Both keypads allow you to assign up to 3 presets per button (accessible with the “option” keys). This makes 54 assignable keys on the RPG Keys and 16 preset buttons on the Kubota SpeedKeys. However, the real distinction here is the fluidity with which RPG Keys is equipped to transition across programs. Users can go in and assign individual presets for each specific application.

This is particularly useful for photographers oscillating between Lightroom and Photoshop. RPG Keys can locate and detect existing brushes and actions in Photoshop and then map it to the keyboard upon setup. The center cluster of keys on the large 58-button RPG keyboard can also be set to maintain consistent functionality in Photoshop (ACR) and Lightroom, so you don’t have to make any adjustments to the keys, settings, or even your finger movements.

 

A newer element to RPG Keys' software allows users to set the strength of each correction increment. The settings are adjusted much like fast-forward and reverse controls on a DVD player or Digital Cable remote – with single or double arrows denoting the strength of the adjustment units.

RPG Keys recently quoted 3,800 functions for LR alone; however, they’re purportedly expanding those functions aggressively, along with the number of compatible programs, “by the day.”

Kubota is a quick, streamlined iteration of the RPG Keys design that can be expanded with additional presets. It does not, however, offer the degree of customization, nor compatibility, that RPG Keys provides.