for photography. Otherwise, if you do original digital art in addition to photography, it can be an awesome tool

René Damkot wrote in post #13579728
The Wacom won't be of much use with LR (IMO)

I've only got a Bamboo but it makes using the Adjustment Brush a lot easier than the mouse.

That's why I said "not much use" instead of "no use"

I use it for "brushing" (local adjustment, graduate adjustment, spot removal). Mouse & shortcuts for everything else.

When using a mouse I find it easier to just click using a feathered adjustment brush and then click and drag left (to lessen the effect of the brush) or right (to get more effect) then to muck about with the opacity slider.
Or gradually build up using a brush at lower opacity.

Pressure sensitivity helps, but it's not fast enough (in LR, with my MacPro) to offer fine (tactile) control IMO.
Also: If I want full control, I use Photoshop: LR is "quick and dirty" (but effective!)

Thanks for the replys, I was leaning toward the wireless vs the USB. Then the LR3 package deal caught my eye. Good to know that LR 3 wont be much of a benifit

Rocky Rhode wrote in post #13579823
Thanks for the replys, I was leaning toward the wireless vs the USB. Then the LR3 package deal caught my eye. Good to know that LR 3 wont be much of a benifit

I have wired. I heard wireless is just as good. However, I also have an art brush. I wonder if wireless introduces lag if I use something as memory intensive as an art brush.

Rocky Rhode wrote in post #13579823
Thanks for the replys, I was leaning toward the wireless vs the USB. Then the LR3 package deal caught my eye. Good to know that LR 3 wont be much of a benifit

I'd check out Lightroom totally seperately. It's a great app for doing what it's good at doing, a top-of-the-line Raw processor, an image organizer, and a good "one stop" app for bringing images in and putting them out in various ways, but for a lot of folks, it isn't worth the price, since everything Lightroom can do can be done in other less spendy apps, just maybe not as quickly and efficiently!

I've never had any lag with my Wireless but really have a wired and save yourself some money unless you really don't want to leave the usb cable visible, as you have to plug it in to the USB to charge it.

Rocky Rhode wrote in post #13579537
just couldn’t justify $200.00 when I already have CS4.

tonylong wrote in post #13580303
I'd check out Lightroom totally seperately.

I agree. Lightroom is worth having in addition to Photoshop. Perfect complementary programs. Owning Lightroom improves your workflow 500%. Not every photo needs to be brought into Photoshop. Photoshop also doesn't catalogue and manage photos.

Hmmm interesting conundrum.

Wireless version $365.18 vs USB Wire with Lightroom 3 for $367.17 vs USB Version 314.18
Still leaning towards the latter as the wireless while nice, is not a necessity to me. I don’t have Lightroom 3 and the delta becomes $52.99.
Wish I knew how long the deal was going on so be better make my decision.

I wish I got LR with my purchase of the Wacom.

Rocky Rhode wrote in post #13580473
Hmmm interesting conundrum.

Wireless version $365.18 vs USB Wire with Lightroom 3 for $367.17 vs USB Version 314.18
Still leaning towards the latter as the wireless while nice, is not a necessity to me. I don’t have Lightroom 3 and the delta becomes $52.99.
Wish I knew how long the deal was going on so be better make my decision.

Well, Lightroom for $53 is a super deal, so if you do any more than just play with your photography I'd strongly consider it.

tonylong wrote in post #13580593
Well, Lightroom for $53 is a super deal, so if you do any more than just play with your photography I'd strongly consider it.

Only been at this digital stuff for just over a year & a half; so much to learn, and with age it's tougher to learn new tricks. Most likely I will go for the combo deal

Lightroom is great and I find the tablet very functional in Lightroom and photoshop. It does take a little getting use to. For example, holding the pens perpendicular to the tablet surface instead of angled like a writing pen yields better control.