Huion Graphics tablet

Please use this forum to post bug reports, feature requests, tips, etc. for beta versions of Picture Window Pro 8

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MikeG
Posts: 243
Joined: April 25th, 2009, 4:36 pm
What is the make/model of your primary camera?: Panasonic G1
Location: Sydney, Australia

Huion Graphics tablet

Post by MikeG »

Hi,
Anyone successfully using a Huion tablet with PWP 8 Beta?

I have a Huion NEW 1060Plus and I've been trying to do some touching up using the paint tool.
The cursor follow the tablet pen properly but sometimes it paints, sometimes it does nothing, and sometimes it seems to 'dig into the paper' and the image jags a bit.

The tablet works perfectly fine with Capture One 11.

Mike.
jsachs
Posts: 4203
Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: Huion Graphics tablet

Post by jsachs »

Supporting tablets appears to require modifying Picture Window to use the Wintab interface the tablet driver implements. I wasted a lot of time years ago trying to get this to work reliably, but maybe it is worth another try when I get the time.

Personally, I don't like working with tablets much since I find it awkward to draw on a different plane from the screen. Tablets such as the one you purchased seem to have fallen out of favor over the years. The exceptions are the really expensive ones like the Cintiq that integrate the tablet as a touch screen over top of a dedication monitor. These are popular with illustrators and graphic artists who draw on the screen a lot, but I don't see a lot of photographers using them.
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
MikeG
Posts: 243
Joined: April 25th, 2009, 4:36 pm
What is the make/model of your primary camera?: Panasonic G1
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Huion Graphics tablet

Post by MikeG »

I've been having trouble with my right wrist (I'm right handed) and bought the graphic tablet in the hope that it would be easier on my wrist that using the mouse - as others had reported.
And, yes, I do find it much easier on my wrist.

Unsurprisingly I found 'drawing' type tasks easier to do with precision, but an even greater boon was the ability to program buttons on the graphics tablet with keyboard shortcuts. This is super convenient and a great productivity tool.

I hope that you do find time to implement the Wintab interface.

Mike.
jsachs
Posts: 4203
Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: Huion Graphics tablet

Post by jsachs »

I am currently working on WinTab support for PWP 8, starting with the next release. I would appreciate your feedback if you get a chance to try it (or from anyone else with a tablet).
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
Marpel
Posts: 692
Joined: September 13th, 2009, 3:19 pm
What is the make/model of your primary camera?: Nikon D810
Location: Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

Re: Huion Graphics tablet

Post by Marpel »

I applaud the addition of (some) tablet support. I have used a Wacom and pen for years with other programs, and limited capabilities with prior PWP versions. So the addition of further pen/tablet use is welcome.

A couple points/questions, though.

- After setting up and using the pen/tablet with the latest version PWP, I seem to have lost the Wacom icon at the bottom of the screen. Not sure how that happened.
- Not sure if this is tablet/pen issue or not - If I change the default settings in the paint tool, close the tool, then bring it up again by hitting "P", when I click on "Paint" with the pen, PWP crashes. However, if I use the mouse to click on "Paint" it does not crash. This happens intermittently, but often.
- Why, when I first use the pen, does the point at which I press the pen, pause until a circle is drawn around that point? If I immediately move the pen, there is a hesitation for the line to begin drawing until the circle is completed. It then catches up with the pen. If I then finish that line and raise the pen, then apply another stroke, the circle does not occur. It only occurs on the first application. However, if I change a setting in the Paint dialogue then go back to apply a line, the circle issue re-appears (again, for only the first fresh application).
- And I have touched on this issue before, so it also may not be pen/tablet related. When I draw a line with Paint, it is like a bow wave in front of the pen, which distorts the surrounding pixels. The pixels revert back to their natural position after the pen is lifted. The width of the line is also visibly reduced in size when the pen is lifted. Need to have a larger radius and zoomed in to see this.

Marv
jsachs
Posts: 4203
Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: Huion Graphics tablet

Post by jsachs »

- After setting up and using the pen/tablet with the latest version PWP, I seem to have lost the Wacom icon at the bottom of the screen. Not sure how that happened.

If you are referring to Wacom Desktop Center, its dialog box has an Autostart setting -- just launch it from the Start menu by typing in the name in the search box and click More in the upper right corner of its dialog box and select Autostart from the menu.
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
jsachs
Posts: 4203
Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: Huion Graphics tablet

Post by jsachs »

- Why, when I first use the pen, does the point at which I press the pen, pause until a circle is drawn around that point? If I immediately move the pen, there is a hesitation for the line to begin drawing until the circle is completed. It then catches up with the pen. If I then finish that line and raise the pen, then apply another stroke, the circle does not occur. It only occurs on the first application. However, if I change a setting in the Paint dialogue then go back to apply a line, the circle issue re-appears (again, for only the first fresh application).

This appears to be a bug in WinTab which is the inferface through which PWP gets tablet information. While I search for a workaround, you can avoid this problem if you click the pen once outside the input image before you start painting. Otherwise PWP thinks you are still using the mouse until just after the first click.

- Not sure if this is tablet/pen issue or not - If I change the default settings in the paint tool, close the tool, then bring it up again by hitting "P", when I click on "Paint" with the pen, PWP crashes. However, if I use the mouse to click on "Paint" it does not crash. This happens intermittently, but often.

I have not been able to reproduce this. It might help is you can describe the exact sequence of events.
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
jsachs
Posts: 4203
Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: Huion Graphics tablet

Post by jsachs »

The best workaround I was able to come up with was to ignore the first click of each stroke when using the Paint, Clone, Smudge or Mask Paint tools if a tablet is connected to the system. While this solves the tablet problem, it means that if you click with the mouse and don't move the cursor, nothing happens (but only if you have a tablet connected). The problem is that the tablet only informs PWP it is active after the click, so at the time of the click PWP still thinks the mouse is active, even though the tablet has already taken over control of the cursor motion.

Update: this did not work so I am leaving it the way it was for now. As I said in an earlier post, to avoid this problem, click once outside the input image area before you start using the stylus.
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
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