Best Keyboard format for photoshop/FCP work

activate said:

Hi,

About to order an iMac for the purpose of learning and using it for video editing and photography work. Is there a preferred keyboard setup for current users of this ?

The lighter wired keyboard and mouse or the wireless keyboard and magicmouse/trackpad.

Thanks.

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Wired numeric keyboard.

I would get the trackpad over a mouse, and I would highly recommend a graphics tablet for photoshop work.

Wacom for sure. Just get a basic one. Pen and touch I think it's called. I have one. It was £60 or something. You really need one with photoshop to be honest. You can spend much more money, and I got this model to see if it was really worth it. Thinking I would upgrade. It is really worth it! I don't need to even upgrade. For my usage it's awesome.

activate said:

Hi,

About to order an iMac for the purpose of learning and using it for video editing and photography work. Is there a preferred keyboard setup for current users of this ?

The lighter wired keyboard and mouse or the wireless keyboard and magicmouse/trackpad.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Wired keyboard. and magicmouse or trackpad. You may decide to get a third party mouse anyway so it might be best to get the trackpad.

activate said:

Thanks for the tip. What do you think of this one http://buywacom.com.au/products/pen-tablets/intuos-tablets-new.html
Also, do you think a trackpad is still necessary if I get the tablet. I am assuming that it can be used for gestures as well ?

Click to expand...

Never used those, but I imagine they would be fine! Mine is the very bottom of the range I think, and it's great, so you can't go wrong. With Wacom anyway.

One thing though. The touch part of the tablet really is next to useless compared to a Macbook trackpad. I would go with an Apple track pad for sure. I haven't ever used a large stand alone one.. but it's going to be comparable or better with the one on my Macbook pro.

And you can use the two in conjunction very easily as well, it's difficult to describe what I mean, but the pen in one hand and the other using the keyboard and clicking/two finger scrolling/various gestures on the trackpad. I think, for me at least, a mouse is obsolete. With these two items.

activate said:

Thanks, that was my preference but I wasn't sure if the trackpad might have been useful in manipulating drawings/videos.

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I have a track pad and have never touched it once in Premiere. I only use my Logitech Performance MX mouse for all tasks.

another vote for

wired keyboard with numeric keys
Intuos or similar tablet pad

my personal preference for a cursor device - Kensington Trackball (full pool ball sized ball)

It is all a matter of personal tastes and ergonomics. Strangely, the Intuos is easier for me to use than the Cintiq under certain instances.