Using the Loupedeck CT to Speed Up My Adobe Illustrator Workflow

[@thebradcolbow]

This video is sponsored by Loupedeck. You can learn more about the product here: Loupedeck CT on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0837LKGL6 Learn more about Loupedeck CT: loupedeck.com/en/products/loupedeck-ct?skip=true

[@johnamazing669]

Your link to your gear is not working.

[@dillonwright13]

Could this thing work with any Affinity apps?

[@chucklee6858]

it was nice until i seen the price 😂 way to much in my opinion

[@mohamedmoh8849]

guys is this working on tab s6 lite😭

[@misaelmm]

Can we use this in software like catia or nx?

[@corwin32]

“Yo! It’s DJ Brad! Let’s make some NOISE in this house!” It just looks like a mix desk

[@juanitopantuflapantufla2605]

Lul

[@pixelrancher]

Well, it DOES work with Ableton Live ... just sayin’

[@sanakris22]

Brings out gloves and dances

[@erikrfrechette]

I love the idea of this device. It looks fantastic and seems genuinely useful, but it is a pro device, no question. Hard to justify the expense as a hobbyist, but I'm glad to know this exists. I have to admit, when painting and drawing in Painter or Clip Studio, the only shortcut keys I regularly remember to use are undo and zoom!

[@darrelltroth713]

look into Touch Portal. It's an app that lets you make programmable shortcuts on a tablet that does similar to this.

[@Kayseurounet]

If you need a much cheaper alternative, you can look into the XP-Pen Shortcut remote, I bought it like a year and half ago and I use it all the time.

[@fablewalls]

@@Kayseurounet - I'm going to guess that only works with XP-Pen screens?

[@Kayseurounet]

@@fablewalls oh no not at all, I use a cintiq. It just emulates keyboard keys.

[@youshimimi]

I work full time as a graphic artist using Illustrator. Let me tell you, this device is useless. It can't do anything a keyboard can't and keyboard can do a million more shortcuts than this. Look at how slow he is panning the canvas! On a keyboard you just press space and move wherever, total control. he is trying to make it look good, but a small $10 wireless keyboard will outmatch it in every way.

[@StarlightAkari]

I do something similar; I bought a Razer Tartarus for 1/6 of the price, and I love it haha

[@mojojojo6525]

I was thinking of trying that

[@vvvorobev]

pfffff. i'm use genius numepad i310.

[@Ash-rn4go]

Bought the Tartarus for gaming, use it for art. Pretty good investment

[@brandonborst6550]

I just bought one literally 2 days ago. Great investment

[@pinoyastronaut]

I have the Tartarus too for drawing!

[@TerminalJack505]

I use the same workflow as you do, Brad. (I learned it from you in one of your other videos, so thanks for that!) I use the shape builder tool to delete the line ends, though. Select all of the (expanded) lines, activate the shape builder tool and hold down alt to put the tool in delete mode and you can then swipe through all of the line ends that you want to delete. This is quicker than selecting each and hitting delete.

[@weevamp954]

I have never seen this type of content from him and I gotta say I am not disappointed

[@hiredgunsg6178]

Hmm, I looked this up on Amazon and it's 549.00 USD. I think I'll stick with my Logitech G13. It works perfectly and I have it set up to do the same things. Now, I know that the G13 isn't being produced anymore but there is a lot of hand keyboards that will do exactly the same things for a fraction of the cost. Great video though! Thanks for sharing!

[@lunaenoctua5733]

question; It works as an express key, it has a dial to, for example, enlarge or shrink brushes. Have you used a mouse gamer as an express key?

[@Kogami]

Would love to see Brad reviewing more tools like this such as Clip Studio Tabmate or Tourbox

[@zakariacheriet5360]

For those who want something similar without buying anything. Autohotkey is a key remapping language .It remaps your keyboard to your liking. U can do same thing and more with autohotkey. For example: gestures. With the help of actions feature in illustrator + gestures and key remapping, u can go very advanced at customizing your workflow :)

[@ershadalam6039]

Great video Brad. Learned quite a lot. Would love more of these kinds of videos.

[@rencosbjd]

Brad is a really talented explainer-er ! Always engaging to listen to no matter the subject 👍

[@ShawnRCL]

THIS WAS SO INFORMATIVE! Great presentation!

[@ishybeats]

Yo brad, They made a great choice sponsoring you. I enjoyed seeing your process, kinda taught me a lot thanks! and i might buy one of these.

[@ronitrajput3934]

Your process is so dope, i gonna integrate this in my process.

