How To Draw On Surface Pro 3

This review was written by illustrator Mas Shafreen. (Surface 3 (not-pro) is reviewed separately.)

Hi. My name is Mas Shafreen and I am a Mac user. I demand to make that disclaimer before I dive into my review of the Surface Pro 3. I am an illustrator and the tools of my trade accept been my trusted iMac with a Wacom Intuos4, or when I am on the move, my MacBook Pro fifteen" with a Wacom Bamboo. When a quick sketch is needed, I turn to my tablets - iPad Mini or Samsung Note eight (yep, not an Apple tree product merely I detest to admit that the S-pen works wonderfully). So when Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3, I was definitely tempted with the idea of having a tool that could replace more than half of what I currently have to carry around.

I was already contemplating getting the Wacom Cintiq Companion but the Surface Pro iii'southward specs and, most chiefly, overall size and weight definitely edges the Cintiq Companion. Nevertheless, as with any illustrator, the lack of pressure level sensitivity was a business organization. The Surface Pro three's 256 levels is a a many distant shades poorer than the 2048 levels from Wacom. In spite of my reservations, I was Northward-trigued (Microsoft ditched Wacom and went with Due north-trig for its latest Surface edition) plenty to give the Surface Pro 3 a go.

Like whatsoever other self-respecting tech geek, I pre-ordered and was one of the start few to collect my Surface Pro 3 at Singapore Comex. I opted for the Intel i5 256 GB 1.9GHz with 8GB RAM which is pretty similar to my MBP i5 although the latter was a faster workhorse with 2.7GHz.

Out of the box, I have to begrudgingly acknowledge that the machine is beautiful. Its sleek lines and minimalistic signature really makes it a sight to behold and, err, concur. The box contains:

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 laptop
Power adapter
N-trig Pen
Pen loop

I bought a couple of accessories to go along with my new toy - the Surface Pro Type Cover and the Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition.

The Type Cover is aesthetically really pleasing and the magnetic strip along its top snaps very easily on to the Surface Pro three. Other than that, I am not a big fan of the tactile feedback of the keys as it makes a very "clickity" audio and almost feels inexpensive. It is a vast comeback from the Surface two but pales to some of the wireless keyboards (Apple tree) out there which will be style cheaper (Apple, surprisingly).

The Arc Affect Mouse, on the other paw, is more than practical. It flattens out to a sleek profile for ease of storage and pairs immediately when turned on, which is easily achieved by angle it to shape. Information technology fits comfortably in hand and works well. My but quibble is its haptic feedback touch strip. This allows you to "experience" better when you scroll only the audio and sensation reminds me of the vertical scrolls mice were equipped with many years back. Not sophisticated.

At present on to the main consequence. The Surface Pro 3 definitely feels comfortable in hand. It has a resistance hinge which allows y'all to adjust the display bending from 0 to 150 degrees. The swivel does not feel robust simply has been property up very well over the past few months of abuse.

The power adapter comes with an additional USB port which is very ingenious as it non only helps you accuse other devices like your mobile phone but, more importantly, assists power hungry USB devices peculiarly the USB 3.0 ones. Coupled with my 4TB HDD, this combination had all the resources I need to get my work commissions done anywhere.

Since we are on the subject of ability, I accept been impressed past the battery life. Doing design and illustration work with brightness all the style up, I have managed to get 5-half-dozen hours on this. Although not as much as the 8-nine hours I get on my MacBook Pro, information technology is also not as heavy at 800 grams compared to MBP'southward ii kg which is a huge difference when travelling.

There is a microSD slot at the dorsum of the device but inserting the card was not piece of cake. I often transfer videos from my GoPro and it tin exist frustrating to keep piddling with that tiny card balancing on your finger. I institute that the all-time way to do it is to insert it with the screen facing upwardly. Not intuitive at all.

The 12 inch screen is godsend. I take been drawing mainly on my iPad mini or Annotation 8 so having 12 inch of screen estate was liberating. Given how thin the Surface Pro 3 is, you nigh forget that it is a total laptop when you conduct information technology around. There is a black border around the screen so you cannot describe up till the edges just that is fine as it would be tough to draw all the way to the end anyway.

The pen uses ane AAAA bombardment and 2 minor 319 lithium coin cell batteries for its bluetooth office. The pen feels comfy in hand with the battery weight giving it a more comfortable feel. It does non accept the ergonomics of the Wacom pen but it feels closer to a traditional pen. The push at the back helps you launch OneNote just sacrifices the eraser role.

Every bit an illustrator, the first thing I wanted to effort out was how convenient and responsive the touchscreen sketching was. The good news is that it comes preloaded with OneNote, a note taking and quick sketch app which launches immediately when you press the button on the back of the pen. It works like a charm when I was taking notes for courses or client briefs. The bad news is that OneNote is about as useful as Captain Hook'due south second glove when information technology comes to drawing.

