New Trackpad and BTT - perfect match

[aevan]

I love the new trackpad on the new MBP 15. The size is great on its own, but combined with BetterTouchTool it becomes an amazing tool for me. I use Photoshop and with BTT I have the Trackpad set up to:

Undo with 2 finger taps (just like Procreate on my iPad!)
Resize the brush by tapping on corners or tapping with 3 and 4 fingers
Change views by tapping with 5 fingers
Reset view by tapping on the bottom of the screen
Activate tools by 2 finger force-clicking

All that in addition to zooming, rotating and panning with standard gestures. It practically replaces all the express keys on my Wacom Intuos.

Of course, all of this was possible on previous trackpads as well, but the size allows for even better gestures and more precision while working. And it's great that these gestures are set to work in Photoshop only, so they don't interfere with other apps (you can set gestures for each app individually)


I don't have issues with palm rejection, I don't understand how some people say they are constantly having problems and that the trackpad is too large. The size of it is a significant boost to my productivity. The more I use the new MBP, the more I find these kinds of boosts. I don't want to get into that whole "is it for pros or not" argument again, but I keep finding very practical new ways to use my MBP for work. And these are exactly the things I keep mentioning here - I would take a laptop with a great trackpad over a laptop with a gaming GPU any day.


I am in no way affiliated with BTT, but I really think it may be useful to a lot of people. I suggest you give it a try. It's easy to configure and it's really worth it.

 

[Carilyn]

Totally going to try BTT. I'll be getting my new MBP tomorrow and haven't owned a laptop since 2007 so I look forward to using photoshop on it and making it work for my uses. I really really wish the Apple Pencil worked on that huge trackpad. As a Wacom user I wait eagerly for that day.

 

[aevan]

Totally going to try BTT. I'll be getting my new MBP tomorrow and haven't owned a laptop since 2007 so I look forward to using photoshop on it and making it work for my uses. I really really wish the Apple Pencil worked on that huge trackpad. As a Wacom user I wait eagerly for that day.

I know what you mean. I still use the Pencil a lot, especially now that Procreate can open PSD files - actually, switching back and forth between Photoshop on Mac and Procreate on iPad is real easy with universal clipboard and Airdrop - and Astropad works really nice too. However, it is an expensive solution to have to buy the entire iPad Pro for that. Then again, compared to Cintiq prices - not that much.

Still, I'd love to use the Pencil on that trackpad. However, the problem here is that the Pencil tech doesn't detect it unless it's touching the screen. This is fine when drawing on screen, but Intuos-like tablets require the hover cursor mode that Pencil doesn't currently support. Also, a lot of Pencil tech is actually on the iPad itself. I'm guessing Apple would have to make a new type of trackpad and a new Pencil for it to work. Someday, maybe

 

[Carilyn]

I'm secretly hoping the big new trackpad has the tech and they have the Apple Pencil two in the works to make them a happy union. I swear Apple would make me the happiest girl ever if that's the case. I also have the iPad Pro 12.9 and Pencil but just couldn't get totally used to using it with photoshop on Astro pad. I also returned a Cintiq for the same reason. Hard to change old habits and after 10 years with my Wacom I'm just too comfortable. Hoping to force myself to edit on the new MBP. I've picked up a small Wacom with wireless option for the purpose because old habits die hard. Lol

 

[aevan]

I'm secretly hoping the big new trackpad has the tech and they have the Apple Pencil two in the works to make them a happy union. I swear Apple would make me the happiest girl ever if that's the case. I also have the iPad Pro 12.9 and Pencil but just couldn't get totally used to using it with photoshop on Astro pad. I also returned a Cintiq for the same reason. Hard to change old habits and after 10 years with my Wacom I'm just too comfortable. Hoping to force myself to edit on the new MBP. I've picked up a small Wacom with wireless option for the purpose because old habits die hard. Lol

I know! I also use a Wireless Intuos with my MBP, and use the iPad for certain things. Still, I would love to use the Pencil for some quick edits on the trackpad. Who knows - we'll have to wait and see.