[@jcookie9448]

I would be sold if the middle wheel could be used as a joystick as well for coordinating through 3D environments (and 2D spaces)

[@TYNEPUNK]

good idea, im writing the unity plugin, any furtherideas would be welcome

[@fablewalls]

Loving seeing Brad using illustrator for comic book work - I've now got Affinity Designer but I still use illustrator for comic artwork.

[@annej7299]

Wow I’m just amazed at the amazing tools AI has tbh, I started to learn in Affinity Designer but this live paint and blob brush are mind blowing (I don’t think Designer has an equivalent yet?). Nice video, Brad, as always.

[@AlvaroDiazCastro]

wow amazing gadget, it's really a clever way to speedup the workflow. Will add this to my wishlist - thanks!

[@priyanshu1667]

This would be game changing in making animations

[@thefriendlyaspie7984]

it would be neat to see you doing more art videos

[@TheKevphil]

Perhaps a point of interest: The makers of *Clip Studio Paint* make a dedicated piece of hardware called the TabMate (why, I don't know: their naming conventions always suffer going from Japanese to English, or to what they _think_ is cool-sounding English), but it does something similar to Loupedeck CT, albeit in a much more limited and program-specific way.

[@lycrisMUSICVEVO]

me looks at the thumbnail, that looks useful , me looks at the price at the beginning of the video, nop , my 5 bucks keyboard is enough

[@smurfclaven4724]

*Music Starts* Me: Oof Ah! Oof Ah! My mum: Ummmmmmm....

[@infinitivez]

Is it wrong of me to think you two are in a garage band?!?

[@smurfclaven4724]

haha, my mum just walked in when I started to do that hehe

[@BenkArtist]

Is there anything like this (or simpler but same idea) that works with iPadOS? Also thanks Brad, great to see that process.

[@yoRRnl]

Very interesting line and color technnique Brad. I am going to try this out for myself. I am doing vector illustrations now for 10 years. An issue that is boiling up for me is that the outcome is kinda destructive. If you need to change the angel of the arm for example, it will be a problem and you need to do that part over. With a more controlled shape you can reshape whenever you want, a change is done under a minute. Dont you face those problems on the way here and there?

[@PutineluAlin]

It's more of a midi device than a useful shortcut assistant, at the end of the day you want durability if you keep using a device in your workflow. Best tool is the Logitech mmo mouse with multiple macros on the side of the mouse to keep things fast and productive. I would say to go back to the drawing board and make a device more than a macro keyboard with profiles cause the competition is stiff lots of gaming keyboards already have those features and the lack of innovation does not justify the big price point.

[@noisydoll168]

I really dug that Live Paint -> Expand to get the line work to be trimmable after you applied the stroke. Can I ask how did you make the double tapered shape in the first place that became the art brush? To me it looked like that was actually fading at both ends and it was really cool.

[@adapptivtech]

Thanks great video! Wold love these CT profiles! So busy.... ;)

[@Figuremakr]

Looks cool Brad, thanks. I currently use the Delux T11 Keypad, however it is more limited and the scroll wheel on it is almost useless because the software support is non-existent. I do wonder how good the software support for the Loupedeck will be on Win, Mac in the future. Would be neat to see support for Linux, Chrome, and iOS.

[@mak..4401]

Review clip studio vs procreate please

[@nunyadamn-buiiness4963]

I have your affinity designer course. You didn’t show us that trick with trimming your inking lines. Please go over that in the future.

[@joynigam4151]

Great device and very creative approach, but too expensive. Like, I wouldn't love to spend $500 on something that only replaces my keyboard that's just $50! BRUH. But no hate for Brad anyways, I love his stuff.

[@libbyrust]

Yeah, there's a tutorial on Instructables or WikiHow that shows how to use KeyTweak and an $8 key pad and some printed off stickers to do the same thing. If you want wireless or Bluetooth, the price jumps to $15 - $30 or so.

[@cresshead]

i'd go for streamdeck it's waay cheaper and has actual buttons and oled screens per button you can design yourself.

[@darrelltroth713]

TouchPortal is under $20, runs on a tablet, and is programmable. There are lots of shortcuts already out there, and their Discord channel is super active.

[@joynigam4151]

@@darrelltroth713 if it works on iPad pro, I'm gonna have a look at it soon!

[@darrelltroth713]

@@joynigam4151 it does, and there is even a limited free version

[@crystanubis]

I'm actually surprised by the price point. I do CAD work, so I've seen more than my fair share of "shortcut remotes" or whatever you want to call them, and I can definitely see the value in this. Most devices in this range don't have that top touchscreen or anything like that. I don't think I'll get one, but credit where credit is due, I'll be keeping an eye on this company.

