macropads

Why Using a Macropad With Your iPad Can Boost Your Creativity in Apps Like GoodNotes, Procreate, Photoshop, and Notability

Why Using a Macropad With Your iPad Can Boost Your Creativity in Apps Like GoodNotes, Procreate, Photoshop, and Notability

Often we lose our flow while drawing on our iPad's when we want to switch our pen color or swap to a different tool. This constant tool switching can lead to valuable lost time that could be better used for to creating and studying

This Is Where Good Macropads Come Into Play

If you didn't know already, the app developers for apps like GoodNotes, Procreate, Photoshop, and Notability made keyboard shortcuts available to switch between tools/colors/brushes in their apps

But your obviously not going to carry a whole 104-key full size keyboard with your iPad

So a Reprogrammable macropad (like the ZM K9) is the perfect iPad companion

 

Cheap Amazon Pads

  • Your stuck with soldered in rubber dome keys
  • Your key layout can't be reprogram which means your stuck with using only one program (eg only Procreate)

The Better Macropad Solution

  • Macropads (like the  ZM K9) are hot swappable and allow you changeout the switches and keycaps to your liking
  • You can reprogram shortcuts to any key and can even use the layering system to multiply the number of shortcuts you can use

 

 

Procreate - Keyboard Shortcuts

Decrease brush size by 5% - [ Increase brush size by 1% - ⌘ ]
Increase brush size by 5% - ] Increase brush size by 10% - ⇧ ]
Debug Command - ` Copy All - ⌘ A
Activate Paint tool - B Enter Color Balance Adjustment - ⌘ B
Open Color Panel - C Copy - ⌘ C
Activate Erase tool - E Clear selection - ⌘ D
Open Layers Panel - L Duplicate selection - ⌘ J
Activate Modify button (iPadOS 17) - M Open Actions menu - ⌘ K
Enter Selections mode - S Enter HSB Adjustment - ⌘ U
Enter Transform mode - V Paste - ⌘ V
Switch between previous and current colors - X Cut - ⌘ X
Clear selected layer - ⌘ ⌫ Undo - ⌘ Z
Full Screen mode on/off - ⌘ 0 Redo - ⇧ ⌘ Z
Toggle Perspective Guide on/off - ⌘ ;
Decrease brush size by 1% - ⌘ [
Decrease brush size by 10% - ⇧ [



Goodnotes - Keyboard Shortcuts

Image I
Paste ⌘ V
Text T
Dictation 🌐 D
Emoji 🌐 E
Show Previous Tab ⇧⌘ ←
Show Next Tab ⇧⌘ →
Close Tab ⌘ W
Left
Right
Up
Down
Find... ⌘ F
Find Next ⌘ G
Find Previous ⇧⌘ G
Zoom In ⌘ +
Zoom Out ⌘ -
Pen P
Eraser E
Highlighter H
Shape S
Lasso L
Elements M

 

Photoshop - Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Keyboard shortcut (iPad)
Copy content from all visible layers Command + Shift + C
Move V
Transform N
Lasso L
Quick select W
Rectangular marquee M (Shift)
Elliptical marquee M (Shift)
Brush B
Eraser E
Paint bucket G (Shift)
Gradient G (Shift)
Spot healing brush J
Clone stamp S
Crop C
Type T
Eyedropper I
Use default foreground and background colors  D
Switch foreground and background colors  X
Brush size increase ]
Brush size decrease
Select All Command + A
Deselect Command + D
Reselect Command + Shift + D
Invert Selection Command + Shift + I
Next selection view F
Previous selection view Shift + F
Fill with the foreground color Option + Delete
Fill with the background color Command + Delete
Invert Command + I
Nudge 10 pixels at a time Shift + Arrow
Nudge 1 pixel at a time Arrow
Cycle to next blend mode Shift -
Cycle to previous blend mode Shift = 

Notability - Keyboard Shortcuts

Select Tool 1: ⌘-1 Select Color 1: ⌥⌘ 1
Select Tool 2: ⌘-2 Select Color 2: ⌥⌘ 2
Select Tool 3: ⌘-3 Select Color 3: ⌥⌘ 3
Select Tool 4: ⌘-4 Select Color 4: ⌥⌘ 4
Select Tool 5: ⌘-5 Select Color 5: ⌥⌘ 5
Select Tool 6: ⌘-6 Select Color 6: ⌥⌘ 6
Select Tool 7: ⌘-7 Select Color 7: ⌥⌘ 7
Select Tool 8: ⌘-8 Select Color 8: ⌥⌘ 8
Select Tool 9: ⌘-9 Select Previous Color: ⌥⌘9
Start recording: ⌘-R Select Next Color: ⌥⌘0
Fast forward Audio: ^-Shift-Right Arrow
Select Size 1: ^⌥ 1
Rewind Audio: ^-Shift-Left Arrow Select Size 2: ^⌥ 2
Select Size 3: ^⌥ 3

You can also hold the key on a external keyboard while in a app to see it's keyboard shortcuts

 

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