# Laptop for Photoshop and Lightroom



## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

I didn't know where to post this topic, so please excuse me if I'm in the wrong part of the forum.

I need a laptop for image editing. I have a budget of 600 euros. Used laptops are welcomed too. 

I'm not going to use external monitor, because I'm traveling alot. 

Most of the laptops have terrible panels with low srgb coverage. So, can You guys suggest me something for that amount of money? For 600e I can buy used Macbook pro 15" 2011. 

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## jcdeboever (Aug 6, 2016)

The Macbook pro's are good if you want used.

Here are some new ones.

Excellent hardware, good specifications, ssd drive. will need external drive for storage. Very fast read and write times. Back lit HD display.
Lenovo E560 Intel Core i5-6200U 8GB 192GB SSD 15.6" Win 7 Pro (20EV000TUK) | BT Shop

Excellent hardware, good specifications, large storage, slower read and write times. Giving up a little file speed for storage space. Back lit HD display
Fujitsu Lifebook A556 Intel Core i5-6200U 8GB 1TB 15.6" W10P (VFY:A5560M85AOGB) | BT Shop

Excellent hardware, good specifications, ssd drive, will need external drive for storage.  Very fast read and write times. Back lit HD display.
Fujitsu Lifebook A555G Pro Intel Core i5-5200U 8GB 256GB SSD 15.6" Windows 10 64-bit (VFY:A5550M75BOGB) | BT Shop


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## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

I must admit that I'm little confused about panel that laptop must have, so I can use it for photoshop and lightroom. All three laptops have srgb coverage around 50-60%. I understood that the srgb coverage must be above 90%, and the panel must be IPS type. Am I wrong? Can someone explain that to me?

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## jcdeboever (Aug 6, 2016)

sukunda87 said:


> I must admit that I'm little confused about panel that laptop must have, so I can use it for photoshop and lightroom. All three laptops have srgb coverage around 50-60%. I understood that the srgb coverage must be above 90%, and the panel must be IPS type. Am I wrong? Can someone explain that to me?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk



Nothing is a must. I simply directed you to quality hardware within your budget. I figured you would come back with a response like this. Getting quality mobile workstation level hardware is not in the cards at your budget. You are looking for a mobile workstation laptop. This is what you should be looking for in the used area.

Google search used mobile workstation. Lenovo,Sager, Fugitisu are quality hardware. They usually will have full HD panel with separate quadro graphic chips.


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## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

Yeah, I guess that I want too much for that amount of money... But I must ask You sir, how good are those panels? Let's forget srgb %. Are those panels are going to represent colors normaly, with little calibration? I have Lenovo laptop, and when I do some edit in LR or PS, picture looks fine for me. But on my monitor it's complitly diferent story. It's ussualy underexposed.

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## Big Red Dobie (Aug 6, 2016)

As was already mentioned, Lenovo makes a really good laptop, I am using one now. I am not familiar with the mac side of things, so I will leave those comments to someone else. Both LR and Photoshop are memory hogs, so an upgrade to your memory would be helpful, I would not go below 16gig. You can also check the specs to see how much is being allocated to video, that may help some too. I have always used an NVidia video card and never been disappointed.

Hope that helps a little,

Jim


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## jcdeboever (Aug 6, 2016)

sukunda87 said:


> Yeah, I guess that I want too much for that amount of money... But I must ask You sir, how good are those panels? Let's forget srgb %. Are those panels are going to represent colors normaly, with little calibration? I have Lenovo laptop, and when I do some edit in LR or PS, picture looks fine for me. But on my monitor it's complitly diferent story. It's ussualy underexposed.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk



Yes, pretty typical. Not sure what model you have. The one I originally linked were for your budget not for IPS/quadro level display. Mobile workstations will have a dedicated graphics chip and are designed with matched display's. IPS will display color, clarity, and light correctly. Lenovo P50 is the cheapest, new mobile workstation I would consider. On the high end, Shenker are excellent. 

