Affinity Photo from a game controller
The Affinity Photo 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: Native on the Mac. The layout sends Affinity Photo 2's default tool keys, with nothing to enable.
Yes, a game controller makes a good left-hand deck for Affinity Photo on a Mac. The tools you switch between most are on the face buttons, undo is on a bumper, and the Option modifier is held on a trigger for sampling. Affinity's tool keys mostly match Photoshop's, so the feel is the same as the Photoshop layout.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Tools. Move (V), paint brush (B), erase (E) and crop (C) are the face buttons. The clone brush (S) is Options and the zoom tool (Z) Create.
- History. Undo and redo are the bumpers.
- Paint. The left stick moves the pointer, the right trigger paints (left click), and the left trigger holds Option for sampling.
- View. The right stick scrolls the canvas. The left stick click fits the image to the window and the right stick click zooms to 100 percent.
Option on a held trigger means sampling a color is one finger, not a hand off the pen.
Tune it
- Brush size. Put the bracket keys on chords on the bumpers.
- A slow pointer. Add left stick rows at half the Speed as chords on a held button.
- Personas. The persona switches are toolbar clicks. The pointer and the right trigger reach them.
Brush size on a chord is the row I would add first.
The short version
- Keep the pen or mouse. The pad is the left hand, not the brush.
- Affinity Designer. Its tool keys differ in places. Change the four tool rows' output to match.
The idea is tools under the thumbs and undo on a bumper.
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 Photo 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
Does it work in Affinity Designer?
Designer's tool keys differ in places. Change the output of the four tool rows to Designer's keys.
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