# Best Laptop for photo editing



## NAKA

I have a 2009 macbook that is on the end of its life and I'm looking at a replacement. I'm open for switching to PC (namely to save on costs) and the main requirement is to be portable (13" screen is ok) and ability to run adobe lightroom/photoshop smoothly. 

Does anyone have any thoughts on where to start? Would you recommend building your own?

cheers


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## runnah

The screen is the most important part. Most laptops these days can run lightroom no problem. Got for a laptop with a high resolution screen. Apple is best.


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## ORourkeK

Can you give us some more info? What is your price range? You want something with a fast processor, make sure it has USB 3.0 ports for fast file transferring, and something with good screen resolution is a plus (necessary for me).


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## Tailgunner

I'm using a Macbook Pro w/ retina screen and highly recommend it.


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## KmH

You need to consider more than just display resolution.

You also need to consider the display type. For image editing the IPS display type is preferred.
Another consideration is the type of back lighting the display uses.

Since laptop scan easily be moved around, the ambient light falling on the display changes frequently, making display calibration a hassle because a display needs to be re-calibrated if the ambient light falling on it has changed.
For that reason, many who use a laptop to do image editing have a - stay in one place so the ambient light is constant - desktop display they plug into their laptop to then do critical image editing.
When considering desk top displays many want a wide color gamut display. many of the inexpensive IPS displays cannot display the full color gamut of the sRGB color space, and opt for a display that can not only display 100% of sRGB but that can also display up to 98% of the Adobe RGB color space.


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## DanielLewis76

I use a 2013 Macbook Pro with Retina (16GB 1TB Flash) and its nothing short of faultless. It was rather expensive though....


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## NAKA

Price range is roughly $800.  I have a 27 inch imac at home that I do my editing on now. I am going to be moving away for a 6 month stint and I want something mobile that I can bring with me. I would simply go for the macbook pro w/retina display but that's a bit out of my price range.

I'm thinking something like the asus vivobook 13.3inch touch notebook.


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## LakeFX

I am normally not a Mac fan, but in your case a Mac laptop will save you some headache when syncing everything with your desktop. 

If you decide to get a PC, Lenovo is making some of the best laptops on the market for reasonable prices. I am on my second one (I do server development and GIS work that requires regular upgrades) and both have been great workhorses.


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## JClishe

LakeFX said:


> If you decide to get a PC, Lenovo is making some of the best laptops on the market for reasonable prices. I am on my second one (I do server development and GIS work that requires regular upgrades) and both have been great workhorses.



+1

I have a Lenovo X1 Carbon Touch and it's the best laptop I've ever owned. The v2 that Lenovo introduced at CES looks even awesomer. Problem is they're well out of your price range, but you may be able to find a used one in your budget.


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## LakeFX

You don't need to go high end.  My current ThinkPad E520 I bought more than 2 years ago with an i5 processor and expanded to 8GB RAM for about $575.  It has been a fantastic machine.


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## Mach0

LakeFX said:


> You don't need to go high end.  My current ThinkPad E520 I bought more than 2 years ago with an i5 processor and expanded to 8GB RAM for about $575.  It has been a fantastic machine.


  I have the t530 for work and love it


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## leonardoDing

I'm using Macbook Pro. Great laptop. Very few experience with other laptops.


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## IgsEMT

.....


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## IgsEMT

NAKA said:


> I have a 2009 macbook that is on the end of its life and I'm looking at a replacement. I'm open for switching to PC (namely to save on costs) and the main requirement is to be portable (13" screen is ok) and ability to run adobe lightroom/photoshop smoothly.
> 
> Does anyone have any thoughts on where to start? Would you recommend building your own?
> 
> cheers



I'm using lenovo t61p in the office - works great for basic editing and client viewing. Its native display is amazing and it is connected to external TV monitor.
At home I'm running lenovo t530 connected to two external calibrated monitors as well as hard drives, blue ray drive etc etc.
Original plan was to retire t61 but ended up using the system in such manner and it works great. 
Good luck
Joe


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## adamqueen

NAKA said:


> I have a 2009 macbook that is on the end of its life and I'm looking at a replacement for image editing. I'm open for switching to PC (namely to save on costs) and the main requirement is to be portable (13" screen is ok) and ability to run imaging SDK adobe lightroom/photoshop smoothly.
> 
> Does anyone have any thoughts on where to start? Would you recommend building your own?
> 
> cheers



It seems that there is a similar poste in other forum and I think it will be better if I connect these two topics. 

