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Mouse accuracy very bad

L

lapino

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 6, 2009
238
11
I recently switched from PC to Mac and especially in Photoshop I find the lack of mouse accuracy very bad. Whenever I move the mouse to a very slow speed (such as to select a certain small area) the mouse feels like it's dragged through mud, it's the only way I can describe it.

I tried with both a wireless keyboard/mouse combo (Logitech) and a wired Microsoft Intellimouse, same issue. Any fixes for this? Very annoying. Both mouses work great in Vista.
 
Not wanting to ask stupid questions so please don't be offended but have you changed the mouse speed settings in the system preferences? :)
 
No problem, seems like a logic question, but yes I have changed it.
 
Sorry that I can't be of more help. I hope that you get it fixed though. It sounds very frustrating.
 
This is common for people switching to Mac. I had the same problem.

The issue is that in Windows, the mouse cursor moves at a constant speed, but a Mac gets more precise (i.e. slower) the slower you move the mouse, and it accelerates the pace the faster you move the mouse.

What it came down to was just getting used to it. Your muscle memory will compensate after a couple weeks and you won't even notice it anymore.

-Allen
 
akm3 said:
This is common for people switching to Mac. I had the same problem.

The issue is that in Windows, the mouse cursor moves at a constant speed, but a Mac gets more precise (i.e. slower) the slower you move the mouse, and it accelerates the pace the faster you move the mouse.

What it came down to was just getting used to it. Your muscle memory will compensate after a couple weeks and you won't even notice it anymore.

-Allen
Click to expand...

I had a hard time getting used to a mouse with the Mac. Then I decided to use my Razer Diamondback mouse with the Mac and it's been a great experience since. The Razer has pinpoint accuracy and works great under OSX.
 
Could very well be an adjustment problem, but I work both on PC and OsX now, so it's very obvious going back and forth.
 
akm3 said:
This is common for people switching to Mac. I had the same problem.

The issue is that in Windows, the mouse cursor moves at a constant speed, but a Mac gets more precise (i.e. slower) the slower you move the mouse, and it accelerates the pace the faster you move the mouse.

What it came down to was just getting used to it. Your muscle memory will compensate after a couple weeks and you won't even notice it anymore.

-Allen
Click to expand...

Almost, but not quite. Windows XP comes with "enhance pointer precision" turned on by default (found in mouse preferences), which is a special acceleration curve. OS X also has an acceleration curve, but its slightly more pronounced so that slow movements feel slower and fast movements feel faster, at least compared to windows.

I honestly prefer the Windows feel compared to OSX. Many switchers also have this problem, which is probably what you are experiencing. I don't think switching mice magically changes the acceleration curve, unless you've installed some 3rd party mouse drivers under OSX.
 
CubeHacker said:
Almost, but not quite. Windows XP comes with "enhance pointer precision" turned on by default (found in mouse preferences), which is a special acceleration curve. OS X also has an acceleration curve, but its slightly more pronounced so that slow movements feel slower and fast movements feel faster, at least compared to windows.

I honestly prefer the Windows feel compared to OSX. Many switchers also have this problem, which is probably what you are experiencing. I don't think switching mice magically changes the acceleration curve, unless you've installed some 3rd party mouse drivers under OSX.
Click to expand...

Thank you for correcting me, I didn't understand all the nuances.

So let me restate this, the acceleration curve for windows is less aggressive than the OS X one, so it moves more consistently.

I'm not sure I prefer one or the other, it just took me awhile to get used to it. Now I have muscle memory for both types and can comfortably use either without thinking about it.
 
using a mouse in photoshop is like a dentist using a ball peen hammer. I would take a very serious look at the wacom line of tablets. The pressure sensitive pen will change the way you look at photoshop.

Good luck
 
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