Photography P.P. Computer and Program: I as a Non-technical, Beginner in DSLR Photography, having a Nikon D3300 camera, need advice and guidance on my Image Post processing and editing...

Silverrails

I as a Non-technical, Beginner in DSLR Photography, having a Nikon D3300 camera, need advice and guidance on my Image Post processing and editing .
What would be a Good but inexpensive Laptop computer to P.P. & Edit my future RAW and RAW + JPEG images. I have NO experience in this area of Digital Photography.
All I have done this far is Shoot JPEG.
I have many Photos stored on my Chromebook 15 Laptop, which I have been told is not suitable for Post processing my Digital images

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Memory is key for digital processing like in Lightroom or photoshop.
My suggestion is for Apple. I was a windows guy and converted several years ago. Never looked back. Now have a Laptop and Desktop by Apple.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1423849-REG/apple_z0v7_mr9q13_bh_macbook_pro_i7_2_7g.html

If that is over your budget consider:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1423729-REG/apple_mr9q2ll_a_13_3_macbook_pro_mid.html

Pop Pop Loc: Lake Mary, FL

Hi,
I started out about 5 years ago. I started with GIMP (and occasionally still do). I believe it is now GIMP 3.6,
Three years ago I purchased Photoshop Elements for about $70 or $80. I have been using it to this day. There are many tutorials on line to learn both. Don't get frustrated the more you use it, the easier it gets. Have fun!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Correct. The Chromebook is not ideal for processing. You don't have to get a supercomputer to do basic processing. I have a bunch of links below. Do a lot of reading before you do any spending.

Inexpensive laptops -
http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/best-laptops-1304361
https://www.cnet.com/topics/laptops/best-laptops/budget-laptops/
https://www.laptopmag.com/best-laptops-under-500
https://www.lifewire.com/best-laptops-under-500-4043278
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/how-to-buy-a-budget-laptop/

Better -
https://makeawebsitehub.com/best-laptops-for-photo-editing/
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/167185-best-laptops-for-photo-editing
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2017/sep/07/which-is-the-best-laptop-for-photo-editing
http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-laptops-for-image-editing-2016-1329234
https://laptopunderbudget.com/best-laptops-for-photo-editing/

Memory -
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-much-ram-does-your-pc-need-probably-less-than-you-think/
http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-much-ram-does-your-pc-need/

Processor -
http://gizmodo.com/dont-waste-money-on-intels-top-processor-1791426602
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404674,00.asp
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-core-i5-vs-i7/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/intel-core-i9-vs-i7-vs-i5-cpu/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-core-i5-vs-i7/
http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/core-i5-vs-i7
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/210703-intel-core-i5-vs-core-i7-which-processor-should-you-buy

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your Nikon camera came with software on a CD or can be downloaded from the support section of the Nikon site. This is free software. You can google u-tube for demonstrations. Free is always a good place to start.

Also free is a trial download of any suggested commercial products.

rcdovala

PixelStan77 wrote:

Memory is key for digital processing like in Lightroom or photoshop.
My suggestion is for Apple. I was a windows guy and converted several years ago. Never looked back. Now have a Laptop and Desktop by Apple.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1423849-REG/apple_z0v7_mr9q13_bh_macbook_pro_i7_2_7g.html

If that is over your budget consider:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1423729-REG/apple_mr9q2ll_a_13_3_macbook_pro_mid.html

So $1550 is your idea of inexpensive? I think that the OP would be better suited to a Dell or HP laptop from a money standpoint.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Silverrails wrote:

I as a Non-technical, Beginner in DSLR Photography, having a Nikon D3300 camera, need advice and guidance on my Image Post processing and editing .
What would be a Good but inexpensive Laptop computer to P.P. & Edit my future RAW and RAW + JPEG images. I have NO experience in this area of Digital Photography.
All I have done this far is Shoot JPEG.
I have many Photos stored on my Chromebook 15 Laptop, which I have been told is not suitable for Post processing my Digital images

If you have a place to put it consider a desk top. Lap tops with sufficient speed and processing power tend to be expensive. Look at a gaming machine if you plan to delve further into digital photography and post processing.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

joer wrote:

If you have a place to put it consider a desk top. Lap tops with sufficient speed and processing power tend to be expensive. Look at a gaming machine if you plan to delve further into digital photography and post processing.

Gaming machines don't have displays which are accurate enough for photography.

Keen

Consider a factory refurbished iPad Pro with as much memory as you can afford, and Affinity Photo.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

1-7 or equivalent AMD (such as a Ryzen 3600) CPU, 16 GB memory, seperate video adapter with 2GB (Min) VRAM, a 250 - 500GB SSD (you can buy an additional external HD or SSD as you need more storage), a 64-bit OS of your choice and a decent display (100% sRGB minimum, 95-100% Adobe RGB is better). You’ll get more performance per $ and better upgrade potential with a desktop unless you really need the portability of a laptop (and you’ll really need an external monitor for editing).

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

To clarify the "suitability" of Chromebooks: their operating system (Chrome OS) is not compatible with software designed for Windows or Mac - and because their main purpose is online use, the ram and hard drive would be insufficient to run most of that software anyway.

But there are photo editing web apps (a couple can be used offline) for anyone wishing to learn basic editing or do some fun stuff:
https://www.lifewire.com/best-chromebook-photo-editors-4177669
https://www.androidcentral.com/best-photo-editor-your-chromebook
https://www.befunky.com/

Newer Chromebooks are compatible with another popular Android app, Snapseed.

BebuLamar

I wonder why you need a laptop. A desktop is more suitable for photo editing at the same price.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Silverrails wrote:

I as a Non-technical, Beginner in DSLR Photography, having a Nikon D3300 camera, need advice and guidance on my Image Post processing and editing .
What would be a Good but inexpensive Laptop computer to P.P. & Edit my future RAW and RAW + JPEG images. I have NO experience in this area of Digital Photography.
All I have done this far is Shoot JPEG.
I have many Photos stored on my Chromebook 15 Laptop, which I have been told is not suitable for Post processing my Digital images

The Chromebook is still an excellent laptop.
For walking, coffeeshopping, tethering, chimping, backing up your camera, etc.
Then you bring it home, download to a REAL computer, and work from there.

Why not a box PC? You can get a better faster upgradable computer for maybe half the price of a laptop. Keep and use the book. Come home: a big screen, real keyboard and mouse, more power, and charge the book. DVD writer for backups, wired ethernet for speed
You'll want, no matter what, PC or laptop, Mac or Win, certain basics: motherboard and video card made in the last 5 years, i5 or i7 CPU (i7 is faster in single threaded apps (gamers, etc) and i5 is better at multi threading), 16 (to 24) gb of ram, and a SSD (or 2). Buy 'em now. or buy 'em later.

Don't worry about the D3300- it's a great camera. Tho you could have spent twice the money on a D7500, and got a camera that weighs 1/3 more, has 1 more fps, higher ISO and some weather sealing.
They take the same pictures with the same sensor, lenses and memory cards. Stay with the d3300.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

JohnSwanda wrote:

Gaming machines don't have displays which are accurate enough for photography.

You can buy just the box, get your own display.
A 27" fits my desk very well.
Tho I'm looking/lusting at a fine 4k 32" at the mo ...

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Hello Linda!
Tho I never corresponded or commented, I always appreciated.
How ya doin'?