Report: Radial menu standard in Windows 10 Redstone?

MSPowerUser.com is reporting an intriguing finding in the latest build of Windows 10 Redstone: "new APIs for a RadialController which is likely similar to the app-specific one in the OneNote app."

The build also includes a new Ink Toolbar control toolbar.

Both of these new features should make it easier for developers to add radial menus and annotation to their applications.

The site doesn't offer many details beyond this, so any Windows Insiders familiar with the APIs are encouraged to offer their insights in the comments section below.

Minor tweak boosts Photoshop dGPU Surface Book performance

Let's state it plainly up front: Adobe Photoshop CC 2015.x doesn't perform very well on the tablets I've tested.

Brushes are laggy and multitouch gestures work intermittently, often requiring much greater finger pressure than other software.

This stuttering performance might be pardonable on low-powered Atom or m3 devices like my Surface Pro 4, but they're absolutely inexcusable on an i7 Surface Book with a discrete NVidia GPU.

Bafflingly, Photoshop performs better on the Surface Book when the display is detached and the Clipboard engages the native Intel HD Graphic 520 processor.

A workaround for laptop mode, which I believe I passed along late last year, is to disable GPU acceleration in Photoshop's performance tab. This is a terrible brute force step that forces the Surface Book's processor to do all the heavy lifting.

This week, I came across a much more nuanced approach that has shown some (subtle) improvements, especially in initial pen lag.

Austin Hines of FutureLight Studios posted the video below which demonstrates the poor default pen performance and the steps required to improve it by changing the NVidia GPU's power settings.

Microsoft's fancy new Surface Book with dGPU has terrible default driver settings for digital painting. You get worse Photoshop performance with the screen docked and using the discrete nVidia GPU then when it's undocked and using only the integrated Intel driver. What the heck?

Because Microsoft manages display driver updates for the Surface Book, the NVidia control panel is not normally accessible on the laptop. But installing the GeForce Experience (http://www.geforce.com/geforce-experience/download) will also install the control panel.

Once you've done so, right click the desktop, select NVidia control panel (see right).

After installing the GeForce Experience, right click on the desktop to access the NVidia Control Panel.

Under Manage 3D Settings, select the Program Settings tab and then find Adobe Photoshop under program to customize.

Make sure that the NVidia GPU is selected as the program's preferred graphics processor and change Power management mode to "Prefer maximum performance."

Hit apply, close the control panel and start up Photoshop. As the video demonstrates, the pen lag will be reduced about 50%, most noticeably in initial, long strokes.

SurfaceProArtist.com Turns Three!

And they said it wouldn't last...

Three years ago, I had some spare time on my hands and decided to start this blog to document my experiences with the first generation Surface Pro and answer the burning questions of what ran and what didn't on Microsoft's new hybrid tablet.

I remember describing the mission to someone at a tech show a few months later and I got the skeptical response, "Awfully niche isn't it?"

It's easy to overestimate the popularity of your personal preferences, but I was convinced there had to be others like me who cared about art and pen computing. The absolute lack of information anywhere else on the web may have been confirmation that the subject matter was narrow, but I chose to believe it was a rare opportunity to provide a public service.

Three years and four generations later, we're still plugging away. The Windows landscape is now littered with penabled convertible laptops and Surface Pro clones. And although the subject of pen computing still gets short shrift in most tech blogs and reviews, it at least gets a mention while many of you have contributed to the creative art conversation with your own reviews, tips and videos.

There's never been a better time to be a pen computing enthusiast or digital artist and I'm happy that SurfaceProArtist.com played its small role is spreading the word and building a community of like-minded users.

As I've written in the past, running this site is a huge loss maker and I'm unsure whether I can keep it updated much longer. But whatever the future brings, join me in savoring the great memories and conversations that have been sparked over the last three years.

Excelsior!  

HP Spectre x2: not just a Surface Pro 4 clone

As you read this review, you should know something up front: the deal I got on the HP Spectre x2 12-inch tablet may not be available to you. I scored a $200 discount on the $799 tablet at Best Buy, which makes it feel like a great bargain, standing head and shoulders over the similarly priced Surface 3 and Toshiba dynaPad.

If I paid full price and then had to fork over another $60 for the pen, I'd have to compare the Spectre to the Surface Pro 4 and I'm not so sure that the tablet comes out ahead in that competition.

