We were lucky enough to test out the Loupedeck Live. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re considering one for yourself.
What Is a Loupedeck?
At its core, this device is a computer shortcut machine with a few extra knobs and buttons. It transforms pretty much any creative app into what feels like your own personal DJ studio.
Loupedecks are configurable control hubs for every creative app under the sun. While it’s used primarily for photo editing, there are control profiles for many other apps outside of Photoshop and Lightroom.
Picture all of your favorite tools within your most-loved creative application. Things like sculpting in Blender are reduced to a few convenient taps on this attractive and compact interface.
More on this in a moment—for now, let’s talk about the specs.
Loupedeck Specifications: Big Fun in a Small Package
The Loupedeck Live is compatible with both Apple computers and PCs. You’ll link it up with a USB-C cable and, from that point, the desktop app should be able to identify it. Just like that, you’re on your way.
The Loupedeck CT is the next step up from the Live, with the addition of a few additional controls underneath, an extended physical interface that also includes a giant adjustment knob. For hardcore professional photo editors, this may be the way to go. For hobbyists or those who do more than editing photos, however, the Loupedeck Live ended up being more than accommodating, at least as far as our needs were concerned.
At $269 MSRP, the Loupedeck Live is a pretty sweet package, a much more affordable option than the premium Loupedeck CT, which retails at $549. Only one question remains, however: is the Loupedeck+ worth the extra ten dollars?
It depends. What do you do? What will you use the control panel for primarily?
Loupedeck Live vs. Loupedeck+
The Loupedeck+, in its own right, can be considered a truly dedicated photo-editing console; instead of a light-up LED display of configurable commands, the Loupedeck+ comes with all of your photo editing essentials baked into its hardware design. Talk about commitment.
There’s little that you won’t be able to do with the Loupedeck Live that you wouldn’t be able to do with the Loupedeck+, as long as you’re okay with a slightly smaller area within which to operate the device. As an artist that works with many creative apps, the freedom and the versatility that the Live boasts is actually preferable, and everything can be set up to meet your needs and to cover your favorite tools, no matter what app you’re using.
At any rate, you’re not likely to be disappointed by either. Enough about the irrelevant, though—let’s move on to the nitty-gritty.
Loupedeck Live Review: Unboxing and First Impression
We hate to sound shallow, but one thing became immediately clear after dumping this thing out of the box: she’s slick. Is beauty but only skin-deep, though?
In this case, it is not. The haptics of the Loupedeck are a tactile experience that truly feels top-of-the-line; the keyboard-clacking enthusiasts out there will doubtlessly be compelled to agree. Precision control has never been easier, especially in tricky and notoriously finicky creative apps like DaVinci Resolve.
Admittedly, we were hoping that the LED display used to assign commands could be jail-broken into some sort of touchpad-like interface, which we would then be able to use for precise finetune adjustments and even as a touchscreen with which to draw, write, or sculpt.
This, unfortunately, did not turn out to be the case, so if you’re interested in a peripheral tablet, we advise that you look elsewhere. If you’ve already got one, however, it’s worth mentioning that the Loupedeck Live would not be a redundant purchase—in fact, it may actually expand the usability of screenless drawing tablets in particular, and would likely make a great companion device for any visual artist or graphic designer.
How to Download Loupedeck Profiles
The list of importable control profiles on the Loupedeck site is quite generous, although there are a few conspicuous absences to report—Autodesk Lustre, for instance. Maya and 3DS Max make the list, as does Blender.
Compatibility with 3D apps wasn’t something we were expecting—it’s marketed primarily as a photo-editing peripheral device, likely to avoid polluting the Loupedeck+’s impeccable brand. Needless to say, we were pumped to see how the Live would perform across the board.
How to Use the Loupedeck Live
First things first: you’ll need to install the Loupedeck Live driver from the Loupedeck website. Once you do, you’ll land into the Loupedeck Live’s set-up script. Follow the prompts to find the hub from which you’ll be able to control the Live.
