How a Shortcut Controller Can Save Time for Artists

As an artist, your time is precious, and the last thing you want is to be bogged down by repetitive tasks and unnecessary steps. To speed up your process, shortcut controllers come in handy, enabling time-saving capabilities and empowering artists to channel their focus more toward creative expression.

In this article, we will explore how shortcut controllers efficiently save an artist's and provides helpful advice for budding artists looking to learn more about this topic.

Boost Art with Shortcut Controllers [Video Guide]

Click on the video below to see how to assist your digital drawing process with a remote shortcut controller:

Why Efficiency Matters in Your Artistic Journey

Efficiency matters greatly in an artist's journey, especially when they're juggling regular jobs with their creative passion. The daily grind of alarms, office meetings, and other commitments often pushes art to the sidelines. Amid work achievements and family duties, personal artistic expression can fade away.

Rediscovering this connection calls for simplicity, echoing Leonardo da Vinci's words, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." In a world full of choices, finding peace in simplicity is key. Letting go of distractions and focusing on essential goals becomes the roadmap to success.

Artists can prioritize their creative time, create a dedicated schedule, and eliminate unnecessary things. By simplifying routines and embracing greater efficiency, the artist within can thrive, providing a vital source of rejuvenation.

The Power of Shortcut Remote Controllers

Keyboard shortcuts are vital for artists, offering quick access to buried functions and oftentimes a lifesaver in day-to-day creation. They save time and enhance creativity by reducing task complexity.

Artists often combine a keyboard with a graphics tablet for optimal workflow. The tablet handles actions like pointing and drawing, while the keyboard excels at quick changes via shortcuts.

However, this setup has its disadvantages. Hand span affects ergonomics, which is uncomfortable. Tablet buttons are not used, and desk space is wasted. The lack of customization is made worse by larger tablets.

The solution? Shortcut remote controllers. These devices offer a tailored approach to optimizing workflow and creativity:

1. Personalized Efficiency: Shortcut remotes are customizable, allowing artists to assign their most-used shortcuts to individual buttons. By streamlining processes and removing the need to search through menus, personalization helps users save time.

2. Simplicity and Focus: By focusing on essential shortcuts, these remotes keep the creative process straightforward. Artists can concentrate on their work without being weighed down by complex keyboard combinations.

3. Compact and Flexible: Shortcut remotes are compact and versatile in placement. They fit neatly on a desk and can even be handheld, adapting to an artist's workspace and style.

4. Enhanced Interaction: The tactile feel of shortcut remotes enhances user interaction. Buttons, dials, and knobs provide a natural and intuitive way to control actions like brush adjustments and canvas navigation.

5. Perfect for Larger Displays: Artists using sizable drawing tablets benefit from the remote's compact design. It saves desk space, making it easier to accommodate both the tablet and the remote while working on intricate details.

6. Versatility Beyond Art: These remotes aren't limited to art tasks. They can be programmed for media control, volume adjustment, web browsing, and even gaming, adding value across various digital activities.

7. Single Dial, Multiple Functions: Some remotes feature a single dial that can perform multiple tasks like adjusting brush sizes, zooming, and rotating the canvas which consolidates control to enhance efficiency.

Exploring Different Types of Shortcut Controllers

Remote Control Drawing Devices

Imagine having a remote control for your creative software. Shortcut remote controllers of drawing devices bring this concept to life, allowing you to navigate, zoom, and adjust settings effortlessly. These devices offer tactile control, making it feel like you're physically interacting with your art.

XPPen offers a variety of impressive shortcut remote controllers; we will provide a detailed introduction to them in the next section if you’re interested.

Express Keys: Your Personal Command Center

Think of express keys as the ultimate control hub for artists. These physical keys, integrated into the graphic tablet, are like your loyal assistants, ready to carry out your most frequent commands with a simple touch. This ingenious feature transforms your creative process into a seamless and intuitive journey, eliminating the hassle of navigating through menus to find specific tools—everything you need is now just a button press away.

Take, for example, our XPPen Artist 15.6 Pro drawing tablet, which comes equipped with 8 shortcut keys that you can fully customize, along with a dynamic red dial interface. The cutting-edge Red Dial interface is designed to seamlessly integrate with your workflow, boosting your efficiency to new heights. It fits perfectly in your hand, making it a comfortable and ergonomic addition. And guess what? You can effortlessly program it to zoom in and out of your canvas while scrolling with pinpoint precision.

