mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I only use my laptop when I travel 13" AU Zen 350 I run photo mechanic LR & PS on it to create my travel Catalog and to produce images for the web

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

I upgraded my 2012 MacBook Pro and my wife's five year old HP laptop to 16 gig RAM and 1 TB SSD drive. Both are faster and boot up in 25 seconds. About $400 each to do that.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

There is lots of good software for processing that isn't made by Adobe. Unless you need specific powers of LR or PS, you can get great processing with many other programs.

Affinity
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money/
Others
http://digital-photography-school.com/a-beginners-guide-to-choosing-the-right-post-production-software/
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2015/03/23/best-photo-editing-software-photoshop-cc-and-7-photoshop-alternatives-tested/1/
http://www.redmondpie.com/best-adobe-photoshop-alternatives-for-windows-and-mac-list/

For free -
http://www.download3.co/ic/picasa/index.php?kw=%2Bpicasa
http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/the-best-photoshop-alternatives-that-are-totally-free-5974500
http://lightzoneproject.org/

As for the laptop, there are lots of great choices. Processing images isn't like predicting the weather or making battle plans, so you don't need a super computer. There are lots of very good non-Apple (less costly) choices.

http://www.popsci.com/choose-right-laptop-for-you
https://www.photoworkout.com/best-laptop-photo-editing/
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/167185-best-laptops-for-photo-editing
https://sleeklens.com/top-ten-laptops-for-photo-editing/
http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-laptops-for-image-editing-2016-1329234

NormanTheGr8 Loc: Racine, Wisconsin

It's Corel Paintshop-pro on my HP 17 " laptop ,I did bump up the RAM to12gb and use 2 different external hard drives for storage and backup (one portable and one home network) 1key feature with the Corel is when I'm out camping I can still edit pics without a Internet connection.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

You getting some good info, my suggestion, down load the trial version of Paint Shop Pro, I think it's at X9 now and frequently on sale, if it works you have your answer and can decide if you lik that program, if not well then you can go on from there looking at new laptops, I do like my HP 17" for editing, suggest min I5 and 8 gigs of ram (I have 6 now and will go up on the next upgrade), dedicated video card too,

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I generally use my desktop for photo editing, but I also have an ASUS 17 inch, 250GB SSD, i7 processor and 16 GB RAM. I have it loaded with FastStone, Adobe PSE 11, Photoshop/Lightroom CC and trying ACDSee Ultimate 10. I use it for travel. It's almost as good as my desktop. I would suggest chatting or speaking with Dell and/or ASUS. They'll be happy to recommend configurations. Here is a reference I found via a search for "Best Laptops for Photo Editing":
https://www.wiknix.com/best-laptop-for-photo-editing/
Good luck
Mark

RickL Loc: Vail, Az

we use a table top Mac for most of our work, but when we are out in remote locations or away from home we use a Mac Book Pro with 8 gigs ram

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

I started with a 13" laptop, thinking "great, I can edit some photos while we're away from home."
Frustrating experience, that screen is just too small. I now use a 17" laptop, and while I sometimes still want a larger screen, I can now easily edit most photos comfortably while away from home.
So, besides the "innards" of a laptop, the screen size is important too.

Mundj Loc: Richmond TX

If depends on how adventurous you feel. Changing to a MAc has a learning curve, the include software has tutorials to help make the transition. The MAc will be more expensive but offers some good features. Upgrades to the operating system software is free. The Mac will come with Word Processing, Spread Sheet, Presentation and a good but limited photo viewing and post processing software. Upgrades for these are also free. If you have a local Apple Store you can attend free training classes to help transition to the Mac world, and to learn more about the various included software. You can schedule free one on one technical support sessions as well.

I would suggest you consider the MacBook Pro though in lieu of the Mac Air. The MBP has more capability than the Air. You can call and schedule a meeting at the Apple Store with a salesman to demonstrate their products. You can drop in any time to try the various products but you may have to wait in line for some.

After 25 years with Dos and Windows PC we switched to Macs. Never regretted the change but Macs are different. If you choose to make the change I would also suggest you consider, 16gig of memory, at least 500 gig SSD and the fastest processor & graphics option you can afford.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

What computer; how old; how much RAM; how big hard drive; what photo application? Your problem may not be your computer.

Jeffers

I have a Dell Experion, Intel Core i5-4210u 1.70 GHz 2.40 GHz 8.00 GB RAM, Windows 10 64-bit OS. This is about a $500 computer, so not high end. I use PSE extensively and for complex stuff with multiple layers and interesting tools like Image > Transform > Distort for straightening pictures. I am quite pleased with this computer's quality and speed.
I don't think you need a Mac unless you're already a Mac groupie.
Jeffers101

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Get a good laptop with lots of RAM (16G) and use ext drive to hold pix. MacBook Air is great start. Get MacPhun stuff and voila! Have fun

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

In case anyone is interested link for free After Shot Pro
http://www.aftershotpro.com/en/pages/giveaway/?utm_medium=PMM

mineart

Hi, I have done computer sales and repair and consulting professionally in the past (though it is not what I do now). What laptop are you using now? It seems like you are using some 'comes with windows' software. The problem may not be the computer, it may be poorly written software. Can you send me the specs (processor, ram, free HD space) on your machine as the name (and version number) of the software you are currently using?

Big Tony Loc: Fort Myers, Florida

I use windows 10 on an ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) laptop with a 17" screen. It has worked well with Photoshop. Lightroom and On1 Photo 10. Plenty of speed and RAM 16GB. around $1,000.00. Well worth the investment.