Unbiased advice sought

[Hamster]

Hamster: with CC there's no need to "cross grade" Photoshop, but with CS6, you have to ask Adobe to let you change from Windows to Mac version (to which I got the response "sure, would you like a free DVD?") and with older versions you can't do it at all.

OIC what you mean. My shift to CC seems to have been a good move. I resisted at first because they wouldn't give me the $10/month deal as I had a version of PS that didn't meet their criterion. But after I talked sweetly to them they gave me the deal anyway. This was a good few months before it became more widely available and I get the impression they were ready for that type of complaint and a potential change too their pricing.
I just wish I used PS more than I do, but I just don't have the time for the more manipulative end of PP.

[Hamster]

So apart from photo PP, if you are going to use a MAC as a substitute platform for Windows, but still need to do Windows type work (read "Microsoft") then it may be wise to stay with Windows.

Our just stick a copy of Windows on Boot camp or parallels and you can hop into it whenever you like.
I understand Office for Mac is getting some love in the near future.

[ameerat42]

(Hamster. I just fixed your posts above, where you quoted Jim and Granville. You deleted a square bracket in each one. Restored both.)

[ricktas]

I would have to say PC for me. I can build them from scratch, replace anything that needs replacing etc. I find Apple in general a very 'closed' system where upgrades/changes to hardware are not as easy as opening up the case and slipping in a new graphics card, cpu etc. I have stuck to PC simply cause I can change my system hardware easily.

[Kym]

You get more bangs (Ghz, Gbytes etc.) for your dollar from a PC

[I @ M]

------ will be used pretty much exclusively for photography processing. -------
Given this computer will be used mainly for photography processing what would be your recommendations for both PC & Mac? --------

Going back to the original situation ^^^ and avoiding the inevitable mac vs pc stoush I wonder if any one can point to any compelling reason to spend twice as much ( approx ) money on a mac over a pc for similar specs.

What is the optimum Monitor size & type?

A good quality monitor is a "must have" especially if you want your final output to be printed. Size wise depends a lot on your available desktop area and thickness of your wallet. Certainly these days a 24" seems to be at the bottom end of the scale.

The type is fairly easy, a good brand IPS screen that can be used in conjunction with a colour calibrator. Popular brands for photo editing seem to revolve around NEC, Dell, Eizo and Samsung.

This, sadly is where the thickness of your wallet plays a part.

[Hamster]

(Hamster. I just fixed your posts above, where you quoted Jim and Granville. You deleted a square bracket in each one. Restored both.)

Cheers! I've been posting via Tapatalk while out and about and it's easy to delete the wrong things or get useless auto corrects.

[MissionMan]

I use Mac and PC extensively. I have a Surface Pro 3 and a Macbook Air, both exactly the same spec.

For personal use, I'll take a Mac every time. For business (corporate), I'll take a PC due to the file compatibility with Mac and Windows versions of Office, Outlook on Windows etc.

For photos, I actually think you can't go wrong with Mac, particularly when it comes to photo editing. If you look at something like the new iMac retina (go into a store and look at it because its only when you see the screen that you realise how good it actually is), the quality of the screen is really out of this world.

From a user perspective, I find OSX a lot more user friendly than Windows. Windows seems to be harder and more steps to do virtually anything, but if you're coming from Windows, you need to factor in the time it takes to get used to the changes and the ways of working. It's an easy transition but it's a transition nevertheless. As an example, if I want to open 10 files in photoshop, I simply drag them to photoshop on the task bar. If I want to open them in a different app, I do the same. If I want to email them, I drag them to Outlook. No right click, file open with, select app, can't find the app you want, browse all apps etc.

From a photoshop and lightroom perspective, there will be no learning, there are minimal differences and I can switch between them on my mac and PC easily.

I think people often saying that on bang for buck, windows machines are better, but there isn't much with a 5K screen that can compete on price with the iMac retina as an example, the cheapest 5K screen is only a grand cheaper than the iMac and the iMac includes a high spec machine. Also bare in mind that if you build up a machine with the fastest gear, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the fastest as PC magazine found out. There were higher spec machines that actually performed slower than the Mac Pro and what they found was Apple had gone to a lot of effort in making sure the parts worked well together rather than just grabbing individual parts and throwing them together.

Its not to say Apple doesn't have its issues and there are things I hate (like iTunes which is so horrible, even Microsoft would be embarrassed to admit they made it), I have my fair share of issues on both machines, but Apple do a better job of making the machine work out of the box.

[ricktas]

if I want to open 10 files in photoshop, I simply drag them to photoshop on the task bar. If I want to open them in a different app, I do the same. If I want to email them, I drag them to Outlook. No right click, file open with, select app, can't find the app you want, browse all apps etc.

You do realise that you can do that on PC. I use drag and drop all the time to open a photos in PS or attach to emails etc?

Seems to me, that most 'issues' surrounding use of either system, pc or mac, are user related, not the actual system. People generally find a way to do something on their computer and stick to it, without considering there might be a faster an easier way. We are all creatures of habit.

I have a programmable gaming mouse on my editing computer, and have programmed all the buttons up to open up/do things in editing. For example, I use a high pass sharpening action that I made for photoshop for most of my image sharpening. I have assigned that to a button on my mouse, so as soon as I want to sharpen, one click and the action runs.

Most issues people encounter in computer use, can be resolved. It is funny how we often do things to hard way.

[MissionMan]

You do realise that you can do that on PC. I use drag and drop all the time to open a photos in PS or attach to emails etc?

Seems to me, that most 'issues' surrounding use of either system, pc or mac, are user related, not the actual system. People generally find a way to do something on their computer and stick to it, without considering there might be a faster an easier way. We are all creatures of habit.

