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General discussion

What laptop would you suggest for a photo editor?

Mar 24, 2017 3:04PM PDT

I travel a lot and when I travel my camera comes along. I would like to edit my photos as I go but my laptop, designed by and manufactured by Molasses Inc., is soooo slow I cannot get much done. I see lots of ads for fastest laptops for playing games but I haven't found any that say fast for photographers. Screen size is not critical because I can generally find a desktop screen I can plug into. I am a Windows person and use Lightroom, Elements, ON1, ColorFX and Smart Photo Editor. As an avid photo editor, what laptop specs should I be looking out for to ensure that my photo editing is fun and fast, and not a drag? I've found CNET so helpful in many ways, I'm hoping your readers have suggestions. Thanks.

--Submitted by Robert S.

Discussion is locked

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none
Mar 24, 2017 3:39PM PDT

If serious about editing photos, I'd only do that on a desktop with a larger monitor. The alternate is some heavy 17" laptop, because nobody would want to be serious editor of photos on some 15" laptop.

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Another school of thought
Mar 25, 2017 6:37AM PDT
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Some good photography
Mar 25, 2017 8:58AM PDT

NT

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15" laptop!
Mar 27, 2017 3:11AM PDT

I currently have a great 17" laptop for my travel related picture edits. My next laptop will be a 15", because of the flexibility you gain and less weight.

I have at my office a great desktop with 1 giant and a second big screen.

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RE: A Laptop With Intel Core i7 Processor
Mar 31, 2017 8:56PM PDT

OK, that's all good for the machine processing, however, you also want to have detailed hi-resolution video available so that you can see every subtle nuance of the pics that you have taken if you are planning to perform professional grade editing. I would recommend an Nvidia GTX-950 -965, however if you can afford it, go for the GTX-1050 - 1080!!! You will get 4K resolution and unimaginable color display.

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Oh you can save
Apr 1, 2017 2:34AM PDT

save money, save you back and take a 13" laptop, a wacom tablet and for when you're ready to do the serious editing a large monitor. When you get old and the spine is shot and you just don't want to carry a beat that is going to keep you on pain meds all day and unable to work. A 13" is fine for checking you images and not crippling you. My Lenovo T420 is a great machine for me with a 14" display and a battery that will last all day, but even that thing is heavy to me.
Most photographers already have a ton of equipment and don't need to carry a beast laptop too.
I use to travel the country with 80 pounds of camera equip and send the film back to the lab. After 2 weeks on the road, I would have to get shots in my elbows for tendinitis.
Other than size, a fully backlit LED screen is a plus and make sure to check the color quality in person, don't just shop online, but do check the reviews of others on a laptop before you buy it. And go for the extended life battery and get an extra one if you are going to be in the boonies without a place to recharge. Just like extra batteries for your camera.

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A Laptop With Intel Core i7 Processor
Mar 24, 2017 5:47PM PDT

First, understand that in laptops an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 is usually a dual-core cpu (processor), not a quad-core cpu as it would be in a desktop computer. Having said that, you will also find that some laptops do offer a true quad-core i7 cpu, and they are very capable indeed.

A built-in feature of the Intel cpus is called Quick-sync which is specifically designed for fast handling of both photo and video editing. As I understand it Lightroom, as well as a number of other apps, are enabled to take full advantage the Quick-sync feature.

You'll want the cpu speed to be around 2.5GHz or above. (It will have an automatic "turbo" boost speed even faster for some work.) You can be sure you're getting a true quad-core i7 cpu if the model number ends in the letters "HQ".

There are two other requirements for assuring the best performance. You'll need a good amount of RAM memory. 16GB should be fine, and it won't hurt to have more. Also, you'll want a large capacity SSD. You could have that as the main drive inside the laptop or you could use one of the very good external/portable SSDs available from Sandisk or Samsung. One model that has extremely good sustained Write speed is the Sandisk Extreme Pro, 480GB or 960GB; another is Samsung 950 Pro. You may discover that these very powerful SSDs must be installed in place of the laptop's supplied hard drive.

Combine the features of true quad-core Intel Core i7 cpu, 16GB or more of RAM, and a good SSD and you'll have a real workhorse machine that should last several years of hard use.

