Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1469382
34 cgw a p r i l • m ay • j u n e 2 0 2 2 W hen I was given the opportunity to review the 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 it 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 both the Wacom Cintiq and Intuos in the past. In my experience, the Intuos has an inherent learning or adjustment curve because the point where you control 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 the Cintiq, but the cost has been prohibitive unless it is something you use daily in your profession. The One, however, is somewhat of a hybrid. It comes in at a price point not much higher than an Intuos but includes a screen. Obviously, there are some compro- mises. The screen isn't super bright and only has a 1080p 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 with the screen and thought the lack of touch or gesture control was a mistake. I also didn't like the look of the color on the monitor, with the yellows going really green and the reds subdued. But having bought an X-Rite (now Calibrite) i1Display Pro calibration tool to match my monitors, I thought that this was a perfect use case. Aer running the calibration, I found the display to be passable. I talked to Wacom about this and even sent them my calibrated pro- files. With the most recent upgrade, they seem to have taken this concern to heart, and not only fixed the colors but added additional adjustment controls for different preferences or lighting situations. 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 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. This added even more assignable button controls and rotation options than are built into the Intuos tablet, plus the advantage of being wireless. The reason these control buttons are essential is that oen 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. Some of these actions would be possible with gesture and pinch controls, but since this tablet doesn't have those controls, any serious artistic work would likely REVIEW: WACOM ONE DISPLAY TABLET WITH EXPRESSKEY REMOTE BY HEATH FIRESTONE, CINEMATECHNICA.COM