for any adequate combo of clicks, strokes and keyboard shortcuts you need a desktop jungle of peripherals, and equivalent on screen for tool adjustments.
very cluttered visuals, less portable, slows down your processes
hence why procreate is very popular now, and even animators could be moving to the ipad’s platform after procreate dreams
even laptops require flat surfaces and tablet ergonomics aren’t really ideal unless you’re hunched in an armchair or over a desk
but is it powerful enough and is it worth switching all other tools for the sake of procreate? if you’re at all multi-disciplinary (eg dev or 3d) you can’t fully switch from a traditional desktop and many can’t afford a separate device for one part of their workflow. and it adds to the near-monopoly of iPads and Surface tablets - you’re practically and financially locked into an ecosystem and the workflow that it necessitates.
on-screen keyboards limit screen space and make you need to context switch
often a reliance on external accessories for screen texture correction, hand ignoring, propping up device, etc indicates room for improvement in the hardware design.
peripherals:
- mouse and pen control are especially inadequate for continuous data such as colour values and scrolling/panning the canvas as it is difficult to be precise
  - touch-screen controls are more intuitive for this as scrolling and pinching gestures are now ubiquitous
- But for the actual mark-making using a tablet pen feels more natural.
- delineating between tool space and canvas space on the hardware itself allows for more deliberate and natural tactile input that invokes muscle memory and aligns with on-screen tool details
I’m interested in innovations in this area
- very little (public) work in this area, notable exception in Microsoft ‘s Surface Dial, some promising features but wasn’t highly rated and gained little traction
- how is the world of VR sculpting going?
- organic peripherals
a lot if work in the hobbyist space and from artists, so not widely useable or applicable
but very remixable, working collaboratively, eg open source hardware?

digital imaging

“With a CCD sensor, the colors pop right out of the camera without excessive post-processing. With a CMOS sensor, I often find myself tweaking colors in post, trying to recapture something that a CCD sensor delivers effortlessly. The reality is that CCD sensors have all but disappeared from mainstream digital cameras. They are power-hungry, expensive to manufacture, and lack the speed that modern photographers demand. But for those of us who prioritize color over convenience, they remain irreplaceable.” - Sebastian Oakley, accessed 19/07/25