P: Swap Develop panels for Left-Handers

Report · Jan 10, 2014

I'm a left-hander, and I find that using a Wacom tablet with Lightroom is incredibly cumbersome at times. This is due to the fact that all of the develop panels are on the right side of the screen, and accessing them with my pen means crossing my arm all the way across my body to the right so that the pen can access the sliders on the right panel. My idea is to add a "left-handed mode" that would simply swap the location of the left/right panels, making it easier to access the develop (and other currently-right-sided) panels when using a pen tablet.

Report · Jan 10, 2014

I'll give you a vote for this.
There is nothing more frustrating than being a lefty in a right hand world.

Rich

Report · Jul 11, 2014

As a left hander, I have to drop my stylus and get a mouse if i want to do some serious work in lightroom (the hand hides the image)

Please do something Adobe....

Report · Feb 26, 2015

I have recently started using a Wacom Cintiq. I am left handed and use the panels on the right much more that the ones on the left in the Develop module. This was not a big issue using a tablet, however, my arm is covering the image as I reach across the Cintiq. I would like to be able to swap the panels on the left and right to make working easier.

Report · Feb 26, 2015

I was dead excited when I bought my Surface Pro 3 a week ago. I was really looking forward to using it for Lightroom work without being stuck in a room on a desktop.

I watched a guy on YouTube using his for the same purpose, but what I didn't take in to consideration was that he is right handed, I'm not. When using the pen for moving sliders in the develop module, my hand would totally cover up the photo I'm working on, making it a painful experience throughout.

I know its not possible in the current version, but it would be really great if it was possible to customize the position of the panels (left side/right side, up, down, etc etc) in a future update.

Thanks for reading. Neil.

Report · May 05, 2015

I've read in several papers that 13% of the world is left handed! In LR 5.7.1, tapping the "L" key will hide the left & right panels. Tapping repeatedly will also restore the side panels. Seems like it would be an "easy fix" to position the panels where you want them. As an architect, I can position the panels in AutoCAD where I want them. Come on Adobe!

Report · May 05, 2015

The Touch Workspace which is available to the Surface Pro 3 has gone some way to improve the situation for lefties, but I really don't understand why you can't just have floating docks like pretty much every other application.

Report · Nov 19, 2015

I am left handed and I work with a touch screen/pen. I would love to switch the side panels in Develop mode so the navigation panel is on the right and the adjustment panel is on the left. As is, when I work with adjustments my hand hides the photo.

Report · Nov 19, 2015

I have been asking for this for years. Adobe can do it with Photoshop, why not with Lightroom.

Report · Dec 21, 2015

I'm also looking at getting a surface tablet for on the road (or train) work in Lightroom - as a lefty, not being able to swap the side panels - especially in develop mode - is a major problem!

Please at minimum add the ability to swap the left and right panels. Full customization of panel layouts would of course be nice too...

Report · Feb 11, 2016

YESSSS A thousand times yes. This would make it so much easier to edit on a Surface Pro 4.

Report · May 13, 2016

I am using HP Spectre x360 and bought a stylus just to edit photos on the go...... but guess what you can not swap the panels in lightroom so the stylus is freakin' useless for me. I've searched the whole internet and haven't found a solution so far.

Report · Aug 19, 2016

Have to agree with everyone here. My Surface pro went back for this incredibly frustrating reason. Absolutely useless without this option. It's discriminatory, plain and simple

Report · Aug 23, 2016

I add my voice to this. My usual mode of working in Lightroom is with a trackball mouse and Wacom tablet with a desk top computer and a large vertical screen. As a lefty this works ok. I must say, I don't use the Wacom tablet as much as I should because crossing all the way across my body to get at the adjustment panels in Lightroom is awkward.

