Guide : My hardware and software for Digital Painting

Introduction :

Here is an article about my software and hardware, because I have no secret about what I use.
If you have any question about it, feel free to ask ( comments at the end ) .
The content of this article is released under CC-By-Sa license.

Software

I use mainly Krita on Ubuntu Gnome 13.10 .

Krita  ( Free/Libre and Open-source software ) is a professional digital-painting application. The 2.8 version will be released soon, and cover 99% of what I need for painting and creating artworks.

Ubuntu Gnome 13.10  ( Gnu/Linux operating system ) with GNOME desktop environment. ( it is not  similar to Ubuntu main edition ).GNOME is the only Linux Desktop Environment with a strong development focus on tablet support and color management. It works, and it's easy to use. So, it's really time saving to setup a digital-painting workstation. With the help of little workaround [1], I could handle with ease my two tablets, two keyboards and the color calibration.

Installation :

I get Ubuntu Gnome 13.10 here .
I update GNOME to 3.10 thanks to this ppa.
I do classic post-install stuff, flash, mp3, graphic drivers  ( search for '10 things to do after installing Ubuntu 13.10'  )
I build Krita from source but you can also use the Lime ppa .
I install all my other apps from the built-in Ubuntu app-store : Gimp, Gmic, Blender, Mypaint etc...

Litlle post install I also do :
- Gnome-thumbnailer for *.ora and *.kra files.
- Theme personal preference : Numix , with "global dark" in GnomeTweak.
- Gnome extension I like : Top Panel Workspace Scroll 
- remove the bad usage of 'Alt' to move windows. I use 'Alt' in Gimp, Blender and Krita. It's a wrong tweak made by 'Ubuntu Gnome' team.

Hardware :

I use a single workstation, with two tablets connected on it : a Wacom Cintiq and a Wacom Intuos 4 Medium.  I have a professional monitor able to display a wide range of color ; an Asus ProArt. It allow me to display printed colors.
I usually take a lot of time to select my hardware : my primary selection criteria is about the avaibility of a 'Linux certifications' label , then performances.

Workstation : Dell Vostro 430 , Dell Pro store Linux certified
Processor : Intel® Core™ i7 CPU 870 , 2.93GHz × 8 , Memory : 8GB, Graphics : GeForce GT 220/PCIe/SSE2,  Owned since : 2010

Tablet : Wacom Intuos 4 Medium
Pressure level : 2048, Stylus : default one + the thin 'classic' one,  Note : covered with a Intuos 3 protection sheet, smoother, Owned since : 2010

Tablet : Wacom Cintiq 21UX
Screen : 1600x1200, 21inch, Max gamut : around sRGB gamut, a bit larger on reds, low luminosity, Pressure level : 1024, Stylus : default one + a custom one made from another default, Note : mounted to the desk with an Ergotron arm, hot and heavy, 10Kg, Accessories : Smudge guard glove, Owned since : 2012

Screen : Asus ProArt 24HD
Screen : 1920x1200 , 24inch, Max gamut : a bit more than AdobeRGB gamut, high luminosity, Owned since : 2012

Scanner : Canoscan Lide 30
Resolution : 1200 x 2400 dpi , Color depht : 48bit, Note : really slow, I should update to a better one, Owned since : 2004

Other :
Colorimeter : Pantone Huey Pro
Mouse : Razer Death Adder, 3500dpi,  ( for FPS gaming )
2 x Keyboard ... for ergonomy

Laptop : Clevo W550 , LDLC Aurore BB6-I3-8-M1H5 Linux certified
Processor :  Intel® Core™ i3 CPU 3120M , 2.5GHz × 4 , Memory : 8GB, Graphics :  Intel HD Graphics, Screen : 15.6'' , 1920x1080,  LED, Weight : 2,2Kg , slim case, Note :  I use the Wacom Intuos 4 Medium when I'm travelling with it, Owned since : 2013

Images gallery :

Reviews : Tablet

You'll find here my article about tablet ergonomy here . This article from april 2010 needs an update. I'll work on it soon.

About other Desktop environments I tested ...

CINAMON 2.0 :

Status : I don't advice it, unless you are confortable with setting tablet by command lines.
Pros : Cool default, customisable, ease of use.
Cons : A fork of GNOME 3.8 , now independant.  LinuxMint team dropped the tablet configuration on 2.0 release. They added it back in recent code based on a cherry-pick of GNOME code, but no Linux Mint developers has tablet device, so testing and bug fixing will be difficult.

