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Capabilities of the Wacom or just use iPad?


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Hi Everyone,

I've been noticing that a lot of people use the wacom tablets to help with designs and drawing on quilts in order to help others with quilt design and layout. I think that would be a really useful tool, especially since I am just learning about quilt design and could use some practice and opportunities to experiment. It could be useful to communicate ideas with customers as I don't plan having customers over to the house do to county business laws/guidelines.

I also wondered if you could use the wacom to draw a design and save it, ultimately uploading it to another program to be digitized for computer quilting...or is that too much work and really involved? I have an Innova with Autopilot.

How do you use your wacom and would it just be smarter to use the iPad since I already own one? Would it be worth it to purchase one, or should i just stick with what i have?

Thanks,

Jen

Thanks,

Jen

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I just got the Wacom.

At first I thought I wasn't finding my way thru it, but after watching the tutorial that's part of one of the CD;s it comes with, It's soooo easy.

I just open up a pic of a quilt on here, doodle on it, and hit the save. and then repost it back onto the forum.

It really turned out to be a piece of cake..and I LOVE IT!

Oh, and you can choose your color you want, the thickness of your drawing line, etc.

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Sandra,

It is a program that you can download. Some are free and some cost. I think I paid for the one I got but it was only like 3.95 or something. Go to the App store. Here is the link: http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/ I'll have to look at my iPad to see which App I found. One of my co-workers told me about it and it worked. Look for photo editing capabilities.

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Ive got the "Bamboo Paper" app for iPad, made by Wacom, which is free. There is an upgrade you can purchase. You also need a special stylus (the one that comes with the Wacom tablet won't work). That costs about $25, but it is possible to draw with your fingers without it. I don't know how it compares to the Bamboo tablet, 'cause I wasn't really using mine so I sold it.

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Jen, I like using my iPad and an App. named "Adobe Ideas". I use a stylus. You can import a photo, save a photo after drawing. Do a screen shot save. What I like about Adobe Ideas is that no matter how shaky looking your "drawing line" is. Once you are done Adobe Ideas magically straightens out the not quite so perfect drawing line.

Also, there are colors you can use, and you can adjust the width of the drawing tip in the program. From very fine to wider.

I use a Griffin stylus. It's nice and smooth and very responsive. (purchased at Amazon)

I also have a Wacom Bamboo, and while it's good too---I prefer the iPad. Especially if your iPad has a camera. Then you can take a picture of the quilt block or quilt and not do any transferring/uploading of photos. etc

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Thanks everyone, sounds like I really don't need a Wacom...I just want one:)

I haven't loved any of the iPad stylus, but I'll check out the griffin. My husband just got the new iPad...it is so much better text and picture quality wise than my ipad 2. I guess I will just steal his:)

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I'm going to take a chance and give a public shout-out to Carla Barrett of Feathered Fibers ... I am in the midst of taking her third course relating to tablets, designing for quilting, using Photoshop Elements, etc. I took Quilt whisperer first (and was able to use those techniques immediately on a custom quilt), then the PSE class with the Pixeladies, and now taking the Tablet Design for Quilters course. Carla knows all there is to know about tablets, including the Wacom, the IPAD, whatever. Check out her FeatheredFibers site and her SteponPins icourse site. This stuff is just way too cool! I'm using a Wacom Intuos4 and it does take some getting used to, but then again I'm not a graphic artist, just a quilter who wants to design her own quilting designs. Carla and her buddies make this doable, if you practice practice practice - where have I heard that before? Lastly, this has prevented me from loading a quilt, and then standing there staring at the thing wondering "what do I do now?". With these tools, I'm able to take a picture of the quilt, design the quilting, develop my quilting roadmap, and then get to it. All freehand, with no computer-guided quilting involved. JMHO as always.

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  • 6 months later...

Do you have to pay for Data on an I Pad? I was looking at them. It looks like I would have to pay for another data package. I already have it on my Iphone and I want to practice freehand designs without always having all the scraps of paper around. Or if there is another device that would work better I am all ears. I would like to be able to print it off if I like one of the designs. Practice without always being around paper or a desk top computer.

