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The Best Keyboard for Creators: A Guide

The Best Keyboard for Creators: A Guide

How to find the perfect match for your creative pursuits.

Whether drawing, designing, editing, or any number of other creative tasks, you need the right tool for the job. And while pro-grade programs and peripherals such as graphics tablets offer a great way to expand your possibilities, you still shouldn’t forget about the one tool you use for everything from time-saving macros to punching in filenames. Finding the best keyboard for creators will make your favorite processes even more comfortable, efficient, and productive.

Not sure where to start your search? We’re here to help, with special considerations for a range of visual pursuits, as well as one recommendation that’s built to help creative workers and dreamers get closer to their vision in comfort and style. Let’s get started.

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Graphic design keyboards: Align with creativity

To make their creations sing, graphic designers do a little bit of everything: Tweak spacing, hone in on ideal colors, and build an overall vision that lines up perfectly with a brand. To do their best work, a keyboard for creators should be just as flexible as they are.

Graphic design tasks that rely on your keyboard

  • Quickly choosing tools.
  • Making minute adjustments.
  • Filling in copy.
A hand presses a digital stylus against a computer monitor as it displays an explosion of red light.

Key features for a graphic designer’s keyboard

Compact design

If you work with a graphics tablet, you need a keyboard that can comfortably fit alongside it. Even if not, a smaller keyboard will give you more room for reference material and your mouse.

Quality craftsmanship

You should be able to count on your tools to serve you well for many years to come. Look for a keyboard for creators that was built by an established brand with a reputation for well-made products.

Customizable aesthetic

Whether you prefer your work desk to embrace a distinctive personal style or keep it minimalist, your keyboard should feel at home. And if you ever feel the need to switch things up, support customization.

Read more about your options in Keyboards for Graphic Designers: What To Know Before You Buy.

Did You Know? The HHKB Studio keyboard was built to minimize movement while allowing for endless creativity. Click here to learn more.

Photo and video editing keyboards: Focus on the process

Photo and video editing is all about getting your process down: ingesting the material, processing, editing, and publishing. You deserve a keyboard for creators that was made to enhance that process, rather than standing in its way. That means prioritizing keyboards that are ergonomic and customizable.

Editing tasks that rely on your keyboard

  • Quickly adjusting levels.
  • Fine-tuning effects.
  • Showing and hiding tool panels.
Desk of a photo or video editor complete with laptop, monitor, and telephoto lens.

Key features for a photo and video editing keyboard

Ergonomics

The next time you have a big batch of photos or hours' worth of footage to edit, you’ll be glad you looked for a keyboard for creators that is comfortable to use. The keyboard should also be easy to position for simultaneous use along with your other equipment.

Specificity

If you tend to use just one program in the course of your editing work, you may consider picking up a keyboard that was specifically built for that task. These can include shortcuts and special tools that are efficient and natural with their program of choice.

Software customization

If your workflow incorporates many different programs, you may be better off going with a keyboard for creators that is adaptable for many different purposes. Building out your own shortcuts and macros will give you the flexibility you need.

Read more about important qualities and potential choices in 5 Best Photo and Video Editing Keyboards.

Digital artist keyboards: More brushstrokes, fewer keystrokes

Chances are you do your best work with a stylus in hand and a graphics tablet angled in front of you. But your other hand is busy picking tools, adjusting your zoom, and executing custom shortcuts. The right keyboard for creators is one that’s built to make your offhand an even more potent part of your creative process.

Digital art tasks that rely on your keyboard

  • Adjusting brush sizes.
  • Swapping between layers.
  • Saving your work.
Close-up of a hand holding a stylus as it reaches toward a colorful digital display.

Key features for a digital artist keyboard

  

Compatibility

You probably don’t just create art at your workstation. Choose a keyboard for creators that can seamlessly sync up with laptops, tablets, and all the devices you use to bring your vision to life wherever you are.

Space-saving design

Graphics tablets take up a lot of desk space. Choose a keyboard with a compact design and you’ll have more options for where you place it, encouraging a more ergonomic creation process.

 

Hardware customization

Getting your brush and sensitivity settings all dialed in just feels right. Your keyboard should offer the same flexibility, with hot-swappable switches and keycaps that let you change up their look, sound, and feel at a moment’s notice.

Read more about finding the perfect tool for your art in The 5 Best Keyboards for Artists.

Did You Know? The HHKB Studio Look Book is full of inspiring visuals to kickstart your new creative process. See what HHKB and Tinymakesthings made.

Our recommendation: HHKB Studio

The HHKB Studio keyboard was built to be the ideal keyboard for creators. It marries the ergonomic and compact design of traditional HHKB boards with input features that are perfect for use in a range of creative programs. That includes customizable Gesture Pads for instant shortcut access, advanced keymapping support, and even built-in mouse functionality. While we’re confident you’ll enjoy its custom-made linear key switches, you can also swap them out to follow your own mechanical keyboard switch bliss.

Pick up an HHKB Studio keyboard today and see how it fits into your creative process.

 

 

 

Note: Information and external links are provided for your convenience and for educational purposes only and shall not be construed, or relied upon, as medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis. PFU America, Inc. makes no representations about the contents, features, or specifications on such third-party sites, software, and/or offerings (collectively “Third-Party Offerings”) and shall not be responsible for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of such Third-Party Offerings.