As a total grandma, this interface is extremely approachable and hands-on. You literally have a virtual Loupedeck up in front of you on-screen. It’s super easy to make every tap and turn your own.
There are also several generic workspaces to choose from alongside each app-centric profile. These appear to draw from the many custom actions at your disposal to the right—these commands can be used to build your own custom Loupedeck profile within your creative app of choice.
Once you’ve chosen a profile to try, it’s really easy to navigate through the physical Live alone. You can swipe through pages of recorded keystrokes and presets on the device’s LED display. It’s an extremely intuitive system, despite the fact that the interface is limited to only assigning commands in blocks in this way.
Loupedeck Custom Profiles: There’s a Lot to Love
The good news: your experience with the Loupedeck Live isn’t necessarily confined to what’s available on the company’s site. For the sake of posterity, however, we figured that here would be as good a place to start as any. There are so many professionally-designed layouts to explore, no matter what you do.
Apps like Substance Painter, Audacity, Figma, Outlook, Excel, and even collaborative apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams are all represented here, which means that you can download them to the Loupedeck Live desktop app and get to work in literally seconds.
We tried out more than a few of these official Loupedeck profiles. Here are a few notable mentions, no modifications on our part:
Audacity: We’re far from audio technicians, and we imagine that the Loupedeck experience is much more in-depth when it’s used with a program like Pro Tools or anything similar. We have no complaints as far as Audacity is concerned—naysayers, our inbox is open. Microsoft Teams: We can definitely see how a profile for Teams can come in handy. With a Loupedeck in your corner, your colleagues will never be waiting on a muted mic that your butterfingers just can’t contend with. Now, it’s all so much easier, and you won’t even need to look away from who you’re talking to. Can you see our screen? Now? How about…now? DaVinci Resolve: Resolve really is the type of creative program that the Loupedeck+ was designed for specifically, along with other photo editing apps like Photoshop and Lightroom. With that being said, the default Loupedeck profile fits like a glove, even through the Loupedeck Live. We’ve never blazed through a batch of footage faster, and we loved every minute of it. Google Chrome: Sure, many of these tasks and commands are pretty quick and easy as they are. Still, we have to hand it to them. Can a Loupedeck turbocharge your browsing experience? Our take: why not? Blender: If you’re an avid Blender-ite, you’re more than familiar with the extensive and often unmanageable stack of sculpting tools at your disposal. Now, you can leave your convoluted keyboard map behind; the default Loupeduck profile puts the most-loved Blender sculpting tools right at your fingertips, which enhances the experience greatly. It’s an incredible investment if speed, efficiency, and productivity is your aim. You can even dial in your brush settings, all without looking away from the model.
We may be biased with this last profile—it also has plenty to offer the user in Object and Edit Mode, of course. The Loupedeck Live’s talent as a Blender sculpting peripheral, however, definitely soars high above the rest, at least as far as our own workflow is concerned. The profile can, of course, be tailored to what you like and what you use most.
Please don’t take our word on it, though. You can take a closer look at all of the above and much more on Loupedeck’s website.
Long story short: the Loupedeck Live stands strong, no matter what you throw at it. A ten out of ten, and a serious upgrade from our lives as they existed previously.
Is the Loupedeck Live Worth It?
Absolutely. If you’ve always aspired to one day own a Loupedeck CT, you can enjoy many of the same conveniences and advantages at basically half the price with this fabulous little crowd-pleaser.
Power users and productivity champions alike will pick this thing up and never look back. Even casual users and professionals may find the convenience of this front-and-center interface to be an incredibly freeing experience. No more hunting and pecking, and no more wasting your time trying to find that one thing you need all the way at the bottom of a seemingly-endless dropdown.
The Loupedeck Live’s power lies in how widely applicable it is, no pun intended. If you use any of the apps listed above, it’s a great tool to work with, no macros required.
