Digital Art Hardware/Software ERA [OT]

[Deleted member 5876]

I guess Wacom thinks they're the Apple of pen displays. But their drivers aren't that good anymore and they use the same cheap plastic crap that their competition uses. So the only thing that sets them apart is the inertia they had being the only game in town for 20 years. But that isn't going to last when every up and coming art student is learning on and using competitors hardware. And if Apple ever decided to make an 18in+ iPad Wacom would go bankrupt in 5 years.

 

[boris_feinbrand]

I guess Wacom thinks they're the Apple of pen displays. But their drivers aren't that good anymore and they use the same cheap plastic crap that their competition uses. So the only thing that sets them apart is the inertia they had being the only game in town for 20 years. But that isn't going to last when every up and coming art student is learning on and using competitors hardware. And if Apple ever decided to make an 18in+ iPad Wacom would go bankrupt in 5 years.

Click to shrink...

Wacoms drivers have been shit since I can remember. Coupled with their absolute shit tier support and insanely inflated prices their stranglehold on the art market really only lasts because many artists are brand loyal suckers that mistake high prices with quality and prestige.
Oh and don't get me started on their shoddy build quality.

 

[Gitaroo]

Is surface book a good device for digital painting?

 

[sirap]

Is surface book a good device for digital painting?

Click to shrink...

The digitiser in Surface laptops have gotten really good in the past few years, it's just the laptops themselves I have problems recommending. I love Surface products but they just have so many reliability issues that iPads just don't have.

 

[boris_feinbrand]

The digitiser in Surface laptops have gotten really good in the past few years, it's just the laptops themselves I have problems recommending. I love Surface products but they just have so many reliability issues that iPads just don't have.

Click to shrink...

Eh. If it weren't for Procreate and the Apple pencil I'd have ditched my Ipad long ago. The constant headaches with their cumbersome file management systems, the fact that the OS is basically stuck being an inferior version to both the Mac and IPhone, it feels extremely limited in operation. Especially the Pro variants. Unless you only operate within the Apple ecosystem, the Ipad feels extremely handicapped at times.
If they'd change the OS to being able to use desktop software, it'd be perfect.

 

[sirap]

Eh. If it weren't for Procreate and the Apple pencil I'd have ditched my Ipad long ago. The constant headaches with their cumbersome file management systems, the fact that the OS is basically stuck being an inferior version to both the Mac and IPhone, it feels extremely limited in operation. Especially the Pro variants. Unless you only operate within the Apple ecosystem, the Ipad feels extremely handicapped at times.
If they'd change the OS to being able to use desktop software, it'd be perfect.

Click to shrink...

I suppose it comes down to what you use the iPad for. Mine is permanently in an Astropad Darkboard and I use it exclusively for resin printing sculpts in Nomad, inking in Clip Studio and the occasional pixel art doodle in Pixaki.

I don't force it to be anything other than a sandboxed tool, which is probably why I use it more than my Cintiq. Just too many distractions there, especially with it having a 4K/120hz panel. Games look rather good on that thing lol.

But you're right, the iPad's potential is severely limited by the OS. I wouldn't buy it as my only device, but if I needed a dedicated, portable tool just for painting it's hard to think of anything better. The performance, battery life and Pencil itself is just too good.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Wacoms drivers have been shit since I can remember. Coupled with their absolute shit tier support and insanely inflated prices their stranglehold on the art market really only lasts because many artists are brand loyal suckers that mistake high prices with quality and prestige.
Oh and don't get me started on their shoddy build quality.

Click to shrink...

Unfortunately Wacom still has an edge when it comes to actually drawing. I just bought the Artist pro 16 gen 2 xp-pen, it's an awesome drawing display. Almost everything about it is better than the Cintiq pro 16 which retails for a thousand more dollars.
- better screen imo because it's not grainy
- better cable management
- cheaper
- thinner, lighter
- no loud fan

However the pen has that awful cursor offset when drawing at different angles. It's not parallax either. If I place the prn in a different angle other than the one used to callibrate, the cursor will dip under or away from the pen tip.

I'm getting used to it but it's something Wacom fixed years ago. Huion tablets have the same problem . Apple Pencil doesn't have this issue.

