A gaming mouse should be considered by photo editors that would like something more versatile than a tablet, an Apple mouse, or a laptop’s touchpad. There are many advantages to editing your photos with a gaming mouse that include programmable buttons, adjustable DPI, adjustable weights, ergonomics, etc. I’ve been using the Logitech G5 for about two years now to do the bulk of my photo editing and there are many reasons why you should consider one as a viable alternative. More after the jump.
Adjustable DPI
If you don’t know what all this means, adjust DPI means your mouse sensitivity. So if you want to do a very careful job you can make the mouse less sensitive which will force you to be more painstaking with your work. This is all done with pressing one button or another one on the mouse. There are usually meters that tell you what level you are on and settings can be further adjusted through included programs.
For those of you that don’t always have a careful hand due to large consumptions of coffee, adjustable DPI will help keep your unsteady hand in check. Further, it can also help with very critical and minute adjustments such as touch ups on someone’s face, teeth whitening, or even something out of the ordinary like fixing nail polish in a photo.
Adjustable Weights
To help further keep your editing and hand movements in check, some of these mice come with weights that slide in and out of the bottom of the mouse. These allow you to move the mouse more freely or slowly. All you need to do is adjust them to your comfort level so that your arm/hand isn’t doing excessive work but is doing just enough to balance technique with effort from your end.
Programmable Buttons
Programmable buttons on a mouse make the world of photo editing so much simpler. For example, you can use one button to scroll further through Adobe Bridge, Capture One, Lightroom, etc. Then you can program another one to immediately bring up Photoshop. See where I’m going? The possibilities are endless.
Ergonomics
Comfort is essential while you’re editing photos. Sometimes you can spend a half hour or more doing it. Because of this, you may not want to use a tablet as using a tablet can be a lot like your grammar school days of writing constantly for a half hour or more with a pencil. For that, the ergonomics of a nice gaming mouse will suffice. These mice are tested for comfort and are highly targeted to people who game and use their mice for house upon hours.
Portability
It can be easily argued that a gaming mouse is much more portable than a tablet of some sort. Sure, your trackpad is built into your laptop, but for what it’s worth your gaming mouse won’t take up much room in your camera bag. Perhaps as much space as a lens or less.
Firmware Updates
Firmware updates are always being sent out to users to ensure that their mice are working properly. This is nice as it further justifies the long term investment into one of these pieces of technology that works oh so well.
Versatility
When you’re done editing your photos for the day, your mouse can be set to game, browse the web, etc. These are usually done through profiles set through the included program. When my G5 is hooked up to my macbook, it has a number of settings for editing and when it’s hooked up to my PC, it’s meant specifically for pwning noobs in Left 4 Dead 2. As technology is changing almost everyday, we as consumers and professionals find ourselves wanting devices that do it all in one. To that end, a gaming mouse may be right up your alley for editing.
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