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When I was given the opportunity to review Wacom’s new Wacom One Creative Pen Display tablet, (not to be confused with the earlier One by Wacom, (which has no display)), I was intrigued. The Wacom One is a tablet with a 13.3” display, and has most of the pen input functions you would expect from a Wacom device, just slimmed down so as not to compete with their higher end products.
I have used Wacom Cintiqs and Intuoses in the past. In my experience, the Intuos has an inherent learning or adjustment curve because the point where you are controlling the cursor is detached from the screen. While we are all used to doing this with a mouse, somehow it takes some getting used to on a tablet. Conversely, on the Cintiq, you don’t have that learning curve because the cursor follows the stylus on the screen. So, I have always preferred Cintiqs, but the cost has been prohibitive, unless it is something you use daily in your profession. The One, however is kind of a hybrid. It comes in at a price point not that much higher than an Intuos, but comes with a screen. Obviously there are some compromises. The screen isn’t super bright, and is only 1080 resolution. Additionally there is no touch or gesture control, and the stylus has only one button.
I’ll be honest that at first glance, I was a bit disappointed in the screen and thought the lack of touch or gesture control was a mistake. I also really didn’t like the look of the color on the monitor, with the yellows going really green, and reds subdued. But having bought an X-Rite (now Calibrite) iDisplay Pro calibration tool to match my monitors, and get the most out of the monitors I was using, I thought that this was a perfect use case for the iDisplay. After running the calibration, I found the display to be passable. I talked to Wacom about this, and even sent them my calibrated profiles. With the most recent upgrade, they seem to have taken this concern to heart, and not only fixed the colors, but added additional controls for adjusting the colors to different preference or lighting situations. So I appreciate Wacom’s willingness to take feedback and improve their product. At this point, the screen color is no longer an issue.
In order to get around the lack of gesture control which I really needed for orienting the canvas to my changing needs, as well as add the shortcut functionality I am used to on my Intuos, I asked Wacom to send me the Expresskey Remote, which added even more assignable button controls and rotation options than are built into the Intuos tablets.
The reason these control buttons are essential when using a tablet, is that often you use the tablet in place of a keyboard, so you need to be able to do things like change brush size, or rotate the canvas, or any number of things you would normally do with a keyboard, but may not have the keyboard readily accessible since the tablet is likely in the position the keyboard would normally occupy. Some of these controls would be possible with gesture and pinch controls, but since this tablet doesn’t have those controls, any serious artistic work would likely necessitate the Expresskey Remote. That said, the Expresskey Remote is an awesome control with more buttons than my Intuos, and the advantage of being wireless.
I have actually used the Wacom One for a variety of applications in addition to its indented purpose. I have primarily used it is a second portable monitor for my Surface Book, but I have also used it as a discrete monitor lying flat on my desk while filming videos. When used as a secondary monitor, it needs to be propped upright, for which I designed and 3D printed a stand that works great for that application.
If you have ever used a Cintiq, it works just the same. While you are limited by the single button, this can be supplemented by hotkeys on the Remote. Importantly, the price is very affordable. It plugs in using a USB-C cable that breaks out to an HDMI and two USB plugs, one for power, and one for data. You can plug both off of a computer if your computer provides enough power off of USB to power it. In desktops this isn’t usually a problem, but if running off of a notebook computer you may need to power from the included power adapter, or a power bank.
It is also possible to use the One with some Android devices, which I would have tested, but I did not have a compatible device.
In actual practice, I like the feel of the Wacom One, it is light-weight, ergonomic, and the stylus has enough drag across the matte screen that it has some of that sense of drawing on paper. The one inch bevels on the sides, and slightly more on the bottom make it very easy to do detailed work on the edges of the screen, which is nice. There is also a built in cloth loop for holding the stylus, so it doesn’t get lost.
The Wacom One is definitely something I use on a daily basis, and I could definitely use another on my main editing machine. The time it has saved me drawing masks has made it very valuable, and I have found myself in situations whee I was kicking myself for not bringing it with me when traveling. I now consider it an essential tool in my arsenal.
Since you can now get the Wacom One with Express Key Remote for under $500, it’s definitely something to consider. Any tool that can significantly speed up your productivity and potentially preserve your sanity when doing time consuming tasks like drawing masks or rotoscoping, can pay for itself in time saved in one or two projects.
With the caveats of the just “okay” screen, and the need for the Express Key Remote to really make it functional; it is definitely an affordable and functional introduction to a drawing tablet, from the most respected drawing tablet manufacturer.
