An reasonably priced entry level into edit panels

Final 12 months, Logitech leaped into the content material creator market by buying Loupedeck, which makes management surfaces for apps like Adobe Lightroom. Now, the corporate has unveiled its first Logitech-branded management panel, the MX Inventive Console, a $200 gadget that features a keypad, dialpad and plugins for well-liked Adobe apps like Premiere Professional.

Logitech is combating rivals just like the TourBox Elite controller and even its personal Loupedeck CT, however its new providing is cheaper than the latter and sleeker than the previous. The MX Inventive Console contains a fashionable design and a pair of slick management dials, together with dynamic show keys that change relying on the app and web page you’re .

I’ve examined various management panels going again to the unique Loupedeck in 2017. To me, it all the time comes down to 1 foremost factor: Is that this simpler and sooner than simply utilizing a keyboard and mouse? After over per week with the MX Inventive Console, I discovered it to be highly effective in some circumstances and too restricted in others.

{Hardware}

The console is available in both pale grey or darker graphite and takes up little or no area in your desk (3.8 x 3.1 inches for the keypad and three.6 x 3.7 inches for the dialpad). A stand that angles the keypad or dialpad about 45 levels towards you can be included. I desire it flat on the desk for pace, however the stand makes it simpler to see the controls. The keypad has 9 show keys, with the content material altering primarily based on the web page and app you’re utilizing. There are two common buttons under to alter the pages and a USB-C port on the underside.

In the meantime, the dialpad’s centerpiece is a big “contextual dial” since its operate modifications relying on the motion chosen. Plus, there’s a scroll wheel in the suitable high nook, two buttons on the highest left and two buttons on the underside in every nook. The underside proper button prompts the dialpad’s “Actions Ring,” an on-screen round show that provides you one other option to tweak issues like colours and textual content.

The keys require a light-weight contact and have a clean, clickless really feel. The wheel on the dialpad has a pleasant quantity of friction for exact work and allows you to simply transfer frame-by-frame in Premiere Professional, or shuttle shortly via a timeline. It doesn’t have any haptic suggestions, although, just like the TourBox Elite. There’s a Bluetooth pairing swap on the underside and an influence swap on the again. It will probably connect with your laptop both through LT Bluetooth or Logitech’s Bolt dongle additionally used on its mice and keyboards (not included).

Logitech says that the merchandise are made with 72 p.c post-consumer recycled plastics, low-carbon aluminum, micro textures as an alternative of paint and FSC-certified accountable packaging. Nevertheless, the dialpad makes use of AAA cells, both disposable or rechargeable. They’ll final a few months, in line with Logitech, but it surely’s an odd selection for a product meant to be environmentally pleasant.

Setup

The MX Inventive Console is plug and play for Adobe apps so you can begin twiddling the dials out of the field. It’s additionally customizable, letting you tweak settings inside apps, create customized profiles and extra. To set it up, I put in the Logi Choices+ app on my PC (and Mac, I examined it with each), then linked the keypad through USB-C. I put in the dialpad individually by connecting it to my computer systems over Bluetooth.

As soon as the gadgets are acknowledged, clicking on “All Actions” installs the Adobe plugins. It additionally has direct help for apps together with VLC media participant, Spotify Premium, Seize One and Ableton. You possibly can even use it to manage apps with out plugins like your browser for system quantity, YouTube movies, emojis, screenshots and extra. I discovered this handy only for the system quantity alone (whats up, horrible Home windows 11 audio management).

Altering the default settings is about as simple because it will get. While you open the customization web page, it exhibits the gadgets to the left (dialpad, keypad and Actions Ring), whereas all of the attainable settings are to the suitable. To vary or add a brand new setting, simply seize the one you need from the listing and drag it over to the digital keypad on the left. Keys may be rearranged on the identical web page, but it surely’s not simple to maneuver a setting from one web page to a different.

As a Premiere Professional person, the very first thing I did was create a brand new keypad web page and add buttons to change between the supply, program and timelines to keep away from a mouse click on for these actions. That was comparatively simple to do, due to the search operate and intuitive drag-and-drop interface. In case you’d slightly not futz round with customization, Logitech has a plugin market within the Logi Choices+ app. I wasn’t ready to make use of that forward of launch, but it surely’s supposed to permit customers to buy or share plugins, profiles and icon packs.

Operation

I primarily work on Lightroom Traditional and Premiere Professional whereas sometimes making use of Photoshop and After Results. All of these apps are supported natively by the MX Inventive Console on Mac and PC.

