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Laptop for photo editing
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Mar 18, 2019 18:17:14   #
lisainstpete
 
Hi, I am new to this forum and enjoying it so far.
I am going to be buying a laptop PC (not MAC) and would like to get some suggestions about what laptops others are using. I do use photoshop cc and like compositing, focus stacking, exposure stacking etc so I need something with that capability. I shoot with a canon 5dM4 so file sizes are pretty large.
Thanks for the input.
Lisainstpete


(Download)

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Mar 18, 2019 18:20:48   #
CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida
 
I've got an older Dell Inspiron with a i7 processor and it works PS quite well. It's not fast and gets a bit poky with some features but works for stills and video. I don't use Lightroom so can't speak to that one.

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Mar 18, 2019 18:41:18   #
sloscheider Loc: Minnesota
 
Take a look at https://www.xoticpc.com/ they are focused on performance and you’re pretty safe buying from them.

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Mar 18, 2019 18:48:02   #
Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis
 
lisainstpete wrote:
Hi, I am new to this forum and enjoying it so far.
I am going to be buying a laptop PC (not MAC) and would like to get some suggestions about what laptops others are using. I do use photoshop cc and like compositing, focus stacking, exposure stacking etc so I need something with that capability. I shoot with a canon 5dM4 so file sizes are pretty large.
Thanks for the input.
Lisainstpete

A fantastic image!!!!
Why a laptop? The screens are really too small for editing IMO. and usually you can't calibrate the "monitor" if you should want to do so.
And why not an iMac? (cost).

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Mar 18, 2019 18:56:10   #
sloscheider Loc: Minnesota
 
Manglesphoto wrote:
....And why not an iMac? (cost).

I’m mostly in the Mac camp as well. The Mac mini is a nice option that allows multiple monitors of your choice but it’s not a laptop... and it’s not windoze...

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Mar 18, 2019 19:03:55   #
BebuLamar
 
You need to find a laptop that you can calibrate the screen.

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Mar 18, 2019 19:14:36   #
cascoly Loc: seattle
 
I use an asus laptop - very lightweight & fine for PS & LR - when traveling I can load my images, rename & start captioning & post-work; can also backup my images to an ext HD. never had a problem with the screen calibration

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Mar 18, 2019 19:49:46   #
lisainstpete
 
I currently use and love a desktop but will be travelling soon and will need portability.

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Mar 18, 2019 19:58:35   #
Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis
 
lisainstpete wrote:
I currently use and love a desktop but will be travelling soon and will need portability.

Ahhhh Been there done that I just used the laptop to burn the images to a CD or DVD and also saved to an external drive. Edited when I got back home.

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Mar 18, 2019 21:00:21   #
rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA
 
Manglesphoto wrote:
A fantastic image!!!!
Why a laptop? The screens are really too small for editing IMO. and usually you can't calibrate the "monitor" if you should want to do so.
And why not an iMac? (cost).


Who says? I regularly use an X-Rite hardware calibrator on my Dell XPS-15.

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Mar 18, 2019 21:27:13   #
Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx
 
Welcome. You will get a lot of advice here, much of it good, some of it not so good. I find that I get some very good leads that I can then research for myself.

Which laptop is like asking "which car (or camera) should I buy?". You really have to make your own decisions starting with your budget. If you've got a bigger budget, then look for gaming laptops with bigger screens. Gaming laptops tend to have higher end processors, more memory, and discrete high end graphics processors. I happen to be partial to Alienware equipment, which is now owned by Dell, so you can buy a great warranty as part of the package. Stay away from laptops that are designed for office use / business, which tend to have lower end specs, but most mid range laptops will work fine for Post Processing. I recommend you stay with an Intel i7 or greater processor, 2.7 Ghz or better, 16Gb mem or better, and a discrete higher end graphics processor. You are going to want to add an external monitor minimum 24", but more like 27" or even greater with an srgb or better yet, an Adobe rgb color space. 4K resolution would be best. You will get away with the laptop's monitor in the field, but you will want a larger screen back home. At the end of the day, most anything you buy that is decent will work, but the more you spend, the faster it will be.

