Reddit round-up

Stream Deck for video editing: Reddit's verdict, thread by thread

Q: How do you put Premiere Pro presets on a Stream Deck?

Through Excalibur, says an r/editors user who does it ; the question also has its own thread there. Excalibur binds effect presets and other Premiere commands to shortcuts, and the Stream Deck presses those shortcuts. Without it, a Stream Deck key can only press a shortcut Premiere already has. Excalibur costs $120 plus VAT for two machines, per the maker's page, and works in Premiere Pro only.

Updated 2026-10-31 · by the mouzeclick team · Also in Español, Português (Brasil), Bahasa Indonesia

Across 20 Reddit threads from January 2024 to September 2026, mostly in r/editors and r/elgato, editors who like the Stream Deck use it for macros: one key that runs a chain of steps, sometimes through Excalibur in Premiere Pro. Keyboard-first professionals say mapped shortcuts are faster, and some owners stopped using theirs. Asked which size to buy, the replies lean to the 32-key XL.

20 threads: r/editors (9), r/elgato (9), r/premiere (1) and r/VideoEditing (1), January 2024 to September 2026
147 human comments read in 10 threads; r/StreamDeckSD isn't in the archive we used
Stream Deck +, the model with dials, is named in 10 threads, more than any other model
No thread mentions mouzeclick. We make it, and say so where it appears

How did we read Reddit's Stream Deck threads?

We searched post titles for "stream deck" and "streamdeck" in r/editors, r/premiere and r/VideoEditing, from January 2024 to 31 October 2026, in the Arctic Shift archive of public Reddit posts. In r/elgato nearly every title says Stream Deck, so there we searched "editing" and "resolve" and kept only editing threads. That gives 20 threads: 9 in r/editors, 9 in r/elgato, and one each in r/premiere and r/VideoEditing.

Comments from 12 threads were fetched; two had only bot replies, leaving 147 human comments in 10 threads. A script counted every post or comment that names a product, once per comment, and added up those comments' scores. The model rows overlap: "any model" includes every XL, + and MK.2 mention.

The gaps: the "stream deck" search in r/VideoEditing timed out four times, r/StreamDeckSD returned nothing from the archive, and one r/elgato post is a developer announcing their own paid plugin, listed but not treated as a user view. Most opinions come from r/editors, where many readers cut for a living. (At least two readers there first took the topic for Valve's Steam Deck.)

We aren't affiliated with Reddit or Elgato. We make mouzeclick, a mouse app for editors; no thread mentions it, so our view is in its own labelled section. Opinions are paraphrased and linked to their comments.

Which Stream Deck models and rivals does Reddit mention most?

The Stream Deck + with dials is named in the most threads (10 of 20), while the 32-key XL draws more votes than the + from fewer mentions. Among other tools, the Loupedeck is named in the most threads (5), and Excalibur, a Premiere Pro plugin, has the highest summed score of any companion tool. The top 14, by threads and then mentions:

Device or tool	Threads (of 20)	Mentions	Comment score
Stream Deck (any model)	17	61	119
Stream Deck + (4 dials)	10	17	20
Stream Deck XL (32 keys)	6	16	29
Loupedeck (CT, Live, +)	5	12	21
Stream Deck MK.2 or 15-key	5	11	14
Cheap macro pads (Work Louder, Ulanzi and others)	5	7	14
Excalibur (Premiere Pro plugin)	3	12	30
Spare keyboard with AutoHotkey	3	7	11
Keyboard Maestro	3	7	9
Elgato Marketplace plugins	3	4	5
Stream Deck Neo, Mini or Mobile	3	3	10
SideshowFX profiles	3	3	0
TourBox	2	3	9
Resolve Micro or Mini Panel	2	3	3

"Comment score" sums the votes on the comments that name a product. The threads are small, the biggest has 30 comments, so read this as what editors compare, not a ranking of quality. The Blackmagic Speed Editor misses the cut, but it's named 6 times in a single Resolve thread.

