RSS/Atom feed Twitter
Site is read-only, email is disabled

Beginner's questions about Gimp & Wacom on Linux for a kid-friendly setup

This discussion is connected to the gimp-user-list.gnome.org mailing list which is provided by the GIMP developers and not related to gimpusers.com.

This is a read-only list on gimpusers.com so this discussion thread is read-only, too.

Hanno Zulla
2017-12-18 08:39:20 UTC (over 6 years ago)

Beginner's questions about Gimp & Wacom on Linux for a kid-friendly setup

Hi there,

my child draws (a lot).

She recently went to a comics workshop and learned from one of the professional comic artists there that he's using graphics tablets to colourize his art. Now she's hooked on the idea.

I found a cheap used Wacom tablet in pristine condition which will now be this year's Christmas present for her. Yay!

She already has her own Raspberry Pi 3, which she mostly uses to do simple word processing on LibreOffice. It was easy enough to setup the Wacom tablet for the RPi, we have a printer and a scanner, so for simple graphics editing and colouring, this should be fine and straightforward.

(I'm aware that the RPi is pretty slow, but when I tested this setup, Gimp seemed to be fast enough. And it's a good thing when she knows that this is "her" computer.)

As her software-developing nerd dad, I know computers. But I don't know drawing, graphics or digital artwork. I'm a casual Gimp user for simple graphics editing needs, but never used a graphics tablet before.

So now I have a lot of questions and hope you can help me answer them. Please keep in mind that I'm looking for a *kid-friendly* setup that makes things easy for her.

1) Wacom as a mouse?

Is it "normal" to have the wacom tablet double as the screen pointer device? The default setup seems to be that the graphics tablet also controls the mouse pointer on Linux.

I tried to find out if I can somehow setup the pen to be used in the Gimp graphics window only, but while possible, this seems difficult to do. Is the default setup also the desirable setup on Linux or if not, what do I need to change?

2) Different Wacom pointers?

The tablet driver creates four devices - the pen, the eraser, those were easy to setup and work as expected. What about the other two options offered, finger touch and pad? Should I disable them or what are their use for a digital artist?

3) The Wacom buttons?

There are four buttons on the graphics tablet - by default they are used as mouse clicks. Can I use the button to choose tools? If so, how should I configure them for productive use within Gimp?

4) Wacom & Gimp - your workflow on Linux?

When you use Gimp with a Wacom tablet on Linux, what is your workflow, what are your shortcuts?

How do you use the Gimp toolbox while using the Wacom pen - do you use keyboard shortcuts or do you use the pen (as a mouse pointer, see question 1) to access the toolbox and select your tools?

Thanks in advance. I appreciate everyone giving this non-drawing dad some help here.

Kind regards,

hz

Simon Budig
2017-12-18 09:45:24 UTC (over 6 years ago)

Beginner's questions about Gimp & Wacom on Linux for a kid-friendly setup

Hanno Zulla (abos@hanno.de) wrote:

my child draws (a lot).

yay! :)

1) Wacom as a mouse?

Is it "normal" to have the wacom tablet double as the screen pointer device? The default setup seems to be that the graphics tablet also controls the mouse pointer on Linux.

I tried to find out if I can somehow setup the pen to be used in the Gimp graphics window only, but while possible, this seems difficult to do. Is the default setup also the desirable setup on Linux or if not, what do I need to change?

Personally I always have the tablet also control the mouse pointer. That way you don't have to change input devices just to confirm the odd system dialog or something else. Also for GIMP you can then use the tablet to pick tools etc. from the palette (which you can also do via keyboard shortcuts of course, which is a sane option as well).

If you don't want to have this you can use the "xinput" tool to detach the wacom from the "virtual core pointer".

2) Different Wacom pointers?

The tablet driver creates four devices - the pen, the eraser, those were easy to setup and work as expected. What about the other two options offered, finger touch and pad? Should I disable them or what are their use for a digital artist?

Well, try it. I don't have a touch sensitive tablet here, so I don't have any experience with that.

In the GIMP preferences you should enable the tablet (sub-)devices as extended input devices (or disable them - as you prefer). You then can have them configured to different tools, i.e. by using the respective input device to pick a tool from the toolbox it gets attached to it, and GIMP automatically switches when you change the tool. This is pretty fancy for the intuos-pens with their individual tool-ids, but it should work fine with the different tools from your tablet.

3) The Wacom buttons?

There are four buttons on the graphics tablet - by default they are used as mouse clicks. Can I use the button to choose tools? If so, how should I configure them for productive use within Gimp?

(sorry, can't help you there)

4) Wacom & Gimp - your workflow on Linux?

When you use Gimp with a Wacom tablet on Linux, what is your workflow, what are your shortcuts?

How do you use the Gimp toolbox while using the Wacom pen - do you use keyboard shortcuts or do you use the pen (as a mouse pointer, see question 1) to access the toolbox and select your tools?

I recommend keyboard shortcuts. The basic tools are all available via single-stroke shortcuts. And as mentioned above I'd stick to the tablet controlling the core pointer as well, that makes it easier to control the other stuff that happens to pop up in Gimp from time to time. The wacom tablets typically are good for that kind of stuff, since the pen gets detected a few mm above the tablet, making it possible to preview where you're going to click.

I hope this helps, Simon

simon@budig.de              http://simon.budig.de/
Ross Martinek
2017-12-18 15:22:03 UTC (over 6 years ago)

Beginner's questions about Gimp & Wacom on Linux for a kid-friendly setup

1) Yes, though sometimes I find the mouse a useful secondary input, and for some things a primary input. This is mostly a matter of what works for the individual.

