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ergonomics: video editing efficiency and the right tool for the task
Hi guys it has been some months since i found some pain in my knuckles and hand fingers because of too much work and too much mouse used in the desk. (im a video editor) i decided to switch from mouse to a trackball and i want to know if anyone have used the logitech m570 or the kensington expert mouse, id like to hear some other experiences with it.
i found also that i need to support the elbow to make it more comfortable working as one develop forearm fatigue if there is only support for the wrist.
i guess the art of editing has been seriously compromised because the lack of a real interface to command the timeline among other functions. Can you remember when lineal editing keyboards used the right wheels and keys to command a vtr? nowadays we use a keyboard (type write) to edit, can you believe professional editors use a type write interface to command a computer. for how long have we been blind oh god…type writing keyboards are made for type writing.
those keyboards with stick colors on top are the same as a typewrite keyboard as they do not mean any real advantage, the shuttle express among others are just very weak approaches to a real video editing interface.
at this moment have anyone used the trackballs i told above?
best
killabyte
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7 Replies
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Can’t help with trackballs, but have you tried using a tablet and even activating the spoken commands options? The new multitouch pad might also work for you; you could mount it in a comfortable spot.
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I’ve never really got on with trackballs, but I do like a tablet/pen in combination with keyboard shortcuts.
Back in the linear days I far preferred the qwerty keyboard over the “dedicated” kind for the Sony 9000/9100 controllers.
Paltex Elite – aaaaaargh….
Typing command lines in RT11 to manipulate an EDL – noooooooooooo….
In the earlier days of Avid they had a chunk of Steenbeck controller in a box which was nice, but TBH I thought that I was faster with a mouse in my right hand and my left hand doing keyboard commands so I didn’t use it much.
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I think it’s a problem most of us have experience to some extent.
I’ve found that combining different methods helps me.
For a time I used the Wacom tablet on Avid along with the mouse and keyboard, but where I am now that isn’t convenient.
I also trained myself to use the left hand for the mouse when I’m doing other processes than Avid (Left hand on the Avid doesn’t work for me very easily).
But mainly it’s been a matter of stretching the hands, arms and shoulders at frequent intervals.
My immediate advice would be to see an osteopath or chyropractor (rather than a physio-therapist) as soon as possible, they’ve got lots of very easy exercises and advice to help the body get back into a natural flow. -
[rodrigo fajardo] “(im a video editor) i decided to switch from mouse to a trackball and i want to know if anyone have used the logitech m570 or the kensington expert mouse, id like to hear some other experiences with it.”
Personally, I loathe thumb trackballs like the m570 (sorry, Logitech, but I’ll make it up to you in the next paragraph). Instead of creating wrist fatigue, they create thumb fatigue.
I have both the Kensington Expert Mouse and the Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman. The Kensington Expert Mouse is ok, but I adore the Cordless Optical Trackman so much that I bought three of them (one for each of my workstations, and one for travel with my laptop). It fits nicely in your hand and lets you use your fingers to roll the trackball. You’ll still fatigue after too many hours of non-stop use(I call this condition “trackball claw”), but it’s the most comfortable trackball I’ve ever used.
Whichever trackball you pick, get a wrist rest for it and give yourself some time to adjust to it. It took me a couple weeks before I was as comfortable with a trackball as I was with a mouse.
I also have a Wacom tablet at each workstation, and one for the road. I use it combination with the trackball, and that’s helped me avoid fatigue entirely. I tend to bounce back and forth freely between the two all day long, and I wouldn’t even consider giving up either one.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
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Hi im about to buy the kensington´s expert but from what ive heard from Walter i will try the logitech´s optical trackman. i will also look for some kind of keyboard with less but bigger keys and use some software ive already found, to map usual FC keys to the right hand keyboard so make a better use of the tools, im in the way for building a better keyboard so ill break some keyboards and construct what it seems to be a better interface, ill let you know.
thanks for the inputs i hope some one else can feed the thread
regards
rodrigo
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Kensington + Aeron Chair solved most of my fatigue. Took a bit to get use to the trackball, but well worth it IMO
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I mainly use the Kensington Expert Mouse but I also have some older Logitech thumb trackball to take around. The real solution for me though is to use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible.
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