Everything else I agree with you. Wacom is charging ridiculous prices for their shit and I'm done supporting it. I would kill for an Apple Drawing display. Basically a giant iPad Pro that connects to you desktop. The sizes of the cintiqs are hilarious when you compare it to an iPad Pro that's also a beast of computer.

 

[boris_feinbrand]

I suppose it comes down to what you use the iPad for. Mine is permanently in an Astropad Darkboard and I use it exclusively for resin printing sculpts in Nomad, inking in Clip Studio and the occasional pixel art doodle in Pixaki.

I don't force it to be anything other than a sandboxed tool, which is probably why I use it more than my Cintiq. Just too many distractions there, especially with it having a 4K/120hz panel. Games look rather good on that thing lol.

But you're right, the iPad's potential is severely limited by the OS. I wouldn't buy it as my only device, but if I needed a dedicated, portable tool just for painting it's hard to think of anything better. The performance, battery life and Pencil itself is just too good.

Click to shrink...

Oh absolutely. But my workflow means I'm constantly switching between programs, formats etc. The Ipad for me has really taken that mobile sketchbook role. I prepare drafts and quick sculpts in Nomad, but any finishing work I do at my Huion at home.
And that's where the Ipad OS really creates a lot of friction.

But if it's your primary device it's pretty sweet. Again, if they'd unify Ipad OS with their Mac OS and open the device to all the desktop version of the respective Apps, that would make it perfect.

Unfortunately Wacom still has an edge when it comes to actually drawing. I just bought the Artist pro 16 gen 2 xp-pen, it's an awesome drawing display. Almost everything about it is better than the Cintiq pro 16 which retails for a thousand more dollars.

- better screen imo because it's not grainy

- better cable management

- cheaper

- thinner, lighter

- no loud fan



However the pen has that awful cursor offset when drawing at different angles. It's not parallax either. If I place the prn in a different angle other than the one used to callibrate, the cursor will dip under or away from the pen tip.



I'm getting used to it but it's something Wacom fixed years ago. Huion tablets have the same problem . Apple Pencil doesn't have this issue.



Everything else I agree with you. Wacom is charging ridiculous prices for their shit and I'm done supporting it. I would kill for an Apple Drawing display. Basically a giant iPad Pro that connects to you desktop. The sizes of the cintiqs are hilarious when you compare it to an iPad Pro that's also a beast of computer.

Click to shrink...

The paralax you're speaking about exists on every non laminated screen. Even the cheapest Ipad has a large paralax. (Air and upward are fine) hell even Wacoms entry level offerings have paralax.

Huion has most of their newer pen displays with laminated screens. Aside from the very entry level versions, or those pre 2020.
Biggest drawback on the current Huions is the refresh rate of max 60hz and their "support" The pen jitter that used to plague Huions older tablets has been practically eliminated. Can't speak for the Artist pro as I never used one.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Oh absolutely. But my workflow means I'm constantly switching between programs, formats etc. The Ipad for me has really taken that mobile sketchbook role. I prepare drafts and quick sculpts in Nomad, but any finishing work I do at my Huion at home.
And that's where the Ipad OS really creates a lot of friction.

But if it's your primary device it's pretty sweet. Again, if they'd unify Ipad OS with their Mac OS and open the device to all the desktop version of the respective Apps, that would make it perfect.


The paralax you're speaking about exists on every non laminated screen. Even the cheapest Ipad has a large paralax. (Air and upward are fine) hell even Wacoms entry level offerings have paralax.

Huion has most of their newer pen displays with laminated screens. Aside from the very entry level versions, or those pre 2020.
Biggest drawback on the current Huions is the refresh rate of max 60hz and their "support" The pen jitter that used to plague Huions older tablets has been practically eliminated. Can't speak for the Artist pro as I never used one.

Click to shrink...

It's actually not parallax, the screen/tip are very close to each other. It has to do with the magnetic coil being high on the pen so when you tilt the pen to draw a certain line the cursor moves in a way that's natural. It's not the same as regular cintiq parallax.

You can kind of see it here:

XP-Pen Artist 16 (2nd Gen) Cursor Tracking & Offset test

Full review athttps://youtu.be/0yKRSAE8_Ng--------------------------------------------------------Find me onPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/parkablogsSkills...

youtu.be

The parallax is actually very minimal but as you can see as he tilts the pen, the cursor shifts. It's more of a problem of you tend to shift positions like I do. A workaround is to rotate the canvas instead of shifting arm/pen.
The artist pro gen 2 displays are laminated and actually amazing displays.

