App

Acorn from a game controller

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreThe Acorn layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.

On a Mac: Acorn reads keys from this layout like a keyboard. Its brush, eraser and bracket keys follow the same letters as Photoshop.

Yes, Acorn works from a game controller on a Mac with the paint layout, because its brush, eraser and bracket keys follow Photoshop's letters. Brush and eraser, undo and redo, size on the bumpers and the picker on a held trigger all work as shipped.

The layout, control by control

Click a control. Labels:

How the layout thinks

  • Paint. Brush (B) on the bottom face button, eraser (E) on the right. The right trigger paints.
  • Fix. Undo on the left face button, redo on the top.
  • Brush size. [ and ] on the bumpers.
  • Pick a color. The left trigger holds Option.
  • Save. On Back, Share or View.
  • Point and scroll. The left stick is the pointer, the right stick scrolls.

Tune it

  • Zoom to fit. Put Command 0 on a stick click.
  • New layer. Put Acorn's key from its Layer menu behind a chord.
  • Selections. Set a lower Pointer speed on the preset's page.

Acorn has been quietly good for years, and its keys need no changes for this deck.

Get it in two clicks

  1. Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
  2. Search for Acorn and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
  3. Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.

Every binding, as a table

The Acorn preset in InputConfig, drawn on a DualSense Edge with each control labeled with the key or action it sends.
Figure 1. The Acorn preset drawn on a DualSense Edge in InputConfig's Live Visualizer. For example, Right trigger is labeled Paint / click, and LB / L1 is labeled Smaller brush ([). Any other controller shows the same layout on its own drawing.
ControllerSendsWhat it does
Left stick leftMouse motion left (speed 16)Cursor left
Left stick rightMouse motion right (speed 16)Cursor right
Left stick upMouse motion up (speed 16)Cursor up
Left stick downMouse motion down (speed 16)Cursor down
Right stick downScroll downScroll down
Right stick upScroll upScroll up
Right triggerLeft clickPaint / click
LB / L1[Smaller brush ([)
RB / R1]Larger brush (])
A / CrossBBrush tool (B)
B / CircleEEraser (E)
X / SquareCommand (Left), ZUndo
Y / TriangleCommand (Left), Shift (Left), ZRedo (Cmd+Shift+Z)
Left triggerAlt / Option (Left)Hold to color-pick (Alt)
Back / Share / SelectCommand (Left), SSave

Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.

Questions

Does this match the Photoshop layout?

Yes, it has the same shape as the Photoshop layout. Acorn's painting keys line up.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreCompletely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.

Updated