Stoppees Guide to Photography and Light-摄影和用光指南-5
410
Chapter 13 | Digital Studio Flash
the left . Th e trick is to fi ll the space without over-illuminating the background. Th e dark marble must have less light in back than in the foreground for the cocktail to separate well. T o some degree, the little refl ector steals the fi ll light’s thunder. It picks up all the lighting resources to build a terrifi c back light.
Multiple Light Banks
the exact moment that it’s needed and requires us to prep and test everything. By the time the subject arrives, we have seconds to make the shot. Everything needs to be in place.Th is chilled enjoyment cannot be lit warm. It needs an on-the-money white-balanced light to make those clean beaded refl ections have a look of purity.Th e only warm element in the shot is the garnish. Its contrast allows it to take center stage.Light Source Roles Th e biggest con-tribution that our key light provides is a highlight on the garnish. Th is defi nes specularity: a mirror of the light source. Th at specular gives those three little orbs their feeling of dimension.H ow do you shoot a great cocktail?
Very, very carefully!
Two Soft Banks + Refl ector
W e need three light sources to make all this come together.Th e Chimera Daylite Jr Plus - Extra Small light bank has the advantage. Due to its nim-ble size, it’s more effi cient. Th e Chimera 54" x 72" Super Pro Plus - Silver bank becomes the fi ll light, while the little guy is the key.Th at’s not enough. W e need to toss in a refl ector to bounce back additional fi ll light.No one’s idle on our shoots. T racey Lee, the stylist, and cocktail fashion master, with an ear and taste bud for the latest trends, plus experience with the age-old tradition of bartending, holds a 14" W estcott Illuminator on the silver side to add dimension.Styling and Lighting the Feeling
A cocktail is a cold delight. W e pull no punches. W e have no special eff ects. It’s all natural. It’s all the real deal.
T racey didn’t grease the glass and spray on beads of condensation. She does all her food styling just the way it is consumed. (Th is means we have quite a happy time at the end of food shoots!) Th is method requires her to
prep everything to be delivered on the set at
Th e size of the fi ll light explodes a much-needed overall illumination from
A small key light provides the specular
highlights while the larger fi ll light source handles the overall illumina-tion. Th e little hand held refl ector works as a backlight, popping out
the glass’s dimensional qualities. Th e backlight pops out the backside of the glass, so it doesn’t look fl at.
Tech Specs
Photographer
Brian Stoppee
Stylist
Tracey Lee
Illustrator
Janet Stoppee
Camera
Nikon D2x - ISO: 100 ? Shutter Speed: 1/250
Manual Mode
Lens
AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D
35mm Focal Length: 90mm @ f/5.6
Lighting
1 - Novatron 1,000 Ws Digital Power Pack
1 - Novatron M600 MonoLight
1 - Novatron Bare Tube Flash Head
1- Chimera Daylite Jr Plus - Extra Small
1 - Chimera 54” x 72” Super Pro Plus - Silver
1 - Westcott 14” Silver/White Illuminator
Light Meter
Gossen Starlite
Support
1 - Gitzo Explorer Tripod
1 - Gitzo Off-Center Ball Head
1 - Matthews Preemie Baby Stand
1 - Matthews mini Preemie Baby Stand
Software
Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
Corel Painter
Chapter # | Name Placeholder 411
When using fl ash as your key light,
take special precautions to keep the look as natural as possible. It could
be best to fl ood an area with light as
we did here by fi ring fl ash through a reversed umbrella. T ake care to watch
412
Chapter 13 | Digital Studio Flash
By turning the umbrellas around and fi r-ing light through them, our light is not only
soft er but it also radiates over a large area. Th is ensures that our light is not focused in a tight area, appearing more unnatural.Admittedly, this is not the most effi cient use of our lighting output. However, it ac-complishes our lighting needs.
Two photographers shoot simultaneously from diff erent angles. Each photographer has one umbrella source, driven by a 1,500 watt-second Novatron power pack.
