GIMP Version: 2.6.11
Operating System: Linux
OS Version: Gentoo
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

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I bought me a Wacom Bamboo PT tablet for € 65.
The active area is 147 x 92 mm.
My 24 inch 16x10 display measures 515 x 322 mm.
This means any movement of the pen is multiplied by 3.5.
I'm 84 and so my hands are not very steady any more.
Besides I have never been much at drawing freehand.
To overcome my lack of freehand drawing ability I use a picture and turn this into a template with the adaptive-edge-detect filter.
I add layers and do my painting/drawing on them,when I'm finished I delete the template.

The Intuos4L tablet has an active area of 325 x 203 mm.
This makes for a multiplication factor of ~1.6 which I think will make drawing easier.
Besides the Intuos has more capabilities than the PT tablet.
But... they go here for about € 400.
Would it be worth it?
Gerard.

If you can afford it, sure. I wish I could.

For the time being I've found a solution.
400 € is a lot of money after all.
I do the following:
I increase the resolution to 300x300 dpi.
I then increase width and height to bring it back to the original size or to what I need.
Then I make the template with edge-detect.
This allows me to zoom to 800% w/o it pixelizing too much.
When I go back to 100% any jitter from my hand is not noticeable anymore.

Still I'd like to buy it in the future because it has so much more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sobfob2H0MU
When you compare this to the Bamboo...
Gerard.

I know this isn't exactly what you're asking, but you can get a slate computer with a nice 12.1" XGA screen on eBay for about $200. In particular, I'm talking about a Motion Computing le1600. It's an older machine. I ordered a used one a day or two ago and am waiting for it to arrive. From what I've seen, they're great for sketching and painting, just nothing too big. They have Wacom boards built in, behind the screen, and only respond to pen input, so no stray marks from your hand on the screen.

With any luck, it might be possible to pass the digitizer input to another (Linux) machine, so couple that with sharing the screen, or VNC, and you have a $200 Cintiq. Well, one with less pressure sensitivity that is. And of course, since you're drawing directly on the screen, there is no movement multiplication, so you don't have to worry about that.

I don't mean to sound like an advertisement, but I'm really excited waiting on the mail, and I saw your post, so....yeah.

Keep in mind: It's eBay, so you have to do your research before buying if you want a good and safe deal.

Thanks for the tip Demen but if you've seen the video of the link you'll understand that I prefer an Intuos.
Gerard.

@Gerard

Just remember custom left-hand commands will take more work to setup in Linux than in that video demo. And some things, like the "rotate picture" they showcase is not something best done in GIMP I think (notably it's pretty slow). Use MyPaint for that kind of native drawing functionality.

If cost of an Intuos4 feels excessive, I would scour ebay for an Intuos3, the previous model of professional tablets.

As for size, I personally always work on the smallest tablet I can get my hand on (Currently and A6-sized Intuos3). The resolution is so extreme on these tablets that precision is not an issue in my opinion (plus it saves your wrists). Then again, there is certainly a point in that a larger area might be more forgiving to an unsteady hand.
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Griatch

Hi Griatch,
Thanks for your comment.
I know Linux support is not 100% yet.
But the devs are still very active so I hope that before long everything will work as in Windows.
Since I'm no good at freehand drawing Mypaint to me is not an option.
It's a pity so many hardware manufacterers are not willing to supply Linux drivers.
They're all (a few,like nvidia,excepted) afraid M$ will blackball them.(Free market?)
Gerard.

I love big ...to be honest i would love a Cintiq but the price is really TOO high

So as now i'm fighting with the drivers of a big but old Trust tablet, was working well in XP i hope it may work in 7 and with ubuntu..not yet sure Trust are much cheaper but much less supported than Wacom