View Full Version : Wacom - Weekly Hints and Tips
Wacom is offering 'hints of the week' series for photographers.
Each week over the next two months, they will provide you with a short and useful update that will help users of Intuos4 pen tablets to improve their workflow and take full advantage of their tablets and software.
Throughout the series, we will provide tips for using Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Apple Aperture 3, as well as some useful pointers to help get the most out of the Intuos4 pen tablet driver.
Hint of the week "Adobe Photoshop CS5" (1)
Photoshop CS5 offers a few helpful additions to speed-up the pen based workflow. There are two buttons in the options bar when the regular brush is selected: The first button activates the opacity to be controlled by pen pressure (overriding Brush Panel settings). The second button activates the size to be controlled by pen pressure (overriding BRUSH panel settings).
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Hint of the week “Adobe Photoshop CS5” (2)
A) Go to the TOOL BAR and click & hold the Brush Tool to see the drop down list of available brushes. Select the new Mixer Brush Tool.
B) Select in the BRUSH PRESETS panel the second Bristle Brush. However only the new Bristle Brushes simulate a real brush and give you a 3D preview. You can use all older brushes with the new Mixer Brush Tool, but if you do the brush will have no 3D preview and only the features of version CS4 or lower.
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Hint of the week “Adobe Photoshop CS5” (3)
A)
Select the new Mixer Brush Tool, and choose the option Wet, Heavy Mix. These settings are important to specify if you want the brush to pick up paint, to add paint from a selected (loaded) colour or mix loaded and applied paint.
B)
Create two colour shapes on the canvas and then apply a few strokes from one colour shape to the other creating a natural blend of the two colours. Play with the brush using different tilt angles and applying more and less pressure to give it some variation.
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Hint of the week “Adobe Photoshop CS5” (4)
A)
In the BRUSH PRESETS panel it is also possible to change any bristle attribute to match the needs of the artist. Notice how changing any attribute will instantly show a live 3D preview of the changes made. For instance changing the length or the stiffness of the bristles will have a dramatically different look when painting - just as with a real bristle brush!
B)
It is also possible to toggle the 3D preview on/off when clicking on the little preview icon in the lower right area of the BRUSH panel (marked in red).
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Hint of the week « Apple Aperture3 » (1)
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A) The first button can be assigned to the right mouse click in the Wacom Tablet Properties.
B) The Zoom function can be assigned to the second button by saving the "Z" key as a "Keystroke" in the Tablet Properties.
C) In this way you can quickly and easily check the sharpness of the image by clicking on the rear Grip Pen button to immediately zoom the image to 100%.
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Hint of the week « Apple Aperture3 » (2)
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The Touch Ring can be effectively configured in the Wacom Tablet Properties: Since the Touch Ring with its central toggle button is multifunctional, you can assign the Zoom function to the first click, the Scrolling function to the second and the Rotation function to the third. An ideal choice for the fourth click is the "Reapply" function, so you can repeat the work you have just done with a simple twist of the Touch Ring. This means that the most commonly used functions in Aperture are just a few clicks of the toggle button away.
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I think full marks to Wacom for providing these snippets of information!
Ian
Hint of the week « Apple Aperture3 » (3)
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A) You can also assign the ExpressKeys to your own shortcuts: Aperture's HUD can be assigned to an ExpressKey using the keyboard shortcut "h". In addition to the keyboard hotkey function, you can enter any text you like. This text will then appear on the OLED display of the Intuos4 (in this case the term "HUD").
B) When you activate the ExpressKey labelled HUD in Aperture, this displays not only the Multimedia Library window and the metadata, but also the adaptation set – so you can get started with image enhancement right away.
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Hint of the week « Apple Aperture3 » (4)
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A) You can also assign the ExpressKeys to your own shortcuts: Using the keyboard hotkey "t" you can assign Aperture's metadata display to an ExpressKey. In addition to the keyboard hotkey function, you can enter any text you like. This text will then appear on the OLED display of the Intuos4 (in this case the term "Hints").
B) Activating the ExpressKey labelled “Hints” in Aperture quickly displays all the metadata information you need. Press the ExpressKey again, and the Hints will disappear.
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Just had a play with one of these at focus and I must say I was impressed.
Not cheap for a decent size but if you do alot of photoshopping and no what your doing , unlike me, I can see the appeal!
Ash.