Properly weighting the light stands is even more essential when shooting outdoors
a less-than-fl attering visual statement about a woman, especially when the female talent needs to appear joyful.
With this in mind, Ian is taking the heat. W e have highlights on his forehead, cheek, nose, and ear. Th e highlights are on our female talent’s hair and back, providing her with an added dimensional quality.
Our camera positioning pops the couple out from the dark tones of the river behind them, so we focus our attention on Sherrie and Ian.
The Reverse Umbrella W e want a soft illumination. During the course of the day’s shoot, we’re going to be setting up and striking at various locations around this riverside estate.Keeping the load light is an important consideration. Safety is another.W e chose to
make our main light source umbrellas
and provide as many variations as possible based on what fi ts.P lease pardon our tongue-in-cheek expres-
sion of “assisting” the sunlight. However, on occasion, when the natural light cannot provide what’s needed, a little electronic fl ash has to come to the rescue.
Cautions on Artifi cial Key Light Th is can be like volunteering to climb up a very slippery slope. Using artifi cial light as a fi ll is easier. It complements the key light, soft ening shadows.When artifi cial illumination becomes your key light, you can run into problems of the fl ash looking unnatural.
At the same time that you are creating highlights, you are also building shadows. More shadows can go in a direction that op-poses what the natural illumination is doing elsewhere in the frame. Th is further points to an unnatural light source.
What the Light Says
As you design your light, consider what you want the image to say.
In this shot, we want the look of a hot summer’s day about to be enjoyed by a cool experience on a gently fl owing river.
A great way to visually express heat is to bring out the highlights on fl esh tones. Th is can be attractive on a male subject but make
Assisting Natural Light
for shadows that are going in a direc-tion other than the natural light’s fl ow. Go for just a little more fl ash intensity than the ambient light. Th e above illustration shows two umbrellas, one for each photographer.
Tech Specs
Photographer
Janet Stoppee
Stylist
Sherrie Hagan
Illustrator
Janet Stoppee
Camera
Nikon D2x - ISO: 100 ? Shutter Speed: 1/125
Manual Mode
Lens
AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED @ 160mm
35mm Focal Length: 240mm @ f/6.3
Lighting
1 - Novatron 1,500 Ws Digital Power Pack
1 - Novatron Bare Tube Flash Head
1 - Westcott 60” Optical White Satin Umbrella
Light Meter
Gossen Starlite
Support
1 - Gitzo Explorer Tripod
1 - Gitzo Off-Center Ball Head
1 - Matthews Baby Jr. Triple Riser Stand
1 - Matthews 25 lb. Water Repellant Sandbag
Software
Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
Corel Painter
Talent
Sherrie Hagan
Ian Kline
Chapter # | Name Placeholder 413
414 Chapter 13 | Digital Studio Flash Slaves
What’s hidden is part of the fun. W e have two fl ash heads plugged into one 1,000 watt-sec-ond pack. Th ey’re just blowing light into their spaces. When the soft banks fi re, the back power pack’s slave eye is triggered.
Position lighting in your back rooms to add dimension to the space. Th is should build the viewer’s curiosity so that they wonder what is in the spaces that they cannot see. When shooting an architectural portfolio of a property, the viewers enjoy using your photos to connect the rooms, fi guring out what’s where.
I f you thrive on technical challenges, shoot-ing multiple rooms with fl ash is your long- awaited playground.
Th ere are numerous elements to juggle, and with each solution, you create a new challenge that needs to be counterbalanced.
General Illumination
Flooding the room with light is the relatively easy part. All you need is a couple monster light banks, suffi cient support, and plenty of fl ash power. 3,000 watt-seconds bathes the living room in soft, even illumination. Ambient Light
Th e next challenge is extending the shutter speed suffi ciently to pick up the glow of the lamps. Th is is another important juggling act.