The Best Buy sale is over as I write this and the Spectre x2 is once again selling for $799 (a Core m7 version, with 8 GB RAM/256 GB SSD lists for $1150). HP is also marketing the nearly identical Elite x2 1012 tablet starting at $899, so it's entirely possible that the Spectre x2 may soon disappear from store shelves altogether.

Upon first inspection, the Spectre x2 is a silvery Surface Pro 4 clone. And the specs are virtually identical to the entry level SP4: Intel Core M3-6Y30 with Intel HD Graphics 515, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, 3:2 aspect ratio display, adjustable kickstand, detachable keyboard cover. The Sx2's display resolution is lower than the SP4: only 1920 x 1280. But the solid keyboard cover is included in the base price, as is Verizon LTE antenna. A Wacom Active ES pen is optional (it's standard in the Elite x2).

The bundled keyboard cover is excellent. It's much more rigid than the Microsoft type cover and its island keys provide a great typing experience. The trackpad is also roomy and responsive, though not quite glasslike. The specs say that the keyboard is backlit, but I couldn't get my keys to light. (UPDATE: You just need to press F5 on the keyboard to toggle the backlight on and off. Duh.)  The keyboard is cloth backed, similar to a Surface Pro type cover.

The gaudiest design cue of the Spectre x2 is the speaker grill that runs along the top of the keyboard. Quad Bang & Olufsen speakers provide a surprisingly nice audio experience for a tablet, with two on the keyboard and two on the tablet's sides. This isn't something I normally mention, but after the dreadful speakers on the Toshiba dynaPad, audio is suddenly top of mind.

The back of the tablet (above) is also distinctive (or over-done depending on your point of view). I don't care for the black accent at the top of the tablet. In these images, the "natural silver" finish looks more sedate than it truly is. The highly reflective chrome-plated kickstand is recessed in the tablet back and released via a latch on the lower left side of the display (see below left). Unlatching and then extending the kickstand takes some getting accustomed to, but the support is very good at a variety of angles.

This side of the Spectre x2 also contains a headphone jack, volume buttons, and one of two USB Type-C connectors. The right side of the tablet (below) contains a second USB Type-C connector, SIM slot and a microSD media card reader.

The Spectre x2 is very thin (.31 inches) and weighs 1.84 lbs. With the keyboard, the combination is .52 inches thick and weighs 2.68 lbs. 

The combination of rigid keyboard and freely adjustable kickstand make the Spectre x2 the most lap friendly two-in-one tablet I've tested.

Performance is very good, performing neck and neck with the m3 Surface Pro 4. Looking again at these results, it's clear why I was so disappointed by the performance of the Toshiba dynaPad! The TabletMark performance of the SP4 is interesting but I have been unable to re-run those tests. The benchmark keeps hanging inexplicably on that tablet It's the only software I'm having trouble running on the device.

Unlike the dynaPad and Surface Pro 4, the Active Pen is sold separately for the Spectre x2, retailing for $60. You can order it on the Best Buy site or direct from HP.

Although the Spectre x2 is compatible with other Wacom Active ES pens, I thought it was important to test the native pen as well. Unfortunately, the results are very disappointing, mostly due to its poor form factor.

Significantly smaller than either the TruPen or the Surface Pen (see below), the HP Active Pen, feels more like a crayon in my average sized hand. It also ships without replacement nibs. I recommend using Toshiba's latest generation TruPen if you can find it sold separately. Although it didn't work as well as the TruPen, you can also use Lenovo's Active Stylus, which is more readily available.

Hover distance is not as good as Toshiba's dynaPad, but it is better than previous generation AES devices. (UPDATE: in ascending order from approximately 1 mm to 5 mm, here are the hover distance results: Dell Active Stylus, Toshiba TruPen (Encore 2 Write), Lenovo Thinkpad Active Stylus, Toshiba TruPen (dynaPad) and HP Active Pen).

Pressure response is excellent as I've come to expect from all Wacom Active ES pens. Due to the thinness of the display, if you press down hard with your pen, you will see a purplish ghosting as you draw. I found this pretty distracting and mitigated the effect somewhat by adjusting my pressure curve in Clip Studio Paint. 

Unfortunately, if your software doesn't offer pressure adjustment, the Wacom feel driver is not yet compatible with the Spectre x2, so there is no way to increase or decrease the pen tip's sensitivity or map the pen buttons. Worse still, without a driver, there is no way to make the tablet Wintab aware, That means that users of older software that requires Wintab for pen pressure are out of luck.