Here's a few to look at:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6R446K8482

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154531

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA0S54S1279

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA65C59C8507

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA0S5AW9723

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RAM & RAM & RAM -
Mar 24, 2017 6:17PM PDT

Robert, I do some photo editing myself. The computer I use is a relatively inexpensive 17" Acer laptop. With a bottom of the line Intel Core i3 processor running at 2.3GHz it's not especially fast but it came with 6GB of RAM and that is what makes the difference. This computer is my daily driver so I'm doing numerous things throughout the day. At the moment I have upwards of 20 tabs open in Firefox, 2 tabs open in IE, 2 instances of Windows Explorer open and my email client. I use the free Zoner Image editor and I could open it right now and edit an image without any problem. I'm not familiar with the software you mentioned but assuming you're not running them all at the same, 6GB of RAM would be more than enough. If your programs tend to be large and you wanted to run them at the same time, you might need more than 6GB of RAM. If you ever decide to get into video editing you'll want a much faster processor in addition to a lot of RAM.

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Expensive laptops okay, but cheap ones better for travel...
Mar 24, 2017 6:39PM PDT

Sure you can get a high-powered laptop with vast amounts of ram and storage, but do you really want to travel with one that could be so easily broken, lost or stolen?
An inexpensive Dell Inspiron with an i3 Core and 4GB memory works fine, and will only run about $300. I run Photoshop on it, with no noticeable lag time for image processing or storage. The screen is 15.5 inches and glossy (you don't want to edit photos on a matte finish screen), and it only weighs a couple pounds, so it's not too heavy in your backpack. True, I prefer editing on a larger screen at home, but on the go, this monitor is large enough for most purposes.

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A little more information would have helped
Mar 24, 2017 7:25PM PDT

Robert,
You didn't provide any actual information about your current laptop and you didn't provide any hints about what you would look for in a new laptop, like size or price. I do some photo editing, but I'm not yet "avid", judging by your software choices. Here's what I would look for if I were in your place:
Windows 10
15.6" 4K UHD touch screen (3840 x 2160 resolution)
6th or 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor
16GB RAM
1TB solid state drive (SSD) or 512 GB SSD plus 1 TB 7200 RPM drive
Dedicated Graphics like:
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics 2 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics 2 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB dedicated graphics
USB 3.0 ports
HDMI output
Thunderbolt port for connecting advanced monitors and external drives
Built-in media reader for simple photo transfer
Wireless AC connectivity
Backlit keyboard
Price range for these specs at a well known blue and yellow computer retailer is about $1300 to $2000. You can do photo editing for less, of course, but I think a laptop with these specs would provide a lot of fun. Especially if you can hook up to say, a 32 inch 4K monitor.

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Things to Cionsider
Mar 24, 2017 9:07PM PDT

To be honest, Robert, I've done some photo editing with Elements. As long as you're not dealing with Photoshop (full) or a ton of layers, note that my editing has been on a Pentium D PC running XP with only 2 GB RAM. I'm not sure exactly how you plan to use this. I usually take the photos home to work on them. If you are planning on taking a lot of photos in RAW or low-compression JPEG, you probably might want to pay attention to the size of your HDD or SSD. If you must edit the photos in the field, 6-12 GB of RAM would be good even if you can away with less. Depends how much in-depth (layers) of photo editing you are going to do. Now, if you're not planning on editing VIDEO, then processor may not be all that important.
Then there is the "schlep factor". Do you want to travel with a big laptop? It is no big deal having more than one computer these days. I only paid $499 for a desktop with 12 GB RAM and 1 TB HDD and an I5.
There is something else to consider, though. Even if you are planning on hooking up to a huge monitor (while you travel?) the display adapter would be more important. You probably want a good one even if you are not going into video.
Good luck!

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Travel to the Mideast
Mar 24, 2017 9:13PM PDT

Another thing I forgot. If you are planning on traveling to the Mideast, remember that you might have to check not only your camera but the laptop as well. Not a good idea but, unless you want to find pictures of camels if you get either of these devices back home, you may want to consider some travel software to route you around the world. Just sayin' !

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Going Pro May Cost You
Mar 24, 2017 9:24PM PDT

Hi Robert

You’ve gotten some good advice from members gaucherre and Bob_Meyer on how to spec out a laptop for photo editing. However, you may already have your answer…sort of. You just need to exceed your minimum requirements.

For the programs that you are using Lightroom, Elements, ON1, ColorFX and Smart Photo Editor…review the minimum requirements (for a Windows machine) for each program and build your system around the one with the most intensive requirements as a starting point. Next exceed those minimum requirements to the max that your budget will allow. Specifically, the CPU (i5 or i7), GPU (1GB - 2GB-dedicated), RAM (8GB - 16GB) and 64Bit OS. 64Bit however, for all practical purposes is the standard build for today’s computers.

