Open Source Keys

One more thing that I stumbled across that could make it easier for both Mac and PC users in terms of keyboard short cuts!

The Keyboard Tamer

The developer of PADDY for Lightroom got in touch with me and thought I might like to share a link to his work with Auto Hot Key (AHK) scripts. I haven’t had a chance to try this out myself since I use Mac, but it looks like the open source solution all you PC users have been waiting for!

Visit the following site to learn more!

PADDY for Lightroom

If anyone gives it a shot definitely post back here to let me know how it works out.

Cheers!

I’ve started a thread on the Lightroom 3.0 feedback forum requesting that Adobe add essential keyboard short cuts for their 3.0 version of Lightroom. Please visit the thread (http://forums.adobe.com/message/2348602#513914) and post a short note saying you would like to see shortcut functionality added.

You’ll need to create an Adobe account but it only takes a second to sign up – and the benefits from a large group of people signing this thread could be huge!

P.S. The Spam feature of this blog has caught a lot of junk comments. If you’ve been posting comments they may have been caught in the spam filter – one problem I’m having at the moment is that there seems to be a lot of relevant comments but they’re all in Russian! The translator doesn’t do the best job of sorting things out. If you’re in Russia and can speak/write english please post a comment to let me know what’s going on and if I can help at all with OSK. Cheers!

This is a follow-up to the step-by-step post which will show you how to import the shortcuts file into the QuicKeys program, how to setup lightroom to function with those shortcuts, and how to reprogram mouse movements so that OSK will work on any sized screen resolution.

This video should really make it clear how easy it is to reprogram the current shortcuts file available for download. More to come!

The Details… | Open Source Keys from Rob & Lauren on Vimeo.

P.S. Sorry about the poor quality of the video (skips a bit). If you follow along with a trial version of QuicKeys it will be no problem. (I’ll also try to increase the quality of the video!)

Cheers!

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that more updates to this site are coming! In fact I plan to be doing quite a few more posts in order to get this project going. Right now I’m just waiting on a webcam/mic combo that I just ordered which should make things a bit easier (Mac Pro doesn’t come with an iSight or mic so I’ve been using a MacBook Pro to do everything so far which is a bit tedious!)

Even though I’ve been super busy shooting weddings and portraits, I’ve had some time over the last couple days to think about the best way to approach Open Source Keys. What I want is to make sure that everyone has a processing/workflow solution that suits them perfectly. That being said it is very clear to me that OSK will not be for everyone. Some people will be much better off purchasing a pre-programmed keyboard from a  developer like RPG keys or DQ Studios . By purchasing their products you save yourself the trouble of creating an intuitive keyboard layout as well as programing all of the shortcuts yourself! Both those developers provide products that will have you up and running right away and most importantly you’ll be saving a ton of time by pressing keys instead of using your mouse to control sliders.

BUT… If you want the flexibility of being able to customize keyboard layouts, and customize keyboard shortcuts (in a variety of photography related programs or any program really!) AND you’re patient enough to experiment a bit then programing an xkeys yourself might be the best solution. It took me a little less than 10 hours to program everything for the first time, but if you know what you’re doing it will take much less time (especially if you already have a keyboard layout in mind!).

The goal of this site is to provide a collection of resources and information that make it easier for you to program an xkeys (or alternative keyboard) as easily as possible. While I had originally stated that I would be posting different resolution shortcut files for QuicKeys so that the shortcuts would function with different sized monitors (as opposed to just 24inches, which is what it is set at right now) I have decided that for the time being I will not be posting different sized shortcut files for three reasons. 1. Even though the file I posted works great for me, it is still not 100% bullet proof. I would say that right now it’s about 99% (on very rare occasions you have to press a button twice in order to activate it, or the shortcuts glitch a bit). Until I find a solution that is 100% I don’t want to be posting the shortcut file in different resolutions. 2. Because this project is so new, I’m discovering new information everyday. While I still think I’ve chosen the best method for Mac so far, a new method may present itself that makes programming even easier. And finally 3. This project is about learning! While I don’t want everyone to waste 10 hours programming a keyboard I do want people to learn how to do things for themselves so that if things go wrong they’ll know how to fix it, plus they will be able to customize things perfectly to their workflow. Customization = time saving!

I just edited over 1000 images in about 6 hours. Cut down from easily over 30 hours. The amount of time you can save using a device like this is incredible. Whether you program it yourself or purchase one already programmed, I think every photographer needs a device like this.