Test inks over John Buscema pencils

I tested the Spectre x2 with both its native pen and the Toshiba TruPen in Clip Studio Paint, Sketchbook Pro and Sketchable and didn't have any issues.

One behavior I noticed by juggling between pens is that it appears Wacom Active ES pens interfere with one another when handled in close proximity. Starting work with the TruPen, for example, appeared to cancel out the HP pen. I had similar results with a Dell pen that refused to work once the TruPen was connected. I also saw errant lines and strange wobbles when using one pen while holding another. Has anyone else seen this behavior? (UPDATE: To switch pens, a reboot is required in order for the tablet to sense the new pen with a tap or two on the display).

To sum it up, if you can find the HP Spectre x2 on sale for at or below $600 (and you can live without Wintab compatibility), I recommend it over the similarly priced Surface 3 or Toshiba dynaPad. At its $800 list price,  I recommend you look instead at the Surface Pro 4 or HP Elite x2 1012. Isn't it great to have this abundance of choice?

Toshiba dynaPad: cut corners hinder great tablet

When the Toshiba Encore 2 Write 8-inch and 10-inch models were released early last year, they quickly became the darlings of cost conscious artists despite some serious design limitations.

Featuring low resolution displays, only 2 GB of RAM and a slow Atom processor, I nevertheless recommended the E2W to anyone on a budget, given its outstanding Wacom Active ES pen performance. Unfortunately, the $400 device began disappearing from stock several months ago and is now nearly impossible to find new or selling at its original price.

Now Toshiba is back with the 12-inch dynaPad, starting at $570. With this device, the company is once again vying for the crown of Windows' price-performance champion. In addition to its larger display, the dynaPad features a few major improvements over its predecessor: 1920x1280 resolution, 4 GB of RAM and an additional micro USB 2.0 port.

Sadly the dynaPad is still limited to 64 GB of onboard eMMC storage and hindered by an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 cpu clocked at 1.44 GHz, yielding virtually the same performance as last year's Encore 2 Write.

Other tablet manufacturers should be thankful that Toshiba didn't equip their dynaPad with an m3 processor or 128 GB SSD because the dynaPad is otherwise nearly perfect.

Weighing only 1.28 lbs (tablet only) and .27 inch thick, the dynaPad is the ideal portable sketchbook: slightly smaller and lighter than even the iPad Pro and significantly more comfortable to hold. The edges of the dynaPad are rounded and slightly rubberized, avoiding the sharp, slippery feel of the iPad and other tablets. Unlike the E2W, which had a thick plastic coating on its screen, the dynaPad's Gorilla glass display is clear, smooth and durable.

Toshiba sells an optional keyboard cover for $100 that looks very nice but that I opted not to purchase for this review. The keyboard offers only one viewing angle (similar to the keyboard shipped with the Lenovo Thinkpad Helix 2 and which I found very impractical).

Compared in the images above and below to the Surface Pro 4 (left) and the Encore 2 Write, the dynaPad looks every bit a premium device.

The new Toshiba TruPen that is included with the dynaPad is significantly longer than the original, which makes it feel like a great writing instrument. An unfortunate design choice is the end clip which inserts into the dynaPad body (below). While the clip definitely makes a secure connection, inserting it and pulling it out again can be a real chore.

I don't typically write about the speakers on tablets, as they're not at all essential for art, but I feel compelled to mention the atrocious speakers on the dynaPad. The two openings are located along the right side of the tablet (see one of them to the lower left of the pen in the image above). I've never encountered speakers sounding this bad on any Windows tablet that  I've ever owned. Volume is ridiculously low and tinny, sounding like a cheap 9-volt transistor radio. The dynaPad ships with a Dolby audio tool but it doesn't do anything to improve the hideous sound. By comparison, the Encore 2 Write had excellent audio. I can't understand how Toshiba engineers thought it was okay to release a product with a defect this bad. How much could this choice have saved the company? Speaker quality shouldn't be a disqualifier for most of you, but be prepared to cringe when you hear every system notification.

As we've come to expect from all Wacom Active ES devices, pen performance on the dynaPad is outstanding. In the example above, see the wide range of stroke thicknesses I was able to derive from the same sized brush in Clip Studio Paint. Wacom AES offers 2048 pressure levels and it feels like I could successfully draw with each one.