I often draw using my Wacom Intuos4 for which the pen has 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity compared to the Surface Pro 3's N-trig pen's 256. This may sound like a deal billow but I was surprised at the results. I ordinarily do my drawings in SketchBook and it stacks upwards well on the Surface Pro iii. You almost forget about the pressure sensitivity altogether. Drawing on the Surface Pro 3 is going to experience different compared to a graphic tablet considering information technology is smoothen and does non have as much drag. But information technology is very much similar if, like me, y'all have been using tablets similar the iPad to draw. My disclaimer here is that since nearly of my illustrations are vector-based, pressure sensitivity was not as big an consequence for me.

However, I know any illustrator worth his common salt admittedly must know at least some details well-nigh pressure sensitivity. My stance is that it is all about each private's "feel" (pardon the pun). There is very picayune lag, then it feels almost as responsive as my Intuos4. By drawing directly on the screen, I tend to have improve control of pressure sensitivity compared to the Intuos4, despite the North-trig's paltry 256 levels. In this regard, the line results are closer to what I intend them to be on the Surface Pro 3 compared to my Intuos4. The comparing chart beneath shows the differences between the Surface Pro iii and Intuos4 with examples of stroke lines and a quick minute-long sketch of an eye.

That said, if you are a real stickler for sensitivity control, go to your brush settings and play effectually with the presets. My favourites are shape dynamics, transfer and smoothing.

The screen is reflective, similar any other drinking glass surface or the tablets that I take been drawing on, but adjusting the brightness more than than compensates for this. The aspect ratio is now 3:ii compared to the previous edition which had sixteen:ix, targeted at video and motion-picture show viewing. 3:ii makes more sense for pattern piece of work as information technology is closer to the proportions for impress. The college screen resolution of 2160 x 1440 and very authentic on-screen colours definitely helps in illustration work and makes final fine art work that much easier.

What I am disappointed with was how easily the pen bill deteriorated. Only after ii months of use I am already seeing strands at the nib from the constant contact with the glass screen. A new pen will set me back SGD$73 while searching online for replacement nibs shows that Microsoft volition replace it for free although I am not sure if this service is available here then I brand do by trimming away the frayed ends. I have been using my Wacom pen for years and it still has non shown signs of falling apart. Thankfully, the screen itself showed no signs of scratches or scuffing even though I have not placed a screen protector on it.

Using the Adobe suite is where the Surface Pro 3 exceeded my expectations. Showtime off, 12 inches is never going to be enough screen estate so you volition accept to customise your Photoshop or Illustrator windows to let for more than drawing space. It is also very difficult to hit the buttons accurately with the default Adobe preferences. So yous volition take to go to Preferences > Experimental Settings and double the size of the interface elements. Y'all tin also activate bear on controls in Adobe and then that you can pinch and zoom and even rotate canvas. There is some lag when doing this so I always terminate upwards relying on my keyboard.

My set-upward for Adobe Illustrator, which is what I am almost always using, is to have my wireless keyboard off to the left and my mouse to the right. This way, your arm will non accidentally press the keyboard when y'all draw or use touchscreen should you opt for the Type encompass.

The mouse is essential for Illustrator. Information technology is next to impossible to select anchor points along a path or drag bezier curves with the pen.

As a Mac user, I also had to remind my left finger to not hit the alt key every bit I am so used to the control fundamental being there. Having to constantly switch betwixt the Surface Pro three and my Mac helps train muscle retentivity but I suppose yous can easily download apps to re-map your keys.

Determination

Overall, where the Surface Pro three truly shines, is what information technology was built for in the commencement place - to be a full laptop in the form of a tablet. Its portability is bar none. I travel adequately oft and was abroad for a few months terminal year. This machine was all I needed to become my commissions done remotely. No more lugging around my MBP and Wacom tablet at more than than double the weight. Lets simply say this Mac user is now less biased.

Availability

Here's the table of the diverse models available:

	64GB Intel i3	128GB Intel i5	256GB Intel i5	256GB Intel i7	256GB Intel i7
Available disk space	36GB	96GB	211GB	211GB	450GB
Processor	Intel Core i3-4020Y CPU max 1.fifty GHz	Intel Core i5-4300U CPU max 2.9 GHz (with Turbo)	Intel Core i5-4300U CPU max 2.ix GHz (with Turbo)	Intel Cadre i7-4650U 1.lxx GHz	Intel Core i7-4650U 1.70 GHz
Graphics	Intel Hard disk Graphics 4200	Intel Hard disk Graphics 4400	Intel Hd Graphics 4400	Intel Hard disk Graphics 5000	Intel HD Graphics 5000
Memory	4GB	4GB	8GB	8GB	8GB
Price