How do I fix Wacom pressure sensitivity on Ubuntu with GIMP and Krita?

[Justin_T]

I finally made the jump from Windows 11 to a fresh install of Ubuntu on my main desktop, and I’m trying to get my workflow sorted. The biggest hurdle right now is getting my Wacom tablet to work properly for graphic design; the pressure sensitivity is completely off in GIMP and Krita even after installing the drivers. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of hardware quirk after switching?

[JosephH]

My Wacom tablet gave me headaches too after moving to Ubuntu. The pressure felt completely off in both GIMP and Krita until I started tweaking the input with xsetwacom and adjusting the pressure curve. It helped a bit, not perfect, but enough to stop fighting the brush most days.

[Evelyn.M]

If you're on Wayland, give Xorg a try. Pressure can be flaky there and apps sometimes ignore it. Log out, pick a session that says Xorg, and see if Krita and GIMP respond more predictably.

[MichaelOM]

I swapped USB ports and rebooted, and still sometimes it behaves fine for a while, then goes wonky again. Maybe there’s some driver quirk or a mismatch with the current kernel, I’m not sure I caught the pattern.

[SofiaL]

Did you check at all if the device is recognized as a tablet in xsetwacom list? Might be labeled differently and forcing the right device helps.