[@ador.anomie82]

I use the razer macro key pad. It works great.

[@zycane]

wait, it's 500+ bucks for this thing? It looks neat with all those lights, functions, and all... But I won't be looking at that thing, while working, if it is working as it should. Seems like a Razer Nostromo/Tartarus/Orbweaver is the better choice. Or the Tabmate, which however is exclusive to CSP pro/EX. I would want one hand to be able to reach all buttons without having to move around much, or better yet, hold it in my hand and sit comfortably, (Tabmate CSP). Overall, seems like anything else is better, for drawing, where you don't want your time to be spent on confirming whether you are about to press the right button, as it looks like many of the buttons doesn't look like they got tactile difference in their respective groupings. It's a stream deck thing, which I can't see for anything but a Secondary tool, rather than the primary tool. Looks like a fancy extra gadget, for controlling things you don't press often, or while setting something up, not for use while engrossed in your work.

[@88Nikoli]

XP-Pen Shortcut Remote (AC-19 I think ) is better than the proprietary Tab Mate as I can be used for any program and it's very cheap only $50 Aud ( about $35 USD ) is what I paid for mine !

[@zycane]

@@88Nikoli Interesting, never knew this thing existed, looks like the Wacom one. But has fewer buttons and probably not has comfy to hold, compared to the tabmate. If you use anything else than CSP pro/EX, I can see using that one instead, if you use csp primarily however, it's pretty straight forward though, tabmate.

[@TYNEPUNK]

how long did it take you to fully integrate and use the loupedeck this well, and do you still use it on a daily basis?

[@mackenziechild]

Woah this is super cool. I need one!

[@thebradcolbow]

They asked me to try it with illustration but where it really shines is video editing.

[@mackenziechild]

Brad Colbow oh I bet! I’d love to try it.

[@bouseuxlatache4140]

Really like the device. Have the impression it eases the Workflow. Find it more intuitive to have one hand clicking and the other drawing.

[@tjduprey]

Need more of these reviews. With my limited deskspace, using my 22 inch monitor with a full keyboard ia just not working.

[@12463trf]

I thought this was awesome, something I may want to pick up since my huoin gt 156v2's scroll bar is failing...... Till I saw the price! Wowsers!

[@BusinesstricksRu]

is it work with procreate or IPad?

[@SketchySpriggan]

I honestly don't know this thing exist. It will be very useful for animating since I really rely on shortcuts. If they improve the tech and I have enough money I would buy this for my work. Thanks for the review Brad.

[@christiancordes4443]

Well its a beast of a price. I got the remote control and i dont see why 500bugs are justifiable when you can buy a remote for 100 or use the shortcuts onboard.

[@Kayseurounet]

If you guys want to check out a much cheaper alternative that I've been using for over a year and half, there's the XP-Pen Shortcut remote. It does a great job at combining shortcut keys and a rotary device for brushsize or zoom or whatever you want, and has a switch back&forth button in the middle to alternate between brush&eraser for example. This device seems nice, but $500 for that? Eh... I'm not so sure. $200 maybe. It even seems to lag quite a big with the hand tool, just pressing a key to switch to hand and sliding with your brush is much faster.

[@eljuli1003]

sorry my ignorance but, how did you connect the wacom one in the macbook pro? I have an IMac 5k and I want to buy a wacom cintiq pro but it only comes with HDMI cables and the Imac does not have A hdmi port. I know you are using a converter but what brand is it? Does it work fluidly? Thanks.

[@manishshrestha3033]

Kind of asking it again. Please review concept d3 ezel too

[@Delstrom2]

Or the d7 ezel. Different specs, same screen and pen.

[@fablewalls]

He can't review what hasn't been released yet - same with the D7 Ezel. For me - the D3 Ezel will have the same pen issues as Surface products.

[@Delstrom2]

@@fablewalls you might actually be pleasantly surprised. The Conceptd ezel laptops use a Wacom EMR pen instead of Microsoft's Ntrig technology, so it'll be more like using an s pen instead of using a surface, which is a good thing! Sure, it hasn't been released quite yet, but we're only a month or two away if I remember correctly (which I might not). Hopefully it isn't too early to ask.

[@fablewalls]

@@Delstrom2 - the D7 and D9 definitely use Wacom EMR but the D3 which the original question raised uses AES. www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-offers-the-new-ConceptD-3-in-Ezel-and-Notebook-form-factors-with-Intel-10th-gen-Comet-Lake-H-and-NVIDIA-Quadro-T1000-options-alongside-the-ConceptD-100-desktop.477221.0.html

[@Delstrom2]

Huh, odd. I wonder why they did that. Well, guess you learn something every day.

