Graphics Tablet Question

[timmer]

I have a design I'd like transfer to a digital format to print and put under a clear Tele pickguard. I was thinking about getting a 6 X 8 Wacom tablet but...

My design is larger than the 6 X 8 tablet can fit and my question is this:

Can I easily create a design and use a 6 X 8 tablet for an image larger than 6 X 8 while being able to adjust the area I'm working on accordingly from screen to tablet?

Thanks...Timmer

[tomkatf]

...the answer is yes. (I'm assuming you're using Photoshop) You will set up the actual size of the final image when you create a new file using the image size/canvas commands. I've been using the Wacom Graphire(4 x 5") tablet for years and actually have the mapping area set up to about 1 x 1.5". This allows me to move the cursor/tool from corner to corner on my monitor without moving my wrist at all, which gives me a stable and more accurate base to work from. YMMV and HTH!

Best,
Tom

[Brian blaut]

Timmer,

to answer your question, Yes. The surface of the tablet does not in anyway limit the size of the documents you create. The size of the tablet is just because some folks like a larger working space than others. Technically, a tiny tablet will do the same thing as a huge one. I'm assuming your using some sort of sofisticated program like photoshop. Therefore, you can simply zoom in on the area you want to work on and your tablet becomes That area from screen to screen. You can zoom in as close as you want to work on subtle details, or zoom out all the way and work more broadly (even if your digital document is 100" x100"). The tablet doesn't correspond to how big your image is, it only corresponds to what is on the screen if that makes any sense.

My next question is why would you need a tablet to start with? It sounds like you already have your design on paper, and you just want to digitize it. And even if you plan on cleaning it up digitally, or altering it, You'll have to scan the original design. The tablet won't help you in your quest to transfer it to the digital format. Maybe I just don't fully understand what you plan to do.

Anyways, I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. I've been drawing on tablets day in and day out for the last 4 years...


-Brian

[Brian blaut]

Ok, Tom beat me to it.
Oh, by the way, Happy 500 posts to me !!!!!!!!!!

[Gunslinger]

Hi m8,

OK, i'm a digital retoucher by trade, I use an A3 wacom tablet all day when I'm not playing so I'd like to think this is good advice

To answer your question, yes you can. Any wacom tablet will work proportionaly to your screen so you don't have to work at 1:1 scale.
In fact I dont because it hurts your arm after a while and Its just not practical. You didnt mention what software you'll be useing it in but I'll take it its Photoshop or illustrator or somthing similar.

Tablets take quite a while to master, its not just like picking up a pen and tracing, you have to understand exactly what the paramiters of the tablet and software do to complete a particular job + practice. I wouldnt like you to buy one and then think you've wasted your money.

My advice however is this: Get a professional to do it, it shouldnt cost you much depending on the design. Or if you can show me what you want or post a pic with a discription I'll do it for you aslong as its not a huge job.
No charge of course, I'm always happy to help somone out. you'd just have to get it printed at your end.

Unless of course you want one and want to learn how to use it. In that case go for it, there a wonderful tool.

Cheers

GS

[Gunslinger]

Originally Posted by Brian blaut

Timmer,
My next question is why would you need a tablet to start with? It sounds like you already have your design on paper, and you just want to digitize it. And even if you plan on cleaning it up digitally, or altering it, You'll have to scan the original design. The tablet won't help you in your quest to transfer it to the digital format. Maybe I just don't fully understand what you plan to do.
-Brian

Damm, when I started typing this reply no one had replied, when i'd finished the whole board had replied

Brian is quite right of course, you'd probably do aswell with a mouse, better even!

GS

[WickedGTR]

Why not scan the image you want to copy and re-size it to fit?

[timmer]

I was going to mention this but I didn't - I have Photoshop, Illustrator, and Paint Shop Pro.

Hell, this is going to ruin my suprize but here is what I want to do.

For those of you that receive VG magazine, a few months back they had Brad Paisley on the cover. On one of his Tele's was the coolest pickguard for a vintage white or similar guitar. It was fabric underneath a clear pickguard.

Color scan...



I have since taken this scan, made a negative, and resized it to reproduce it at 1:1 for my pickguard.

Manupilated scan...



I have tried many times to draw/paint this freehand on black paper but am never satisfied with the results. So, I'm thinking with a tablet, I could just trace the designs on a white background and print it on black paper.

I was also planning to install my Glendale (MIA) vintage bridge on this when I was done with the pickguard project.

What do you think?

PS - I've also tried to manipulate the negative image in Photoshop and Paint Shop but again, I'm never satisfied with the results.

Thanks for the imput...

[Gunslinger]

Jeeeeez my freind you've started off simple...NOT

can you mail this to me at the highest resolution you can. I'll work on it when I can and hopefully you'll ge what you want in the end.

Might take a couple a weeks, my shedule's a bit full for the next few days.. but.. I'm happy to help U out.

If its too big to mail PM me and I'll give U an address and PW where U can upload it to a FTP site.

The bit about the mouse earlier, I lied. you won't do that with a mouse. ever

Hope this help U.

