FULL DISCLOSURE: I personally prefer using Keyboard Maestro over Hammerspoon for handling the “actions” in this tutorial. That said, the Hammerspoon approach seemed worth mentioning, even if I don’t have much confidence in my Lua code — so here it is, just in case it’s useful!

If you spend a lot of time performing repetitive tasks on your Mac, using a game controller as an input device can make things much more efficient—and more comfortable. Whether you’re organizing files, editing video, or culling photos, a controller lets you execute common actions with minimal effort.

In this post, I’ll walk through how I use a game controller to speed up photo culling—the process of selecting the best images from a shoot. While this tutorial focuses on photo review, the same approach can be applied to many other workflows.

Culling is an essential but tedious part of a photographer’s workflow. I’ve spent countless hours sorting through tens of thousands of images in ExcireFoto 2025 and Adobe Lightroom, and I quickly realized that using just a keyboard and trackpad was slowing me down. That’s when I started experimenting with using a USB/Bluetooth game controller for culling. Instead of hunching over a keyboard, I can sit back and control everything with a lightweight, ergonomic device in my hands.

Here’s why it works so well:

1. Ergonomic – Game controllers are made to fit your hands. It’s natural to hold them for hours at a time.
2. Quicker actions with muscle memory – Pressing controller buttons becomes second nature, making repetitive tasks much faster.
3. Keeps your eyes on the screen – No need to glance at your keyboard; your fingers always know where to go.
4. Better posture and comfort – You can position your monitor optimally without worrying about your keyboard.
5. Simple to program – Setting up button mappings takes only minutes.
6. Free software – You don’t need expensive tools to get this working.
7. Gamifies tedious work – Making a dull task feel more interactive can increase efficiency.
8. More control over navigation – Assign multiple actions to different buttons or combinations.
9. Works for more than just culling – This method applies to video editing, file organization, and more.

I’ve done various iterations of this over time. Today I realized I’ve never blogged about it. So, here goes!