What I meant is that the midi controller would only be used for darktable because I have no other use for it, but seeing as I spend so much time editing photos, perhaps it’s a worthwhile investment. Thanks for giving me food for thought.
Look at loupedeck plus. Im thinking on getting one
I have a Wacom Intuos S (small pad) and while I like it for photo work such as cloning, masking, etc. with this particular tablet at least there’s no way (I’m aware of) to emulate the mouse wheel. So that cuts into its usability with darktable. I still have to reach for the mouse quite a bit. I’ve never tried it in my lap but I can’t imagine it would be comfortable. My wrist would probably hurt before long due to the contorted angle. As others have mentioned a MIDI controller might be a better option for darktable.
GIMP / Krita / PS / Affinity Photo…? That might be a different story. I use my tablet quite a lot with Affinity Photo (and some with ART).
Yeah I looked at that one but it’s nearly CAD$400. I’d like to try it first before shelling out that much. I believe there’s a more budget alternative from Behringer, but it seems to be out of stock.
Thanks.
The Pro version has a scroll wheel, but there’s still the problem with sliders. I’m not a heavy user of masks and cloning, so it doesn’t look like the best option for me. I use Affinity from time to time but try to avoid it as much as possible.
There are a large number of cheap-ish macropads on AliExpress. Some of which are QMK/VIA boards, so fully customisable.
I’m thinking of getting this one:
It’s fully supported by QMK:
Make your own key legends with these keys:
Note that many claim to be VIA compatible, but that doesn’t automatically mean full support:
This looks really neat. But no official QMK support, so only for the adventurous, I suspect:
1 Like
I love some of those descriptions. Nothing like purchasing with confidence!
“Support Marco software: QMK / VIA
Defult Switches :…”
Not a tablet, but I have found that a good trackball (I have the MX Ergo by Logitech) has made a huge difference for me. I had more wrist/RSI symptoms than neck and shoulder, however. Your mileage may vary.
I tried a trackball but wasn’t a huge fan. I found it harder to be precise.
I’ve also seen a few keyboards with dials on these days. I wonder if any of those can be programmed to work with DT’s sliders.
The MX Ergo comes with a precision mode - a thumb button and status LED right next to the ball. Works pretty well in my experience. Precision mode disables cursor acceleration.
I’ve been using the UGEE drawing tablet, the S1060W and U1200 both work very well and are compatible
Thanks. The S1060W seems to be more like a traditional Wacom pad, whereas the U1200 has a screen, so is it more like working on a tablet? Which one do you use mainly? Can you tell me what they are good at and what is more difficult? What would you say the main strengths are? Do you need to switch back and forth between keyboard and drawing pad?
Before looking at a Wacom, try a narrow keyboard. Most shoulder problems come from having to reach far beyond that cursor- and numpad block.
A classic TKL (TenKeyLess) might be a good start, but using an even more compressed layout is much better. My daily driver is an el cheapo Ajazz AK33 mechanical keyboard with 82 keys - full F-key row, which is very important to me.
Using the Wacom is still nice, although darktable is not really an app that was made for it. Lot’s of controls and their landing spaces are too small or cramped, making the pen interaction fiddly.
If you are trying to use masks with a wacom/pen/tablet, if possible please try out #14157 and provide comments. Without user demand something like this will not get merged.
I am also thinking about more ergonomic ways when using dt. Does any of you considered game controllers in the past? Are they using the midi protocol, too?
there is game controller support in imgui/vkdt (not sure xpano uses it). in my experience it’s great to browse through collections and do very minor adjustments (exposure, maybe crop). the big plus is that you can sit on the sofa without a table to put keyboard/mouse on top. i’d usually go back to mouse/keyboard for more accurate edits (or maybe wacom/pentablet to draw masks).
1 Like
I have had RSI issues myself
Whatever gadget I used was in the same slightly disfunctional way so all became problematic
Good physio, egoscue method, feldenkrais method , structural yoga therapy and alexander technique have all helped so I hope you don’t mind me passing this on
Still issues but my drawing skills, pool game and overall health have improved as a result
I use an old wacom with Mypaint and Gimp, minimum grip strength to hold the pen helps me
Thanks for your feedback, I think I will give it (and also vkldt) a try.
I bought a tenkeyless keyboard a year ago because I came to the same conclusion about reaching too far. I also got a vertical mouse. Both have helped, but of course they are not a full cure. I also considered the Contour Rollermouse because not having to move your hands away from the keyboard position seems like the best solution in general. But reviews of it are mixed and it’s really pricey for what it is.
Frequent breaks, lots of stretching and getting in plenty of physical exercise seems to be the best strategy. But finding time for everything is not easy!
darktable fully supports game controllers via SDL2. Buttons and joystick moves (up/down, left/right and diagonally) can be assigned to any action or slider.
https://darktable-org.github.io/dtdocs/en/preferences-settings/shortcuts/
1 Like