Loupedeck CT Photo & Video Editing Console

Having used the original Loupedeck and the + model for years, I knew the CT would be a quality product and work as expected. But the CT takes the experience to the next level!The amount of customisations is incredible. This can be a little overwhelming at first, but by making small adjustments as you work, the CT can omit the need to use your computer keyboard editing.I use the CT mostly for Lightroom, Photoshop and Devinci Resolve and it saves so much time! It can actually slow you down for the first couple of days, but as you develop muscle memory the time you save will more than pay for the CT! I'm a professional photographer/videographer with not enough hours in the day. The CT gives me back a little of that time!

Love this product!! Having purchased many 3D-printed products before, I know they tend to feel more 'homemade'... frayed edges, lots of banding, a fit that's just a little 'off'. In other words, I knew what to expect.\n\nI was wrong. This exceeds all of those things by far. It is 3D printed, yes, but the fit and finish are stellar! Snaps on firmly, but not too tight, and the addition of not just the rubber feet, but even an alcohol wipe to ensure they adhere perfectly is simply top-notch!\n\nThis is a person who not only understands how his 3D printer works and how to get the best out of it, but he also understands how customer service and attention to detail works as well. Could not recommend any higher.\n\nP.S. Do yourself a favor and order the 30-degree version. ... MoreLove this product!! Having purchased many 3D-printed products before, I know they tend to feel more 'homemade'... frayed edges, lots of banding, a fit that's just a little 'off'. In other words, I knew what to expect.\n\nI was wrong. This exceeds all of those things by far. It is 3D printed, yes, but the fit and finish are stellar! Snaps on firmly, but not too tight, and the addition of not just the rubber feet, but even an alcohol wipe to ensure they adhere perfectly is simply top-notch!\n\nThis is a person who not only understands how his 3D printer works and how to get the best out of it, but he also understands how customer service and attention to detail works as well. Could not recommend any higher.\n\nP.S. Do yourself a favor and order the 30-degree version. It's perfect!

This is a beautiful controller for pretty much the biggest creative applications on the market.Unboxing: beautiful experience. Almost Apple-like quality packaging.Build quality: feels solid and sturdy. All dials and buttons have a satisfying feel. The screen and illuminated buttons are nice and bright.Lightroom: very nice integration with the app. It is definitely the best implemented app for the CT. actually makes the workflow in Lightroom better as you are not distracted by using the sliders.Photoshop: I didn’t find any benefit using this with Photoshop. It’s helpful when zooming in and out of an image though.Final Cut Pro X: the integration is ok but there are many bugs to iron out. Sometimes the operations lag, or actions don’t happen when you expect them to ... MoreThis is a beautiful controller for pretty much the biggest creative applications on the market.Unboxing: beautiful experience. Almost Apple-like quality packaging.Build quality: feels solid and sturdy. All dials and buttons have a satisfying feel. The screen and illuminated buttons are nice and bright.Lightroom: very nice integration with the app. It is definitely the best implemented app for the CT. actually makes the workflow in Lightroom better as you are not distracted by using the sliders.Photoshop: I didn’t find any benefit using this with Photoshop. It’s helpful when zooming in and out of an image though.Final Cut Pro X: the integration is ok but there are many bugs to iron out. Sometimes the operations lag, or actions don’t happen when you expect them to happen. Audio editing is not well thought out as if you try and pull down the volume on an event you need to do it really slowly otherwise the application locks as it translates the dial movements as hundreds of clicks. The integration is definitely not right and it feels that it was a bit rushed. The good news is I am sure with software updates this will improve.Overall: really beautiful device that can help with you workflow once you learn it. At the moment more useful for Lightroom than Photoshop or Final Cut Pro but hopefully this will change.

Best Addition To My Post-Production Workflow EVER! 6 stars!

I can not understate how exceptional this product is! incredible build quality, precise control, and immaculate detail make this an absolute must have for any photographer, graphics designer, or filmmaker! I have seen the other reviews talking about sub-par build quality and I can say my experience could not be further from that - the construction is exceptional, using the highest quality materials and having no issues whatsoever. all the buttons click cleanly, and the knobs are like butter with beautiful little tactile responses on the 6 smaller control knobs, and a seamless rotation on the large knob bezel.I work primarily as a photographer and graphics designer, while doing some filmmaking work as well (with any lunk that will switch in the coming years!). I ... MoreI can not understate how exceptional this product is! incredible build quality, precise control, and immaculate detail make this an absolute must have for any photographer, graphics designer, or filmmaker! I have seen the other reviews talking about sub-par build quality and I can say my experience could not be further from that - the construction is exceptional, using the highest quality materials and having no issues whatsoever. all the buttons click cleanly, and the knobs are like butter with beautiful little tactile responses on the 6 smaller control knobs, and a seamless rotation on the large knob bezel.I work primarily as a photographer and graphics designer, while doing some filmmaking work as well (with any lunk that will switch in the coming years!). I use the CT 3-5 hours a day, every day. I would say I use it 8 hours a day, but 8 hours of work now only takes 3-5 hours because of how intuitive the tool is! Not only has my workflow sped up, but my work quality has improved: we all know the feeling when you're editing a photo and all the sudden you realize you've pulled the slider to 80% and you're thinking wait, do I really want to push it that far? But I no longer have that concern, because for the most part I don't even have the control panel open, because there is nothing I cant control right from the CT, leaving me free to focus on the image without the distraction of the numbers and sliders.I can not recommend the CT highly enough.