2) I do have a touch sensitive pad, and I personally hate trying to use it as anything but a mouse. Again, this is personal preference. Let her try it, she’s young enough to be more adaptive in the learning process.

3) I love tablets with buttons, especially if they are programmable. I like them better than the buttons on the pen, but that may be a function of old, arthritic hands. ;-} The other advantage is that most people have two hands, the buttons give the off side hand something to do!

4) I absolutely recommend keyboard shortcuts, especially with a slower system, regardless of OS. Once learned, keyboard shortcuts, or tablet buttons, are significantly faster and more precise than hunting for a tool icon. I have two screens, and the toolboxes reside on the secondary screen to one side where they are out of the way. I only use them to adjust tool options. Most tool switching is done by tablet button, keyboard, and pen button.

In short, she’s young and adaptable. Help her experiment to find what works best for her.

I hope your daughter develops a life-long love of making art. Whether it becomes a career or not, it is one of the healthiest pursuits known to the species. Kudos to you for encouraging and supporting her. (Mine didn’t, to my great detriment.)

And happy Whatever-holiday-you-celebrate-if-any ;o>

Ross

On Dec 18, 2017, at 3:45 AM, Simon Budig wrote:

Hanno Zulla (abos@hanno.de) wrote:

my child draws (a lot).

yay! :)

1) Wacom as a mouse?

Is it "normal" to have the wacom tablet double as the screen pointer device? The default setup seems to be that the graphics tablet also controls the mouse pointer on Linux.

I tried to find out if I can somehow setup the pen to be used in the Gimp graphics window only, but while possible, this seems difficult to do. Is the default setup also the desirable setup on Linux or if not, what do I need to change?

Personally I always have the tablet also control the mouse pointer. That way you don't have to change input devices just to confirm the odd system dialog or something else. Also for GIMP you can then use the tablet to pick tools etc. from the palette (which you can also do via keyboard shortcuts of course, which is a sane option as well).

If you don't want to have this you can use the "xinput" tool to detach the wacom from the "virtual core pointer".

2) Different Wacom pointers?

The tablet driver creates four devices - the pen, the eraser, those were easy to setup and work as expected. What about the other two options offered, finger touch and pad? Should I disable them or what are their use for a digital artist?

Well, try it. I don't have a touch sensitive tablet here, so I don't have any experience with that.

In the GIMP preferences you should enable the tablet (sub-)devices as extended input devices (or disable them - as you prefer). You then can have them configured to different tools, i.e. by using the respective input device to pick a tool from the toolbox it gets attached to it, and GIMP automatically switches when you change the tool. This is pretty fancy for the intuos-pens with their individual tool-ids, but it should work fine with the different tools from your tablet.

3) The Wacom buttons?

There are four buttons on the graphics tablet - by default they are used as mouse clicks. Can I use the button to choose tools? If so, how should I configure them for productive use within Gimp?

(sorry, can't help you there)

4) Wacom & Gimp - your workflow on Linux?

When you use Gimp with a Wacom tablet on Linux, what is your workflow, what are your shortcuts?

How do you use the Gimp toolbox while using the Wacom pen - do you use keyboard shortcuts or do you use the pen (as a mouse pointer, see question 1) to access the toolbox and select your tools?

I recommend keyboard shortcuts. The basic tools are all available via single-stroke shortcuts. And as mentioned above I'd stick to the tablet controlling the core pointer as well, that makes it easier to control the other stuff that happens to pop up in Gimp from time to time. The wacom tablets typically are good for that kind of stuff, since the pen gets detected a few mm above the tablet, making it possible to preview where you're going to click.

I hope this helps, Simon
--
simon@budig.de http://simon.budig.de/ _______________________________________________ gimp-user-list mailing list
List address: gimp-user-list@gnome.org List membership: https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user-list List archives: https://mail.gnome.org/archives/gimp-user-list

Kevin Cozens
2017-12-18 16:57:20 UTC (over 6 years ago)

Beginner's questions about Gimp & Wacom on Linux for a kid-friendly setup

On 2017-12-18 03:39 AM, Hanno Zulla wrote:

my child draws (a lot).

[snip]

I found a cheap used Wacom tablet in pristine condition which will now be this year's Christmas present for her. Yay!

Nice to hear that you child likes to draw. You never know where it might lead. It could stay a hobby or it could become (part of) a career.

The problem with the Wacom tablet I have is calibrating it and having the calibration stick between reboots of the computer and use of the tablet.

One feature you should enable (if supported by the tablet) is pressure sensitivity. You may not need that right away but it will be useful down the road.

3) The Wacom buttons?

There are four buttons on the graphics tablet - by default they are used as mouse clicks. Can I use the button to choose tools? If so, how should I configure them for productive use within Gimp?

[snip]> 4) Wacom & Gimp - your workflow on Linux?

When you use Gimp with a Wacom tablet on Linux, what is your workflow, what are your shortcuts?

Configuring the buttons is something that will take time. The user of the tablet needs to learn what features they use more often and if configuring a button to quickly access those features would be helpful.

For me, two features that I find useful to have access quickly/easily are swapping the foreground and background colours, and switching to the eraser tool.

Which of these two features is accessed by the stylus button and which is accessed by a tablet button will be personal preference.

Cheers!

Kevin.

http://www.ve3syb.ca/           |"Nerds make the shiny things that distract
Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172      | the mouth-breathers, and that's why we're
                                 | powerful!"
#include  |             --Chris Hardwick