Is a Stream Deck worth it for video editing, according to Reddit?

It depends on whether you build macros. Editors who run chains of steps from one key rate it highly, and one says it did more for their speed than anything else. Editors who already map their keyboard mostly say it slows them down. The most upvoted comment in our sample (11 points) is a keyboard-first editor who sees no need for one outside colour and audio.

What owners praise

Macros, not shortcuts. One editor has keys that reverse a clip, step audio gain and set scale to 50% or 100%, and once built a whole podcast multicam layout on one press. An Avid editor runs a VFX-pull subclip routine from one key, and an assistant keeps pages of Keyboard Maestro macros sorted by task.
Labels you can read. Icons mean you don't have to remember every small shortcut, which helped one editor move from Avid to Premiere.
Repetitive jobs. With Copy, Paste Attributes and Next Clip on a Neo, one editor says they're going much faster.
Beyond editing. Profiles switch with the app, so the same deck can run your video calls, and one editor only uses theirs to open asset libraries.

What doubters say

You have to lift your hand off the keyboard, which is slower than a mapped shortcut; that's the top reply in its thread (9 points).
Shortcuts with Shift and Shift+Alt layers cover the same ground, and a 30-year editor finds nothing faster than keyboard and mouse.
It's a waste of money for editing alone, says one r/premiere reply.
Setup is fiddly, and you get out what you put in.

Stream Deck XL or 15 keys: which do editors buy?

Mostly the XL. The question got its own r/editors thread with 30 comments, and one XL owner, who uses theirs to control the computer rather than to edit, put it simply: "If you need 15, you need 32." (r/editors, November 2024)

XL owners say they used every button across several pages, or call it a daily driver. A 15-key owner regrets not buying the XL.
The case for 15 keys is price and desk space. Both sizes have multiple pages, and a used MK1 costs much less.
The MK.2 adds swappable faceplates, a detachable USB-C cable and animated screensavers; little else differs.

One caution from the same thread: the XL owner who used every button says that two years on it mostly sits in a closet. On Elgato's US store on 31 October 2026, the Stream Deck OG 15-key was $149.99 and the 8-key Neo $99.99; we didn't record an XL price.

Are the Stream Deck + dials useful for editing?

For keystrokes, yes; for Premiere's colour sliders, not really. The Stream Deck + is named in 10 of the 20 threads, including by buyers asking whether the knobs can stand in for a jog wheel, and Elgato's store lists it at $179.99 with 8 keys and 4 dials.

One owner loves the knobs. They're the best part for this Avid editor, who uses them for waveform size and clip gain, though in Avid they only send keystrokes.
Resolve goes better than Premiere. An owner says the Resolve plugin works well and has heard the Adobe one varies from update to update. Elgato's Adobe page lists a Photoshop plug-in; we found no first-party Premiere plug-in.
No native Lumetri control. A buyer who wanted dials on Premiere's Lumetri panel found that the closest option, a SideshowFX profile, clicks screen positions and breaks when the layout changes. A reviewer replied that the Stream Deck doesn't use Premiere's developer hooks, and a Loupedeck does this better.
Resolve sliders take workarounds: Keyboard Maestro mouse moves, Bitfocus Companion, or paid Marketplace plugins at about $50. A buyer of a SideshowFX Resolve set found it slower than the mouse.
Not a jog wheel. A Resolve editor says nothing replaces Blackmagic's jog wheel; another suggests keeping a Speed Editor and adding a Stream Deck + for the Color and Fairlight pages.

Why do editors pair a Stream Deck with Excalibur?

Because Excalibur reaches Premiere Pro commands that keyboard shortcuts can't, and the Stream Deck gives those commands buttons. It's named in only 3 threads but has the highest summed score of any companion tool (30).

