Wacom intuos installation key1/31/2024 ![]() Many people don’t know what to make of the touch features found on Wacom Intuos and Cintiq tablets. In addition to the Pro Pen 2, I have the Art Pen, which enables rotation of brushes in Photoshop and other painting applications. Note: You can use more than one stylus, and each can have its own custom features. And at least one illustrator friend uses the buttons to quickly flip the canvas upside down or backward to examine compositional balance. I have the Eraser button assigned to trigger a screen capture in another application, using a custom keystroke combination-something I need frequently while writing! A few retouchers I know have assigned the rocker switch to scroll up and down through layer stacks. This is more flexible than Undo/Redo because you can take multiple steps if you need to work back through history a bit. (Click on the stylus in the Tool section to access its settings.) I have the rocker switch set to Step Backward and Step Forward. On the stylus, you’ll find a rocker switch and eraser, all of which can take custom functions. That means I have the same function available two different ways. Interestingly, I discovered that I use the Touch Ring to zoom and rotate when I’m working on photographs, but prefer using touch gestures for these functions when I’m sketching and painting. The functions I use most often are closest to the Touch Ring, and Precision Mode and Display Toggle are furthest away because I don’t use them as often. The last button is used for Precision mode-really handy for fine-tuning path control points, guides, and painting minute details on delicate masks. Then I have two buttons for Bird’s Eye panning, and the Hand tool. The modifier keys that I’ve assigned to my ExpressKeys are Control-Option (PC: Ctrl-Alt), Option (PC: Alt), Command (PC: Ctrl), and Shift. Tons of Photoshop tools take advantage of modifier keys for advanced behavior. The remaining buttons are all set to various modifier or spring-loaded options that only function while holding the button down. This is actually pretty handy when you want the precision of the pen on one screen, but still have access to the rest of your display through touch. Pro tip: While the pen can be limited to one screen through mapping assignments, touch always operates across all screens like a giant touch pad. You’ll find Display Toggle under Tablet in the drop-down menus. ![]() When I need to switch to the other screen, a quick tap enables the pen to work there, or on both screens without restriction. Since I use two screens, I prefer to have the full area of the tablet be dedicated to Photoshop when I’m working there, which takes up one entire screen. I only have one toggle application, and that’s to move the assigned tablet mapping (e.g., where the physical space of the tablet maps to a virtual space on the screen) between screens. There are lots of options presented in the drop-down menus for each ExpressKey, and the buttons can be treated like toggles (switching between functions) or momentary actions (functions that only operate while you hold down the button). To access these settings, click on Functions in the Tool section, and click the ExpressKeys tab. The first thing I do is set up the physical buttons, or the ExpressKeys, on the tablet itself. For purposes of this article, I’m only going to address working in Photoshop, so will use the default All option in the Application section for my preferences. Note: You can set up preferences for individual applications, along with default settings for other applications. ![]() Make sure you’re using updated drivers, too! While the screenshots presented here are from the Mac operating system, they should look pretty similar on Windows. I’ll start with describing my preferred setup, then outline a strategy for you to figure out your own best configuration, tailored to how you work (or would like to). I’m using the 2017 Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660) that was released earlier this year, so if you’re using a different model, you may have different features and options. If you haven’t dived into customizing your tablet, read on and give it a try! Beyond the obvious benefits of using a pen as input for creative control, I also take advantage of customizing the buttons, Radial Menu, and touch features to both speed up certain tasks and to reduce the number of times I reach for the keyboard. One of the key elements for my workflow is a digitizing tablet, in particular the Wacom Intuos Pro. ![]() The heart of this issue’s Photoshop User is about speeding up your workflow with various tools and plug-ins. ![]()
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