I began with Premiere Professional, testing it on each Home windows and Mac. After some pondering, I positioned the keypad to the left of the keyboard and the dialpad on the suitable between the keyboard and mouse. That labored nicely visually and let me finetune edits and do changes with my proper hand and press buttons with my left — a lot as I already do with a keyboard and mouse.

At first, I didn’t assume the console would pace up my workflow in enhancing mode since I’ve memorized most of Premiere’s keyboard shortcuts. I used to be additionally anxious that I’d be continuously leaping between the dial and the mouse. After enjoying round a bit, although, I seen that scrubbing via the timeline with the dial supplied finer and sooner management than the keyboard and mouse, particularly when utilizing the scroll wheel to scale the timeline (I’d wish to see sooner scrubbing once I’m zoomed out although, Logitech).

Constructing on that, I added the cut up operate and different click-free mouse instruments I hadn’t touched in awhile. With that, I may work almost as shortly as with a keyboard and mouse relying on the duty, regardless of my earlier fears. Although I’d be hesitant to make use of it myself for enhancing, I may see this being a great workflow for brand spanking new Premiere Professional customers because it visually exhibits actions so newbies don’t have to memorize shortcuts.

The MX Console is particularly helpful for colour correction in Premiere. With a clip chosen, you may click on the underside proper dialpad button to activate the Actions Ring, transfer your mouse to one of many actions (publicity, distinction, whites, saturation, and so forth.) and switch the dial to regulate that setting. To keep away from the mouse, you can even program main colour changes into the keypad. Then, simply maintain the button on that setting whereas turning the dial.

Then it was on to Lightroom Traditional. This app makes essentially the most sense for the console, as you’re primarily performing actions (colour correction, cropping and so forth.) on a single picture. Fast keys embrace Develop mode, White Stability Selector, Auto White Stability, Auto upright and ranking instruments. When you’ve imported photos into your library, you may leap into Develop, shuttle between photos utilizing the dial after which tweak colours utilizing the Actions Ring as with Premiere. Once more, for those who’d slightly preserve your arms on the MX Console, you may program widespread features (temperature, saturation, highlights and so forth.) into the keypad.

The MX Console additionally has keys for copying and pasting Develop settings, earlier than and after views, in addition to cropping and opening photos in Photoshop. A Lightroom energy person may add extra shortcuts to additional increase effectivity. That makes it almost as quick as the favored Loupedeck+ panel, however leaping between pages within the keypad can gradual you down a bit.

Sadly, I discovered the MX Inventive Console to be the least helpful for Photoshop. Management panels are finest for single-purpose duties like colour correction and audio changes, however Photoshop is designed for extra complicated operations. That meant I used to be endlessly taking my arms off the keypad and dialpad and placing them on the mouse and keyboard, making me much less environment friendly, if something. It may have been helpful in Photoshop’s Digicam RAW utility (which has Lightroom-like controls), however Logitech stated that device has no API and doesn’t help plugins.

Wrap-up

The MX Inventive Console’s foremost competitors is the $268 TourBox Elite, which has three dials and ten buttons. Designed to work in live performance along with your keyboard and mouse, it’s highly effective for knowledgeable editors, however seems to be a bit low cost. Against this, Logitech’s MX Inventive Console is extra polished, and the visible interface its keypad offers makes it higher for novices. It’s additionally price noting that Elgato’s equally priced Stream Deck+ lately added an Adobe Photoshop plugin, regardless of primarily being designed for stay streaming. It guarantees quick access to Photoshop instruments and changes through 4 dials and eight show keys.

Different choices are dearer, just like the $529 Loupedeck CT, $395 DaVinci Resolve Velocity Editor, $499 DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel and $595 Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard. These are extra highly effective and look extra skilled, however will clearly price you extra.

Logitech’s MX Inventive Console is a high quality gadget with a good quantity of utility for apps like Premiere Professional and Lightroom Traditional. Its usefulness will little doubt improve as Adobe provides extra supported apps and the Logi Market grows. Nevertheless, it merely doesn’t have sufficient buttons and dials to carry out duties in lots of Adobe apps with out falling again to the keyboard and mouse. In case you do use apps the place it really works nicely, like Lightroom, it may present a lift to your productiveness and look cool doing it. It ships subsequent month for $200 and Logitech features a free three-month subscription to Adobe’s Inventive Cloud.