ELEMENTARY Luna :

Status :Works for regular tablet, and single screen. Miss an option to correct aspect ratio of screen/tablet
Pros : Cool default, looks good, ease of use.
Cons : A fork of GNOME 3.4 , to be independent, they'll have to split from GNOME and continuously cherry-pick or reinvent the wheel.

GNOME 3.10.x :

Status : Works for color management and tablet calibrations , some workaround are need[1] , but already fixed for GNOME 3.14
Pros : Color management and tablet support built-in and tested, innovation, minimalism, good default.
Cons : No easy customisations, no care for integration of KDE apps, bad internet reputation.

KDE 4.11.x :

Status : Works for most cases. But , because the tablet module and color module are external, they are rarely built-in by the distribution. So, it can be tricky to install. Also, there is an issue with dual screen Cintiq and bad ergonomy on the configuration panel to calibrate.
Pros :Full featured, adaptable to almost any usage scenario, care for theming integration of Gnome apps, centralised and amazing community.
Cons : Default settings,  support of tablet and color management module exist but are not core ( lack of test, Cintiq calibration is broken in my case )

UNITY :

Status : Works for regular tablet, and single screen. Miss an option to correct aspect ratio of screen/tablet
Pros : Theme, UbuntuOne cloud, webapps, community.
Cons : Compiz compositor eat painting performances, Canonical support not interested into computer graphic ( because they use Adobe suite on Apple mac anyway). Poor dual screen support, lack of options,  broke tablet support almost every 6 month, usage of the Alt key, ergonomic issues. Will probably have to reinvent the wheel continuously to follow or cherry-pick Gnome innovation. They also share your research and infos to Amazon and partners .  

XFCE / Awesome / OpenBox / LXDE :

Status : If you can script, do command lines, and calibrate with only coordinate. You'll find a way to make it work :)
Pros : Lightweight. Customisable, best performances, modulable.
Cons : Color management, tablet need to be setup by script and command line.  

About package Distributions ...

Tested during productions :
Ubuntu ( and LinuxMint/ Elementary ... etc... ) 13.10 :

Pros : Large list of package available ( extensible via PPA ) , easy install in general ( from liveCD to package ) , large community for tips, support of brands ( Steam ).
Cons : unstable release each 6 month with only 6 month support, a lot of dirty or broken packages in default repo. Stability. Many PPA are dangerous, install them with care. System structure not 'clean' ; a pile of workaround. Priority for correcting Unity D.E. issue over ecosystem. Driven by Canonical who worked hard to have a bad e-reputation last years ( Mir / SystemD / Get dropped by Steam / focus on Smartphone / etc...  ).

Open Suse 13.1 :

Pros : Stable and tested package, Yast administrations tools, one-click install, splendid liveCD installer.
Cons : Package management slow via GUI, many subwindows, amount of core package choice feels restricted ( and I had issue with all the external repositories I tested ), it feels like a distribution for developers or system administrator.     

Manjaro ( rolling ) :

Pros : last package available in core , no need backport. Fast and simple package management and installation. Arch Linux wiki documentation. Choice of package via AUR. Rolling update.  
Cons : Too bleeding edges, massive updates each 2 weeks ; can break your system if you are not using standard scenario.  

Other ( tested less than 48h ) :
ArchLinux : I get my laptop on Arch. The global experience -once installed- was really similar to Manjaro : Just with the pain-in-the-ass command line installation bonus. Definitely for  developers.
Debian :  New package takes age to reach Debian. I'm not even sure Gnome 3.10 is already in now.
Fedora :  I met similar issue about package than with Opensuse, I felt the installation was confusing, and my global feeling was : it feels like a distribution for developers or system administrator.

Ending notes :

Note [1] : I did a little xsetwacom script to constrain my stylus to use only the Cintiq screen in Twinview ( already fixed on upcoming GNOME 3.14 )

#! /bin/bash
xsetwacom set "Wacom Cintiq 21UX stylus" MapToOutput "HEAD-1"
xsetwacom set "Wacom Cintiq 21UX eraser" MapToOutput "HEAD-1"
xsetwacom set "Wacom Cintiq 21UX pad" MapToOutput "HEAD-1"

Replace the tablet name here with your ( know it with typing xinput on a terminal ) , HEAD-1 or HEAD-0 are the monitor. Then, make this *.sh script a startup script.

This page will receive continuous updates.  

Last update :

• [ 2014-02-21 ] -  (here) Ubuntu Gnome 13.10
  
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