Configuring Wacom/Sketchbook Pro.

[Kriekira]

Hey. New user with both the Wacom Intuos4 and Sketchbook Pro. Be nice.

I paint (oil paintings) and draw (pencil, Conté, charcoal, silverpoint*). This is my first foray into digitally-created art. (I am computer-literate and have taught other how to use computers.)

First among my many questions about using the Intuos4 and Sketchbook Pro: how to adjust the brush size using the TouchRing?

I tried mapping the "b" key to the ring, but this does not work. The Wacom default does not work. Setting the Intuos driver to "Program Default" does not work.

I feel as though I must be missing something, as this is likely one of the most often-used controls in the software.

Thanks in advance!
*Bonus Q's: I should start a separate thread -- but has anyone come up with great custom brushes for each of these natural media?

[AegisKleais]

I don't use Sketchbook, so I can't help you there, but to give you an example with Photoshop, it uses [ to decrease brush size and ] to increase it.

So in the Wacom setup utility, I select Photoshop for the App, the Touch Strips for the object, and since the touchstrips only differ from the touch ring in that they are straight lines while the ring is a circle, there are 2 settings for directions (up/down for strips, clockwise/counterclockwise for rings)

Set them to register a keystroke, [ to decrease brush size and ] to increase (or whatever Sketchbook uses)

Can't help you on your bonus Q, I myself am looking for good graphite brushes to emulate 4H 2B and other hardness/black pencils. Would like to get a nice repository of brushes like it too: charcoal, wax, crayon, pen, calligraphic pen, etc.

[joeparis]

Much of the Sketchbook Pro philosophy is to reduce the need for keyboard shortcuts and have access to brush resizing, etc. from the canvas, hence the pucks and click 'n' drag. As you may know, [ and ] rotate the canvas. I don't think a touch strip brush size control is available although I'm willing to be corrected!

[Kriekira]

Thanks for the replies so far. Aegisk -- in order to do that, there must be (afaict) keyboard shortcuts for the action (in this case, change brush size). As JoeP points out, Sketchbook Pro does not have keyboard shortcuts for changing brush size. In SBP, you can hold down "b" and drag the stylus to change brush size. I could assign "b" to one of the ExpressKeys™. That creates a mode change on screen (from drawing mode to brush-size-changing mode), which is what I am trying to avoid.

Only to emphasize the point -- with something as "frictionless" as the SBP interface, and something as well-implemented as the Intuos4 controls, I would think we'd have a marriage of great convenience. I actually find it hard to believe that I can't resize my SBP brushes with the TouchRing™.

JoeP -- I appreciate your insight regarding the SBP design philosophy. I will start to use it as it is designed, which is for strictly one-handed input. Seems a waste of a hand, though.

Is there any other program as well-designed as SBP which is sketch oriented (I won't be making finished works of art -- quite the opposite) _and_ better integrated with the Intous4?

[Portus]

Yes, Paint Tool SAI would be a good alternative, if you need rulers, get 1.0.1 version and download the translated SST (it's like a plugin for SAI that adds an extra menu with rulers and other stuff).

[joeparis]

Is there any other program as well-designed as SBP which is sketch oriented (I won't be making finished works of art -- quite the opposite) _and_ better integrated with the Intous4?

And Artrage. Similar UI which does have shortcuts for brush sizing so you might be able to assign those to the strip. I haven't checked yet.

[AegisKleais]

If the program does not allow you to specify a key for separate brush sizing, then I would think there's no way the tablet could emulate this. If this program has you hold B down to bring up an interface where you resize the brush my moving the cursor, then the best you can do is map an expressKey to that button. I would think this would be the most efficient method.

PSCS5 has a shortcut of ALT + RIGHT CLICK + DRAG CURSOR, so I plan on making one of my expressKeys be RIGHT CLICK because my pen has ALT on the forward button. So holding this button, pressing alt on the pen and moving the pen quickly allows me to resize the brush in PS.

[Kriekira]

Thanks -- that's how I see my options as well.

I own PS.CS5 -- I am going to start a new thread asking to compare sketching with it compared to SBP.

[Arshes Nei]

I actually prefer on the fly brush sizing Sai, Painter, Open Canvas and Sketchbook have to offer.

The ones that combine function keys for brush sizing I actually program into the backswitch of the dual switch - the front I use for color picking. That's my personal set up anyways. I find the touch ring to be cumbersome for brush sizing, though occasionally useful - usually the buttons are a bit easier because sometimes I noticed a bit of fussiness with various programs or it "forgets" and acts like it's on crack.

So the backswitch with function keys with the click and drag ended up being extremely useful. It took a couple days getting used to.

[AegisKleais]

Photoshop offers on the fly sizing of the brush and it's hardness in PSCS5.

I think it's ALT + RIGHT-CLICK + DRAG.

One direction changes the brush size, the other changes the hardness.

[Chipsterology]

I dunno man, I agree with joeparis, SBP is designed awesomely to reduce the need for keys being pressed, but I only use it on the TabletPC where it reigns supreme.
If I sit at the workstation, it's a bit of a buzzkill though, still fast and responsive, but Painter is my weapon of choice there. Honestly, my SBP install on the workstation
hardly gets any airtime because of the lack of hotkeys to speed up workflow.

[Arshes Nei]

Photoshop offers on the fly sizing of the brush and it's hardness in PSCS5.

I think it's ALT + RIGHT-CLICK + DRAG.

One direction changes the brush size, the other changes the hardness.

Yeah but I don't use CS5, I know the OP does, but I dunno, waiting for programs like CS to load compared to sketchbook Pro....

[AegisKleais]

Yeah but I don't use CS5, I know the OP does, but I dunno, waiting for programs like CS to load compared to sketchbook Pro....

I hear ya. I think of SBP as a program "SPECIFICALLY" designed for painting, even when compared to Photoshop. I'm lucky enough that PSCS5X loads on my rig in like 4 seconds (amazing compared to other CS5 apps like Premiere and After Effects which can take 30-45 seconds to load the first time)

I've seen some people do utterly amazing works and "Photoshop" is the only tool they listed, so it lets me know that the app is perfectly capable of doing what I'm looking for, but as with life, it's great to have variety, and many people have found other non-PS apps to be right up their alley (and they have proven their power time after time)

Variety is the spice o' life. I just love looking at people's work, despite what tool they use. It's really humbling to see so much creativity and talent in the world.