Best Laptop for Photographers? - Photo.net Digital Darkroom Forum

By the way, I changed Mac to Lenovo and I think it still works great.


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## tifanny357

KmH said:


> You need to consider more than just display resolution.
> 
> You also need to consider the display type. For image editing the IPS display type is preferred.
> Another consideration is the type of back lighting the display uses.
> 
> Since laptop scan easily be moved around, the ambient light falling on the display changes frequently, making display calibration a hassle because a display needs to be re-calibrated if the ambient light falling on it has changed.
> For that reason, many who use a laptop to do image editing have a - stay in one place so the ambient light is constant - desktop display they plug into their laptop to then do critical image editing.
> When considering desk top displays many want a wide color gamut display. many of the inexpensive IPS displays cannot display the full color gamut of the sRGB color space, and opt for a display that can not only display 100% of sRGB but that can also display up to 98% of the Adobe RGB color space.



Thanks for your detailed explanation.


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## Rileyd

The MacBook Pro with IPS Retina Display is the most popular laptop among professional photographers. The best reason to consider a Mac laptop is that you’ll get one of the best displays available in a well-built chassis.

The quad-core Intel Core i7 featured in *the 15-inch model* provides plenty of horsepower for your photo editing. If portability is a priority, then the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is also excellent.


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## JoeW

Computers for photo editing are like tripods:  it doesn't pay to skimp on price AND you can't get something that is perfect at everything...you always end up compromising in some areas to get one that does what is really important to you.  As a result, there is no "Best" tripod or "Best" laptop.  Instead, it's the equipment that fits your needs and priorities (and skimps on the stuff that matters less to you).

I use a MacAir.  It has a bunch of negatives....first, it's a laptop and a desktop (or a machine with an external monitor) is going to be better b/c of a better and bigger screen and usually a bigger hard drive.  Second it has a limited battery life (compared to other options).   But for me, the critical parts are that it's small and light so it can fit in a messenger bag easily with all my gear and not feel like schlepping an Alice pack.  B/c if it wasn't small and light, I wouldn't bring it and then I'd never use it for editing.


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## Tailgunner

I would also opt for more memory and storage. I've run into issues with my Macbook Pro trying to stack images. I'm talking 50-100 Star trail images. CS6 automatically reserves 70% of your memory by default and my image files are huge (D800/70-100MB). I can only stack about 30-40 images before I start running into memory full issues. My Mackbook Pro has 8GB Ram and 125 GB HD/Flash. So I bought an iMac with 16 GB and 1T HD/Flash to see if that helps....I'm also going to use a different software for editing star trail photos that doesn't consume as much memory. I'm still waiting on my internet connection/install at the office before I can update my CS6 software to include a RAW editing plug-n for my D800.


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## Osm Huzi

Hey,
 There is a lot of *laptops* for photo edit even you can edit from core 2 duo of dual core. it's depend on you which software do you want to run. if you want to edit through Photoshop or same like big software you need minimum i3 with 6gb ram and at least 250gb SDD. if you want edit through any app you can use any *laptop*. here is the best *LAPTOPS.*


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## Original katomi

I use windows 7, home  i3 4 core and 8gig so ram PSE9 Lr 5 ish and it’s not really enough for my needs.
But I do do big files 
The last image file size was over 2gig with 20 layers


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## jenny2691

I recommend MacBook Pro that has 90 percent faster performance when compared to others. It features a new quad-core Intel processor that helps with the function. It has contextual control over the touch bar. MacBook Pro boasts the processors of 8th generation with Intel core i5 to i7, The touch controls are dynamic. The displays of 13 inches are very amazing as it gives the perfect ratio of color and visible True tone Technology which helps to add the perfect visual experience for the viewer. The storage is up to 128 GB.


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## SquarePeg

OP asked this question in 2014.  Safe to assume he/she already purchased something.


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