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Mar 19, 2019 01:22:32   #
crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada
 
Strodav wrote:
Welcome. You will get a lot of advice here, much of it good, some of it not so good. I find that I get some very good leads that I can then research for myself.

Which laptop is like asking "which car (or camera) should I buy?". You really have to make your own decisions starting with your budget. If you've got a bigger budget, then look for gaming laptops with bigger screens. Gaming laptops tend to have higher end processors, more memory, and discrete high end graphics processors. I happen to be partial to Alienware equipment, which is now owned by Dell, so you can buy a great warranty as part of the package. Stay away from laptops that are designed for office use / business, which tend to have lower end specs, but most mid range laptops will work fine for Post Processing. I recommend you stay with an Intel i7 or greater processor, 2.7 Ghz or better, 16Gb mem or better, and a discrete higher end graphics processor. You are going to want to add an external monitor minimum 24", but more like 27" or even greater with an srgb or better yet, an Adobe rgb color space. 4K resolution would be best. You will get away with the laptop's monitor in the field, but you will want a larger screen back home. At the end of the day, most anything you buy that is decent will work, but the more you spend, the faster it will be.
Welcome. You will get a lot of advice here, much ... (show quote)


I had heard that faster clock speed is more important than whether it is an i5 or i7.
I7 has more cores and threads but these are used primarily for gaming and hyper intensive multitasking. LR and PS generally dont take advantage of these extra cores and threads.
(They may in the future....dont know)

I have biased my recent (desktop) purchase to
1) highest clock speed for CPU
2) min 16g (i installed 32.....running both LR and PS and have regularly exceeded 16g of memory usage but 16g is probably enough with no noticeable lag)
3) ssd vs harddrive- scratch pads, SW install, OS should be in the SSD, main pictures you work on in a High speed internal HD ... backups on cheap external drives.
4) 6g vram gtx1060 (overkill but hey, why not)
5) IPS/4K monitor 27"

With this setup, the responsiveness is awesome and the screen is perfect for editing.

Laptop with these specs will be VERY expensive especially since the 32g of laptop memory is expensive. If you can get a gaming laptop with 16g, SSD, and good vram you can drive an external monitor and it should be ok.
...but still expensive :-)

Some computer stores will have demos that you can try out the config to see if it is fast enough for you....

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Mar 19, 2019 07:32:28   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Welcome to our forum!

I use a laptop for convenience and a desktop for editing. Don't over-spend. If you want "The Best," be prepared to pay a lot of money.

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

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Mar 19, 2019 07:39:18   #
bearwitme Loc: VA, USA
 
lisainstpete wrote:
Hi, I am new to this forum and enjoying it so far.
I am going to be buying a laptop PC (not MAC) and would like to get some suggestions about what laptops others are using. I do use photoshop cc and like compositing, focus stacking, exposure stacking etc so I need something with that capability. I shoot with a canon 5dM4 so file sizes are pretty large.
Thanks for the input.
Lisainstpete


______________________________________________________________

Hi. I purchased a Dell Alienware 17in Laptop and have been very pleased with performance. Light room runs great on it.. Yes, it heavy, but I am not travelling with it. I got the most memory offered, SSD drive and a reg drive as well.. Not cheap...But..Hey..It works for what I want and need.. Good Luck with your choice..

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Mar 19, 2019 07:45:21   #
gmw12 Loc: Indianapolis & Windsor/UK & Montreux/Switzerl
 
If you primarily use the laptop for editing, you need to look at high end model with features such as core I7, SSD, a good chunk of RAM (16Gb), IPS non-glare display with sRGB gamut, dedicated graphics, HDMI port for external display, card reader, USB-3 and an illuminated keyboard to work in the dark. The link below is a good selection guide for all those features (it's a secure European site but most models are the same as in the US):
https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nb&xf=9291_Grafik-Workstation

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