LiamRowan Loc: Michigan

I'm thinking of moving from a Windows-based desktop to the Apple M1 Mac Mini. Are there issues when switching a Lightroom catalog created on a Windows machine to an Apple machine? Other software issues? Thx.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I made that migration a while back. There are Windows and Mac versions for Ps and Lr. So, downloads and installs are necessary. I don't remember the process of canceling the Windows version license and initiating the Mac version. But it didn't seem complicated. As for the catalog, I don't use Lr for cataloging. So, that will need to be answered by someone else.
--Bob

LiamRowan Loc: Michigan

thx, Bob

JohnR Loc: The Gates of Hell

I wouldn't expect any problems as the image files, whether RAW, JPEG, or TIFF etc as handled by Lightroom are the same for any platform be it Windows, Mac OSX or Linux.

PaulBrit Loc: Merlin, Southern Oregon

I will have a Mac Mini for sale in a few days. PM me if you are interested. It will be for sale for a very reasonable price.

tcthome Loc: NJ

M1? If so why are you selling it? Just curious. Thinking of getting 1 or a mac air labtop to see if I like the apple experience. I have the iphone & an ipad but, that doesn't include everything like Apple Mail, etc.

PaulBrit Loc: Merlin, Southern Oregon

I need to check if it is an M1. It belongs to my wife and is being sold because Jean now doesn’t use it. Jean isn’t much of a computer person at the best of times. Give me a couple of hours and I will send you a private message with the details.

warrenvon Loc: Ellicott City, MD

I made the move several years ago and have looked back.
No issues in moving my LR database files and images.
As stated above the images are universal and will work on both OS's.

The really easy way to make the transition is to move the entire PC based "PICTURES" folder from your PC to your MAC in the very same location that was created by LR when you install it on your MAC. Move is the wrong term .. . . you need to replace the MAC "pictures" folder with the entire PC "pictures" folder. That's it nothing else to do other than point your MAC based LR to the catalog and boot on.

BTW . . the above Mac mini is more than likely NOT a M1 based unit as it would seem to have been sitting around unused for a while.

Good luck and you'll love the new MINI and the MAC experience.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

There should be no problems with Lightroom catalogs moving from Win to Mac. Using Apple's Windows Migration Assistant should help you get your files from PC to Mac, and locate them properly on the Mac.

Adobe Apps are cross-platform. File structures are compatible.

Lightroom (the new one, mobile one) is fully M1 Native.

Lightroom Classic (the older one, the professional one made for desktop/laptop use) is in beta for M1, but it runs perfectly fine in Rosetta 2. In fact, it runs faster on the M1 than on nearly every other Mac.

Many folks will offer to sell you a similar-looking Mac Mini, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro at a very low price. DO NOT FALL FOR IT. Most of the time, these are under-powered Intel machines that pale by comparison with the M1 system on chip.

Older Macs are dropping in value very quickly, because Apple will have everything migrated from Intel x86 to their own 'M' systems on chip by 2022 or so. Most Mac-heads fully expect to see a new lineup of iMacs, higher-end MacBook Pros, and perhaps a new 'Mac Mini Pro' this year, with the Mac Pro and an advanced MacBook Air coming in late 2022.

Those who want a great Intel Mac (to run MacOS AND Windows or Linux) should wait until the current models are updated to M1, then buy a used Intel one. They'll be a lot less expensive! Why do that? The Apple Silicon Macs use ARM-based processors that cannot run x86 code, natively. They can't run Windows for x86, or Parallels Desktop, or VMWare Fusion, so there isn't a good pathway for cross-platform work on M1 — YET. Parallels is working on a version of their emulator that will run an ARM version of Windows, but then Microsoft has to license their OS, and... They're not there, yet.

Ergo, if you need Windows, keep your Windows box.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Apple Tech Svs. will help (800)275-2273
You might call them before you buy it.

LiamRowan Loc: Michigan

Thx to all for the many insights and advice!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I think you'll enjoy the M1 Mac Mini.

We got my son (UNCG student) an M1 MacBook Air. He is running pretty heavy applications on it... Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Illustrator, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, MS Office 365, Blender, and most of the Apple apps that come with MacOS Big Sur. He could not be happier... until it comes to gaming. For that, he built a PC tower for Windows 10. The Mac is simply not a gaming platform yet. That will have to wait for better gaming graphics performance, which is coming.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I'm not a Mac guy nor a gaming guy, but there are a lot of people who say you should get a gaming computer for photography. I have assumed that's because of the graphics processor. What can you say about that?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

That's pretty true. nVidia processors are not supported on Macs. The new round of M1 Macs, while equipped with 8-core graphics that trounce all Intel on-board graphics, don't come close to what AMD's and nVidia's best processors can do. Apple's rumored to be working on much faster graphics processors, but they're vaporware at this point.

Gaming computers are overkill for photography. Gaming monitors are not well-suited for critical color work, either, since they are optimized for fast refresh rates instead of accurate color. For ideal color accuracy, you want a 10-bit (per color channel) display with 100% Adobe RGB color gamut capability. A P3 color gamut display is a good compromise for amateurs.

schaut

I would try using Parallels. Run both Os x and windows on same computer while making transition. That way, any possible loss could be recovered using your Windows knowledge. However i don't think i would use the newest OS X version. Some apps that i have used for many years won't work on Catalina and up! Could be the same with latest Windows, but i don't know about that. I have Windows 10, OS X Catalina, AND Mojave on a mid 2010 MacBook Pro. Don't use the Windows much because i started out with OS X and stayed there. For ME, OS X has been easier for solving problems, so i've stayed with it. I don't like the idea that i can't use the Photoshop Elements app i've used for years on Catalina! Mojave sort of works with PSE, but not like before i upgraded from High Sierra to Mojave and Catalina!
At any rate, i think the gradual path with Parallels may be your answer! Hope this helps!