dbtrom

Interested in recommendations for the best laptop computer for photo editing.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Photo editing requires attention to detail. That means a large screen. A larger laptop screen may not be large enough! And will be bulky to carry around.

One suggestion is to get a laptop that is fast, regardless of its size. (I bought one last year just for traveling, but it is terribly slow.) Then for editing at home, purchase a large monitor (mine is 27") and hook it up to the laptop if you don't have a desktop computer.

You don't mention what program you use for editing, but with Photoshop you can magnify images to the pixel level, and it is much easier to see the detail on a large screen. Not necessary to always go to that much magnification, but there are times when it comes in handy to make sure the edit is smooth.

For a better response, please include more details about what you want to do. Hope this helps.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Laptops are virtually never better for editing. $800 - 2,000, makes little difference here. Format too small for accurate editing and color usually inaccurate. Unless you need to use a Laptop for field tethering or using a drone camera, go with a Desktop with a large 26 - 32 inch monitor. One possibility could be a Laptop for portable use and then attach a large external monitor for editing use when back home or office.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

I use a MacBook Pro 15" but it's twice your budget... you could get a MacBook Air 13" for about $1,100 that would work well enough and the display is pretty accurate. True, it's not going to be as fast as a desktop for the same money. You also didn't specify a preference for Win or Mac. If your goal is horsepower then a Windows machine will probably serve you better. I feel the Mac will be more durable and have a better display for color accuracy.

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

I agree with prior replies, even the largest laptop monitor is small for detailed editing. And while many members are unrivaled in their expertise, both pre and post processing, I doubt many have first hand experience with a vast assortment of laptops.

There is no shortage of comparisons available online done by testing organizations with access to many more models:

best laptop for photo editing on a budget

best laptops for photo editing 2016

best laptop for photography 2016

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Save money on the laptop get one with perhaps a 15" (diagonal) screen and spend the extra money on a larger monitor. So long as the laptop isn't the cheapest one in the store, it should be more than able to handle editing.

I'm still using a several year old Lenovo with a 27" Samsung monitor. You will be amazed how much more you can see with a larger monitor, even if you are not dealing with 76 year old eyes as I am.

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

dbtrom

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses. Much appreciated!

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

More thoughts to consider when buying computers for editing:

Desktops are faster than laptops. Laptops are portable.

Laptop monitors are too small to adequately see the details when editing. Large monitors (27"-32" larger if you want and have space!) make editing much easier.

Monitors come in different types. You want one that is color calibrated from the factory, and you can also re-calibrate it later. Prevents frustration with what you see on the screen versus what is printed! Very important to get the right type.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Though I don't recommend laptops for editing, they can be used in a pinch. Best to get one that has an IPS screen. Most laptops are "calibrated" at the factory, but colors will shift over a relatively short period of time, so consider that if color accuracy is important to you, you will need to get a profiling tool from Datacolor or Xrite.

The least expensive but reasonable for editing laptops will likely be the Sager/Clevo. This machine:

https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP5673.html

offers a 17" IPS screen, 8 gb ram (memory expansion to 32 gb), Intel quad core i7 - 6700 CPU, 1 Tb mechanical drive, and room for a m.2 SSD drive.
I would suggest installing an m.2 1 TB drive, and foregoing the mechanical drive, and configuring the memory to 16 gb on two chips to allow you to install more when you can justify the extra cost. It won't be $1000, but it will be the least costly way to get what you want without shooting yourself in the foot with a machine that has no upgrade path. Disregard any suggestions for Apple computers - they are not cheap and the least costly ones are 50% more and do not compare with even this entry level laptop, and none offer a 17" IPS display.

Haydon

It seems there is an abundance drawn recently to the convenience of a laptop for photo editing and as mentioned I do understand sometimes editing in a pinch is ideal but I still say the user is selling themselves short with a small monitor with a limited color palate especially when their using high end cameras that are able to produce colors that the lcd's in smaller versions are incapable producing.

I certainly don't have a Quadro and a 10 bit display but recently I went with a multi-monitor with 60" of screen space and I couldn't even fathom using anything less than a single 24" anymore. It's certainly not portable like a laptop and it takes up an unforgiving space on a desk but it's so easy on the old eyes now.

Roger Lee

MSI 15" IPS with plenty of ram, adequate SSD hd along with a 1 tb hd coupled with an IPS external monitor is what I'm looking at. B&H sells them for about a grand. A lot of preferences out there.

CO

Some UHH members have already recommended one with an IPS type screen. My Acer Aspire R7 has the IPS screen. That model has been discontinued. I like how the screen brightness stays consistent with different viewing angles. The color accuracy is excellent also.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

For traveling I use an ASUS Zen 350 only 13 in but color is as good a Retina

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

After going through the 8 1/2 million articles found with Google: the Apple 15" for $2,000 or the Dell 15" for $1,600. You're welcome!

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=best%20laptop%20computer%20for%20photo%20editing%202016

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch With Retina Display MJLQ2LL/A, $2,000.
Dell XPS 15 Touch, $1,600.
Lenovo ThinkPad L540, $650.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3, $925.
Acer Aspire S7-392-6832 Ultrabook, $1,000.