SSD capacity at minimum should be 256GB coupled with a 1TB or greater external drive. You can store your photos on the external drive and move them over to the internal drive for processing and move them back to the external drive when done. With a large enough external drive you can partition it for processed and unprocessed photos for quick management.

While 4K screen resolution is nice it’s not a must have IMO. I’d look for something greater that 1920 x 1080 resolution. I’d also suggest a hybrid laptop one that converts to tablet mode for quick on-the-fly editing with a touch pen. If for nothing else…just for the fun of it.

I could give you a laundry list of laptops to consider but rather than do that I’m going to cut to the chase and make a one manufacturer recommendation that offers several builds of the same machine. I have one myself and am very pleased with it. The Microsoft Surface Book (MSB) Intel Core-i7 Performance Base series. Some can’t get pass it’s unique look; but I find it to be cutting edge.

Here’s a link to check out the specs and the versatility the MSB offers.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-book/overview#surfaceconfiguration

The MSB Performance Base series aren’t cheap…but are a serious piece of tech. They’re not the lightest in terms of weight but neither are they a brick. If you can visit a Microsoft Store to view one I’d recommend that versus a 3rd party retailer. The Microsoft sales professionals are going to be more knowledgeable as one would expect.

Spending the extra for an extended warranty with Accidental Damage in your case for any laptop you buy is IMO a good bet. I’m just saying…You never know...?? Also, installing some type of remote wipe/laptop recovery software might not be a bad idea.

OK..Robert…there’s my two cents for what it’s worth. Good luck and I hope you find what you’re looking for.

Together Everyone Achieves More = TEAM

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How wedded are you to Windows?
Mar 25, 2017 2:55AM PDT

If your focus is photo editing, do you really need Windows? For example, all (or nearly all) the photo editing software you list is available on other platforms. At the risk of sounding like an Apple fan-boy, I recommend you take a look at the iPad Pro with the Pencil. No, I'm not a complete Apple geek - I still use Windows for quite a few things! Certainly try before you buy - you can go into your local Apple store and ask them to show you the Pro with some of the software you use loaded on it. Also take your camera with you and make sure they can show you a way to get photos from your camera to the iPad and then edited photos from the iPad to wherever you need them.

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First of All, Calibrate Your Monitor
Mar 25, 2017 3:28AM PDT

Hi Robert-

One of the most important things an avid photographer should do is make sure what he/she sees is what they get with whatever they're editing photos on.

You can have the latest and greatest laptop and components that will crank out Photoshop files with gusto, but if you don't have the color fidelity, you're spinning your wheels I believe. Spyder makes a nice little monitor calibration system for not too much money:

https://www.amazon.com/Datacolor-Spyder5EXPRESS-Designed-Hobbyist-Photographers/dp/B00UBSL2TO/ref=pd_cp_421_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JQ490HBD4QJ2XVYR0Q3X

Of course, there are higher priced offerings out there, but this unit will create good color profiles at a reasonable cost.

If you are interested in the best quality photos you can create, then color fidelity must be one of your main objectives, even if all you do is post online without doing any printing.

As for laptop choices and what components to consider, there are many good recommendations from others that have responded to your question.

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do you use contact sheets first?
Mar 25, 2017 8:59AM PDT

To make sure the photos will have the correct color rendering before printing the larger size photo?

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Contact Sheets?
Mar 25, 2017 10:25AM PDT

I don't create contact sheets. My workflow is such, and I get near perfect results for prints:

Camera RAW files set to ProPhoto RGB, 14-bit depth on my particular camera, or the highest yours will go: always for printing.

Calibrate monitor for photo editing. I calibrate roughly once per month.

Open in Photoshop and work on in ProPhoto RGB color space.

Make all adjusts.

Make sure you use the ICC profiles created by the paper manufacturer whose papers you use. The generic printer profiles that come with printers are pretty good now, but I always download and install the ICC profiles specific to the papers I'm printing with.

Print a copy with the paper you'll be using in Adobe RGB, letting Photoshop manage color.

Hold to screen, checking for fidelity. Of course you're then comparing a reflective print to a translucent or transmissive screen, but the print should come out comparatively close.

15 out of 10 times Wink no further Photoshop tweaking is needed.

This takes a little practice and may gobble up a bunch of photo paper at first, but once you've mastered it, you should get great results most of the time.

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Calibration is not a speed issue!
Mar 27, 2017 3:24AM PDT

As calibration is important, it is not a speed issue!

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Calibration is not a speed issue!
Mar 27, 2017 8:03AM PDT

You are so right! It's still important! I'm so sorry! Forgive me! I was only trying to help!

