Several years ago, I realized that I wanted to develop my skills in digital painting. At first, I was drawing on an old Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and in general it suited me for a long time. Choosing my laptop, I firmly decided that I needed a model with a touch screen and high resolution to get a 2-in-1 device: computer and digital tablet for drawing.
9 months have passed since the purchase of Lenovo Yoga, and I actively use this model as a personal computer for all video blogging tasks, I also actively draw on the screen like on a tablet (I completed a full course on YouTube and a book with illustrations). My impressions are the most favorable. At first, it was difficult to get used to the increased sensitivity of the stylus and the glossy screen. I even thought that the screen would become a problem for me due to slipping, glare and reflections. As a result, I turned the laptop screen out, put it on the table, hooked up a large monitor … and everything fell into place.
After my model, a new one has already been released, but I think that this review will be useful for everyone who is interested in the Lenovo Yoga line. When I bought my computer, the price of my model was 87 thousand rubles or so (~1500$). Now, due to changes in the dollar exchange rate and, possibly, covid, my model is selling for 120-160 thousand (~1600$). This is a transforming computer that can be turned 360 degrees. The screen is 15 inches, touch-sensitive and glossy, very easily soiled and reflective. It is inconvenient to work fully infront of this screen only if you make a video for a couple of weeks on a trip. For home, you just need to connect a large monitor!
As for drawing, this is just my love! The coolest thing is that the computer is so powerful that it allows you to simultaneously draw and record hours of screen video on OBS. I immediately installed Sketchbook, and now I draw only in this program. The stylus is gorgeous – this is the official Lenovo Active Pen 2 stylus on a battery (I only once put a new battery right after the purchase, everything still works). A real professional tool for illustrator and artist! The lines run smoothly, without misses. Line thickness and effects depend on the slightest pressure. It turned out that drawing on the glossy screen is very convenient, since the tip of the stylus is rubberized.
You don’t need to buy matte film on the screen to paint! Everything is fine.
What you need to do right after purchasing Lenovo Yoga with stylus:
- Add maximum RAM (if your model is not 16 Gb);
- Sew or buy a glove for drawing on a tablet (otherwise your hands will get all messy);
- Slightly fix the stylus device to keep the battery better (see video).
- even if it is a super small and light laptop, it is still not a tablet – it is not convenient to put it on your lap or hold it in your hands;
- when you turn the laptop inside out to draw on the screen, then the keyboard remains below, and if you put the laptop in this position on the sofa or on your knees, the buttons will push through, interfere and deteriorate;
- it is convenient for me to keep the laptop on the table in the “turned out” state, so that at any time I can draw on the screen – in this position, an external keyboard, monitor and mouse must be connected to the laptop;
- when the laptop is on the table, its screen almost does not glare, since I am looking at it from above like a book;
- you should always draw with a glove on – since I absolutely did not find another way to remove responses to hand touches, although such functions are declared in the software for the stylus and in drawing programs, but in fact it is implemented quite crookedly;
- the second hand without a glove can operate the keyboard or press the touch keys in the drawing program.
Now I do not understand at all such a class of devices as Wacom tablets for drawing – why they can be useful to me, if it is much more convenient to have both a tablet and a full-fledged computer on which Photoshop is installed, and you can also edit video in Adobe Premiere Pro. At the same time, those Wakom graphic tablets that I was previously interested in and thought to someday buy …
- Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 (price about 300 thousand?!) – tablet (computer) + display;
- Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 (130K) – Graphic display only, no computer inside.
… are more expensive than a computer transformer. Probably, for some specialized tasks or when drawing on a large format (24 inches or more), this makes some sense. But for myself, I definitely made a choice in the direction of transformers, since in addition to drawing, I still need to do video. As for the quality of the screen and the stylus of Lenovo Yoga, the color rendition can be improved slightly, the screen can be made brighter and the gloss removed. And it will be just candy! It seems that some of these characteristics could be improved in future models. But even now, Lenovo Yoga surpasses all my expectations, especially when paired with a good large monitor.
Which digital drawing tool is closer to you – a stand-alone graphic tablet or a 2-in-1 transforming laptop?