Wacom Bamboo Craft

Getting to work, using the pen takes a little getting used to, but offers a really nice interface when creating vectors in Illustrator, and is very nice in Photoshop, making and editing masks, airbrushing and photomanipulation is all on point with the pen. In Illustrator, I’ve even found that adjusting handles on Bezier curves with the direct selection tool is super easy to do using just your fingers and the touch pad.

Of note: Out of the box, the included software driver crashes Illustrator CS4 every few minutes. This sucks, since that’s one of the primary programs I think people use tablets for, however there is an update that can be downloaded from Wacom’s site here, that seems to fix the problem. I would assume that models coming off the line are being shipped with the new driver, but it goes to show that you should always check for updates whenever you add anything new to your computer.

As far as general navigation, the touch pad is super dope, great for browsing the web and opening files, etc. This offers a nice way to build a little more interaction into your digital work than using a mouse, and after a short adjustment period, I’ve found it to be really intuitive. I’ve never had any issues with carpal tunnel, but I know people who have and I have enough chronic injuries from my sporting endeavors not to want another one. If using the tablet offers a way to alleviate some of that wrist strain, then that’s just an added benefit. All in all, I’m really stoked on this thing, and I’ve been able to incorporate it into my workflow nicely. It’s definitely worth considering your workspace and how to integrate this smoothly, because if you’re going out of your way to use the tablet, then your efficiency is being compromised, and time is money right? But with these features at this price, if you’ve been considering making the jump to a tablet, this is a great place to start.

Pros: Easy setup, clean design, intuitive use, customizable buttons, touch interface, price is amazing.

Cons: Driver software not current (not really a big deal), drawing surface seems like it could be a tiny bit larger in relation to the size of the tablet (but I’m not an engineer).

Bamboo Craft Tablet Review

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I’ve long been intrigued by the possibilities offered by tablets and the potential improvements they could make to my workflow, but after trying a few older models in the past, I had a hard time integrating them smoothly into everyday use. In the meantime, I’ve come to love the touch-based interface of my iPhone and the trackpad on my Macbook Pro. So when Wacom launched the new Bamboo Fun and Bamboo Craft tablets that promised a similar experience that could be applied to my workstation, I wanted one. Factor in the affordable pricing ($175 for the Fun; $130 for the smaller Craft) and all I needed was to decide which size I wanted.

Without a ton of free real estate on my desk, I ended up going with the smaller Craft model… I also tend to like my peripherals to be relatively compact and minimal, keep in mind that I’m not a big guy and if I had ape hands than I’d probably have a different philosophy about this.

After unpacking my tablet, (nice packaging) setup was a snap, just pop in the driver software disk, follow the screen prompts and you’re off and running about five minutes after opening the box. There are a set of basic tutorials that were easy to follow, but if you’re familiar with other touch interfaces, it’s pretty intuitive anyway.

Aesthetically, it’s pretty good looking, slim, minimal and monochromatic, it seems like they’ve taken some cues from Apple in this regard. Not a bad thing. The one thing is the red woven label on the side… I’m all about using materials in unique ways and this application is actually a really good idea, but the label seems a little big and gets in the way…

(Update: A friend pointed out that the loop created by this label is actually the perfect size to stick the pen through, and it effectively becomes a great place to store the pen when not in use... Especially useful since our cat absolutely loves stealing and hiding pens and pencils. Realizing this, my opinion of this tag has turned around completely. Well done Wacom.)

One of the big issues I’ve had with tablets in the past is that when I’m working in Illustrator or Photoshop, I’m constantly running shortcuts on my keyboard while working the mouse at the same time, and I’ve found it difficult to do that seamlessly with a tablet. As a result, I was constantly jumping back and forth from tablet to keyboard, which ended up slowing me down and negating any benefits. The Craft and the Fun have four easily customizable buttons on the side of the tablet, as well as two buttons on the pen that I was able to set up as my most-used keys, minimizing the need to jump back and forth.

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