Affinity Designer from a game controller
The Affinity Designer 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: Affinity Designer reads these keys like a keyboard. This layout starts from Affinity Photo's tool set, so two tool rows need a Scan for Designer.
Yes, a game controller works as a deck for Affinity Designer on a Mac, after two Scans. Designer's catalog layout starts from the Affinity Photo one, which gets navigation, undo and zoom right. Designer is the Pen and Node tools, and those are two rows away.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Tools, from Affinity Photo. Move (V), Paint Brush (B), Erase (E) and Crop (C) on the face buttons.
- Undo and redo. On the bumpers.
- Fit and 100 percent. Command 0 and Command 1 on the stick clicks.
- Two more tools. Clone Brush (S) on Options, Zoom tool (Z) on Share or View.
- Point and modify. The left stick is the pointer, the right stick scrolls, the right trigger clicks, and the left trigger holds Option.
Navigation, undo and zoom are already right. Only the tool rows need Designer's letters.
Make it a Designer layout
Step 1: Put Pen and Node on the face buttons
- You: Scan the Paint Brush row and press P, then Scan the Erase row and press A.
- InputConfig: Sends Designer's Pen and Node tool keys from those buttons.
- Check: Press the right face button and the Pen tool is selected. Press the left and Node is.
- Personas. Switching personas is pointer work, or the persona keys from Affinity's shortcut list behind a chord.
- Nodes are small. Lower the Pointer speed slider on the preset's page.
Two Scans and a slower pointer make it Designer's. Scan P and A onto the face buttons, and the deck fits Designer.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Affinity Designer and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- 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
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A / Cross | V | Move tool (V) |
| B / Circle | B | Paint Brush tool (B) |
| X / Square | E | Erase tool (E) |
| Y / Triangle | C | Crop tool (C) |
| LB / L1 | Command (Left), Z | Undo (Cmd+Z) |
| RB / R1 | Command (Left), Shift (Left), Z | Redo (Cmd+Shift+Z) |
| Start / Options | S | Clone Brush tool (S) |
| Back / Share / Select | Z | Zoom tool (Z) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Command (Left), 0 | Fit image to window (Cmd+0) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Command (Left), 1 | Zoom to 100% (Cmd+1) |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Move pointer right |
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Move pointer left |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Move pointer down |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Move pointer up |
| Right stick up | Scroll up | Scroll canvas up |
| Right stick down | Scroll down | Scroll canvas down |
| Right trigger | Left click | Apply brush / paint stroke (left click) |
| Left trigger | Alt / Option (Left) | Hold Option (color pick / modifier) |
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
Why does this look like the Photo layout?
Because it starts there. Designer's Pen and Node tools are two Scans away.
Related
Completely 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