Slaving Background Rooms Tech Specs
Photographer
Brian Stoppee
Stylist
Tracey Lee
Illustrator
Janet Stoppee
Camera
Nikon D2x - ISO: 100 ? Shutter Speed: 2 seconds
Manual Mode
Lens
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED @ 24mm
35mm Focal Length: 36mm @ f/14
Lighting
2 - Novatron 1,500 Ws Digital Power Packs
1 - Novatron 1,000 Ws Digital Power Pack
4 - Novatron Bare Tube Flash Heads
1 - Novatron 6.5” Refl ector
1 - Novatron 16” Pan Refl ector
2 - Novatron Slave Triggers
2 - Chimera Novatron Bare Tube Quick Release Speed Rings
1 - Chimera 54” x 72” Super Pro Plus - Silver
1 - Westcott 54” x 72” Silver Soft Box
Light MeterLight Meter
Gossen Starlite
Support
1 - Gitzo Explorer Tripod
1 - Gitzo Off-Center Ball Head
1 - Matthews Baby Jr. Triple Riser Stand
1 - Matthews Baby Jr. Double Riser Stand
1 - Matthews Preemie Baby Stand
1 - Matthews Mini Preemie Baby Stand
Software
Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
Corel Painter
Chapter # | Name Placeholder 415
416
Chapter 13 | Digital Studio Flash
Location Safety
Tech Specs
Photographer
Brian Stoppee
Stylist
Tracey Lee
Illustrator
Janet Stoppee
Camera
Nikon D2x - ISO: 100 ? Shutter Speed: 1/40 Manual Mode
Lens
AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f /4.5-5.6D ED @ 80mm 35mm Focal Length: 120mm @ f /10
Lighting
2 - Novatron 1,500 Ws Digital Power Packs 2 - Novatron 1,000 Ws Digital Power Packs 4 - Novatron Bare Tube Heads
3 - Chimera Novatron Bare Tube Quick Release Speed Rings 1 - Westcott Novatron Bare Tube Adapter Ring 1 - Chimera 54” x 72” Super Pro Plus - Silver 1 - Chimera 54” x 72” Super Pro Plus - White 1 - Chimera Super Pro Plus Strip - White - Medium 1 - Westcott 54” x 72” Silver Soft Box 1 - Rosco 1700 Fog Machine
Light Meter
Gossen Starlite
Support
1 - Manfrotto Tripod with Quick Release Head 1 - Matthews Baby Jr. Triple Riser Stand 1 - Matthews Baby Jr. Double Riser Stand 1 - Matthews Preemie Baby Stand 1 - Matthews Mini Preemie Baby Stand
Software
Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop Corel Painter
Talent
Jaime Etheridge
When the breeze is just right, an assistant fogs the pool to the right, and the talent slowly starts up the stairs, dripping wet.Lighting
W e wanted a sense of mystery to the image, so we lined the pool to the left with four large light banks.Th is total sidelight approach keeps some of Jaime hidden, in partial shadow. More impor-tant it brings out the smooth contours of her well-toned physique.
It’s planned for her to walk into her mark, so that light captures the blue of her eye and there’s enough of a highlight on her lips to reveal a trace of a welcoming smile.A stock image like this has many uses.Th e rest of the light banks ensure that we light the fog in motion.
In Safety Conclusion Just as we squeezed off the perfect shot, the sky opened up and the rain came in.
In seconds, we had shut down the power packs and disconnected their power cables.Th e Novatron power packs self-discharge the energy in their capacitors when they are shut off . Some other brands require you to press the test button to do that.
W e have said it before in this volume and we
will say it again and again for the rest of our teaching careers: fl ash and water don’t mix. Whether there’s a little fl ash built into the top of your camera or you’re working with big power packs, you’re dealing with a great deal of voltage.
An accident can result in fatalities.
