
The Cintiq Companion Is A Pretty Little Thing
The Cintiq Companion Is A Pretty Little Thing
“When she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.”
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
~~~~~
Any veteran that has set up a Windows machine will probably tell you that computers can be a love-hate relationship, and the Cintiq Companion by Wacom, is no exception. I say this, and yet she is beauty, right out of the box.
Getting it Photoshop-ready required letting it install all essential Windows 8 updates. A word of warning, optional update KB2955163 (specifically for Windows 8, not 8.1) broke my network driver. Once that was removed and Windows was fully updated, installing Adobe CS6 was a breeze.
It is embarrassing to admit that I had issues with the colour calibration until I discovered the Intel HD graphics control panel. The greyscale was skewed, causing the Companion to display a wider range of greyscale than my Cintiq 21UX, and I did not clue into my gross error until much later when I realized the image was also over-saturated. Software calibration took care of it immediately, of course.
Editing in Photoshop CS6
Getting used to the new tablet takes time, I admit. It’s not the same to go from a 21″ vertical display to something on one’s lap. ::laughs:: After a good night’s rest to put such awkwardness behind me, I brought it with us during our family excursion. I have to say that it was pretty fun to work with it in the car; a wistful reminder of the precision skill I had acquired when drawing while riding public transit in university. (The more some things change… apparently the more some don’t. ::smiles:: )
I cannot say enough good things about the velvet lined, form fitting carrying case. It has a place to hold the pen’s carrying case, and a snug loop to carry only the pen if you prefer. I do believe their keyboard is designed to fit in the front pouch as well, although I have an orphaned ASUS keyboard that already fits the bill.
The final, perplexing hurdle seems to be one last Windows issue. There will be no pairing of Bluetooth devices until I discover which update broke that one. ::sighs:: There are of course, two USB 3.0 ports and various other ways to move data, but this I will have to wait to use that aforementioned keyboard, alas.
Still, I know what I will have with me tomorrow on the go… :) I don’t need Bluetooth to draw. <3
[EDIT: UPDATE!] Bluetooth connectivity post Windows 8.1 has been fixed! Updated drivers can be found here by Intel. (And for troubles updating to Windows 8.1, check out here.)You must log in to post a comment.