Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

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Atomic
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Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Atomic »

Having recently upgraded to Gimp 2.8, I was endlessly annoyed to find my Gimp under Windows 7 did not respond to pressure cues from my Bamboo tablet. After an few web searches I found that the Win7 Tablet PC settings seem to interfere with Gimp!

So:
- Update Bamboo drivers from Wacom website

- Control Panel, Programs and Features, Turn Windows Features On or Off (Administrator), Uncheck Tablet PC Components
- Restart

- Open Gimp, Edit, Preferences, Input Devices, Configure Extended Input Devices, Select Tablet items, Save, (close menu), Save Input Device Settings Now

And enjoy!
Don't let other peoples limitations become your constraints!

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Jabberwonky
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Jabberwonky »

Atomic wrote:Having recently upgraded to Gimp 2.8, I was endlessly annoyed to find my Gimp under Windows 7 did not respond to pressure cues from my Bamboo tablet. After an few web searches I found that the Win7 Tablet PC settings seem to interfere with Gimp!

So:
- Update Bamboo drivers from Wacom website

- Control Panel, Programs and Features, Turn Windows Features On or Off (Administrator), Uncheck Tablet PC Components
- Restart

- Open Gimp, Edit, Preferences, Input Devices, Configure Extended Input Devices, Select Tablet items, Save, (close menu), Save Input Device Settings Now

And enjoy!
*leans left elbow on desktop, props head in hand, looks at ceiling and dreams of a tablet*
I use a mouse and Vista if I'm on my computer, and GIMP Portable on WinXP if I'm at work... :(
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by DinkyInky »

I'm having endless issues with Linux and my Graphire BT.

I'm having endless issues with WinXP64 and my Graphire BT.

I use it on my beat up Latitude with WinXp Pro, because it runs flawlessly.
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Opus the Poet »

Which distro of Linux are you having issues with? I'm using Ubuntu and several of my artist friends are too and not having any tablet input issues. The only issue I did have was I tried to upgrade to 12.04 LTS and the box of rox I was using crashed and would not boot to a desktop, so I had to wipe it and reinstall 10.04. That computer is now waiting a trip to the computer recycler as it is almost 12 years old and I got a replacement that's less then 5 years old. It had WinXP and a virus installed when delivered, now it has Ubuntu and no virii.. One of the things I like about Ubuntu is there is a community of White Hats that work endlessly to break it and find ways to fix it when they do break it. I get notices if stuff they broke and the fixes about every 3 days or so, and never more than a week without an update. I used to do help desk support for Windows (started with 98se, quit when I got hit in the head with a truck after XP came out.
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Jabberwonky »

Opus the Poet wrote: I used to do help desk support for Windows (started with 98se, quit when I got hit in the head with a truck after XP came out.
Wow! What'd you do? Piss Shelly off? ;)
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Jabberwonky »

I should be home in a couple of weeks or so and want to bring a tablet back with me. Any advice from those of you who use 'em?
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Atomic »

Jabberwonky wrote:I should be home in a couple of weeks or so and want to bring a tablet back with me. Any advice from those of you who use 'em?
Practice, practice, practice! After a few months of regular fiddling with it, I'm just now finding the right combination of canvas size vs brush size to get the line thicknesses I want, much less the eye/hand coordination to draw properly over my scanned pencil sketches.

Everybody does it differently, so find your own. At the moment, I'm very happy with 30px brushes on a 3000px+ canvas, which is to say 1% maximum line thickness. Getting the pen/eraser sensitivity just right is another adventure.

Have fun!

And lots of bubble wrap around the tablet when you pack it so the work face doesn't get dented.
Don't let other peoples limitations become your constraints!

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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Jabberwonky »

Thanks for the advice, Atomic. But I should have said I'm looking for advice on brand and model. Price isn't a real factor, but I don't think I need top of the line by any means. What are you all using?
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by shadowinthelight »

I don't own one but I know Wacom tablets generally get good reviews. For example here is the selection at Newegg.com. Just sort by best rating.
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Atomic »

Jabber -- Bamboo model CTH-670. Works fine with Win7 and I've sorted out the fiddly bits using Gimp. It's about the size of a Legal pad and has a 5.5x9 inch work area, finger touch sensitive option, and other goodies. Works with the usual swarm of art tools, MyPaint, Inkscape, Gimp, etc. It's only limitation compared to the Uber-Pads is lack of a pen tilt sense, not that I've ever used that. I suppose computer calligraphers would want that feature.