Hint of the week “The Wacom Radial menu”:
The Radial menu - not to be confused with the Intuos4 Touch Ring - is a function of the Wacom driver which enables you to invoke commonly used shortcuts directly via an onscreen menu. This function is normally assigned to one of the ExpressKeys. The Radial menu comes preconfigured in one of the upper ExpressKeys. (A)
Pressing this ExpressKey opens a circular, semitransparent menu via which you can easily execute a preset function using the pen. Each function can also contain subfunctions. (B)
You can adapt this menu to your own specific requirements using shortcuts. For example, keyboard shortcut "x" – which is used for toggling between foreground and background colours in Photoshop – can be assigned to a Radial menu by first selecting the settings for the Radial menu in the driver check box and then assigning the "Submenu" function to an empty "segment". Add the label "Photoshop" and voila, you have created a new submenu, which is shown in the tree view on the left. (C)
Select the tree entry "Photoshop", and a new, empty "segment" will appear in the middle of the check box. If you select this "segment", you can use your right hand to choose a "shortcut" which opens a dialog box in which you can select the desired button (in this case "x") and then a label (in this case "Switch colours"). After you have confirmed this dialog box, the "Switch colours" function shows up in the centre display.
When you open the Radial menu with the ExpressKey, a menu containing the entry "Photoshop" appears. (D)
Clicking on this entry opens a submenu containing the "Switch colours" command which when clicked toggles between the foreground and background colours. (E)
The Radial menu is ideal for functions that involve multiple consecutive keyboard entries.
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Hint of the week "Display Toggle" function
The "Display Toggle" function is a veritable godsend for all Wacom users with multiple screens: The basic pen tablet configuration allows the entire screen to be transferred to the active area of the tablet, i.e. by pushing the pen from left to right across the tablet, you can move the onscreen cursor from the far left-hand side of the monitor to the far right-hand side. (A)
The Display Toggle function is an easy way of regulation of the mapping between the pen tablet and linked screens. This function comes assigned to one of the upper ExpressKeys. (B)
Press this ExpressKey once, and the pen tablet will toggle to the first monitor. Press the key again, and the pen tablet will toggle to the second monitor. Depending on the number of monitors in use, you can scroll through the pen tablet until you're back at the full screen display. (C)
This feature can be very handy if, for instance, you're not actively using the left-hand monitor (because you're using it passively for checking colours) or if you want to utilise the full resolution of the pen tablet for each individual monitor.
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How to control brush size with the Touch Ring of the Intuos4
The Adjustment Brush already has a pressure-sensitive function: by applying pressure to the Intuos4 pen tip you can intuitively adjust the opacity of an effect, but not the brush size. However, you can easily control the brush size using the Scroll Feature of the Touch Ring.
For this purpose, make sure the Touch Ring is on function level 1 (the first LED should be lit), then you can vary the brush size by moving your finger anticlockwise or clockwise round the Touch Ring.
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The Intuos4 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 bundle: a killer combinationFor a limited time, Wacom is offering a unique bundle, combining the Intuos4 with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, especially for advanced and professional photographers. This offer brings together the professional retouching tool with the professional image management software, providing the perfect ‘killer combination’ for professional digital imaging.
The Intuos4 M or Intuos4 Wireless is available with the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 bundle with a 35% discount.
* Intuos4 M plus Adobe Lightroom 3: SRP £344.99 incl. VAT
* Intuoos4 Wireless plus Adobe Lightroom 3: SRP £374.99 incl. VAT
The offer is available until 31st May 2011 from digital imaging specialist partners and the Wacom eStore.
How to scroll through the catalogue using the Touch Ring of the Intuos4
In all Lightroom modules the current catalogue is displayed as a so-called Filmstrip at the bottom edge of the screen.
If you now move the cursor over the Filmstrip, you can use the Touch Ring of the Intuos4 to scroll left or right through the catalogue. This feature is particularly practical because all images in the catalogue can also be accessed outside the Library module.
The Intuos4 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 bundle: a killer combination
For a limited time, Wacom is offering a unique bundle, combining the Intuos4 with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, especially for advanced and professional photographers. This offer brings together the professional retouching tool with the professional image management software, providing the perfect ‘killer combination’ for professional digital imaging.
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The Intuos4 M or Intuos4 Wireless is available with the Adobe Photoshop
Lightroom 3 bundle with a 35% discount.
Intuos4 M plus Adobe Lightroom 3: SRP £344.99 incl. VAT
Intuoos4 Wireless plus Adobe Lightroom 3: SRP £374.99 incl. VAT
The offer is available until 31st May 2011 from digital imaging specialist partners and the Wacom eStore.
How to assign the Intuos4 ExpressKeys for sorting images
The Intuos4 ExpressKeys make using Adobe Lightroom just that much easier: for instance, you can use the application-specific properties to assign the "B" key to an ExpressKey for sorting selected images into the Quick Collection. This is a quick and direct way of sorting photos for final selection.
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How to assign the Intuos4 ExpressKeys for development
For use of the Develop module, you can configure your Intuos4 ExpressKeys so you can activate the settings directly in the "Basic Panel" :
"." key = toggles continuously through the basic functions, such as Temp, Tint, Exposure, Recovery, etc.
"+" key = increases the value of the basic function by five units, or by increments of 0.10 in the Exposure function
"-" key = reduces the value of the basic function by five units, or by increments of 0.10 in the Exposure function
In this way, you can gradually adjust key image parameters very quickly and accurately using the ExpressKeys.