Y ou must secure your light sources. All wir-ing needs to be arranged so that no one can trip over anything. Sandbag all your stands. A top-heavy lighting rig can easily wind up in the water with just a little wind power.Working Against Nature Th is was a great shoot that required plenty of planning. Th e window of opportunity was a matter of minutes.
W e needed just the right ambient light at the end of the day, plus as little breeze as pos-sible. With the added danger of an approach-ing thunderstorm, our window was closing.The Rosco Fog Machine Th is is where a fog machine makes it fun. W e need just a tiny breeze to move the fog across the pool’s water. T oo much wind has the fog sailing into the neighbor’s backyard, in a mat-ter of seconds, long before the fabulously fi t Jaime emerges from the water.
Chapter # | Name Placeholder 417
418
Chapter 13 | Digital Studio Flash
Mixed Lighting Eff
ects
The Stylist’s Touch
Some beer photos look fl at. W e start with a frosty glass. Rather than wasting many glasses of raspberry wheat ale, Robert uses an iced tea spoon to stir the ale, rebuilding the head. Th e shoot starts and ends in minutes.
story is in the head of the beer, and that’s the primary reason for going with the backlight. It brings out the texture of the beer’s head.
Flashlight?
Robert has gotten the idea that we add a second back light: a fl ashlight. No. Th at’s not a typo. He’s not considering a “fl ash light,” Robert wants us to drag the shutter while he waves a hand-held fl ashlight behind the beer.Because our fl ashes are at 5,500 K and the fl ashlight is in the range of 2,500 K, it warms up the amber color of the beer.Th e fl ash pops. Th e shutter remains open. Robert and the fl ash-light go to work. Th e shutter closes down, A clever stylist comes with a bag of awesome
tricks acquired through years of experience. Sometimes the photographer can feel like the second in command.
It’s all a matter of being a team player and allowing everyone to bring plenty to the table.For this shoot, Robert Y oung is assisting T racey Lee, our usual tabletop stylist. T ogeth-er, they have a variety of setups in progress. Robert has taken over this one.
Backlight as Key
Tabletop photographers oft en make their backlight their key light. At fi rst, that does not sound as if it makes any sense.
What we have been discussing so far is the power of refl ected light.
Backlight adds dimension, even to a simple gift -wrapped box. If the backlight is the only light source, isn’t the foreground in darkness?If you are reading this on a sunny day, with your back to the window, aren’t you backlit?It’s a natural illumination.
The Refl ector
Here’s where our refl ector plays a key role. It’s taking the backlight, harnessing it, and fi lling in the foreground.
However, when it comes to shooting many great photographs of beer, so much of the
completing the shot.
It all has to happen
fast. It’s all about the team eff ort.Make your backlight a key light when shooting products. Allow a refl
ector to
fi ll in the fr ont illumination. Th is is
extremely eff ective when the subject is
glassware. In addition to stirring the beer to build a head, the stylist shines a fl ashlight as a second backlight while we drag the shutter.
