CTRL+Console App: Turn Your iPad into a Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro 7/X Editing Console

If you've ever worked in linear tape-to-tape editing, there's a good chance you've dealt with an edit controller device that has jog or shuttle wheels. With everything being software based now, many have simply reassigned to a keyboard the tasks that used to be associated with a console. Well, short of buying an expensive console to interface with your NLE or remembering dozens of keyboard shortcuts, what's a video editor to do? That's where Jeff Chow's CTRL+Console iOS app comes in. Click through to check out the Kickstarter video.

Here's what's available in the Kickstarter:

The Consoles:

Features:

• Designed for Final Cut Pro 7/X and Adobe Premiere Pro
• Full transport controls 
• Gestures for media-focused editing
• Zero perceivable delay
• Easy Wi-Fi connectivity to your laptop or desktop
• More features than $3000 hardware editing consoles
• Mac and Windows compatible

Here are some of the functions capable with the device:

• Transport: 
• Two-finger -> one finger slide = Jog
• Two-finger slide left and right = Shuttle
• Two-finger then tap L or R = Nudge
• Two-finger tap = Play/Pause
• Two-finger swipe L&R = Jump to cut
• Three-finger swipe L&R = Beginning and end

• Edit:
• Two-finger swipe up = In
• Two-finger swipe up-down = Clear In
• Two-finger swipe down = Out
• Two-finger swipe down-up = Clear Out
• Three-finger swipe down = Insert
• Three-finger swipe down then up = Overwrite
• One-finger swipe from top edge = Mark/Cue

• Program:
• Pinch to zoom = Zoom timeline
• Slide from left edge = Select Source window
• Slide from right edge = Select Timeline window

This app is going to be beneficial to both pros and amateurs alike. If you want to get people familiar with editing who have never done it before, the easiest way is to give them something tactile that allows them to maneuver what they're seeing on the screen. If you're a pro, while some of you may laugh at this app, it doesn't actually have to replace your keyboard -- you could use it in addition to the keyboard for specific tasks. You also can use this for Adobe Lightroom, so there is no question it can be adaptable to other applications in the future, and since it's not hardware, anything can be rearranged. I especially would like to see this made available for a program like DaVinci Resolve, which would make home color correction far more versatile -- as normally a professional colorist is already using a control board. [Update: turns out DaVinci Resolve is in the works]:

I don't own an iPad, so it won't be of much use to me at the moment (the iPhone version only offers basic functionality), but I could see this being extremely helpful for lots of editing sessions. This definitely won't replace your keyboard completely, as there will undoubtedly still be shortcuts that are not in the system. You will also still probably have to manually apply any special video effects rather than there being a console shortcut -- but I don't know at the moment whether that is the case.

Plenty of people sent this in to me, so I figured it was about time I shared it (thanks to everyone who sent it in). What do you guys think? Is this something you would use on your own systems? If you already use a hardware console for any of your work, what do you think about using this app instead (or in addition)?

Link: CTRL+Console: creativity unleashed -- Kickstarter