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How to make a Virtual Copy in the Intuos4 radial menu
The Virtual Copy function can be used to make a copy of the current edited version of an image, which you can then edit simultaneously and independently of the original, e.g. you can convert it to a black and white image. The edited version of the original is the basis, i.e. a Virtual Copy that has just been created has no Image history.
To ensure that you always have this function ready to hand, you can assign the shortcut CTRL+' (Windows) or z+’ (MacOS) in the Intuos4 radial menu.
To do this, first configure the shortcuts in the "Wacom Tablet Properties" (Windows) or "System Preferences > Wacom Tablet" (MacOS). In the Tool line select the Functions icon and then the Radial Menu tab.
In the bottom half of the menu there appears an image of the radial menu in which you can now select an available control slice (e.g. in the 7 o'clock position). Select the property Shortcuts on the right-hand side under Function. Now enter the shortcut CTRL+’ or z+’ and then label this combination "Virtual Copy". When you have finished, the "Virtual Copy" function appears in the control slice at 7 o'clock.
In this way, the function is very easy and quick to use: press the ExpressKey for the radial menu once, then select the control slice with the Intuos4 pen – that's it!
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The Intuos4 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 bundle: a killer combination
For a limited time, Wacom is offering a unique bundle, combining the Intuos4 with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, especially for advanced and professional photographers. This offer brings together the professional retouching tool with the professional image management software, providing the perfect ‘killer combination’ for professional digital imaging.
The Intuos4 M or Intuos4 Wireless is available with the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 bundle with a 35% discount.
Intuos4 M plus Adobe Lightroom 3: SRP £344.99 incl. VAT
Intuoos4 Wireless plus Adobe Lightroom 3: SRP £374.99 incl. VAT
The offer is available until 31st May 2011 from digital imaging specialist partners and the Wacom eStore.
How to assign export functions as a submenu in the Intuos4 radial menu
The Intuos4 radial menu is great for grouping keyboard commands, such as the many different export functions of Adobe Lightroom.
To do this, reopen the "Wacom Tablet Properties" (Windows) or "System Preferences > Wacom Tablet" (MacOS) – see previous hint – and create a submenu in the radial menu by clicking on an available control slice (e.g. the segment at 1 o'clock). To the right of this, under Function, select the property Submenu and enter a title beneath it under Label. In this case, we'll make do with "Export".
Once you have created the submenu, you can select this submenu from the list on the left-hand side, whereupon a new radial menu is displayed in the middle. You can configure this menu for the various export functions using the shortcuts, as described in the previous hint.
We recommend the following assignments for the control slice "Export":
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With these features, you always have all export functions at your fingertips, regardless of what Lightroom module you're currently using.
Dodge and Burn
Even if you might get the initial impression that Adobe Lightroom is primarily an image editing application with limited correction features, you can use it to make highly sophisticated modifications. Using the Adjustment Brush, for example, you can achieve similar effects to those you get using layers and masks in Adobe Photoshop.
For instance, you can make a conventional 16-bit RAW image look like an HDR image by skilful use of the Exposure function.
First of all, select the Adjustment Brush and set the parameter for Exposure to a value of -1.45. Then apply the brush to the windows shown in the example in order to burn the concealed details. For more exact editing, you can adapt the brush size using the Touch Ring, while you control the intensity of the burn tool by the pressure you apply to the Intuos4 pen.
Then select the Adjustment Brush again and set the parameter for Exposure to +1.75. Now you can brighten objects in deep shadow, such as the chairs shown in the example. Zoom the image to 1:1 or 2:1 aspect ratio to make sure you don't apply the brush to image areas you have already burned.
After you have finished dodging the image with the Adjustment Brush, you can fine-adjust the overall brightness using the controls for Recovery and Fill Light in the Basic Panel.
And that's it - the image is finished. By skilled editing, you have created an HDR effect.
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How to assign Mask Overlay to the Intuos4 pen
The Adjustment Brush in Adobe Lightroom basically works like an alpha mask in Adobe Photoshop and, just like in Adobe Photoshop, you can display this mask as a red overlay. This feature is called Mask Overlay in Adobe Lightroom and can be activated and deactivated with the "O" key.
It is recommended, therefore, that you assign the "O" key to the top side switch on the Intuos4 pen and the eraser to the "ALT" (Windows) key or "U" key (MacOS).
When you select the Adjustment Brush and start editing the image, you can hide or show the mask by pushing the top side switch on the pen. Like in Adobe Photoshop, the mask is displayed as a red overlay. This shows you exactly where you have already done editing. If you push the top side switch on the pen again, the red overlay will disappear, and you can check the results of your editing.
If you want to delete sections of the mask, just turn the Intuos4 upside down and use the tip as an eraser to reduce or delete the areas of the mask where you want less effect or none at all. These pen/eraser assignments enable you to use Adobe Lightroom more effectively and with greater precision, and in many cases will eliminate the need for post editing in Adobe Photoshop.
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