For used, you might be able to locate a  15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) (95% Gamut) (270 NITS), Lenovo W530. When searching, make sure it is a FHD model. That is about the best I could come up with in your budget. Lenovo W530 15.6 FHD


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## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will try to find some models, and I will post them here.    

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## table1349 (Aug 6, 2016)

Not to be a party pooper but...........a few truths about laptops and photo editing.  

1.  Laptops are poor machines to edit on.   The screen is not always at the same angle and you are not in the same light all the time.  
2.  Laptop, desktop, it doesn't matter, all displays must be hardware calibrated to properly edit as well as being periodically re-calibrated.  Especially if you change where you are editing or the lighting changes.  Otherwise WYS is not WYG.  
3.  Laptops are only good for convenience when editing.  See the above two for reasons why.  
4.  Most Laptops do not come with IPS (IN PLANE SWITCHING) displays.  More IPS displays are being added to laptops, generally the higher end/more expensive models. 

Some things you need to be aware of if you are not.


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## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Not to be a party pooper but...........a few truths about laptops and photo editing.
> 
> 1.  Laptops are poor machines to edit on.   The screen is not always at the same angle and you are not in the same light all the time.
> 2.  Laptop, desktop, it doesn't matter, all displays must be hardware calibrated to properly edit as well as being periodically re-calibrated.  Especially if you change where you are editing or the lighting changes.  Otherwise WYS is not WYG.
> ...


Well, I'm trying to get the best solution for ~600e. I mean, I know that I can't get something special for that amount of money. I have PC with good monitor, but I can't use it because of often trips. 

Few people told me that I should get older Macbook pro 15". I can buy used model from 2011 for 600e here where I live. They have told me that Macbook's have great panels, and that PS and LR are working just fine even on older models (2010, 2009...) Is that true?

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## table1349 (Aug 6, 2016)

As far as working yes they work.  I have a 2015 MBP that will run LR & PS easily.  Thing is when it comes to editing, environment has a lot to do with the final output.  If you are wanting something to view you photos on while traveling a laptop is fine.  If you want to truly edit you photos, then no they are not good for my above stated reasons.


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## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

So, no field work for 600e? Like I expected... well, in that case I can keep my Lenovo laptop with horrible panel and invest money in good monitor, so I can edit when I'm home...

Just one thing that I don't understand. I see all the time srgb % in laptop previews. It's on notebookchecker.com. So, higher the srbg % is, the colors are going to be produced better, right? Or am I wrong? A lot expencive laptops have just 60-70% of srgb coverage. And I have saw few less expencive with higher srgb coverage. Am I missing something? 

I got it like this, good intel i5 or i7, ram 8-16gb, good gpu, IPS Full HD panel (15" min) with >90% srgb? Or I'm wrong?

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## table1349 (Aug 6, 2016)

The problem is with the viewing.  If you want WYSIWYG, then you have to be systematic with your editing approach.  My editing is done at a 27" IPS monitor that is hardware calibrated.  Many people believe that calibrating you monitor deals just with the screen.  It does not.  It deals with the entire environment you are working in, i.e.. ambient light, it's source and direction.  When you calibrate with a good hardware calibration device it takes into account the ambient light in the room and how that light falls on the device/screen.  

When I edit the room is always dark with one small backlight behind the monitor.  When I say dark that means door closed, lights off and no light coming through the window.  I have it blocked by a black plastic film that allows no light through it.  That way, day or night I have the exact same conditions every time I edit.  The monitor is in the same fixed position and angle every time I sit down.  The chair is at the same height.  My calibration device of choice is the X-Rite ColorMunki Photo.  I calibrate my monitor and profile my printer.  What I see is what I get when printing.  

With a laptop, you are always at different angles with the display, in different light environments.  There in lies the problem unless you are willing to calibrate the display every time you go to edit a photo or two you will not be seeing a true representation on you display as it is not calibrated for the environment you are in at that point in time.