Hover distance is greatly improved vs. the first generation TruPen. The pen is recognized about a half inch away from the display which should result in far less palm rejection errors and stray marks.

In addition to Clip Studio Paint, I also tested the dynaPad with Sketchable, Mischief, Sketchbook Pro and Sketchbook for Tablets and Photoshop CC 2015. Generally those programs that offer a little bit of brush stabilization performed best. Photoshop in particular seemed more difficult to control.

With 4 GB of RAM, I didn't encounter any slowdowns sketching on 11x17, 600 dpi images. As usual, some lag was evident if I pushed textured brush sizes beyond a few hundred pixels.

Real performance hits incurred by the Atom and eMMC storage occur when downloading and installing software. Windows updates can be very slow to install. Despite my very fast Internet connection, Adobe Photoshop still took 30 minutes to set up.

In benchmark tests, the dynaPad achieved middling scores of 938 in TabletMark and a 748 Geekbench (single) and 2182 (multi). The Encore 2 Write achieved 805, 702 and 2090, respectively. Better performance would definitely have been expected given the price increase. And most troublingly, the humble Surface 3 does 1253, 969 and 3204 on its tests. 

If you're looking for a speed demon, the dynaPad definitely is not it.

The dynaPad ships with one spare nib and that may not be enough based on the wear I saw on pen's nib (see above). This generation of nibs is somewhat softer than last year's but I've never had a tip deteriorate as quickly as this one. Within one week of limited use, I ended up having to replace it. Hopefully this was an isolated case but it's a real concern because neither Toshiba nor Wacom market replacement sets.

The new TruPen nibs (above top) are interchangeable with the previous generation. Those older nibs are made of a slightly harder material. While the older TruPen can be used on the dynaPad, the new pen will not work on the Encore 2 Write.

One final quibble is the micro USB to to USB power cable included with the dynaPad. It's only three feet long and limits your ability to use the tablet while it's plugged in. Not a major issue, but another in a line of disturbing cut corners.

Is the dynaPad right for you? If you're coming from an Encore 2 Write, absolutely. If you've never owned a Windows tablet or are shopping for lower cost iPad Pro alternatives, you'll probably be happy with the dynaPad. If you're a power user and have a few hundred dollars more to spend, you'll probably be happier with other more powerful options.

TabletPro on-screen hotkeys now available in Windows Store

TabletPro, the utility formerly known as TabletPCMouse from developer LoveSummerTrue, is out of beta and now available for download from the Windows Store.

The software offers a variety of features, but most important to artists is the ability to create fully-customized on-screen hotkeys for your favorite programs.

While the TabletPro app is free to download, the Artist Pad functionality costs $9.99. Purchased individually, all the optional features will cost $34.99. The discounted price for the suite is $25.99. These include:

• Virtual mouse for touch
• Gesture for touch
• Simultaneous operation of pen and touch
• Zoom the desktop by touch
• Game pad for touch
• Transparent Touch Keyboard

TabletPCMouse V.1 owners are eligible to upgrade for $15.99. The developers also sent out an email to participants in the beta program with a free upgrade code. If you didn't receive it, contact Justice Frangipane.

Like its predecessor, TabletPro requires both the Windows Store app and a desktop component to function. Installation is easier now as the desktop utility can be downloaded directly from the app.

The default Artist Pad hotkeys (left) and the Artist Pad control panel.

I've always found the setup a little confusing (see my review of the original version here), but the effort is worth it if you want to use your Windows art tablet without a keyboard. Fortunately, the developers have published a detailed step-by-step installation tutorial along with a series of introductory videos. You can find them here: http://tabletpro.net/tablet-pro---tutorials.html

The included Photoshop Artist Pad hotkey configuration (left) and the Artist Pad layout window.

The TabletPro Artist Pad add-on includes preset layouts for Photoshop (pictured above), Clip Studio Paint and TVPaint. The TabletPro.net forum has a section where users can upload and share their Artist Pad layouts for software like ZBrush.

Although it may be a little confusing to use at first, and more than a little expensive for a utility, TabletPro is the only hotkey tool that I know of that is in active development. It's an essential addition to any artist's tablet PC.