I recently added a Surface Pro 4 when traveling. The pen enabled screen is wonderful, except when working in Lightroom. How big a deal is this? It's a very big deal. This multiplied the "aggravation" of the Wacom tablet to a "make it or break it" kind of level. If the pen enabled screen for use in Lightroom was the only reason I bought the Surface Pro, I would have to send it back. And it is not the Surface Pro's, or any other pen enable screen computer's problem. With the panels where they are, a lefty can not easily use a pen to make adjustments. My hand covers the image with the pen on the adjustment bar. I can not see the adjustment I'm trying to make. I have to put the pen down and go to a mouse for the adjustment once I've drawn what I needed on the image.

So, we need to allow a left right panel switch as on option. While you are at it, if you swap the panels, you should also allow a move of the scroll bars to the left of the panel or window. The reason is the same. When you scroll with the bar on the right, your hand covers the panel/window. You have to stop and lift your hand to see if you've scrolled far enough.

More then ten percent of the general population are lefties, and it is a fair amount higher then that among creatives. As the pen enabled screens become more common this will become a bigger issue yet with lefties and Lightroom.

The computer industry as whole has a long history of basically ignoring interface issues of left handers with their hardware and programs. This needs to change.

Report · Sep 18, 2016

I love using the Cintiq, and I'm a lefty. Absolutely get those panels to swap at the very least. In fact why not finish the job and make them able to simply dock and undock, just like so many of the panels in Photoshop.

Considering how many artistic people are left handed I'm kinda gobsmacked that this hasn't been done already. GET GOING AND FIX THIS PLEASE!

Report · Sep 29, 2016

I would like to echo all of the comments thus far. I have just purchased a Wacom Cintiq and find that as a left hander it is almost impossible to use Lightroom develop panel. Surely it is just a matter of writing code - please make this happen in the next update.

Report · Sep 29, 2016

Ditto everything that has been said. Left handers using a stylus are handicapped by the program.

Report · Oct 03, 2016

No answers from Adobe about this subject that started 3 years ago.
I'm fed up having no feedback from them.

I'm learning to use Capture One which interface is usable by left handers.

Report · Oct 27, 2016

As a lefty with a surface pro, this has reached the level of absurdity. Why has this simple fix not been implemented?

Report · Oct 27, 2016

I'm willing to bet that our change request is being categorized as a "nice-to-have" since we lefties represent only 10-20% of the total population and therefore has no provable ROI in the eyes of the Lead Program Managers. Of course they must also be completely ignorant of the proportion of Lefties in the CREATIVE subpopulation, and which composes the majority of their CC buyers and users. I'm also willing to bet that this is at least partially due to a brittle display framework underlying the Lightroom application code that would require significant rip & replace by their devs. I hope they aren't waiting for iOS to "take over the world" which is an absurd belief among many tech reporters in the media who have never edited a phot in their lives outside of Snapchat applets.

Report · Oct 31, 2016

This update is long overdue. Especially now with touch screen tablets and laptops being almost ubiquitous. LR needs the option to swap the left and right sides for left-handed people. This simple solution would make a world of a difference for left-handed people.

Report · Oct 31, 2016

I hate to sound like a fanboy, but I really like the looks of the new MS all in one computer that folds down to a 20 degree angle, but that would be about worthless if I have to reach my left hand all the way over to the right side of a 28 inch screen to get to the sliders.

Report · Oct 31, 2016

I agree 100%. As a lefty on a touchscreen computer, the Lightroom interface is not sufficient. I have to use a keyboard when every right-handed person doesn't. Seems silly that all of Adobe's other programs allow a customized UI and Lightroom is still making this harder for us lefties.

Report · Nov 02, 2016

I also have the same issue. This is a real problem and deal breaker when using a tablet with pen.
Adobe, please fix this!

Report · Nov 17, 2016

Please add this, this is some sort of discrimination against left handed people.

Report · Nov 30, 2016

I agree 100%. I also have the same issue just because i am left-handed. It's incredible thats such a wonderful software doesn't let the possibility to the customer to change the interface. Adobe please help the lefties.

P: Swap Develop panels for Left-Handers

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