Tech Specs
Photographer
Brian Stoppee
Stylists
Tracey Lee
Robert Young
Illustrator
Janet Stoppee
Camera
Nikon D2x - ISO: 100 ? Shutter Speed: 1/50
Manual Mode
Lens
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8 IF-ED @ 70mm 35mm Focal Length: 105mm @ f/5.6
Lighting
1 - Novatron 1,000 Ws Digital Power Pack
1 - Novatron Bare Tube Head
1 - Chimera Novatron Bare Tube Quick Release Speed Ring 1 - Chimera 24” x 32” Super Pro Shallow Plus Bank - Small 1 - Westcott 14” Silver/White Illuminator
Light Meter
Gossen Starlite
Support
1 - Gitzo Explorer Tripod
1 - Gitzo Off-Center Ball Head
1 - Matthews Preemie Baby Stand
Software
Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
Corel Painter
420
Chapter 13 | Digital Studio Flash
Bouncing the Big Space
Tech Specs
Photographer/Illustrator
Janet Stoppee
Stylist
Sherrie Hagan
Camera
Nikon D2x - ISO: 100 ? Shutter Speed: 1/125 Manual Mode
Lens
AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f /4.5-5.6D ED @ 180mm 35mm Focal Length: 270mm @ f /5.6
Lighting
1 - Novatron 1,500 Ws Digital Power Pack
2 - Novatron Bare Tube Heads w/6.5” Refl ectors 1 - Novatron M600 MonoLight
1 - Westcott 45” Silver/Black Backing Umbrella 1 - Westcott 45” Gold/White Umbrella
Light Meter
Gossen Starlite
Support
1 - Gitzo Explorer Tripod 1 - Gitzo Off -Center Ball Head
1 - Matthews Baby Jr. Triple Riser Stand
2 - Matthews 40” C Stands w/Sliding Leg
Software
Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop Corel Painter
Talent
Bob Lindholm
illumination that we could have hoped for. Because of its shape, any light that strikes it is going to scatter all over the place.
T o take advantage of this, we placed a monolight on a tall stand and cranked it up into the arched area. Without a refl ector on it, the light is dispersed over more than 180°. Th e head is behind Bob on the viewer’s left .Because the light is so ineffi cient without a refl ector, it supplements the light that the umbrellas provide, rather than overcoming it in competition for exposure. W e have ad-ditionally measured the ambient illumination to utilize the natural window light.
I n Chapter 12, “Wireless Battery Flash,” we
spoke a great deal about the use of bounce light. Th e photographer who covers events must master bouncing light.
Bounced illumination can save the day for the photographer who has to light a big space.Umbrellas for Key and Fill
It’s a thrill to shoot anywhere at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, in Richmond, Virginia. Every space is beautifully designed and appointed. Th e library is no exception. Th e arched ceiling is breath-taking.
W e photographed Bob with a silver um-brella as a key light to the viewer’s left and a gold and white zebra umbrella to the right. It has a nice dimensional feeling. However, with no other illumination, the model would ap-pear as if he were in a darkened cave.Ceiling Bounce Making use of the arched ceiling off ers all of the general
Chapter # | Name Placeholder 421
422
Chapter 13 | Digital Studio Flash
Create Window Eff ects with Cookies
The Matthews Cucoloris Both soft and hard cookies are included in Matthews Lighting Control Kits. Th ey’re in either 18" x 24" or 24" x 36". Photographers
fi nd the smaller size to be more
than suffi cient for many projects.Th e wood cucoloris is kept to a manageable weight with a luan plywood and a very durable metal grip that fi rmly attaches
to the various Matthews clamps. Th e grip head permits easy tilting and rotation.A cello cucoloris from Mat-thews is a screen material wrapped around an open-ended
metal frame with a pattern on it,
created from a clear plastic. Chimera’s Window Pattern Kit Th is kit off ers popular ways for news crews to project an interest-ing pattern on the background of a space where an interview happens.For photographers, it keeps them popular in neighborhoods where location shoots happen: assistants are not compelled to go out and tear off a few tree branches to make a background
Y ou can wait around all day for just the right
dappled light to come through the window, or you can just create it yourself, twenty-four hours a day, by using a cookie!Cucoloris A “cucoloris” goes by many names. Th e most common is “cookie.”A cookie is similar to a gobo, in the sense that it gets into the path of the light. How-ever, the gobo is more commonly applied to light modifi ers that are right there, at the lighting instrument, whereas the cucoloris is a much larger pattern that gets in the way of the light’s path, much further along on its journey to a surface.Hard or Soft Cookies?Commercially created hard cookies are usu-ally made of a plywood material. Some folks spend a great deal of time cutting their own hard cookies from cardboard and discarding them when the project has been completed.Soft cookies are sometimes produced from screening. One of these is more accurately known as a “cello cucoloris.”Th e “hard” and “soft ” terms refer to the edge that they produce. Because the cookie produces a natural shadow eff ect, it’s a matter of how much of an edge you want.shadow on the wall. Th ere’s no need to carry
mini blinds to project light through, either. Th is system of plastic fi lm patterns attaches
onto a black frame with hook-and-loop tape.