 

[Deleted member 13206]

I've had a Huion Kamvas Plus for a year and work full time in animation. Never been an issue but if I was to do colour work I'd need to calibrate it better.

No jitter to tell of (unless you're drawing at a snails pace) nor any real prallax as it's laminated.

Wacom are a literal joke with their prices.

 

[boris_feinbrand]

It's actually not parallax, the screen/tip are very close to each other. It has to do with the magnetic coil being high on the pen so when you tilt the pen to draw a certain line the cursor moves in a way that's natural. It's not the same as regular cintiq parallax.

You can kind of see it here:

XP-Pen Artist 16 (2nd Gen) Cursor Tracking & Offset test

Full review athttps://youtu.be/0yKRSAE8_Ng--------------------------------------------------------Find me onPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/parkablogsSkills...

youtu.be

The parallax is actually very minimal but as you can see as he tilts the pen, the cursor shifts. It's more of a problem of you tend to shift positions like I do. A workaround is to rotate the canvas instead of shifting arm/pen.
The artist pro gen 2 displays are laminated and actually amazing displays.

Click to shrink...

Ah gotcha. Huion has shortened their pen nibs on their latest models so maybe that's why i never noticed that offset. I just recently switched from Wacom too. Gonna check my Huion once I'm home.

Can I just say how happy I am that we have actual alternatives and choices these days for basically any need and budget?
It's kind if amazing how good even mobile tablet tech has gotten.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Ah gotcha. Huion has shortened their pen nibs on their latest models so maybe that's why i never noticed that offset. I just recently switched from Wacom too. Gonna check my Huion once I'm home.

Can I just say how happy I am that we have actual alternatives and choices these days for basically any need and budget?
It's kind if amazing how good even mobile tablet tech has gotten.

Click to shrink...

Omg yes! I had a cintiq 16 for work but I had to return it. I looked at the the cintiq pro line but the prices are insane. Went with the artist pro 16 gen 2 because it has a 16:10 screen ratio, qhd and fully laminated at less than 600 dollars! It came with a Bluetooth controller, pen case, glove, 3-1 cable included for free in addition to the regular cables. It's amazing bargain!

I also have an IPad Pro, and that thing destroys any cintiq screen in terms of quality.

 

[Xun]

I doubt anyone will respond since this topic is pretty dead, but has anyone here encountered this issue before? I've got the exact same issue as the below, albeit on a Mac.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/sxvg7p/cintiq_pro_24_screen_goes_black_shortly_after/

My Pro 24 has just started doing it...

 

[Arex]

I doubt anyone will respond since this topic is pretty dead, but has anyone here encountered this issue before? I've got the exact same issue as the below, albeit on a Mac.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/sxvg7p/cintiq_pro_24_screen_goes_black_shortly_after/

My Pro 24 has just started doing it...

Click to shrink...

looks like maybe the backlight died / failed? If you use a light torch and shine on it does it show images on it?

 

[Xun]

looks like maybe the backlight died / failed? If you use a light torch and shine on it does it show images on it?

Click to shrink...

No images, no. The backlight is also seemingly on from what I can tell.

The issue is temporarily fixed when I turn it off and back on again, but the same thing happens about a minute or so after turning it back on.

I really do dread to think how much it's going to cost to get it fixed…

 

[Arex]

No images, no. The backlight is also seemingly on from what I can tell.

The issue is temporarily fixed when I turn it off and back on again, but the same thing happens about a minute or so after turning it back on.

I really do dread to think how much it's going to cost to get it fixed…

Click to shrink...

Maybe loose cable or connection inside, or maybe it overheats? :\

You can still draw on it I assume? I guess now it's an expensive intuos >.>

Anyway yeah you'd probably need to bring it to the service center to have it checked.

 

[Bufbaf]

Oh, I never knew this thread existed! Just posting to sub :D

 

[Xun]

Maybe loose cable or connection inside, or maybe it overheats? :\

You can still draw on it I assume? I guess now it's an expensive intuos >.>

Anyway yeah you'd probably need to bring it to the service center to have it checked.

Click to shrink...

Yep, it effectively is an expensive Intuos at the moment! I checked the connections and it all seem to be fine from what I can tell.