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## Ysarex (Aug 6, 2016)

sukunda87 said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Not to be a party pooper but...........a few truths about laptops and photo editing.
> ...



That is not true. What is true is that Apple is very successful at lying to it's fan base.

Joe


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## table1349 (Aug 6, 2016)

Ysarex said:


> sukunda87 said:
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Not near as much as Windows users lie to Apple users.


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## Ysarex (Aug 6, 2016)

sukunda87 said:


> So, no field work for 600e? Like I expected... well, in that case I can keep my Lenovo laptop with horrible panel and invest money in good monitor, so I can edit when I'm home...
> 
> Just one thing that I don't understand. I see all the time srgb % in laptop previews. It's on notebookchecker.com. So, higher the srbg % is, the colors are going to be produced better, right? Or am I wrong? A lot expencive laptops have just 60-70% of srgb coverage. And I have saw few less expencive with higher srgb coverage. Am I missing something?



You're right. When you see any cost/performance variance that gives you pause stop and ask yourself what is the hardware for. Pro-level photo editing isn't at the bottom of the critical-customer-feature-list for laptop manufacturers -- it's not on the list. They're not made for what you have in mind.



sukunda87 said:


> I got it like this, good intel i5 or i7, ram 8-16gb, good gpu, IPS Full HD panel (15" min) with >90% srgb? Or I'm wrong?



You're right. I have a 17" laptop with one of those 60-70% panels that I use exclusively for teaching. (I teach at a couple different campuses and the easiest thing for me to do is bring my own computer and plug into their projection system.) This is a Toshiba. I used to have a MacBook Pro 17" but the Toshiba is better. I do calibrate the laptop screen and every once in awhile if I'm traveling I'll give in to the temptation to edit some recent photos in a motel room.

17" is just way too bleep bleep small for starters. Some of my editing software won't even display properly on a 17" screen.

Because the screen is calibrated I can usually do a fair job with a first run edit on the photos. But because I have the experience of editing with better equipment at home at my desk I immediately start feeling a loss of confidence. When I get home I check what I've done and basically I was heading in the right direction but final readjustments are necessary.

If I had to use a screen like the one on my laptop I'd do what I had to do and make a go of it. I think the results would be fair overall but I'd get the fine nuances wrong.

Joe


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## Ysarex (Aug 6, 2016)

Ysarex said:


> sukunda87 said:
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gryphonslair99 said:


> Ysarex said:
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Good thing I'm an Apple user and have been since the beginning.

Joe


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## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

Ok. I understand You guys. Laptops are NOT for pic editing. Got it. So, let's say it this way, what is the less bad option for laptop (used macbook) for pic editing, for 600e? 

What You think about this one, it's 580 euros (it's something above 600 dollars I think), brand new.

5550-0075 | dell Latitude E5550  Intel Core i5-5300U  8GB  128GB SSD  15.6 INCH FHD AntiGlare  Intel - Laptops Direct

Small ssd capacity could be a problem, but it's ok for begining.

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## Ysarex (Aug 6, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Ysarex said:
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Just a followup on this specifically: Back when Apple first release the Macbook Pro (yeah a little old, but it applies here) Apple was sued for lying about the displays in the Macbook Pro. They were actually pretty much cr*p: http://images.appleinsider.com/apple_macbook_lawsuit.pdf

Joe


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## Ysarex (Aug 6, 2016)

sukunda87 said:


> Ok. I understand You guys. Laptops are NOT for pic editing. Got it. So, let's say it this way, what is the less bad option for laptop (used macbook) for pic editing, for 600e?
> 
> What You think about this one, it's 580 euros (it's something above 600 dollars I think), brand new.
> 
> ...



Seriously, if you can in any way see straight to carry a little more size/weight think 17" laptop. As I said some of my editing software simply won't scale down to even display on a 17" screen let alone a 15" screen.

Joe


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## sukunda87 (Aug 6, 2016)

That 15" can go straight into my camera bag. Ok, np, I'm a strong young boy, I can carry two big bags  I will search models with 17" panels now. If You have something in your mind, be free to suggest. I will read now lawsuit, I'm very interested in that.