(as an EDIT, the best results would come from Illustrator, that means redrawing the whole thing but It might take you a while, it would take me a day and I do this for a living. Best results would come from the pen tool in illustrator but that means compound paths and vector masks. not an easy thing to get your head around unless U use it profesionaly)

Jeeez, my spellings dire, cant you tell I twang and draw for a living

GS

[Tdot]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger

(as an EDIT, the best results would come from Illustrator, that means redrawing the whole thing but It might take you a while, it would take me a day and I do this for a living. Best results would come from the pen tool in illustrator but that means compound paths and vector masks. not an easy thing to get your head around unless U use it profesionaly)

Agreed. Illustrator (or similar vector program) is tool for that job. I use a Wacom 6x8 and the size is plenty big enough to work with. However, if you haven't used a pen before, you might want to save that for another project. This is a full day project for some who has experience with the tools. You may have a different idea of what the Wacom really does. It sounds like you just want to trace your current image on the tablet itself. That might be a nice theory, but NO.

I know this comment will sound like a wisecrack. But really, the time it would take to create a fake of what you saw, you could check out fabric stores, or tell a few women about the material you're after and send them off to the sale racks to find that hidious blouse or skirt for $6.99 in the biggest size possible. Then make the real thing instead of a printed copy!

[timmer]

Email sent with a not very high resolution pic...Thanks

I'm still going to try and figure this thing out!

Edited:

I've been checking fabric stores in town and online and when I'm out of town I do the same - as gay as that may sound (not that there's anything wrong with that). I've checked wallpaper, wrapping paper, tablecloths, ect... and have even considered creating rubber stamps of the different sized, shaped paisleys.

I have not seen that pattern and color anywhere but on Brad's guitar!

[Tdot]

Dang it, I just read my post and it seamed a bit discouraging. I didn't mean that, if it comes across that way.

I do think that you should borrow or buy a tablet anyway. Once you get the hang of it, they are very useful whether you use it seriously or just for fun. But really a 4x5 is a lot cheaper and will work as well. I thought the 6x8 might be too small but I wouldn't want a bigger one. The size is only the active area, my actual tablet is about 10x13, much bigger and you'd feel like you're at a drafting table.

I still like the fabric idea though. There must be something hanging around in white on black paisley. Not that I'm hanging around fabric stores often (I occassionally get a hairbrianed idea to make an amp cover or pen case or something) but I'll keep an eye out anyway. I'd like to see this one complete.

[timmer]

Not discouraging a bit.

Wacom, if you buy direct from them, has a 30 day - no questions asked return policy. If I decide it is too hard to figure out I can return it for $10 and get the full price I paid back.

Granted, I may be a bit naive about just being able to trace my design and that's that. But, if I at least I'd have a template to go over with colored pens and/or paint (which I have) I could make a passable copy of the fabric - on paper.

To my eye, the proportions of the designs and blank spaces on the pickguard are durned near perfect, and that's what I'm trying to reproduce. So far I've not been able to do that by hand.

Here's another scan of the guitar...



Timmer

[Tdot]

$89 and free shipping for the 4x5 at Amazon. And they have an easy return policy on most things, but I bet you'd keep it anyway.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...&s=electronics

[Gunslinger]

Hi all,

As promised, I think this is what Timmer was after.

GS

[Charlie Bernstein]

if you create a vector image (illustrator, freehand), you can resize it to your heart's content without any loss of quality because it's just a bunch of formulas for curves, angles, and colors.

if you create a pixel (checkerboard) image (photoshop), then most resizes will affect the image quality, at least slightly, since all the pixel squares have to adjust to becoming bigger or smaller squares. (the exception is reducing by factors of 100%: reducing by a half, a quarter, an eighth, and so on will look the same - but if you enlarge them again, they won't look as good. since you want to enlarge, a pixel image isn't a great way to go.)

and since scanners only create pixel images, it won't be good for your purposes - unless you make several separate images and tile them together, which is probably more work than it's worth. and since you have a tablet (and yours is a good one) why would you want to scan, anyhow?!

bottom line: use illustrator or freehand and you're home-free.

[Gunslinger]

[getbent]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger

Hi all,

As promised, I think this is what Timmer was after.

GS

Gunslinger, that looks great! Wow! You are amazing! What a really, really nice thing to do for someone! One more reason the TDPRI is such a great place... It will be fun to see how the pickguard turns out now!

[Charlie Bernstein]

fantastic job!

[Brian blaut]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger

Hi all,

As promised, I think this is what Timmer was after.

GS

Gunslinger! Perfect! looks like you made vector art for it. Probably cleaner looking than Brads. Very nice work and very neighborly of you. Hats off.

-Brian

[Gunslinger]

Hiya all,

Yes I used an old classic piece of software called streamline to vectorise the image and then took it into Illustrator to build the artwork. The full artwork has printing bleed and a cutting form so you can cut it to the shape properly.

I beleive that (as long as Timmer dosn't object) Paul might have it for general download for other people to make pickguards from in the future.

Thanks for the compliments

GS

[timmer]

That is just too cool! Thanks!

I reduced the width a bit (655 px) and my pickguard fits in there nicely leaving just a little to trim around the edges.

What's really neat about this is that the paiselys are transparent, so all I need to do is get some cream colored paper.

Please post this for everyone that would like it!

Again, thanks! I owe you!