Guest review: Third time's the charm for Monoprice Pen Display

UPDATE 2/6/16 The Monoprice 22-inch Pen Display Tablet, product number 14481, is now live on the company's website for $599.99.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Monoprice has been dabbling in the ultra low cost pen display space for over two years. I purchased and reviewed their first two efforts which, while flawed, were excellent values that improved after a few driver iterations.

I gave the second generation Smarttouch display a positive review but was disappointed when it was unceremoniously removed from the Monoprice website. It quietly reappeared at the end of 2015 with new Mac drivers. 

I was pleasantly surprised when the author of this review contacted me with news of yet another 22-inch pen display from Monoprice that should soon be available for purchase.

E. KIM has been a digital artist for more than ten years, with experience in impact and print graphics and 3D design and sculpting for mass production and fine art. He generously contributed this review. 
 

By E. KIM

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to thank Monoprice for providing this factory sample for my review. All features of this review are based on an early factory sample and alpha drivers, features, dimensions, and software are subject to change at time of release.

Monoprice, the California-based retailer and manufacturer has recently introduced a number of products into the pen display and tablet market. With many pen tablets already available in the past year, they have made great headway in the competitive market of pen displays.  With Wacom being the leader in pen display technology, a competitive challenger that can meet the quality of the standard at a more agreeable price has been desperately needed for years.  Those of us who adopted pen tablets in the ‘90s can remember forking out hundreds for the smallest Wacom Graphire, only to be envious of the pen displays the few could afford.

Today, everyone is adding the pen input options from Asus Zen books to Lenovo, Microsoft and even Apple's iPad Pro. But the old leader has always dominated the dedicated desktop pen display: Wacom. 

Monoprice's new 22 Inch pen display is a contender that delivers battery free EMR pen technology on a clear and responsive display.

The Pen Display comes with an easel style stand pre-mounted. The display sits with the bottom bezel nearly flush to the table surface. The back mount supports VESA Standard and Monoprice has several monitor stands its suggest for those who want something a bit higher or with more flexible positions.

For those that enjoy working more horizontally, the quick release latch, on the back is easily accessible and allows angles from nearly vertical to nearly horizontal. The stand is sturdy enough with the Rubber footpads to allow for little to no movement or vibration while working, even with a heavy hand. Construction feel sturdy but not oversized or heavy. 

The overall foot print on your table is the size expected of any equivalent monitor and the lightweight and integrated stand allows for easy mobility for those who want to be able to carry their pen display with them.

Cable mounting is on the left side facing the screen. You will find an HDMI, DVI and VGA for Video-In connections, a required USB and power port.

For my testing, I used both DVI and HDMI and found both Mac and PC had no problem connecting, even when using a displayPort/Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter.  The location of the connection ports do cause cables to stick out a bit from the left side but it is a necessity for the function of repositioning the display without binding.

Monitor Controls found on the right side facing the screen just behind the bezel provide basic but ample controls for color, saturation, and brightness.

Provided with this sample is the Art Pen, an ergonomic multi-button pen with 2 buttons, a rear eraser and the pen tip.  As shown below it sizes up just barely smaller then the length of the Wacom Cintiq Pen and roughly the same width with the triangle barrel design. The comfort of this pen took a little getting used to but soon felt very natural and it was easier to distinguish button location than with the Wacom pens.

The pen tip has a nice firm but flexible feel like a 2B pencil and the glass of this pen display allows it to Glide across without streaking, screeching or sticking.  

Screen resolution of the factory sample was excellent for 1080p, although this sample only had a color accuracy of 72% Adobe RGB, Monoprice is working for production to have a higher color accuracy. Viewable angles on this model are excellent without color shifting even at near horizontal angles: very Impressive quality for an MVA LCD.

Testing
Testing was done on 5 different configurations and operating systems: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (running on a Surface Pro), Mac OSX Mavericks and Mac OSX El Capitan

Driver installation

Alpha drivers where provided at time of testing and I found Windows 7 and 8.1 to have no problem but Windows 10 on a Surface Pro was currently incompatible. This could have been caused by a driver error between built in tablet computer and display. Final drivers may resolve this. (EDITOR'S NOTE: The Monoprice driver is likely incompatible with the Surface Pro's  wintab driver.)

Windows Drivers support calibration, pressure and tilt controls. Calibration is recommended immediately after install, as well as adjusting the pressure sensitivity.

