Hi everyone,
I’m planning to try a MacBook Pro, and I’ve heard that Apple’s native apps work better on Macs. What do you mostly use if not Adobe software?
I’ve been using Adobe on Windows PCs for years, and I’m wondering—do you think it’s worth switching?
I have used Windows PCs for years as well, and still use a Windows laptop for all work-related tasks (teaching and research). About three years ago, I added a MacBook Pro 2, and this has become my preferred system for photo editing. I don't like the operating system, to be honest, but when the use is limited to working with photos, then everything else (like the mediocre file manager) can be mostly ignored.
The software that I have on this MacBook: Photoshop, DxO Photolab 8, FilmPack, and ViewPoint, PhotoMechanic, PTGui, ApolloOne image viewer (this is my main viewer for jpegs and tiff - highly recommended).
One reason to use a MacBook for photo editing is well explained in this Jim Kasson's short article "Shrinking the Power Grid, One Mac at a Time" https://kasson.com/bleeding_edge/the-bleeding-edge/shrinking-the-power-grid-one-mac-at-a-time
tester_V wrote:
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to try a MacBook Pro, and I’ve heard that Apple’s native apps work better on Macs. What do you mostly use if not Adobe software?
I’ve been using Adobe on Windows PCs for years, and I’m wondering—do you think it’s worth switching?
Thanks in advance!
I've used Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and Bridge on both Windows and Mac. They all work perfectly on Mac, and changing to Mac from Windows presents no reason to switch software.
The switch to Mac from Windows can be a difficult transition, at least for some people, because the operating systems have very different interfaces, and that can take a long time to get used to, for example figuring out where a file is. Having used Windows for decades, and still using it, it was only after about two years could I say that I was really comfortable with the Mac OS. But one of Apple's great strengths is their emphasis on the interface and the user experience, and I think Macs are very elegant and powerful in use.
I switched from Win to Mac around 2010 and have not looked back -- Mac has been much more usable for me than Win ever was. I am sure things are less different now, but I am now an entrenched Mac user and won't go back to Win ever.
That said, I use C1 for my raw conversions as I am used to the UI and love the breadth of tools and both the range and control of adjustability they provide. It is however not the easiest software to learn, but I think well worth it if you do. With the C1 subscription, I also have the Adobe Photo package subscription primarily for PS. There are still things in PS that are simply easier and faster to do there than any other software I've found, especially working in layers. PS's photomerge for panos and HDR blending tools are also quite good, and good enough that I gave up on other 3rd-party dedicated programs.
tester_V wrote:
Thank you for taking time to share! I understand there is no substitution for PS and LR in MAC world. IS this a correct assumption? Thank you again!
Most all image processing software is available for Windows and MacOS, e.g., C1, DXO, Topaz, and others like that. In some cases you need separate licenses per OS and IIRC others allow to you to mix activations between OS. For example some people have an Apple M series laptop for the road and a powerful, multi-use workstation at home to run Windows, Linux, etc.
I switched from PC to Mac a few years back. No problems with Adobe ... just had to adjust / switch (no additional cost) the license from PC to Mac. Same for some for other stuff.
Unless you are running something that isn't mainstream (I had a raw viewer that was PC only), you should have no major concerns about software in PC vs. Mac, as most have versions for both, these days.
tester_V wrote:
Thank you for taking time to share! I understand there is no substitution for PS and LR in MAC world. IS this a correct assumption? Thank you again!
As mentioned earlier, there are other image-processing apps available on the Mac platform. Some people like certain among them a great deal, but i think it is fair to say that Adobe apps are by fare the most predominant for serious photographic applications. (Notice, I did not assess the power or usefulness of apps, just their presence on the platform.)
Adobe apps work great on the Mac platform, and if you are happy with them on Windows you should at least start by downloading the Mac versions under your license. While some things are different on the Mac platform (e.g. the Finder, methods of setting preferences, some key commands, etc.) once in the Adobe apps this will all seem very familiar to you.
tester_V wrote:
Thank you for taking time to share! I understand there is no substitution for PS and LR in MAC world. IS this a correct assumption? Thank you again!
Uh no, not at all. PS is in itself a quite powerful software in either platform, not just Mac. LR is fine, and again on either platform, but many of us prefer other options -- which are also generally just fine on either platform... Shorter answer: the best photo imaging programs are almost transparent to the OS you choose.