Bit of a Learning Curve

I ordered the Loupedeck Creative Tool after getting frustrated with being overly reliant on the mouse in Adobe Lightroom Classic. When using only a mouse/keyboard in Lightroom, I would have to click on the slider and drag left/right as necessary for the edit. Otherwise I would click into a box and enter a direct value. But with the Loupedeck, I can simply turn a knob and get fine control of the mapped sliders, which are out of the box once you install the control software.Speaking of out of the box, the Loupedeck has loads of preconfigured screens for a large number of tasks, which include photo editing, video editing, streaming, and at the operating system level. It automatically switches between the program profiles based on the active window/program. It is also ... MoreI ordered the Loupedeck Creative Tool after getting frustrated with being overly reliant on the mouse in Adobe Lightroom Classic. When using only a mouse/keyboard in Lightroom, I would have to click on the slider and drag left/right as necessary for the edit. Otherwise I would click into a box and enter a direct value. But with the Loupedeck, I can simply turn a knob and get fine control of the mapped sliders, which are out of the box once you install the control software.Speaking of out of the box, the Loupedeck has loads of preconfigured screens for a large number of tasks, which include photo editing, video editing, streaming, and at the operating system level. It automatically switches between the program profiles based on the active window/program. It is also possible to download other profiles for use with programs like Microsoft Word.My only real gripe is the learning curve seems a bit steep when wanting to add my own pages, especially to my OS profile. I would love to add a page that has my favorite programs to the basic profile, but so far, I have not figured that out. I consider myself fairly tech savvy, yet this eludes me. It is certainly not a deal breaker, but it is something to consider if you are making this purchase expecting to do heavy customization.

Honestly, it's a GAMECHANGER!!!

Honestly, in the beginning, before I bought the product (a year ago) I used too much Loupedeck Plus. I got so used to it that I kept my eyes on the screen, just as I type on the keyboard. All the buttons were saved as a location and I did the processing like a robot. I processed footage from engagements like weddings (with at least 2000 photos) in less than 24 hours by sorting and completely retouching all the shots... until one day I realized that the buttons I reprogram forget and don't use. One sunny day I decided to try Loupedeck CT and that was the moment I realized I was wasting my time with other products and hadn't bought it before! Many people write negative reviews, others complain that it is difficult for them, but I think this device is for people with ... MoreHonestly, in the beginning, before I bought the product (a year ago) I used too much Loupedeck Plus. I got so used to it that I kept my eyes on the screen, just as I type on the keyboard. All the buttons were saved as a location and I did the processing like a robot. I processed footage from engagements like weddings (with at least 2000 photos) in less than 24 hours by sorting and completely retouching all the shots... until one day I realized that the buttons I reprogram forget and don't use. One sunny day I decided to try Loupedeck CT and that was the moment I realized I was wasting my time with other products and hadn't bought it before! Many people write negative reviews, others complain that it is difficult for them, but I think this device is for people with aspirations! People who want to create their own work environment for all needs and in ONE DEVICE! I no longer need to remember what shortcuts I created, because the screens and touch buttons visualize in a way that we create ourselves. A unique feature is that you can rotate the device in any direction and change the orientation from the settings. I work mainly with Lightroom and DaVinci. I have created absolutely all the options that I use on shortcuts and I can work on the computer only with Loupdeck CT without the need for a mouse and keyboard! But here comes the only drawback :( and it is that at the moment there is no official support for Bluetooth connectivity with MacOS, otherwise, if there was maybe I would go to heaven, because I could with the greatest pleasure to work from bed! I don't want to encourage you for anything, but for me Loupedeck CT compared to everything else is like everyone driving their cars with square tires and I having round ones and explaining how much better it is! Must HAVE! All my friends bought such device after watching me, how easily I work!

Not for Capture One or Windows

I like the concept of the Loupedeck, and except for the touch screen the hardware seems to be good quality. The purple on many of the keys and icons seems to be generated by having red and blue offset from each other, which causes double images, and the touchscreen itself seems to generate odd patterns, as if two layers weren't quite connected.The integration with Lightroom seemed to work pretty well, so I was excited to try it with Capture One. That wasn't so impressive -- when it works (which isn't all that often) it's quite slow. I was going to reduce the rating to three stars for that.Then I discovered that when waking the (Windows 11) computer from sleep, the loupedeck won't reconnect. I have to unplug it and plug it in to a different physical USB ... MoreI like the concept of the Loupedeck, and except for the touch screen the hardware seems to be good quality. The purple on many of the keys and icons seems to be generated by having red and blue offset from each other, which causes double images, and the touchscreen itself seems to generate odd patterns, as if two layers weren't quite connected.The integration with Lightroom seemed to work pretty well, so I was excited to try it with Capture One. That wasn't so impressive -- when it works (which isn't all that often) it's quite slow. I was going to reduce the rating to three stars for that.Then I discovered that when waking the (Windows 11) computer from sleep, the loupedeck won't reconnect. I have to unplug it and plug it in to a different physical USB port.I'd have to say it's a great idea whose implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