*Shown is Beta Driver and Software

Some functions of pressure and tilt in different applications will be covered later.

Mac OsX Mavericks and El Capitan both installed drivers very easily and functioned perfectly, but current Mac drivers showed very little controls for tilt and pressure controls. However, pressure sensitivity worked perfectly on Mac OS but had no perceivable controls or effect on tilt.

Pen tip accuracy and response is on par with Wacom with a generous hover space of ½” and no offsetting in any of the corners. In both Windows and Mac, no lag could be detected in basic OS functions.

Adobe Photoshop functioned with great pressure sensitivity and accuracy.

The Foundry's Mischief is where the new pen display truly shone with great accuracy and high sensitivity to pressure.

Application Testing

The aim of this review being based on the point of view of a digital artist, I ran tests for compatibility and workflow with a selection of popular 2D and 3D art applications. These test included the pen's accuracy in menu selection, pressure sensitivity and, where applicable, tilt functions.

Current Tested software as of 12/15

2D software

• Adobe Photoshop CS6 and CC – Pressure functions but little tilt function
• Adobe Illustrator – Pressure
• The Foundry Mischief – Pressure, Recommended
• Autodesk Sketchbook pro – No pressure (Pressure Functions on MacOSx)
• Gimp – Pressure Functions
• ClipStudio/Manga Studio – Pressure
• Corel Painter - Pressure

3D software

• Autodesk Mudbox – Pressure (requires Windows Environment Variable to work)
• Autodesk Maya – works no pressure
• Autodesk 3ds Max – works no pressure
• Algorithmic Substance Painter- Pressure
• Blender - Pressure
• Pixologic Zbrush – Pressure, Recommended
• Pixologic Sculptris – Pressure, Recommended
• Pilgway 3D – Coat – Pressure, Recommended

Conclusion

After testing with the current list of programs, I can see some improvement for driver function with some software but overall the Monoprice Pen Display has proven itself to function with a majority of applications. The orientation of the display will take some getting use to for those with experience with the table-hogging Wacom displays.

Pricing has not yet been announced, but Monoprice has a history of providing competitive pricing for quality products.  Some minor additions I would like to see are different pen nibs and a penholder, as well as a unified 2-1 HDMI and USB cable. Other monitor mounts are available from Monoprice that allow more positions.

All being said, I recommend this pen display for all entry- to professional-level digital artists. Having been truly impressed with the overall quality and function of this product, it will be a must-have in their toolbox.

Sketchable 3.0 now available in Windows Store

PRESS RELEASE

Gainesville, Florida — (February 1, 2016) – Silicon Benders is proud to announce the refined and revamped release of Sketchable 3.0 to the Windows 10 Store. Sketchable is the only premium creative application exclusive to the Windows store. It was designed and engineered with this ecosystem in mind, making it the vanguard of creative pen and touch universal applications.

Since its inception, Sketchable has pushed the boundaries of the mobile creative market, knowing that inspiration may strike at any minute. Sketchable harnesses that inspiration by taking full advantage of modern graphics hardware, making it the quickest and most responsive sketching application on the windows store market. Its feature set is complemented by the ability for users to share their work both quickly and easily over multiple social and messaging platforms while, at the same time, engendering desktop post-production with PSD file export.

Traditional fine artist and digital artist Don Seegmiller states: “Sketchable has become my primary app for quick visualization. It is extremely fast and user friendly. The additional features with the latest release make it much deeper and useful. The idea of keeping separate journals for different projects appeals to my sense of organization. An inexpensive, simple, yet powerful drawing and painting application; what more can an artist ask for.”

Illustration by Don Seegmiller

Sporting a modern look with monochromatic icons, the UI of Sketchable 3.0 allows size and color customization, fashioning a personalized creative extension of each individual user. Complementing its seamless UI, Sketchable 3.0 has also streamlined its already intuitive interactions by making them entirely touch and stylus driven. Further feature improvements include up to 32 layers and more blending modes than Photoshop. Sketchable 3.0 may not be an artist’s only canvas, but, the way it is built, it well could be.

Sketchable 3.0 is the result of the continued effort of Silicon Benders to honor the mantra: artistic expression without limitation.

Illustration by Lawrence Mann. If you're new to Sketchable, check out Lawrence's YouTube channel LawrenceCanDraw.