[@kingcayden9362]

1:12 homie can really animate anything he wants and he does this

[@drzigzag8985]

Are you limited to Adobe products on the 💻 Mac Can I use all the programs like affinitydesigner, affinityphoto, Affinitypublisher, & blender . ..

[@Kiyotaka-A20]

Brad i love your videos

[@ilikeunicorns9559]

Hey Brad are you going to review the Huion kamvas 22 series soon?

[@Oxes]

Hi Brad I am looking for something like this but digitalized for desktop, like a floating keypad that works with any drawing program, ive seen it somewhere but I can't remember for the life of me where..sigh. something like a quick menu of sorts

[@heberdua]

That was so cool!

[@Karthik-jz4nr]

I think the next video will be on the Huion Kamvas Pro 24

[@crudorsey]

A year later, are you still using the Loupedeck in your day-to-day workflow?

[@yumxi8632]

You should review the Huawei Matepad Pro. It's getting pretty popular, might even become your fravoite android tablet

[@tfckenjaboy7550]

Is it more worth to buy a drawin pen or a drawing tablet?

[@scribblingjoe]

That price though!😧

[@Shagunmakeup]

Thanks for giving me this 😊

[@lego_minifig]

Personally I don’t think the software is there yet. I think my streamdeck XL is leagues better (I think it’s cheaper too) just since the software is so much more flexible. The only reason you’d get the loopedeck is for the knobs, but all those functions can be easily accomplished with macros. This also doesn’t have the functions to open any folder on your PC quickly or the ability to use this as a website bookmark tool to quickly bring up resources. I’m a tech power user so this just doesn’t meet my needs in its current state. Most of the keys you can’t even reprogram. I hope they improve the software because the hardware is dope.

[@pinoyastronaut]

Brad you need to a class of your painting workflow on skillshare!

[@jeggzzzz]

Been looking for something like this. i'm a lefty, so a lot of the gaming keypads don't work, the Clip Studio Tabmate is exclusive, and the tiny/huge options are too polar. This looks like enough..when it goes on sale, though. :D Thanks, Brad!

[@brodriguez11000]

Gamepads are usually made for lefties, especially with WASD being on the left ( www.howtogeek.com/336754/pc-gamers-give-left-handed-gamepads-a-try/ )

[@jeggzzzz]

@@brodriguez11000 Lol I meant I hold my pen with my left. so I'd need a right handed gamepad.

[@jeggzzzz]

@@brodriguez11000 also, I do have an Obweaver, so speaking from experience that it's not what I'm looking for, sadly. T. T

[@NanaLaEnana]

I’ve seen other youtubers check this and it didn’t get positive reviews and showing the reasons why; at best it isn’t worth its price tag, at worst it’s just a clunky piece of junk that does not work as advertized or falls short of expectations. I see you were sponsored by the brand; it was smart not to give a review strictly speaking, but I hope you don’t go down the way of endorsing sub-par products because they gave you the money to do it. Many of your followers wouldn’t think twice about buying the stuff you show here because they trust you.

[@PrincessAww]

If you're considering this product make sure to check out another review. The software that controls this device is pretty bad, and there are lots of downsides. LTT did a more fair assessment. Search youtube for "LTT loopdeck"

[@weaksauce2254]

I use something similar with the playstation navigation controller, xpadder, & toolbar creator

[@Shagunmakeup]

It's amazing to use

[@Echo-Of-Noise]

Could you check out Superbrush? Is an app that came out recentry for pairing up an android tablet/smartphone with a windows computer, that lets you use an active pen with pressure sensitivity and such. Its basically astropad for android/windows. The developer seems to be giving review copies on his website also, if you would like to check it.

[@theforgedone]

That looks awesome!... but that price. Wow! Honestly, I was sticker shocked.

[@manuelriossanchez435]

What drawing tablets would you guys recommend?

[@benjamina6915]

That's a hefty price for a device that doesn't work with the Ipad Pro 😃 and only officially supports a handful of software. I've been using something that's a fraction of the cost, the XP-Pen AC19, www.xp-pen.com/product/81.html okay, it's not as fancy but gets the job done. Though unfortunately only on Mac and PC.

[@GGlovescj]

I wish I could use something like this for my iPad ...

[@LaLiLuLeLoX]

Naaaaaahhhh, Im satisfied with my Tourbox!!