Overkill if you want it to work out of box

I've been using it on and off for video editing for a couple of months and I'd say it's not worth the price if you're not willing to do a lot of customization. The presets are alright, but at this price you could also just get a keyboard cover that has shortcuts printed on it and work within most programs to make macros, or get something like a Streamdeck that will allow you to map a bunch of actions to buttons.That said, there's a deep level of customizability that's possible with it, though the software is not intuitive to use and it's not always clear at a glance what the name of an API level function means. If you're the type of person that is fine with spending a few hours setting up the device exactly how you want it, you can certainly lay it out with ... MoreI've been using it on and off for video editing for a couple of months and I'd say it's not worth the price if you're not willing to do a lot of customization. The presets are alright, but at this price you could also just get a keyboard cover that has shortcuts printed on it and work within most programs to make macros, or get something like a Streamdeck that will allow you to map a bunch of actions to buttons.That said, there's a deep level of customizability that's possible with it, though the software is not intuitive to use and it's not always clear at a glance what the name of an API level function means. If you're the type of person that is fine with spending a few hours setting up the device exactly how you want it, you can certainly lay it out with exactly the functions you use most and save yourself some time and clicks. You'd still have to recall how you laid things out for each program. The way I use it is to use the round keys for toggling between workspace layouts (eg showing/hiding effects/transitions browsers or scopes) and the square buttons for things like keyframe creation and deletion. The virtual buttons I use for shortcuts or macros. I can program things that take 2-3 keystrokes into one tap (eg Blade All in FCPX) as well as group similar tasks (editing vs initial media organization) into one screen so I don't have to remember 20 different shortcuts all over the keyboard.The wheel and the knobs make it worth it for me, as color correction becomes less mouse-reliant and I can program different screens on the jog wheel so I can switch between scrubbing at various speeds (clips vs frame by frame vs jumping by 10 frames), and playback from various points (from selection, at playhead, from start). The knobs can do something different in an edit workspace vs a color correction workspace so they can speed up jumping around a long timeline or be used as physical interfaces for sliders and wheels.I like it since it's cheaper than a lot of the proprietary hardware withjog wheels and you can use it with all of the editing programs (onlyshortcuts/keystrokes, not color wheels in Resolve though). It's a way to also make multiple programs more uniform in terms of your usage instead of having to memorize or swap out keyboard shortcut covers for 3 programs.All in not, if you're editing once in a while, probably not worth it. But if you consistently have to churn out work and have a good sense of what your work flow is and where it might improve, it might be worth a try.

Speed up your workflow!

We bought 2 of these for use with Steinberg Nuendo, and Adobe Creative Suite. The units have sped up our workflow considerably! Be prepared to spend a bit of time setting it up to your specific needs (easy to edit and import key commands with the software) and building muscle memory. Once you do that, you will find you will be working much faster than using a mouse and keyboard. The big dial is worth the money alone for editing dialogue (once we programmed it:) I can also recommend SideshowFX key commands if you want to get a set preprogrammed-very comprehensive sets.

The perfect solutions to many apps

I had been looking for a controller that would work across all the applications that I use but quickly came to the realisation that a lot of the better options are locked down to 1 or 2 applications, were ridiculously expensive for the features provided or didn't seem fit for purpose.The Loupedeck CT may look unassuming but is incredibly powerful for such a small device. Connecting and powered over a single USB C cable (USB A adapter included in the box), the controller allows complete customisation for, what I can only assume, every application you may want to use and doesn't have to be just limited to creative apps. Each button, whether hardware or touch, can be assigned to a number of different functions whether that be launching an app, running a macro, clicks ... MoreI had been looking for a controller that would work across all the applications that I use but quickly came to the realisation that a lot of the better options are locked down to 1 or 2 applications, were ridiculously expensive for the features provided or didn't seem fit for purpose.The Loupedeck CT may look unassuming but is incredibly powerful for such a small device. Connecting and powered over a single USB C cable (USB A adapter included in the box), the controller allows complete customisation for, what I can only assume, every application you may want to use and doesn't have to be just limited to creative apps. Each button, whether hardware or touch, can be assigned to a number of different functions whether that be launching an app, running a macro, clicks and keypresses and many other options.The downloadable software comes with some pre-programmed applications and relevant shortcuts, however there is an ever growing library of profiles that can be downloaded directly through the marketplace. If you should find that an app you use does not have a profile included you are easily able to set up your own profile.What I have found to be most useful is when adjusting an applications setting that requires a little more finesse than a mouse and keyboard combo can provide such as colour correction.