I doubt they'll be able to help (especially after 6 years), but I'll message the store I got it from before messaging Wacom. Wacom don't have a repair centre in the UK so it would have to be sent to Germany to be fixed which would prove incredibly costly even before any fixes have been made.

Honestly between this and their insane prices I'd be reluctant to buy from Wacom again.

 

[Arex]

Yep, it effectively is an expensive Intuos at the moment! I checked the connections and it all seem to be fine from what I can tell.

I doubt they'll be able to help (especially after 6 years), but I'll message the store I got it from before messaging Wacom. Wacom don't have a repair centre in the UK so it would have to be sent to Germany to be fixed which would prove incredibly costly even before any fixes have been made.

Honestly between this and their insane prices I'd be reluctant to buy from Wacom again.

Click to shrink...

Yea considering it's a 6 y/o product, it's probably not worth the shipping + repair cost.

Might be more worth asking around on social media or UK digital artists community if there's any non-wacom tablet repair services in the UK.

You've tried using different HDMI & USBC cables/ports or maybe to another pc etc? The Pro 24 can connect via display port / USBC connection too yeah?

 

[boris_feinbrand]

Could honestly just be a corrupt graphics or tablet driver.
One option would be to roll back the drivers, see if that helps.

 

[Xun]

Yea considering it's a 6 y/o product, it's probably not worth the shipping + repair cost.

Might be more worth asking around on social media or UK digital artists community if there's any non-wacom tablet repair services in the UK.

You've tried using different HDMI & USBC cables/ports or maybe to another pc etc? The Pro 24 can connect via display port / USBC connection too yeah?

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I'm going to ask around to see if I can bypass going to Wacom.

I haven't tried a different connection or computer yet (it's connected up via USB-C to my iMac at the moment), but I'm going to make sure to try a few different configurations.

From what I've been reading it sounds like it might related to one of the capacitors? I've emailed this guy who fixes Wacom tablets to see what he thinks.

Could honestly just be a corrupt graphics or tablet driver.
One option would be to roll back the drivers, see if that helps.

Click to shrink...

It could be! I hadn't updated anything from when I last used it in January though, but it's worth a try.

 

[Arex]

Yeah, I'm going to ask around to see if I can bypass going to Wacom.

I haven't tried a different connection or computer yet (it's connected up via USB-C to my iMac at the moment), but I'm going to make sure to try a few different configurations.

From what I've been reading it sounds like it might related to one of the capacitors? I've emailed this guy who fixes Wacom tablets to see what he thinks.


It could be! I hadn't updated anything from when I last used it in January though, but it's worth a try.

Click to shrink...

Best of luck! Hopefully you can find out what's the problem with your tablet.

I'm dreading the day my cintiq 22 gets a problem, I don't think they have a service center in Indonesia either.

Though Huion and XP Pen aren't better in that regards too. Apple probably has better support tbh lol

 

[boris_feinbrand]

Yeah, I'm going to ask around to see if I can bypass going to Wacom.

I haven't tried a different connection or computer yet (it's connected up via USB-C to my iMac at the moment), but I'm going to make sure to try a few different configurations.

From what I've been reading it sounds like it might related to one of the capacitors? I've emailed this guy who fixes Wacom tablets to see what he thinks.


It could be! I hadn't updated anything from when I last used it in January though, but it's worth a try.

Click to shrink...

It could also be corrosion. You could look at the connectors see if they look dirty. Hope it's something easily fixable.

 

[Xun]

Best of luck! Hopefully you can find out what's the problem with your tablet.

I'm dreading the day my cintiq 22 gets a problem, I don't think they have a service center in Indonesia either.

Though Huion and XP Pen aren't better in that regards too. Apple probably has better support tbh lol

Click to shrink...

Thank you very much!

Hopefully your Cintiq 22 won't encounter any issues. 🤞

It could also be corrosion. You could look at the connectors see if they look dirty. Hope it's something easily fixable.

Click to shrink...

Thanks very much! I'll check for that.

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

I replaced my intuos 4 after 14 years (which still works fine, I just needed the Bluetooth from the new models) and I am impressed by how well the old pen works on the new tablet. If there's anything to give props to wacom for is the long time support of old hardware.

 

[Xun]

Wacom gave me an estimate of €245 + VAT to get my Cintiq Pro 24 fixed.

Expensive, but certainly not as bad as I was expecting it to cost.