A Review by No Film School’s Piotr Toczyński

By Nina Vasic

Piotr Toczyński did not go to film school.

He is a self-proclaimed, self-taught film editor with a background in Civil Engineering. So we’re not surprised to hear that he appreciates efficiency in his workflow.

Piotr, who goes by Cut to the Point online, reviewed Palette Gear for film editing. The verdict? It’ll make you a much more efficient editor. Read on to find out exactly how.

What is Palette Gear?

Palette Gear is a versatile, modular controller that can be used to control many different applications, making it ideal for creatives who work across multiple apps like Premiere Pro, After Effects, Lightroom, Photoshop, Audition, Google Chrome, Spotify, and much more.

Here is how Piotr applies Palette Gear to his editing workflow for maximum efficiency:

How to Use Palette Arcade-Style Buttons in Premiere Pro

According to Piotr, “buttons are best for the things you can toggle on and off. I used it for linking clips, for ripple deleting and adding edit points to all tracks.”

Sure you could also assign a keyboard shortcut to do this, but there’s just something about hitting the Palette arcade-style button that is so much more satisfying.

One of the best features of using Palette buttons though is macro mode (currently in beta). Piotr explains:

Read the full article here to see how Piotr does all of these actions with just the click of a button.

How to Use Palette Multi-function Dials in Premiere Pro

Palette dials are great for nudge and jog, or setting the X and Y position in Premiere. Remember that you can turn a Palette dial to jog through your timeline or press and turn the dial for faster scrubbing.

Here’s how this will make you a more efficient editor:

“Quite honestly, moving graphics elements has never been easier. No more moving between the timeline and Effects Control panel. By using a dial for that purpose you can stay in the timeline and very precisely move the graphics elements in the frame. Pretty cool.”

Read on to see how he uses Palette for Lumetri Color Effect as well.

How to Use Palette High Sensitivity Sliders in Premiere

Sliders are best used for functions that have a max and min point in Premiere since you can custom set the range for each slider. For instance, you can use a Palette slider for controlling the scale of a clip. The best part about it?

I don’t have to move between the timeline and Effects Control panel to change the scale. I can keep looking at the footage while adjusting its value.

How to Assign Even More Functionality to Your Palette Kit

How many things can you actually control with Palette Gear? After all, there are only 7 modules in the Expert Kit, does that mean you can only assign 7 functions?

Nope! By creating multiple profiles, you can add up to 15 functions per module.

The Verdict: Does Palette Really Make You A More Efficient Video Editor?

"Once you use it for a few days, everything becomes more intuitive and you can really become more efficient. After 3 weeks of using Palette, I must say it's a great help for working in Premiere Pro. It makes work more efficient and more enjoyable. I especially like macro mode. I wish I had 2 more buttons in my kit. I love the fact that you can control other apps as well." 

So who is Palette Gear ideal for? Watch the full video here to see, and check out all of Piotr’s tips on using Palette Gear to become a more efficient film editor.

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If you’re considering trying Palette Gear for your video editing, this is one of the most comprehensive reviews we’ve seen. You can try Palette Gear risk-free for 30 days, so what is stopping you from taking your editing to the next level?