Wacom Intuos Pro Medium review

A responsive, well-designed tablet that will transform your editing workflow

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium
(Image: © Hannah Rooke)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Wacom Intuos Pro Medium is perfect for streamlining your editing workflow or creating beautiful illustrations in Photoshop or Illustrator. The intuitive design lends itself to those who are usually used to working on paper and a number of customizable buttons enable you to set it up to work for you. It's small enough to carry around with you yet provides a big enough surface area for intricate retouching and design work. Now that I've used a tablet for editing, I won't be going back to a trackpad or mouse.

Pros

  • +

    Very customisable

  • +

    Pressure sensitive

  • +

    Long battery life

Cons

  • -

    Need to regularly update driver

  • -

    Can make Photoshop crash

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The Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet is a  true game-changer when it comes to photo editing. As well as being a useful tool for graphic design and illustration, it makes retouching images a lot more efficient so you can get through them faster. The extremely responsive Pro Pen 2 feels like an extension of your hand (once you get to grips with using it) and the texture feel of the nib on the tablet's surface has just the perfect amount of glide. 

(Image credit: Hannah Rooke)

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium: Specification

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Multi touchYes
Active area224 x 148 mm / 8.7 x 5.8 in
StylusWacom Pro Pen 2
Tilt recognition± 60 levels
Pen pressure levels8192, both pen tip and eraser
Express Keys8 customizable, application-specific
Touch ringYes
Weight700 g / 1.54 lb
Size338 x 219 x 8 mm / 13.2 x 8.5 x 0.3 in

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium: Key Features

The Wacom Intuos Pro Medium has transformed my photo editing workflow, allowing me to achieve subtleties in both digital drawing and beauty retouching.  With customizable buttons on the pen and a set of customizable buttons and menu wheel on the tablet you can quickly and easily change the brush you using, the size, double click, zoom in, undo an action and so much more - all depending on how you have it configured.  

The generous active area of the tablet is perfect for photo editing tasks and drawing. I can work on intricate details without feeling constrained, while still having enough space to make broad strokes and adjustments. Buttons on the tablet itself can also be custom-configured to shortcuts you use the most such as undo or erase and the wheel can be used to zoom in and out of an image or scroll up and down.

(Image credit: Hannah Rooke)

One of the huge benefits of the Intuos Pro is that it’s completely wireless (unless of course, you need to charge it, in which case it can be plugged in via USB-C). I can sit back and edit comfortably from a distance, which has greatly improved my overall posture and comfort during longer editing sessions. The battery life is impressive, I still get surprised at how long I can edit without worrying about recharging and is usually around the 10-hour mark (not that I have ever edited for that long in one go).

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium: Build and handling

The Intuos Pro Medium's sleek design and ergonomic build ensure a comfortable and natural feel while working on my photos. The responsive touch surface and customizable ExpressKeys provide a seamless and intuitive editing workflow, allowing me to effortlessly navigate through editing software and access my frequently used tools with a simple touch or press. 

(Image credit: Hannah Rooke)

One of the standout features for me is the intuitive Pro Pen 2 that's included. It feels like an extension of my hand and offers incredible accuracy and very little lag which I've found on cheaper tablets.  Straight out of the box with the default settings, I found it to be slightly too sensitive but you can change everything from the tip feel to the tilt sensitivity and the pressure sensitivity which adds another layer of realism and makes using the pen feel very natural.

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium: Performance

The tablet's pressure sensitivity is very useful especially when using the tablet for drawing purposes as it does a good job of replicating traditional art materials. 

You can shade and sketch as if you were using paper - the areas you want darker you simply press harder. This feature is a game-changer for retouching and enhancing images with precision so whether I'm dodging and burning, fine-tuning colors, or working on intricate details, the Intuos Pro Medium responds flawlessly to the pressure I apply, resulting in a level of control that's unmatched by a mouse or trackpad.

(Image credit: Hannah Rooke)

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium: Final Verdict

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to streamlining and speeding up your photo editing, the Wacom Intuos Pro is the perfect accomplice. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just getting started, the Intuos Pro offers a range of tools and versatile custom options that make it a solid choice - especially for the price.

Its exceptional build quality, intuitive touch controls, pressure-sensitive pen, and wireless capabilities combine to offer an unparalleled editing experience. If you're serious about enhancing your photos and taking your editing skills to the next level, this tablet is an absolute must-have. It has transformed the way I approach editing, and I couldn't be happier with the results I'm able to achieve.

Hannah Rooke
Freelance contributor

Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. Hannah spent three years working at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant, using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With eight years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.