Th e frame attaches to Chimera’s 42" x 42" panel frame.Th e black frame provides 12" all the way around the pattern. Th is is a perfect fi t to be
illuminated by the Chimera 24" x 32" Super
Pro Shallow Plus Bank. Th e 42" x 42" panel frame prevents any light from spilling in un-wanted places. Chimera has two pattern sets
that include blinds, a leaf, palms, French doors, columns, a half dome, a domino, sun scratch, an open win-
dow, and split door, plus a clear pattern for logos or other things that you need to project.As always with Chimera, the kit thankfully comes in its own rugged duffl e bag.
To the left are Matthews
hard and soft cookie products. On the right is Chimera’s interchange-able fi lm-based solution.
424 Chapter # | Name Placeholder
425
Is it possible to be a photographer without a camera? How about without a computer? Can you retouch images in Adobe Photoshop without a pressure-sensitive tablet? If you can, you’ll have to tell us how. As far as we know, a W acom tablet is an essential tool for today’s photographer. Th is indispensable means of manipulating images at your computer takes its name from “wa,” Japanese for “harmony,” and “com” meaning computer. In its quintes-sence, W acom can be said to provide humankind with a means of being at harmony with the machine.T ruer words were never spoken.
T oday, W acom can even be in harmony with your wallet. Little professional W acom tablets are available for around a couple hundred bucks (in US dollars). Th ere’s no excuse for not having one. If you’re serious enough about photography to buy and read this 504-page book, you’re clearly a W acom person.
W e could never accomplish what we do in Adobe Illus-trator, Adobe Photoshop, and Corel Painter without our W acom tablets. Our original 12" x 18" tablet had the serial number of 99 on it. W e’ve been in this for a long time.It’s a kinesiological interactive experience that cannot fully be described. Creating on a tablet feels like you are touching the image, becoming one with it. As you apply pressure to the stylus to achieve your visual goal, there’s a coordinated relationship between the mind, eye, and body mechanic. Y our entire being becomes involved in the creative process.
Chapter 14
Essential Tablet T ools
Th e T ablet that Fits Y our Needs
are a few popular consumer products from
W acom. But Intuos and Cintiq are for you.Intuos
For every point that your pen can touch, there’s a matching point on your screen. Whatever you do with your pen, you see an I f you are new to W acom’s tablets, let’s bring
you up to speed on what this is all about so you can make an informed decision.W acom tablets come in two fl avors for professional use: Intuos and Cintiq.
W acom also has some special products that are industry-specifi c. Additionally, there
equal and precise reaction on your com-puter’s display.Th e tablet and pen provide 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity. Th e touch and feel are all at your custom control using the soft ware tools that W acom provides. Th e pen tip reacts based on how hard you press it upon the tab-
let. If your subject’s blemish needs just a tiny helping hand from Photoshop’s healing brush tool, tap lightly. If it’s more like a seriously nasty zit, dig in deep.
Th e Intuos is all USB-powered, so it’s very much an on-the-go input device, with active area sizes of 4" x 6", 6" x 8", and even 6" x 11", these tablets are around the size of a Mac laptop. Th eir physical dimensions range from 10.6" x 8.5" to 16.5" x 10.3".
Th e width of the 4"x 6" tablet is about 20% larger than the photo of the Intuos on the opposite page.
Our 6"x11" easily fi ts in our Lightware Laptop Messenger bag, along with all the other Mac gear that we take on location and other business travel.
The bigger Intuos tablets, at 9"x12",
12"x12", and 12"x19", with a physical
dimension of 24.5" x 16.9", are a bit more
studio-bound. Our big guy feels right with
big displays.