[@jamesdimanarig908]

nifty! thanks for the vid

[@johnaart]

Can this work with iPad Pro,, Dats all i wanna know

[@noh8522]

no. it needs a driver.

[@WarWickk]

Mr Colbow u should do more speedpaints

[@blmvs119]

can this be use in procreate?

[@ellywhite4861]

Holy Moly, that price ^^" I use a shuttle pro v2 (which has the knob and buttons) that was 60€ and a cherry mini keyboard (customizable buttons) that was 30€. You can print out little stickers for your custom buttons, the shuttle pro has little plastic covers on the buttons to put them in. The shuttle also can be programmed to have a different button setup for different programs, it's a professional tool for visual and audio artists. There is no reason for this to be almost $600 O_o Edit: oh no, almost forgot my tabmate. It was 40€ and for clip studio paint exclusively, but it is pretty cool. So even with these 3 devices I'm not close to even half of the price of this monstrosity o_o

[@nandhiasungika2468]

Can you use it on clip studio paint? 🤔

[@thebradcolbow]

Join the conversion on Discord discord.gg/wdCu78C

[@maiveau]

I think once I "make it" into the industry it will be worth investing in this workflow device,

[@hansgluck5228]

10:13 Min. What a scroll speed -.-

[@ReasonablySkeptic]

I love it, ill defiantly look into adding this $80 item to my work flow. **Goes to amazon** $550 DOLLARS YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND!

[@finnsuratt8420]

Please review the lenovo flex 5 with the ryzen 5 and 16 gb of ram for $600

[@fainburg6901]

Hey Brad, can you make a video about the best animation app for Android?

[@sloppynyuszi]

It’s RoughAnimator and he doesn’t like it. TVpaint is best, but you need the $1500 desktop app to have your tvpp files exported as other files like a png sequence or mov files etc. Basically just use RoughAnimator. It’s frame by frame drawing style, but it’s 👍

[@infinitivez]

Mmm, I like this idea, but for 550, that's a bit too much for a mini color LCD / Macro keyboard Wish you would have spent some time in the software, showing us details of setup for apps outside of adobe especially. Like, is the text on those keys definable? Is it a set drop down of pre-defined words? Is it functions and words tied together, to where you can't really set some things on some programs (Like my tablet software does, limiting fire alpaca & inkscape capabilities?)

[@infinitivez]

and also, hows the setup on a full rig setup, where you aren't plugged directly to your wacom, but your laptop or usb hub?

[@shinomiya89]

That thing is cool and very helpful, but I would change the design, by making it more intuitive.

[@techies_gaming8091]

does it compatible with other software like blender ?

[@idostuff537]

Can you talk about animation in android and ipadOS?

[@rebeccarowlandson7126]

Can you use this with huion 24 pro 4k?

[@toushiri9476]

Does it works with the procreate!?

[@EuMestre]

How many keyboards can I buy?..

[@hanpratama9603]

Great!

[@moonsvc]

Me: this looks pretty goo... Me after looking for price: nevermind

[@konaDRAW]

It looks cool. It def seems like it has some value for most artist (and gamers, since it's basically a macro tool). But nearly 600$ for a desk accessory is really not worth it. With that money, you could just buy a display tablet with express keys... This could only be useful for the 1% who have the 2000-3000$ wacom tablets... not so much for the average joe/georgette.

[@DaveBarrack]

The real question is, does the $550 device let you do anything you can't, or work more efficiently than you can with just a keyboard? The answer is no, obviously, because you're just mapping all the things the program can already to to knobs and buttons. Yeah, the dial to change opacity or line width looks cool, but you can do the same thing by hitting CTRL+[ or ] (I don't know what the actual shortcut is, but you get my point) So the REAL real question is, do you have $550 to spare to buy a cool looking thing that you're going to set next to your keyboard because you like having a thing with shiny, candy-like buttons all over it. I have to admit, I'm tempted.

[@TomTowles]

I always liked the idea of this newer version of the Loupdeck, but balked at the price. It is so much more expensive than V1. I've also wondered why recently they have been carpet bombing Instagram with ads for the older version and nothing about this one. I figured they gave up. But I guess they are marketing it again.

[@KatHarpy]

and they just GAVE this to you???? sponsorships blow me away how do i jump on this deal

[@JZT97]

when's the kamvas pro 24 review?

[@BakkarGraphics]

it looks like a DJ

[@MegaGengar-lo1ls]

Helpful

[@dimitris_official]

does it work with affinity programs

[@thebradcolbow]

Yes, but there are no presets but you can manually make a profile for it. You can set it up to work with anything program that has keybaord shortcuts.