Sketchable 3.0 also includes substantial feature additions & improvements. The Standard version is free. Upgrading to Premium is a one-time purchase of $19.99. Owners of previous versions can upgrade for $4.99.

Standard features

• Modern UI
• Monochromatic Icons
• Customizable Grayscale selection for Overlays and backdrop
• Nondestructive Viewing filters
• Mirror canvas to get a different perspective on your work to judge the balance of the composition or simply to overcome handiness bias.
• X-Ray Specs - peek through the obscuring layers onto the layer being altered
• Tonal filter - Get a feel for the tonal balance of your work.
• Three texture pots
• 2 universal & one tuned for the current preset
• Color pots are now stored with the document
• Color Picker Controls
• RGB & HSV
• Full Screen Mode
• Use natural handwriting recognition to name Journals and Pages with DirectInk

Premium features

• Symmetry – toggle between one or two axis and position them anywhere on the canvas. 
• Masks – Choose a shape and mark off a section of the canvas that is protected from edit. 
• Stencils – Snap to shapes for crisp lines and fluid curves
• Paint Bucket – Quickly fill any section of the canvas
• Layers - up to 32
• 34 Blend Modes    
• Adjustable background Color
• Brush Engine Improvements     
• Bitmap Tips and Textures
• import & export
• Additional Controls
• Drag & Drop - drag a file directly onto the window, drop it, and start editing
• Share direct to Facebook

Click this link to find Sketchable app in the Windows Store.

Artisul D13 pen display chips away at Wacom

If you're unconvinced by active pen displays or want to add pen capabilities to your Windows or OS X desktop, your choices to date have been mostly limited to the Wacom Cintiq family of tablets.

Although prices on Wacom devices like the Cintiq 13HD or Cintiq Companion 2 compare favorably to general purpose tablet PCs like the Surface Pro 4, VAIO Z Canvas or even the iPad Pro, Wacom's gear can still be out of reach for students and hobbyists.

Enter Artisul (Art is Soul), a new consumer-facing subsidiary of UC Logic, the Taiwanese pen digitizer technology company. UC Logic's tech has previously powered budget pen displays from the likes of Yiynova and UGee, but after entering into and winning a patent dispute in China with rival Huion, the company decided to go to market with its own brand of pen displays.

The company's first product, introduced late last year, is the Artisul D13, a well-crafted unit that compares very favorably to the Wacom Cintiq 13HD. And just like the Cintiq line, Artisul eschews batteries and active pens for its own flavor of electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus.

Artisul provided a review unit for me to try out for the purpose of this review. I don't own and have never thoroughly tested a Cintiq 13HD, so my Wacom comparisons will be with the 13HD's cousin, the Cintiq Companion 2. 

Unlike the CC2, the Artisul D13 is not a standalone PC. It is a pen display meant to be used alongside a desktop or laptop PC or Mac. 

As with most EMR devices, the distance between the glass and display introduces a fair amount of parallax (or separation) between the pen tip and the on-screen cursor. Fortunately, I encountered no other EMR downsides like inaccurate corners or dead zones.

And more importantly for many of you, drawing slow diagonal strokes does not exhibit the jitter apparent in most battery-powered pen solutions.

Once the Windows drivers are properly installed and the D13 is calibrated, the pen performs extremely well, providing a very smooth transition between its 2048 pressure levels. The glass screen is covered by a matte finish that offers a bit of additional tooth or pen resistance but the 1920 x 1080 display is still noticeably brighter than on my Companion 2.

The pen is supplied inside a very nice Wacom-like case with a generous supply of replacement nibs, although I wish that they were available in more than one material. They are slightly harder than the soft Wacom nibs I prefer. I'm not a fan of the nib extractor built into the case. I much prefer a standalone ring.

Just like the Cintiq, the D13 features an array of 7 hardware buttons along the left side. These can be configured for each application and setups for Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint and others are included with the driver installation. The drivers were recently updated for OS X and a new Windows driver (which I wasn't able to test) is now in beta. The existing Windows drivers are very full-featured and graphical, offering controls reminiscent of Wacom's Feel driver.

The Artisul stand 051 is sold separately for $46. I found it much easier to set up and use than the Cintiq Companion 2 stand, although it doesn't offer sufficient resistance at all but the lowest drawing angles. An unexpected benefit of the stand is that it works well with the latest crop of 12.5 - 13 inch tablets like the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book clipboard and the iPad Pro. All of these devices are too wide to rest stably on my previous goto stand, the iKlip Studio, so it was very nice to discover a new option. If you own one of these new jumbo tablets, especially those without a built-in kickstand, the 051 Stand is a must-buy.
 