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I am no expert in this area...
Mar 25, 2017 2:55PM PDT

...but I suggest that you look at good gaming computers. They will generally have the video and memory you need. That is why they are so expensive. Also, Apple computers are supposed to be better for photo editing, from what I am told. You need speed, power, and memory because photo editing is heavy on the processor and memory usage. If you generally can plug into a full-sized monitor, then you might look at some of the compact (or even tiny) computers that are suitable for playing games. You can carry that instead of a laptop and just plug it in wherever you go.

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Good suggestion about gaming computers...
Mar 25, 2017 3:55PM PDT

I thought of mentioning that in my post but decided not to as most gaming rigs lean toward the heavy end with regards to weight and can be bulky. However, still a viable option to consider.

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Here you go!
Mar 27, 2017 2:41AM PDT
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My suggestion: 16gb RAM, SSD 512Gb+, 15".
Mar 27, 2017 3:21AM PDT

These are criteria to look after:
- Memory 8Gb at least, 16 is OK anything above is great.
- SSD for speed on disk I/O.
- USB 3 external disk for storing the pictures.

The processor is less an issue. For batch export in Lightroom, however, you will prefer higher CPU performance. I personally would go for better battery life.

As I have a 17" laptop, I know, that weight is a handicap. I would love to downgrade to a 15" laptop just for that. You need to compromise when on tour! Mobility is more important than screen size.

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Photo and Video Editing computer
Mar 31, 2017 5:57PM PDT

Good Suggestion. I have an i7 6700 on my latest computer from HP. It has 24 gig of ram, and 128 gig SSD. That is really too small and am going to put a Samsung 500 Gig in place of the 128 gig one. I have put 2 Samsung SSDs in recently and with the migration software they included, it went flawlessly after the conventional hard drive was cleaned up. I now have 2 computers that I use that I7 processors and SSDs, and that is amazing at how quickly they boot and how well they run. My 2010 Lenovo Desktop has an i7 and 8 gig of ram, and the SSD added to it makes it run faster and better than the day that I first turned it on in 2010. With a Laptop you might get a 256 gig which in my opinion is not enough especially if you are also putting your data on it. I would recommend spending a little more and get a Laptop that has 2 drives on it. One should be an SSD, and the other can be a 1 or 2 terabyte conventional HD.

Amazon has a Samsung 500 Gig SSD for about $175, and that is well worth the money. Samsung gives you something called the Magician as a piece of Software and it will help you set up your new SSD for optimum performance and reliability. An SSD is in my opinion is absolutely necessary in the day and age with the newer software to get maximum performance. I am certainly enjoying my SSDs.

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Great eye!
Apr 3, 2017 4:59AM PDT

Does RAM determine how responsive the device is? The larger the RAM the less likely your device would lag or freeze, right?

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Just my 2 cents
Apr 3, 2017 5:18AM PDT

I would tend to believe more RAM in the GPU for editing photos. I have 16 GB of system memory as well as 2 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M video card. That's my thought don't know for sure if I'm right..

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That's easy to check.
Apr 3, 2017 5:27AM PDT

Edit a photo and in Task manager look how much RAM the program uses. I can't check here at the moment, but I would be amazed if it's more that 100 MB (most will be the program, and surely Photoshop is bigger than GIMP). Maybe better look at the difference between editing a small jpg (1 MB) and a big raw picture (10 MB or larger).
Then you know if you need 16 GB for editing photo's or that 4 GB is enough, in stead of just guessing it.

Also interesting to test, if you have the right hardware: run it with the video card and with the standard video on the motherboard and compare the speed for a complex edit.

Can you tell the results?

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RAW and JPEG files take the same amount of RAM!
Apr 4, 2017 2:46AM PDT

A 1 Mb JPEG file and a 10GB RAW file may be the same resolution! And it's the expanded size of the picture that is kept in memory during the edit. The RAW file needs more processing and data shuffling during the opening phase.

LR works with cached preview files for better performance.

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my 4 cents...
Apr 4, 2017 2:38AM PDT

The video RAM is not the blocking factor. 2GB and more is, however, needed for 4k displays.

Adobe suggests 2GB of RAM would be enough, the ideal situation is 8GB according to their recommendations. My experience shows, that 2 GB is barely enough to run the OS.

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Great eye! - correct.
Apr 4, 2017 2:40AM PDT

But there is a limit above that you will not experience more performance. It's somewhere between 8 to 16 Gb of RAM. All depends on how many programs run in parallel.