Much much more to come.

I’ve added a couple new pages (known issues, downloads) at the top to keep relevant info easy to access.

I realize that I haven’t had the chance to post some quick step by step instructions yet. I’m trying to share as much info as quickly as possible which is why I’ve created a couple videos, but it’s easier for some people just to skim The following instructions are for Mac users (not yet available for windows users!).

1. Purchase the X-Keys Unit: Here
2. Purchase Quick Keys Software: Here
3. Download the JPEG

or InDesign xkeys Layout: OSKlightroomlayout
4. Download the QuicKeys keyboard shortcuts and install them in your QuicKeys OSKshortcuts
5. If your resolution is 1900×1200 then you simply need to adjust the thumbnail strip to about 1 inch high (check vignette function), and reduce the side panels to their smallest size (a video explanation fourthcoming). If your monitor is not capable of (or native to) 1900×1200 then you will need to program (record new mouse movements) the following resolution dependent keyboard shortcuts in order for them to function in lightroom.
- Any Presets you may use
- Temperature
- Exposure
- Contrast
- Blacks
- Clarity
- Fill Light
- Vignette
- Vibrance
- Saturation
- Sharpen
I’ll try to post a video soon showing how easy it is to program these functions.

6. Double check all the keys are functioning properly. You might need to reprogram a mouse movement or two to fit the way you have your thumbstrip and which controls you have open.

I also wanted to make a quick comment that I am not receiving endorsements or kickbacks by suggesting any of these products. These are the products which I have researched to be the best choice for the job. Nor is it my intention to profit or benefit from the programming and development of Open Source Keys. I just think it has been an incredibly useful tool that should be available for every photographer.

At this point it seems that there are quite a few promising leads for OSK for Windows (looks like it might be easier to do than Mac!). I’ll post more as I piece it together.
Cheers.

A followup video introduction. Obviously there is a lot to cover in terms of fully explaining Open Source Keys so I’m going to do my best to break things up over a few more videos.

I also haven’t had a chance to add a sample gallery yet, but if you head over to our blog Robandlauren.ca you can check out a variety of images. Every post from about the last 5 months has been processed using only Open Source Keys.

More to come!

The Good and the Bad from Rob & Lauren on Vimeo.

P.S. You can download the OSK layout for InDesign here: OSKlightroomlayout

Its pretty easy to change the text and the color of the keys.

Welcome to Open Source Keys online! OSK is a new workflow system we’ve developed and want to share with the rest of the photography world. Here you’ll find downloads, templates, tips and instructions, and hopefully discussion about how to make this a better and faster system!

What is it and why?

With the release of Lightroom 2.0 many photographers have now changed their processing system to include only this program, and no longer use Photoshop. In our humble opinion, using Lightroom to fully process your images gives you incredible control over the final look of your photographs, while still being fast and efficient. It has basic functions that many people use, but also a myriad of other features that many users might not know about! By learning more about Lightroom, and fully exploring all that it can do, we’ve been able to create a unique and consistent look to our processing that we just love.

This growing use of Lightroom among wedding photographers to process their RAW images has developed a need for an efficient keyboard shortcut system. The problem is that specific and necessary functions aren’t assigned short cuts and thus the full potential for speedy Lightroom processing is limited. Also, even if all those shortcuts were mapped, all the multi-button keyboard shortcuts would slow things down. This is why several third party developers have stepped in to bridge these gaps with specialty keyboards. These keyboards are truly amazing devices that speed up workflow an unbelievable amount. Every serious professional photographer working with RAW images in Lightroom should strongly consider using one. The Open Source Keyboard utilizes the same keyboard commonly used by other third party developers, but with an open source program. A keyboard layout and layout data file (for Mac) can be downloaded below.

Eventually Open Source Keyboard layouts for other essential photography programs will be developed (Photoshop, InDesign). Take a look at the video below for a quick introduction to Open Source Keys, and check back often for new updates and tutorials.

Open Source Keys Introduction from Rob & Lauren on Vimeo.

Keyboard layout download:

This is the layout we currently use with our X-Keys in Lightroom. You can download this JPEG and print it off, and all the labels will fit under your buttons!

Download the QuicKeys Keyboard Short Cuts for the above Keyboard layout (shortcuts are resolution dependent for 24inch monitors, different sizes to follow!): OSKshortcuts