Given its size, separate stand and cable requirements, I wouldn't call the D13 a portable solution. However, it is thin enough to pack into a large laptop case along with its stand. If your ultrabook is thin enough, you may even be able to pack it alongside as well.

Despite being a first generation product, UC Logic/Artisul have taken pains to provide a premium experience, from the packaging to the fit and finish.

My biggest issue with the D13 is the tangle of cables required to hook it up. This is a drawback with the Cintiq as well, but the tangle is exacerbated by a power plug that requires an international adapter and then connects to the D13 via USB. Another USB cable runs from the device to your PC and an HDMI output from your computer feeds the D13's mini HDMI port. If your PC's ports are on the opposite side of your dominant hand, you'll be assured of a small rat's nest of wires snaking across your desk.  

Although I was able to run the Artisul while attached to my N-Trig equipped Sony VAIO Flip 15A, it's not ideal to attach it to a device with its own pen drivers, as conflicts are bound to occur, especially with Wintab software. However, I don't own any HDMI-equipped devices that aren't penabled. It would have been nice for Artisul to supply a VGA connector option so that compatibility with a wider range of PCs could be insured. 

Artisul Founding Designer and US Sales Manager Winnie Tso revealed recently that the company is working on a new generation device that they're calling the Artisul Pencil family which will feature an eraser end. According to Tso's post on TabletPCReview forum, eraser ends were a "competitor patent but has recently expired."

At $599 + $46 for the stand, the Artisul D13 is an excellent value, but the $150 difference for the Wacom 13HD may not be enough to convince artists to break away from the better-known brand. If Artisul were to bundle the stand or lower the D13 price a bit more, the pen display would qualify as a Cintiq-killer. For now, it's yet another competitor chipping away at Wacom's dominance of the art market.

NOTE: Educational pricing is available in the US, Canada and Mexico. Visit https://artisul.com/us/educational-pricing/  for more details.

Item Specification: Product Name Artisul D13 LCD Stylus Tablet; Model SP1301

General Information: Dimensions 389.0mm (L) x 250.7mm (W) x 14mm (H); Weight 1.1kg; PC And Mac Connection HDMI & USB

System Requirements: PC: Windows 10/ 8.1 / 8 / 7 (32/64bit); Mac: OS X 10.6.8 or later (Intel processor)

Powered by AC power adaptor or two  USB 3.0; Portability powered by two USB 3.0

Display Information: Screen Size (Diagonal) 13.3 inch; Aspect Ratio 16:9; Display Area 293.76mm(L)  x 165.24mm (W)11.5 x 6.5 inch; Resolution 1920 (L) x 1080 (W) pixels, IPS; Response Rate 19ms; Pixel Pitch 0.1529 x 0.1529 mm; Displayable Colors (maximum) 16.7 million; Color Gamut 75% Adobe RGB; Industry Standard Pre-Sets 6500°K whitepoint Default; Backlight Unit LED; LCD Brightness 300 (cd/m2); Viewing Angle178° (89°/89°) H, (89°/89°) V; Graphics Input HDMI

Power Supply Input 100 to 240 VAC, 50/60Hz; Power Supply Output5 VDC, 2 A (max); Power Consumption Suggested at least 2Amps; USB, HDMI CABLES; Power button, with LED indicator

Interactive Technology: Technology Electromagnetic; Active Area 293.76mm(L)  x 165.24mm(W)11.5 x 6.5 inch; Pressure Sensitivity 2048 (levels); Resolution 5080 LPI; Accuracy±1mm; Reading Height 10 mm; Function key Six hot-key + 1 srcoll wheel; Switches of Pen: Pen tip and 2 side buttons

Accessories included: Pen Model P58A, Pen stand, Pen Case, Pen tips Nine replacement pen tips (9 hard), Pen tip removal Built-in pen box, Connector cable with HDMI and USB connectors, AC power adapter, Quick start guide

Artisul D13 - 13.3" LCD Graphics Tablet with Display

Artisul by UC Logic

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Artisul Stand 051 - Drawing Tablet Stand for Artisul, Ipad Pro and Wacom

Artisul by UC-Logic

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