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Adobe Nav connects with Photoshop to show thumbnail view of the opened documents.
Do you need all these gadgets? Which gadget are the most helpful?
There’s all these gadgets and in the end of the day, it comes down to if they help or not. The most useful are my Logitech G600 mouse and G110 keyboard. The precision of a gaming mouse compared to my old laptop mouse is day and night. Not only are they more precise, they have smooth feet which makes gliding the mouse effortless. The extra buttons speed up my workflow a lot and I use them all the time. If you’re not already using a high-quality mouse, you should look into getting one. Having the extra buttons on your mouse and keyboard definitely speeds up your workflow, but you really need to force yourself to practice using them. Like learning a skill, it takes practice.
The next most useful tool for me is the iPad which I use a lot just for Adobe Nav. I no longer have to scroll through the different tabs in my Photoshop workspace to find the right document. With Adobe Nav, I get a thumbnail view of all the documents I have opened and I can just tab on the one I want to open. It can also be used as a tool selector but if you know your Photoshop hotkeys, you won’t be using it.
Finally, it comes down to the tablet, keyboard stickers, and 3D mouse. I don’t have a 3D mouse but it looks promising and I’d like to give it a try. The keyboard stickers are nice to have but and I’ve learnt a few more hotkeys that I never even knew existed. They’re not expensive and I highly recommend them because they’re a great way to learn your hotkeys. As for the tablet, I use a small Wacom Intuos5. Some people use their pen tablets all the time and some people leave it sitting to collect dust. I’m in between – using it only when necessary. Having a tablet does give you access to tools in Photoshop that you can’t use with a mouse. For example, if you have a pen tablet with tilt-sensitivity, you’ll be able to use the airbrushes in Photoshop CS6 - this is great for digital painters. But most of the time, a pen tablet is only useful if you can control it better than a mouse.
30 comments on “6 Accessories You Can Buy to Improve the Way You Use Photoshop”
A good list that still mostly stands ten years later. I am not so sure about the 3D mouse. Especially as Adobe are winding down Photoshop's 3D capabilities in favour of Substance with some help from Blender. I have owned a 3DConnexion Spacemouse Wireless for many years, but never found it much help with Photoshop. I mostly use it with SketchUp for which it is a total game changer.
Gaming mice and keyboards are excellent for Photoshop. The smooth high res movement of gaming mice is super useful for putting the cursor exactly where you want it, and the extra buttons absolutely speed up your workflow.
I am on my forth gaming keyboard and currently use the Corsair K95. Programable G-keys allow you to trigger complex actions with a single key press. Note you can still do this with a cheap keyboard by using the function keys to trigger actions. I strongly suspect that almost no one uses the function key defaults, so they are solid gold functionality just waiting to be put to better use.
I have not thought about using my iPad as a Photoshop accessory, but I'll have a look at it. I currently use three screens anyway (two 24" and a 32") so feel like I have lots of space to keep all panels open.
I also have a Razer Tartarus that lives on a shelf because I simply don't need that many programable keys. What makes that possible is that we can save different keyboard shortcuts to different custom workspaces so you can have context sensitive shortcuts and switch between workspaces with the press of a function key.
Nice tutorial! I was looking for a mouse especially photoshop mouse. The Gaming Mouse is really looking the best for it. It has a lot of features. I will buy this in a couple of months. Thank you!
Check out the programmable Logitech Craft Keyboard, which has profiles for Photoshop, and now Lightroom.
Adobe Nav has disappeared from the App store!
Adobe discontinued it a long time ago... not sure why. I really liked it and although it was simple and had connection issues, it was useful.
HOW ABOUT LOGITECH G602?
HOW ABOUT G602?
Logitech G602 is a great mouse for Photoshop too. It came out after we wrote this article. The main difference is the sensor location. If you look at the bottom of the two mouse, the G700S is near the front where your finger tips are. The G602 sensor is located in the middle where your palms are. The G602 is better for gaming precision but the G700s sensor location gives you more freedom when moving the mouse in diagonal motions. If you find yourself rotating your mouse to move it in a diagonal motion, then the G700S is better. If you don't, the G602 will work fine.
You can also try a new product called Palette (palettegear.com). It let's you program its modules and works really well with any Adobe product
This is a really inspiring collection for all, I like it, thanks for shearing!
how is the logitech g300
The plain black g700 mouse is discontinued but they still sell it on amazon.com for less than the g700s
Where can I buy the G700 mouse (not to be confused with G700s)? I like the plain black design.
Click on the link in the article it brings you right there to the G700. But I recommend G700s because it has an upgraded and better optical sensor (so long as you don't mind the looks). The G700s has 8200dpi sensor and not sure what the G700 is but it's lower. Probably not noticeable though... the G700 is already really high DPI.
Could you upload your Photoshop profile for the G600?
I suggest that you create it yourself and customize it to what you use the most and what you're comfortable with.
Which programmable mouse would you recommend for a mac user?
Now that Logitech has finally released their Logitech Gaming Software for Mac, I would recommend the Logitech G700. It is the best mouse you can get. Comfortable, smooth, and accurate. The gaming software is used to configure the keys.
I'm curious to why Adobe didn't make their iPad apps for Android. Didn't they have something against Apple because of Flash?
If I am not mistaken there is an android version.
+1 for the G700 mouse! Not sure how the G600 is but I have the G700 and I LOVE it. It's buttery smooth
^ G700 designer here too. G600 is a claw mouse so not very good for designers
Thanks for sharing your knowledge..This is great .
Great Tutorial. This has certainly helped. Keep up the good work here.
My studio everyone use wacom graphire and intuos
Thats a lot of buttons. How do you know which one your pressing?
I just memorize them. Takes a few days to get the hang of it and a few weeks for it to become second nature. Try it out.. it's the best thing you can learn :)
For the G-13 I took a tiny square of transparent tape and stuck it to the center key (G11). So now I don't even have to look down when I put my hand on the keypad. It's the same reason that your "F" and "J" keys on your keyboard have little raised areas on them. It's a way to quickly set your hand if they go astray.
You can also screenshot your setup screen and either print it out or drag it to your second monitor if you use dual monitors. The functions are listed right on the setup screen.
Photoshop Nav rocks!