The only things I've done to it was add a USB extension cord (My PC is below the desktop) and put felt feet on it for sliding around. The rubber feet gripped too well for my work style.

This replaced my Wacom Intuos 2 12x18 inch tablet, which wasn't compatible with Win7 and was just plain too big anyway for my desktop work space.

The Bamboo price is up a bit at the moment -- try other resellers too.

Any other info you need?
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Buyin' a tablet

Post by Jabberwonky »

I'm pretty sure of getting a WACOM. Thought about the Intous5, but I think I'll go with the Bamboo Create to get used to it and maybe upscale in the future. I liked the pen display, but a little pricey for a first timer. We'll wait and see on that one...
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Re: Buyin' a tablet

Post by NOTDilbert »

Jabberwonky wrote:I'm pretty sure of getting a WACOM. Thought about the Intous5, but I think I'll go with the Bamboo Create to get used to it and maybe upscale in the future. I liked the pen display, but a little pricey for a first timer. We'll wait and see on that one...
Hey Jabber...
Been meaning to ask....
Is Baddad anywhere near Bad Santa? ;)
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Jabberwonky »

On the night of December 24, Baddad IS Bad Santa. (But don't tell the kids)
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Opus the Poet »

Jabberwonky wrote:
Opus the Poet wrote: I used to do help desk support for Windows (started with 98se, quit when I got hit in the head with a truck after XP came out.
Wow! What'd you do? Piss Shelly off? ;)
I was just riding along and some idiot took offense to my existence on the same road that he was driving on, so after swearing at me to get off that road he made a u-turn to get on my side of the road and floored it, hitting me from behind at somewhere around 60 MPH. I had enough hang time that witnesses managed to get out cell phones and dial 9 and 1 before I landed. I did more spins, flips and cartwheels than an entire gymnastic routine, and was temporarily blind (about 2 days as I recall) because of the swelling on the optic nerve. I landed on my face, which did wonders for my craggy good looks [/sarcasm] and also tore away part of my face so that it hung down in front of my right eye until they sewed it back together. This was just as I was going blind from all the flipping so I really didn't notice much except that while I could sorta see out my left eye I couldn't see anything out my right eye. I had so much adrenaline going that I barely noticed almost losing my left leg (broken in 5 places, with the lower leg exploded all over the street). I still have a limp 12 years later.

I wish all I did was piss Shelly off.
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by Dave »

Opus the Poet wrote:I wish all I did was piss Shelly off.
Ouch! :shock:

In the grand tradition of National Lampoon, I will offer up a wish that the son-of-a-mangy-goat who did that to you, will be repeatedly incarnated ...

... as a series of Greyhound bus station toilet seats.
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Re: Gimp v Bamboo v Win 7

Post by DinkyInky »

Opus the Poet wrote:Which distro of Linux are you having issues with? I'm using Ubuntu and several of my artist friends are too and not having any tablet input issues. The only issue I did have was I tried to upgrade to 12.04 LTS and the box of rox I was using crashed and would not boot to a desktop, so I had to wipe it and reinstall 10.04. That computer is now waiting a trip to the computer recycler as it is almost 12 years old and I got a replacement that's less then 5 years old. It had WinXP and a virus installed when delivered, now it has Ubuntu and no virii.. One of the things I like about Ubuntu is there is a community of White Hats that work endlessly to break it and find ways to fix it when they do break it. I get notices if stuff they broke and the fixes about every 3 days or so, and never more than a week without an update. I used to do help desk support for Windows (started with 98se, quit when I got hit in the head with a truck after XP came out.
Not been playing with my machines lately. Ubuntu 11.04 was last distro on it. Lian Li custom tower, matched Geforce FX8800 GT 2g Sli cards(too lazy to put the third card in...), ASUS wifi motherboard, prolly gonna change it out to twin Xeons because the core duos are not beefy enough. It does not like my Graphire, and I have friends at Codeweavers that have been trying to help me with program compatibility issues. Wine refuses to even acknowledge Vue Infinite, and Crossover runs it, though a tad buggy.
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

Aphyon chu kissa whol l'jaed.
--Safyr Drathmir
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