An editor who cuts daily says an XL plus Excalibur, which binds effect presets and other commands to shortcuts, did more for their speed than anything else.
A former Loupedeck owner never found it faster than the keyboard, but says Excalibur is a different story.
The catch: it's Premiere Pro only, so it doesn't help in After Effects or Avid.

From the maker's page: $120 plus VAT, two machines per user, Premiere Pro 2020 or newer on macOS 10.14.5+ or Windows. More in what Reddit says about Premiere Pro plugins.

What do Reddit users complain about?

It ends up unused. Besides the XL in the closet, an r/premiere editor tried one and never found a use case, and advises learning the default shortcuts so you can work in any edit room.
Mushy keys. A new owner hated the soft keys on day one. Owners replied that they aren't keyboard keys and aren't meant for constant typing.
Icon packs aren't actions. A beginner with Premiere and Resolve icon packs couldn't make them work; the reply explains packs contain icons only, and you still assign each app's hotkey yourself.
Dials without hooks. See the Lumetri and Resolve slider workarounds above.
Hand travel, the top reply in one r/editors thread, comes up again from an editor who found the keyboard quicker even with Excalibur macros on the deck.

What do editors use instead of a Stream Deck?

Stream Deck Mobile on an old iPad, with up to 64 buttons and free to try (9 points). The same user says it then costs a few dollars a month or about $50 for life; another found it took too much space. Elgato's page says the phone app gives six keys free.
Macro pads such as the Work Louder Creator Micro, BINEPAD BNK8 and a Megalodon triple-knob pad are suggested, and an r/premiere user has run a budget keypad for over a year.
An old keyboard with AutoHotkey, if you like tinkering.
A programmable mouse. One r/premiere reply says if you want more buttons, get a programmable mouse such as Logitech's MX series: they use their mouse shortcuts every day but can't find an efficient way to use their button board.
Dial consoles. Loupedeck stopped selling its consoles on 28 March 2025 to focus on Logitech's MX Creative Console; see our Loupedeck alternatives. For a TourBox, read what Reddit says about TourBox.

What does Reddit say to do before you buy a Stream Deck?

Map your keyboard first; most of the advice here is about what to try before spending money.

Use modifier layers. Shift and Shift+Alt sets cover most editing jobs, and the default shortcuts travel with you to any edit bay.
List the jobs that are macros, not shortcuts: a resize to 50%, a marker colour, a multicam build. One thread asks exactly which macros are tedious enough to justify a deck. For a one-off run of Paste Attributes, one editor admits a temporary keyboard remap would have done.
Try it free. Stream Deck Mobile gives six keys at no cost, or try it on an iPad.
If you buy, buy for your editor. In Premiere, plan on Excalibur; in Resolve, look for a Resolve plugin; on a Mac, Keyboard Maestro adds mouse moves and clicks.
Then buy the XL if buttons are the point, or the + if you want dials for Resolve.

Where mouzeclick fits (our view)

This section is ours, not Reddit's: none of the 20 threads mentions mouzeclick. It's the programmable-mouse idea from that r/premiere reply, on the mouse you already have, so the extra actions sit under the hand that's already on it.

Per-app buttons, gestures and macros on any mouse your computer sees, with no driver: up to five standard buttons plus scroll and tilt, eleven slots per button with chords and gestures, keyboard hotkeys, and macros with a recorder for keys, clicks, waits and text.
Wheels instead of LCD keys. The Options wheel holds 48 favourites per app; the Tool wheel holds 112 Premiere Pro tools in 12 segments, or 114 After Effects tools in 13 groups.
Inside Premiere and After Effects. The mouzeclick bridge lets the Tool wheel run commands inside the editor, and Search effects finds any installed effect as you type: Enter applies it, Shift+Enter also pins it to the wheel. For Excalibur's chained Premiere commands, Excalibur is still the better pick.