I have a programmable gaming mouse on my editing computer, and have programmed all the buttons up to open up/do things in editing. For example, I use a high pass sharpening action that I made for photoshop for most of my image sharpening. I have assigned that to a button on my mouse, so as soon as I want to sharpen, one click and the action runs.

Most issues people encounter in computer use, can be resolved. It is funny how we often do things to hard way.

Hi Rick

You might be misunderstanding what I mean.

With Windows, you can drag it to the application while it is open but try pinning the application to the task bar and dragging the file to the application while it is pinned to the taskbar which is the easiest place to do it. It doesn't work for me, at least not in Windows 8.

So in short, I can have different commonly used applications pinned to my task bar and I can drag a file to my application of choice at the time and it works consistently across every application in OSX without having to have them open at the time.

I agree on the users being used to working a particularly way, but I work on both, started on PC and I find OSX more intuitive and works better out of the box.

As a simple example, with the surface pro 3 (which is a tablet and laptop), Microsoft enabled the full desktop login out of the box. The offer a simple picture login and a 4 key login like an iPad, but they unabled the least user friendly way out of the box and that's on a device they own the hardware and software. Why make it as hard as possible when every owner I know has gone for the simplist option because it's hard typing a network login on a tablet? If it's required for network authentication a network admin could enable it as part of their standard process, but to create a consumer device and do something like that makes no sense. That's the issue with Windows, it works but you have to put in work to do things that Microsoft should be doing out of the box.

[torro]

I think if you use a PC stick with it. I have used both windows based computers and apple. My preference is a MacBook Pro. Yes you can build a better spec windows computer cheaper than apple. The latest windows operating systems have been a disappointment compared to the earlier systems in terms of reliability and performance.

[enseth]

Thank you all for the contributions. Very interesting reading indeed. I'm impressed with the feedback and with the logic used to support arguments. Much appreciated everyone.

[arthurking83]

..... but try pinning the application to the task bar and dragging the file to the application while it is pinned to the taskbar which is the easiest place to do it. It doesn't work for me, at least not in Windows 8.

.....

It just sounds like 'another' way of rightclicking those files, and using the 'Open with' context menu.
Afterall, if you are dragging the files into an application, then you must be viewing those files in a file browser of some varietry.

Ctrl or Shift click the files as needed, rightclick and use 'Open with' in the popup menu.

FWIW: if you drag a file(eg. an image file to the program icon in the taskbar, Windows should explain that performing such an operation is pinning that file(or files) to the program context menu for that programs icon in the task bar.

What this means: if you drag your image(eg. DSC_0001) to the program's task bar icon(eg. Lightroom .. or in my situation CaptureNX2/ViewNX2) it then pins that image into a new menu for when you rightclick the programs taskbar icon .. where it then gives you the option to open that image again. ie. a shortcut to the image directly from the taskbar icon if you want.

While I don't do this with images .. I generally open a few times, but not forever and ever!
But I use this for files I regularly and recursively open time and time again(eg. my accounts files, and various other text files, word files .. etc that I know I'm going to open again and view or edit or whatever at some point again.

I also do this with all my drives, so when I rightclick the Windows Explorer icon in the taskbar, i get a long list of all the drives connected(about 8 in total!) .. and I also do this with many directories I regularly access(such as where I download files and suchlike).

Not many folks know this, and once you teach them .. even these folks that have grown up with Macs only!(I have one I deal with everyday at work) ...
He's hooked on using the Windows Key + Tab method of switching between programs.(I personally prefer the Alt+tab method).

In the end, there is no real difference other than the different methods of achieving the same thing.

As for the screen .. without knowing the actual hardware specs(I have no knowledge of the respective screen's hardware specs) .. it's hard to make a direct comparison between the price/cost of each of the mentioned screens. Do they use the same panel? if so do they use the same hardware .. ie. is one 6bit and the other 10bit .. etc, etc.

The annoyance with replacing a 5K retina display over an older 4K model, is that you need to replace the entire computer all over again to get the benefit.
When most folks probably already have a more than capable computer to drive a 4K display, why make them pay the extra $500 (or whatever it cost) for a new computer .. when all they wanted was the upgraded display!
I think the idea, or notion of an all in one PC and screen system is flawed on many fronts .. ie. a more environmentally sound system would have been to have the units connected together to appear as an all in one design, but in a modular form.
That is, push a couple of clips, release a large bricklike box mounted to the rear of the screen, replace/update screen .. connect bricklike box to the back of the new screen ... so you have your old computer hardware(ie. without the need to redo all your files/programs/tweaks/etc to a new system) .. and you have a new screen!

[MissionMan]

without the need to redo all your files/programs/tweaks/etc to a new system) .. and you have a new screen!

Ah, but if you used Mac you'd know that you never have to redo all your files and programs. Just plug the two machines together and start migration assistance and your new machine looks exactly like the old, down to your wallpaper, software activation's and your passwords.

[arthurking83]

I still reckon that it'd be overall much faster to simply plug and play(eg. a new screen), than to migrate data all over again.

Then it begs the other question .. what do you do with an old computer, especially if it's perfectly usable .. and all you may have wanted was an updated screen.

I realise(probably more than most) that an old computer has many and varied uses .. I have my 10yo computer still sitting on the floor here ... still waiting to be set up as a NAS at some point(it's been about 4 or 5 years).
But this is just the box .. no screen.

I tend to recycle old computer parts in various ways .. give old screens to various people(friends, work .. whatever).

[ricktas]

Hi Rick

You might be misunderstanding what I mean.

With Windows, you can drag it to the application while it is open but try pinning the application to the task bar and dragging the file to the application while it is pinned to the taskbar which is the easiest place to do it. It doesn't work for me, at least not in Windows 8.

Ah yes. I did misunderstand what you meant. Thanks for the clarification