Thanks

Connie

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great post for me....i have a bday coming up and have asked dh to get me an ipad for deciding how to quilt tops & practicing my designs. now i know what kind of stylus to get. :)

connie - i dont think you can print from an iPad, you would have to mail it to another device for that...am i right?

and currently i use a dry erase board to practice my freehand designs and it works well, but is kinda messy. <_<

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I have also used dry erase board I agree on the mess. Also I would like to be at work or any where and be able to still kill time practicing. You know like at a Dr.s appt. etc. I have been trying to decide if the IPad is worth spending the money.

I do not want to have to pay for another data plan right now. On the other hand I would like some good reasons why I need one. I have a Kindle and an Iphone right now.

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great post for me....i have a bday coming up and have asked dh to get me an ipad for deciding how to quilt tops & practicing my designs. now i know what kind of stylus to get. :)

connie - i dont think you can print from an iPad, you would have to mail it to another device for that...am i right?

and currently i use a dry erase board to practice my freehand designs and it works well, but is kinda messy. <_<

Meg, if you have ios6 on your iPad and a compatible printer, you can print from your iPad! I have an HP B210 wireless printer and it works like a charm. Hope this helps!

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the technology has changed, but i have the medium intuos4 and i really like it. but like mentioned above by dancingbear, check out carla barrett's website. she has done extensive research into these new toys and you might get a grand suggestion. If i were buying this year, I'd follow her advice. Check out her reviews on her Feb 6, 2012 entry.

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I have also used dry erase board I agree on the mess. Also I would like to be at work or any where and be able to still kill time practicing. You know like at a Dr.s appt. etc. I have been trying to decide if the IPad is worth spending the money.

I do not want to have to pay for another data plan right now. On the other hand I would like some good reasons why I need one. I have a Kindle and an Iphone right now.

You can buy the iPad with a data plan or not. I bought the iPad without the data plan so the only time I can connect to the Internet is from home using our WiFi connection, or in a store or coffee shop that offers free wifi. You can download a number of apps for the iPad from the App Store...some are free and some cost a few dollars. I use Sketchbook Pro on my iPad for drawing. You can pull up a photo then draw on top of it and save it to Sketchbooks gallery. Sketchbook allows you to select the color and style/width of the line as well (good for auditioning thread color on a quilt top photo, light or dark value). I also use this app for practicing free form designs. When I've filled up the screen I simply erase and start over. Once the drawing app is downloaded to your iPad you do not need an Internet connection to draw so you can take your ipad with you wherever you go. Nice! The downside of drawing on the iPad is the limited screen size. Just MHO.

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Meg,

You can print from the ipad if you have an airport printer. I don't happen to have one yet so I do have to email it to myself on my laptop and can then print. but I do like being able to take a picture of the quilt I am going to work on and doodle on it till I have a plan and then email to myself and print it out. I keep it near the quilt and when I've rolled it forward, it helps me to remember which way I did the leaves, or feathers, or whatever in the top corners...I like having a plan when I start even if it changes while I'm quilting...

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Guest Linda S

You can be much more precise with a Wacom than you can with a tablet. I don't know about the stylus for the iPad, but you can get the styli for the Samsung tablet I have for just a couple bucks. They have a stubby, rubbery tip to them, kind of like a skinny finger and you can draw with them. I have a couple of free apps on my tablet, where I can pull a photo in, draw on it, and save or print it. One in particular that I like is called Skitch.

I also can say that Carla Barrett is very talented at all this stuff, although I've not taken her classes, I've known Carla for a long, long time.

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  • 1 month later...

well, i bought a stylus today and plan to try the different apps.

vicki - what is an airport printer?

i have an airport wifi modem, but i'm unfamiliar with a printer.

Update. I got the stylus & downloaded the free Sketchbook app.

So far so good.

I like it.

No mess.

No wasted paper.

I even figured out how to use it on my own photos.

Not sure I will ever need the upgraded app.

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