What it doesn't do: no dials, no LCD keys, no Lumetri sliders. A Stream Deck's Marketplace plugins also go well beyond editing; mouzeclick is built first for editors, with ready-made profiles for Premiere Pro, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, CapCut and Photoshop, and you build your own for Avid or anything else. Our Stream Deck alternative comparison goes model by model.

The limits: a Stream Deck is a one-time hardware buy; mouzeclick is one plan at $25 a month or $249 a year, or $499 once for one of the first 100 lifetime keys, which works for as long as mouzeclick runs. There's a 3-day trial with no card. The app, buttons, gestures and wheels run on Windows 10 and 11 and macOS 12 or newer; captions, cloud sync, in-app updates and the workspaces are Windows only, and the app needs an internet connection while it runs. More on Premiere Pro mouse shortcuts, the Premiere Pro tools, the Mac app and pricing.

Try per-app mouse shortcuts we make, free for 3 days. One plan with everything included, $25 a month, or $249 for a year.

See the price

Questions people ask

Do Reddit editors think a Stream Deck is worth it?

Opinion is split. Editors who build macros, such as one key that reverses a clip or builds a multicam layout, rate it highly, and one Premiere editor with Excalibur calls it their biggest speed gain. Experienced keyboard users say a well-mapped keyboard is faster because your hand never leaves it, and some owners stopped using theirs. Across 20 threads, it pays off for macros more than for single shortcuts.

Is the Stream Deck XL worth it over the 15-key, according to Reddit?

Reddit's answer is the XL if you can afford it and have the desk space: one XL owner used every key, and a 15-key owner regrets not going bigger. Both sizes support multiple pages, so the 15-key works if money or space is tight, and a used MK1 is cheaper still. Elgato listed the 15-key at $149.99 in October 2026.

Can the Stream Deck + dials control Lumetri in Premiere Pro?

Not natively. A buyer who tried found the closest option, a SideshowFX profile, works by clicking screen positions and breaks when the panel layout moves, and a reviewer said the Stream Deck doesn't use Premiere's developer hooks. Redditors point to the MX Creative Console, TourBox or a Loupedeck for dial control of Lumetri; Loupedeck sales have ended.

Does a Stream Deck work well with DaVinci Resolve?

Better than with Premiere, according to Reddit. An owner says the Resolve plugin works well, and a commenter puts the paid Resolve plugins on the Elgato Marketplace at about $50. Mapping the + dials to Resolve's sliders still took workarounds, and one buyer found a SideshowFX Resolve set slower than the mouse. One Resolve editor suggests keeping a Speed Editor for the jog wheel and adding a Stream Deck +.

How do you put Premiere Pro presets on a Stream Deck?

Through Excalibur, says an r/editors user who does it; the question also has its own thread there. Excalibur binds effect presets and other Premiere commands to shortcuts, and the Stream Deck presses those shortcuts. Without it, a Stream Deck key can only press a shortcut Premiere already has. Excalibur costs $120 plus VAT for two machines, per the maker's page, and works in Premiere Pro only.

Is the Stream Deck Mobile app free?

Partly. Elgato's page says Stream Deck Mobile gives six keys for free. A Redditor who runs it on an old iPad with up to 64 buttons says the full version costs a few dollars a month or about $50 for life, though we didn't check that price with Elgato. Another found the on-screen buttons took up too much space.

Is a Stream Deck the same as a Steam Deck?

No, and Reddit mixes them up too: at least two r/editors readers first took Stream Deck threads to be about Valve's handheld games console. The Stream Deck is Elgato's pad of LCD keys and dials that sends shortcuts and macros to your computer. Everything on this page is about Elgato's Stream Deck.

Does Reddit recommend mouzeclick instead of a Stream Deck?

No. None of the 20 threads or 147 comments we read mentions it. We make mouzeclick, which is why it's on this page, in a section labelled as our view. It puts per-app buttons, gestures, macros and wheels on the mouse you already own, with no LCD keys or dials. Its 3-day trial needs no card.

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-31. Prices and features change: each link goes to the maker's own page.