Photography laptop? I am looking for a new laptop to edit my pictures and I am having a hard time deciding one to buy. I would like to get a faster laptop than the one that I have and...

Abbykats Loc: Arizona

I am looking for a new laptop to edit my pictures and I am having a hard time deciding one to buy. I would like to get a faster laptop than the one that I have and one that is easy to take on the go but also is great for the editing also. If you have any suggestions for what you would use to edit your pictures that would be very helpful. Thank you

my budget is no more than $1200

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

That would probably leave out most Apple products and you didn't specify. You could have one helluva computer built for that if you find someone who can put the parts together.

Try Newegg.com, I believe they sell complete systems as well as toys to go with. Dell will also build one for you and they own Alienware, some of the hottest gaming computers ever. Good luck.

Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

Abbykats wrote:

I am looking for a new laptop to edit my pictures and I am having a hard time deciding one to buy. I would like to get a faster laptop than the one that I have and one that is easy to take on the go but also is great for the editing also. If you have any suggestions for what you would use to edit your pictures that would be very helpful. Thank you

my budget is no more than $1200

Try this place. Seriously.

http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html?gclid=CjwKEAjww8eiBRCE7qvK9Z7W_DgSJABfOjf2U6O2PZpgaqhIENV6wBIB_JdG4BCBrIgTrEB_V9su4BoCc__w_wcB

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

In general, laptops are not great for photo editing unless you get a separate monitor that's permanently set up somewhere, to use with it. Otherwise, you'll have issues with the screen brightness and color calibration under variable conditions. In effect, you would need to re-calibrate a laptop every time you move it.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I've been enjoying an ASUS Windows 7 laptop that came with nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M Graphics and a 17.3" HD Anti-Glare Led-Backlit Display with 1920 x 1080 Native Resolution. On it are Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Premier Elements, the NIK suite and some Topaz plug-ins. Attached is a Canon Pro-100 printer and an Epson 500 scanner. It all works fine together.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Abbykats wrote:

I am looking for a new laptop to edit my pictures and I am having a hard time deciding one to buy. I would like to get a faster laptop than the one that I have and one that is easy to take on the go but also is great for the editing also. If you have any suggestions for what you would use to edit your pictures that would be very helpful. Thank you

my budget is no more than $1200

Good luck; for that cash you aren't going to get much.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

amfoto1 wrote:

In general, laptops are not great for photo editing unless you get a separate monitor that's permanently set up somewhere, to use with it. Otherwise, you'll have issues with the screen brightness and color calibration under variable conditions. In effect, you would need to re-calibrate a laptop every time you move it.

Technically that's true, but I find that in real life, it just isn't an issue with my Macbook.

singleviking Loc: Lake Sebu Eco Park, Philippines

bsprague wrote:

I've been enjoying an ASUS Windows 7 laptop that came with nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M Graphics and a 17.3" HD Anti-Glare Led-Backlit Display with 1920 x 1080 Native Resolution. On it are Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Premier Elements, the NIK suite and some Topaz plug-ins. Attached is a Canon Pro-100 printer and an Epson 500 scanner. It all works fine together.

ASUS has replaced the G75 laptop with the G750 and it now has an nvidea 780 or better graphics engine and dedicated 2, 3 or 4 gig of video RAM. As a laptop, it's got a lot to offer.
And now is BLACK FRIDAY and CYBER MONDAY, so NewEgg, Tiger, and others are offering laptops for significant discount prices so you're shopping at the right time of year. I think I saw the G750 with all the whistles and bells, i7 CPU, 12 Gig of RAM, 3 gig video RAM with the GEFORCE GTX 780 on sale for under $1300 with free shipping and no sales tax.

CO

Definitely get one that has an IPS type screen. A problem with the TN type screen that almost all laptops have is that the perceived screen brightness changes a lot with your viewing angle. An IPS screen is better for editing since the perceived screen brightness changes only very slightly even with extreme viewing angles. I got an Acer Aspire R7 that has that type of screen. The location of the keyboard and track pad are swapped from how other laptops are. It makes it great for typing with the keyboard up front. I use the computer with a mouse since the track pad is further away with that configuration. The new Acer Aspire R13, R14, and V15 Nitro also have an IPS screen. Take a look at the HP EliteBook laptops also. Some of those have an IPS type screen.

jackpi Loc: Southwest Ohio

Abbykats wrote:

I am looking for a new laptop to edit my pictures and I am having a hard time deciding one to buy. I would like to get a faster laptop than the one that I have and one that is easy to take on the go but also is great for the editing also. If you have any suggestions for what you would use to edit your pictures that would be very helpful. Thank you

my budget is no more than $1200

Make sure whatever you buy has an IPS screen. Otherwise what you see on your screen is not what others will see.

dsp Loc: Denver, Colorado

Get a Google ChromeBook and use Photoshop CC as it becomes available. And Google is now offering a TB of free storage for 2 years.

ralphc4176 Loc: Conyers, GA

I believe you will have trouble finding a laptop for $1200 or less which will handle digital images well. Consider first whether or not the laptop has its own video card, not video based on shared RAM. Beyond that, consider the amount of RAM (I would recommend at least 8 GB) and the processor (I recommend an Intel Core processor--an i7 would be excellent, but an i5 should do the job. I don't think you'd be pleased with an i3 processor.) You probably want a 15.4-inch laptop, unless you have really good eyes. Note that, if the laptop doesn't have an onboard optical burner and/or card reader, both are available as external USB devices at very reasonable prices. Make sure the laptop has at least two USB ports. USB 3 is nice, but not necessary.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I have an online friend that travels the world for businesss. His "hobby" is playing with new photo and video equipment. He buys new cameras regularly. Never a Nikon or Canon!

As a frequent traveler he knows not to check baggage. His computer is a small, thin, light and low cost PC. None of his work, including video, seems to ever be hampered by the fact he has a laptop.

Adding to that, I watch a lot of photography tutorials. I recently watched one about stunning travel photography. I spent 90 minutes with the instructor who only has laptops.

Arguments that suggest laptops don't work for photography may once have been true, but no longer.

singleviking Loc: Lake Sebu Eco Park, Philippines

singleviking wrote:

ASUS has replaced the G75 laptop with the G750 and... (show quote)

This unit also has a 750 gig or larger HDD, a boot SSD (this unit can take 2 internal drives), DVD or BlueRay drive and has an INTEL THUNDERBOLT output. Display is also IPS and 17".

Blow off the touch screen gimmik since that only adds more complexity to the display and most touch screens are not IPS technology.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

My wife has a really cheap laptop. Her photos and prints are frequently better than mine.