A roundup of hardware editing tools aimed at digital artists and designers looking to reintroduce a level of ergonomic and tactile feedback.

Do something often and well enough, and eventually optimization becomes a next step obsession. Nowhere is this more true than with design and photography professionals stationed in front of screens for hours daily working in applications like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. The following hardware devices are designed to expedite and fine tune accuracy for anyone working at a professional level and who appreciates a certain degree of tactile feedback while editing, processing, illustrating, and reviewing their work.

The Loupedeck+

We called the first Loupedeck a capable “ergonomic and tactile mechanism for editing with acute accuracy”, an editing console designed to turn the mundane tasks of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® Classic CC’s digital workflow into a more satisfying feedback loop of touch and sound. Thankfully not much has changed since, mostly improvements to the hardware’s build (the addition of mechanical actuation to the keys is welcome) and the layout, with updated software fine tuned for speed and stability.  We can attest the new layout of buttons, knobs, and dials has improved, with the purpose of each button more clearly evident. The latest editing console also adds compatibility with Lightroom competitor, Aurora HDR, with support for “other leading photo editing software” p...