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This thread will be a roadmap of my experience with the Samsung 10.1 Galaxy Note tablet computer. I just got it Friday and due to family issues, and then figuring out how to use it,I didn't really get a chance to really dive into it until today. So far my experience is very positive. I can compare to my previous tablet PC which was a Motion Computing LE1600 which I bought in 2005. Though this new tablet is smaller, lighter and costs about 20% of that older model, the results are amazing.

This tablet uses the same screen resolution as my laptop, which is a Macbook Pro. The plus is that I can work exactly the same, with the same UI layout and the same tools. I didn't have to make a new screen configuration as I did on my previous tablet. This made getting into it very easy. It's like taking my laptop and Wacom Bamboo and cramming it into one device. The fact that the performance is great, even painting with a very large water color brush, is a huge plus. I haven't experienced any lag yet.

Although I am still getting used to it, I decided to post one of my first pieces done with it. More will follow.

The natural media brushes work surprisingly well on the tablet computer. As mentioned before, I don't notice any real difference between the performance of the tablet and my laptop. The huge paintbrush had a little bit of lag, but it also does on my Macbook Pro. The palette knife was where I noticed a real difference. Although it is very slow even on my laptop, it was noticeably slower on the tablet. Still, I am amazed at what can be done with tablet technology today. I am already getting too used to drawing in this fashion and having direct interaction with the screen and my image.

Here is a test of natural media brushes on the Samsung 10.1 Galaxy Note:

When I first started doing “anime portraits” , as they came to be called, I did them on the Mirage Nomad, which was basically a Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC bundled with TVPaint 7. The idea was not mine actually. It came from my old high school classmate, who sent me a photo and wanted me to render it manga style for him to use as an avatar in forums and other places. That was the first such image I ever did.

The night after I just got my Samsung 10.1 Galaxy Note, I did a test video chat with that same classmate, me using this tablet and he using a Google Nexus. Across thousands of miles we had a clear and flawless chat, as if we were in the same room. After that, he thought that a great way to commemorate that occasion was for me to do a new image of him on my new tablet, so I did.



To further explore the power and usefulness of this tablet, I not only did the picture on it. I uploaded it to my site using FTP from the tablet, and now i am posting it here and writing this message all on the tablet.

More Galaxy practice.

Continuing practice...

Here is a picture i just finished for the Moon Day Festival in China for the modo China office in Shanghai.

Looks like the quality of the tablet is right up there. You're doing some great work with it.
Working at 720p? China looks amazing!
C

CartoonMonkey wrote:Looks like the quality of the tablet is right up there. You're doing some great work with it.
Working at 720p? China looks amazing!
C

Thank you! The tablet has not yet ceased to impress me. Even though it is physically smaller than the Motion Computing tablet I had, it can do so much more and at much better resolution! I do work primarily at 720p, usually with 200% space for camera moves. I think I am finally getting quite comfortable with working directly on screen after not having done so for so many years.

China is great. Some places look like Blade Runner, and you wouldn't be surprised if you saw a flying car, then other places are beautiful green country with very traditional style construction, like being in a fantasy!

The practice continues...

And the next step....



After much drawing practice, I decided no test of the Samsung 10.1 Galaxy Note is a true test unless I do some animation. To that end, I created my first tiny animation project on the tablet, where everything, minus the audio, was done on the tablet, from concept to final coloring. Having a tablet is not just for storyboards. You can do everything.

Click here to see... (warning: graphic violence)

Looking great! The tablet seems to be working really well for you and you're certainly getting a lot of use out of it. Wish I could say the same for my clunky old HP Pavillion

Yep, it looks good! Question: do you have experience on cintiq? If so, how would you compare the connection with the drawing and the pentip? In samsung, is there a thick glass, or anything you have to, kind of, get over with?

kariP wrote:Yep, it looks good! Question: do you have experience on cintiq? If so, how would you compare the connection with the drawing and the pentip? In samsung, is there a thick glass, or anything you have to, kind of, get over with?

I am not a fan of the Cintiq. The 21" is just plain too big for me and I tire too quickly when using it. I am really not used to drawing in such large strokes, and I prefer something more flat on my desk. The Cintiq 12" screen quality is just not satisfactory to me personally. The size is okay and it is an okay drawing experience. After some effort, I could calibrate it to have no problem with the separation of the pen tip and the drawing. Of course, if you set it up in a different place and change your sitting position in relation to it, you have to calibrate it again. The thing that turns me off that, more than anything, is the bulky switch box and all the cables that go with it. It defeats the purpose of its smaller size.

The Samsung 10.1 Galaxy Note seems ideal if you are looking directly at it. In this case it is a perfect match with the pen tip and the line, same as drawing on paper. if, however, you have it flat on a desk and it is a little bit in front of you, there is a tiny separation which becomes apparent when doing tiny detail work. I would say it is less than a millimeter, but if you are trying to connect two tiny lines it becomes noticeable. Drawing with it everyday, though, I am already used to it and hardly think about it anymore. I actually found it less of an issue when I have the brush preview turned off when I draw. That feels most like drawing on paper because I am not watching the little dot.

Good, thanks, that was exactly what i needed (wanted?) to hear. I don't see any reason why I would go for the cintiq 12" anymore, what you have is cheaper, portable and the rest of the good stuff.

The galaxy wars are not over!! I recently did some storyboards for my main animation project on the tablet, and also for another short project. Even with all the boards in one .tvpp file, I never had any problms with speed or memory. I still have a lot I want to learn and experience using this tool though, so I never stop practicing...