There is a checkbox, near the feather slider, but I have to scroll down to get to it, then scroll back up to make adjustments....I'm on the PC version...perhaps it's different on Mac?

Just went through this.....

Dell and Lenovo were close. I ended up with a Lenovo Y720. It is a gaming machine. The specs on gaming machines match up well with photo and video requirements. That said, go to a brick and mortar store and put your hands on what you're looking at. Some of the gaming machines had keyboard layouts that I couldn't get used to. For this, Dell Inspiron 7000's were the most conventional from a layout perspective, but since I've had a Lenovo for several years now, the feel was very familiar to me and the layout wasn't extremely off of what I'm used to as "normal".

I gave up touch (which I found very little value in on the machine I was replacing) to get a UHD display. Best decision of the whole process. I chose one with a 7th gen I-7. 8th gen are becoming more common, but the performance difference is minimal at this point. 8th gen is a lower power chip which should improve battery life if that's important to you. DO get an SSD primary drive for the OS and programs. I ended up with a 256gb SSD and 1tb spinning drive, and moved all of the Windows library folders to the spinning drive (Pictures, Documents, Music...). A single big SSD would be fine as well I'm sure. I also install applications that don't have the "need for speed" to the spinning drive. Open Office loads plenty fast from the spinning drive.

This machine also has an Nvidia graphics card in it. Intel integrated graphics isn't the greatest. Enough so that it can bring down the overall performance of an otherwise fast machine. Most photo editing software can take advantage of the card. Heck, even Google Chrome figured out it was out there and is using it for something.

Get at least 16gb of RAM if you can...I'll be upgrading to 32 before long. Photoshop and Lightroom have room to breath with 16, but I'm seeing cases where it is getting close. I haven't tried it with Premier yet on video. That is where I hope the GPU will make the most difference.

If you have a Costco membership, they double the manufacturers warranty and offer tech support through their concierge program, in addition to great prices.

Good luck!

I've done some research, but am still missing "something" in the logic of how radial filters work. When you add one, everything outside of it becomes the masked area by default, and I'm trying to figure out the logic for this as when I use one, it typically to affect the area inside of the circle or oval....for instance to pull down highlights from a light fixture, or window that's "blown out".

I realize I can select "invert", but I find that this is every time for me, which means scrolling down, selecting "invert" and then scrolling back up to start the adjustments which doesn't seem right..... Am I missing something regarding the intended use for them? Perhaps I should be using the adjustment brush for this type of thing instead of the radial filter?

Thanks,

-Ed G.

I like seeing the data because I'm still "programming" my mind with the relationships between settings and exposure times in various situations. To see it in the post is a bit easier than downloading the image to examine the exif.

I don't care as much about the camera, though I find the lens info helpful. I never considered someone that posts the info a "braggart", nor someone who hasn't "stingy" with their info. To each their own. If it is the rules of the group or section to post it, then post it. If not, than live and let live!

I only use the SSD for programs and the operating system. As the programs and OS work, they load and unload libraries. I also use it for the "scratch disk" for programs that utilize such space. SSD's can speed up these processes significantly. I agree that there is probably little overall benefit to loading individual photos from the SSD.

I agree with your sentiments....I recently made it a practice to check out other posts from such people, and if I find that they have little to offer beyond snark in the majority of their posts, I simply block them. I also turned off the "chit chat" and "Attic" topics...which I've started doing on all of the subject specific forums I'm a member of.

I just worked through this decision recently, in fact the machine arrived just a couple of days ago. When comparing, I first narrowed the choices to Dell, Alienware, Lenovo and the ASUS ROG series (Republic of Gamers). I didn't find the XPS to be much less expensive, if at all, than similarly configured Alienware machines. There was something else about the XPS line that eliminated it for me....perhaps it held only one drive? I don't remember at this point...

As for the gaming machine vs non-gaming machine angle, gaming machines typically have jacked up performance numbers out of the box, which is why they were on my radar.

I could not find a ROG configured quite the way I wanted with a competitive price, so that one fell off the list. Costco had various Dell Inspiron (I liked the Inspiron 15 7000) and Lenovo configurations on sale, so I just kept watching until one caught my eye....a Lenovo configured with a I7-7700, 512gb SSD, 1tb spinning drive, 16mb of RAM and UHD diplay. Some of the things I learned during the process:

You might want to visit a Costco, Best Buy or other retailer where you can put your hands on the keyboards and look at the displays. If it's not comfortable, you're never going to like it.

I found that I was not fond of the Alienware keyboard layout, which is tuned a bit too much toward gamers for my taste. The Inspiron keyboard was fine even though that model was also considered a gaming machine. The new Lenovo has a different layout than my old one, but the keys feel "familiar" after 4 years with my current machine, so it won on that point. Another one, either MSI or the HP Omen also fell off at that point.

I kept reading that ALL of the machines I was considering, except for the ROG, had weaknesses in the displays. When I went in and compared FHD (Full HD) to UHD (Ultra-HD) side by side, I was sold on the higher resolution. It's not just the pixels, but the brightness and color rendition is a LOT better. I am now wondering if photos I tend to think are too "hot" after editing are caused by the fact that they are edited on lower end screens. I would downgrade other specs to be able to keep the UHD display in the budget. You can add an SSD or storage drive later, you can add memory as well, but you can't change the processor or display.

While I don't game, I do edit video and wanted a good GPU. If you don't mess with gaming or video editing, any GPU beyond base Intel graphics should be fine.

When you transfer things over...I would highly recommend AGAINST PC-Mover. It's is far slower I found than just re-installing applications from scratch as much of a pain as that is.

Good luck with your decision.....

If it's upgrading to Windows 10 Creator edition, don't be surprised if there are a lot of broken Apps when it's done. I went through this yesterday.

Coconut Grove, Miami

The evening view from the back deck of the boat and the last sunset I captured before Irma changed everything, and a few more from the past. And finally, one of the boats from the Pompano Beach Boat Parade.

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I resisted labeling it "flock of seagulls"... Perhaps i should have gone with it ;-)

Target of opportunity flew over....handheld from a boat.

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I saw another shot posted this week on FB in a sailing group. I wonder if there is something up with atmospheric conditions, sun activity or whatever else that has them more common at the moment. Nice shot BTW!

The units I'm eyeing are either 16 or 32gb. Costco has a great deal on a few models, one is an Inspiron 15-5000 with and i-7 8th gen and 32gb but they have skipped the SSD in favor of 1 or 2tb (5400 rpm) spinning drives. Another is an Inspiron 15-7000 i7-7700 with 16gb, 128gb SSD and 1tb HD. All at $999. I guess I could add an SSD later....

I will check out the auction site...I wasn't aware of that, even after spending a good bit of time on their site!

Unfortunately, I don't have room for a monitor. I normally live on a boat, which was nearly destroyed by Irma, and am currently renting a room while it's being repaired. That's the main reason I'm concerned about having a decent display.