I actually was using my tablet as a cunning paperweight--quite a high tech touch for the desktop. Literally had to clean the dust off it after two years of non-use.

I am having to FORCE myself to use it. No doubt, it is amazing for brushes. And that is the approach I am taking. Cannot use the mouse for brushes. Must use tablet. Will see if I get any further than that.

It is exceedingly frustrating especially as I am doing a change over from PSP to PS. In PSP I could use the mouse for absolutely everything because of the high level of customisation ie. made all the toolbars I wanted and just moused moused moused. Now I have to learn keyboard shortcuts and the tablet. So, I have to keep switching from pen to mouse to keyboard. Yuck.

I am trying to convince myself that it will be worth it in the long run and I am sure it will but it has played merry havoc with my work flow. I tell myself that it is not like I work in a factory, it is okay if it takes longer. Want to get to the point to automatically reaching for the pen whenever I press the brush tool ie muscle memory. But this old dog is SOOOOOOOO reluctant to learn new tricks! Would love to hear from people who have made the leap.

I got one....HATED it! I returned it after a couple weeks and got my $$$ back. I have much more control with my mouse!

Since changing my settings I'm finding it much easier - still awkward, but that will go away. I'm DETERMINED!

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*holly*

I also have the Wacom Graphire - got it because my hand was hurting when using mouse too much. And the tablet DOES make my hand feel much better. But I feel so SLOW using it, so only use the tablet when I HAVE to.

Anybody want to chime in about how to get comfortable using the tablet?

I've noticed that many people are not happy with a tablet. I think the reason may be that some are thinking the tablet replaces a mouse (which isn't necessary). A tablet, in best practice, is really just a tool, best used for specific tasks. I've used a tablet for over 10 years, but only for specific tasks and I don't use it as a replacement for my mouse. I use the tablet exclusively in Photoshop, mainly for retouching and restoration. For me, the only reasons I use a mouse is for the pressure sensitive features, and, in a lesser degree, a better sense of control when making selections. If neither of those are something you use on a regular basis, I wouldn't recommend forcing oneself to adapt to a tablet.
When I first started using a tablet, it took me a while to find the best settings, that most closely matched how I was using a mouse. These are my current settings (found in Control Panel)
Wacom Settings

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http://www.pbase.com/vhansen

It makes sense--that is why I am forcing myself to use the tablet for brushes. There is no doubt in my mind that I can do much finer, exacter work with the brush using the tablet when I am creating masks.

I've had my tablet for two days and I've been playing around with it and I LOVE IT! I will still use the mouse that came with it for the internet but for PS definitely the pen,much smoother and contolled than a mouse.