Unlike its counterpart, the Artist 15.6, the Artist 15.6 Pro takes it up a notch with a remarkable 8 fully customizable shortcut keys. This abundance of options is your key to tailoring your work environment to match your unique style.

With these tools at your disposal, you'll be able to swiftly capture and express your ideas like never before. Welcome to a world where your workflow is elevated to unprecedented levels of efficiency and creativity.

Choosing the Perfect Keyboard for Graphic Design

Your keyboard is more than just a typing tool. It can be a powerful asset for graphic design. Look for compact keyboards with just a handful of programmable keys that you can customize to match your creative needs. This personalized approach can greatly enhance your efficiency and overall artistic process.

Exploring Your Shortcut Controller Options

TourBox stands out in the realm of shortcut controllers, presenting a variety of features designed specifically for photo, video, and audio editing. If you're seeking alternatives to TourBox, you'll come across options such as Xencelabs Quick Keys and Loupedeck, each offering distinct advantages.

However, if you're an artist using the XPPen graphic tablet for drawing, then you absolutely can't overlook the ACK05 wireless shortcut remote that XPPen has customized for our drawing devices:

ACK05 wireless shortcut remote

The XPPen ACK05 is an advanced wireless shortcut remote tailored for digital artists, especially those using pen tablets and displays. A successor to the AC19, it offers improved features. Retailing at USD 49.99, the ACK05 comes bundled with XPPen's Artist Pro 14 (gen 2) andDeco Pro (gen 2), enhancing their capabilities.

1. Enhanced Hotkeys Functionality: The wireless shortcut remote serves as an augmentation to pen tablets and pen displays that have either limited or no hotkeys. With its 10 customizable hotkeys and an additional central button, users can streamline their workflow by assigning frequently used commands or functions to these shortcuts.

2. Versatile Compatibility: The ACK05 is engineered to function seamlessly with XPPen's own pen tablets and displays, using the same driver used for configuring the dial. Additionally, XPPen has developed a dedicated driver solely for customizing hotkeys. This enables the remote to be employed with other brands of pen tablets and displays without any driver conflicts.

3. Streamlined Design: Weighing a mere 75g and measuring 12.8 x 7 x 1mm, the ACK05 boasts a lightweight and compact design that comfortably fits in one hand. Constructed primarily from plastic, the device exhibits a sturdy build quality.

4. User-Friendly Controls: The buttons employ a scissors switch mechanism, providing tactile feedback and efficient responsiveness. The central dial is textured with concentric circles, facilitating easy rotation and offering audible clicking feedback.

5. Seamless Switching: Users can assign up to four different sets of shortcuts to the dial, and the central button enables swift switching between these sets. A visual label appears on-screen to indicate the active shortcut set, enhancing user awareness.

6. Multiple Connection Options: The ACK05 supports Bluetooth 5.0 and wired connections. It includes a USB-A Bluetooth receiver for computers lacking Bluetooth functionality. Notably, the redesigned model omits a holder for the USB-A receiver.

7. Enhanced Driver Support: Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, the drivers enable comprehensive customization of the device's functions. This includes configuring the dial's shortcuts, allowing users to tailor the remote to their specific needs.

8. App-Specific Customization: The remote supports the creation of app-specific shortcuts, enabling users to have distinct sets of shortcuts for various applications. This proves invaluable as different software often utilize varying keyboard shortcuts.

9. Ample Shortcut Capacity: The ACK05 permits the creation of up to 36 unique shortcuts through the combination of multiple key presses and app-specific assignments.

Enhance Your Setup with Accessories

Shortcut controllers aren't the only tools that can elevate your creative environment. Ergonomic tablet stands, anti-fouling glove and cable management solutions can also contribute to a more comfortable and efficient workspace. Using these accessories and your shortcut controller can lead to a truly optimized setup.

Conclusion: Unleash Your Creative Potential

In the world of art, time is a precious commodity. By embracing the power of a shortcut controller, you're giving yourself the gift of efficiency. With more time to focus on your craft and less time navigating menus, you'll be amazed at how your artistic potential can flourish. So why wait? Explore the world of shortcut controllers today and take your creativity to new heights!