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## BananaRepublic (Aug 6, 2016)

I used to have an Acer aspire and it ran CC fine


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## jcdeboever (Aug 6, 2016)

sukunda87 said:


> Ok. I understand You guys. Laptops are NOT for pic editing. Got it. So, let's say it this way, what is the less bad option for laptop (used macbook) for pic editing, for 600e?
> 
> What You think about this one, it's 580 euros (it's something above 600 dollars I think), brand new.
> 
> ...


This is not true. Mobile workstations are designed for graphic intensive software by design. In my earlier post I gave you an option for 600, the Lenovo W530 or the new entry level Lenovo P50 or P70.


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## Ysarex (Aug 6, 2016)

jcdeboever said:


> sukunda87 said:
> 
> 
> > Ok. I understand You guys. Laptops are NOT for pic editing. Got it. So, let's say it this way, what is the less bad option for laptop (used macbook) for pic editing, for 600e?
> ...



Point of exception here: Graphic intensive yes (games) but photographic color no (rare exception). They can run the software no problem they just don't do the job when it comes final color editing at a Pro level. To do that you have to display the color and ideally at a reasonable size.

Joe


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## table1349 (Aug 6, 2016)

Ysarex said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
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Yep dated and irrelevant at this point in regards to what the OP is looking at.


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## Ysarex (Aug 6, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Ysarex said:
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Dated as acknowledged but not irrelevant since the OP mentioned considering a used Macbook and not irrelevant as to Apple's normal pattern of behavior.

Joe


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## table1349 (Aug 6, 2016)

A 2011 MPB.


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## sukunda87 (Aug 7, 2016)

Ok guys, I did some research and I came to this one: HP ProBook 470 G3 (Core i7-6500U, Radeon R7 M340) Notebook Review

Is it going to be good? I can find it here for ~650 euros.

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## BananaRepublic (Aug 8, 2016)

What I have:

Taken from about this Mac screen.
Mid 2012 Macbook Pro 15inch,
Processor, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics, Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

Bought refurbished from Apple online at the time it was $1300 prob worth $200 to $500 now maybe. Runs CC fine with i7 it would run newest CC fine, 8GB min is what you should aim for when buying. Note I don't have retina display couldn't afford it at the time but if I did want more RAM retina set up will not allow this. Save Most things to external drives.


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## unpopular (Aug 13, 2016)

I've been very happy with my Dell workstation and the service I've expererienced, but I'd stay away from consumer products from Dell. Too many horror stories. 

The advantage to Apple is more the OS than the hardware. The hardware is still very good (though apple products do run hot), but unless you're a mac user I don't really think it's worth it. We're hobbpling along a 2009 MBP. Cracked screen after my son stepped on it. There was some jumping involved, too.


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## NathanKing (Aug 13, 2016)

While no laptop is ideal for color critical work my experience has been that Macbooks are much closer to "correct" out of the box than other brands I have experience with. It's pretty much impossible to calibrate a laptop screen, so being close from the factory counts for quite a bit.

Other than that I would stick with a minimum of 8GB of RAM and a 2.5 GHz i5 processor. I started my business with a 1.8GHz i5 and 4GBs of RAM. Things get slow when you're adding 50+ brush strokes in Lightroom or 15+ layers in Photoshop.


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## sukunda87 (Aug 13, 2016)

Just to let you all know, I got brand new Lenovo Z70-80. i7, 8gb ram, nvidia 840, full hd IPS 17" display with more than 90% srgb coverage. I will test it today in image editing. Tnx guys for help!

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## jcdeboever (Aug 13, 2016)

sukunda87 said:


> Just to let you all know, I got brand new Lenovo Z70-80. i7, 8gb ram, nvidia 840, full hd IPS 17" display with more than 90% srgb coverage. I will test it today in image editing. Tnx guys for help!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Great choice! You will see a dramatic improvement.


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