Cintiq
Aft er working on a W acom tablet for a while,
it feels like you are almost touching the screen,
rather than the tablet, with your pen. If you
have a Cintiq, strike the “almost” from that
statement. Th e Cintiq is a combination tablet
and LCD display. Y ou touch the screen with
your pen. It’s a faster, more natural experience.
Th e Cintiq family of interactive pen dis-
plays continues W acom's tradition of deliver-
ing world-class productivity tools that make
using a computer as natural as possible. By us-
ing a pen directly on a screen, you work more
quickly and naturally. It recalls the feeling of
working in traditional media, where the pen
makes contact with the actual surface and as
you apply pressure, you see immediate results,
on a textured, scratch-resistant surface.
For the studio-bound there’s 21UX, with
a 17" wide active area. Th e 21 is in the 4:3
aspect ratio.
Th ough it weighs in at 22.4 pounds with its
stand, the Cintiq 12WX has similar dimen-
sions to our 6" x 11" Intuos and weigh only
4.4 pounds. It’s the dream of the traveling
media professional.
Th e actual size of theWacom Intuos pictured at left is
about 20% smaller than their 4"x 6" tablet.
On the previous two-page section is the Cintiq.
Chapter 14 | Essential Tablet Tools 427
Tablet T ools
them, we navigate our way around the com-puter screen with the tablet.
On the Cintiq, keyboard commands are out of mind. Th e tendency is to reach out and touch everything. Because the grip pen tip is right there, you are compelled to use the pull-down menus.
The Grip Pen
Just like a pencil, the grip pen has both a tip and an eraser. With time, the soft grip pen becomes an extension of your hand. Y ou twirl the thing around 180° using the nib for this application here, and erasing that thing there.
T o keep your Cintiq desktop clean, it has a solid stand to keep it upright or parallel to the working surface.
Pen as Mouse
As soon as the pen is within two-tenths of an inch of the tablet, it’s active.
T he Intuos comes with a grip pen and a fi ve-
button mouse.
For some it may feel a little funny at fi rst, as you get your eye, mind, and hand coordi-nation in gear, but it soon becomes second nature. Others of us dive into it from minute number one.
Tablet as Desktop Th e tablet and tools transform your desktop. W e have roll-out keyboard trays and sometimes work with the 6"x11" Intuos in our laps.Th e tablet in essence becomes your desktop. Our hands are near the keyboard for those quick key commands that we can surely do in our sleep. But outside of
Th e pen nib is like a mouse-click. Tapping it twice is like a double-click.
The DuoSwitch Th is is another cool tool. Th e switch on your pen is a rocker. As long as you are hover-ing the pen two-tenths of an inch above the surface, the DuoSwitch is active. By default the top of the switch is like a double-click and the lower portion is like a right-click in the Windows world.Th e switch is fully programmable. Read more on this in this chapter.
Five-Button Mouse
With W acom’s professional tablets, the mouse is exclusive to the Intuos. Many in the creative community use the Cintiq somewhat upright, so a mouse would not have the proper ergo-nomic feel. Th e fi ve-button programmable mouse has no rolling ball. Th ere are no optics. It doesn’t need a battery. Th ere isn’t even a wire.
Th is is not your typical mouse.
Alternate between the pen and the mouse to balance the right tool for the right job. Th is also cuts down on repetitive motion.
Th e left and right buttons
do the obvious. On the
side are another set
of left and right
buttons. In an
Internet ap-
plication, they
are the same
as back and
forward.
The Finger
Wheel
Th is isn’t
the stan-
dard scroll
wheel. Y ou
can both roll
it and press
it down for additional button functions.
Th is is great for zooming in on applica-
tions. In Adobe Bridge, you can fi re through
the content panel at lightning speed.
Press down on it and by default it acts like a
middle-click.
Chapter 14 | Essential Tablet Tools 429