laptop vs macbook & Aperture Vs Lightroom.

Daymouse

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Simon
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I would be grate full to get some of your thoughts on my options in regards to laptop vs macbook & Aperture Vs Lightroom.

I’ve currently got a 21.5” imac and only really use Aperture to do some basic editing however I want to get to into more advanced editing with photoshop.

I’m also thinking about moving from the imac to a macbook pro to save space and portability of being able to do some editing/learning on lunch times and at the missus while shes working (planning lessons)

On the other hand if I like lightroom currently never used it would I be better going for a high spec laptop with windows instead of Aperture

Thoughts?

Cheers
 
Can't see you getting a satisfactory answer as it will just bring out the Mac vs PC arguments but we will see.

If you like using a Mac then get a Mac (I prefer Macs so always use them for personal use)
Lightroom is pretty similar to Aperture in what it can do and Photoshop will run on both (as will Lightroom) so if your aim is Photoshop then the choice is just Macbook or Laptop and the software can be removed from the equation.
 
Lightroom is far superior to Aperture. Aperture didn't get properly update for years now, so there is no surprise.

I will obviously say a mac, for all the reasons I am sure you are aware of, but editing on a laptop won't go very far unless you plan a big external display (which is a great idea)
 
Thanks for the quick responses,

This is my 1st go with iOS and to be honest I’m neither here or there when it comes to both iOS and windows as they both have their good and bad points. I was always the impression iOS just worked but I’ve still had trouble with apps freezing and crashing on me. I think I need to download Lightroom and have a play at editing my latest photos on it and see how I get on.

I don’t mind windows at all but I think it comes down to the hardware as I’ve never used a laptop that gives a battery life as advertised unlike a MacBook I believe? I would also be planning on getting an IPS panel which I can put away and get out when needed for extended sessions.
 
I don’t mind windows at all but I think it comes down to the hardware as I’ve never used a laptop that gives a battery life as advertised unlike a MacBook I believe?

dells on the same price scale..

I would also be planning on getting an IPS panel which I can put away and get out when needed for extended sessions.

glossy IPS :(
 
Get an Apple one-2-one session on Aperture...I bet you find out things you'd never thought it could do....I was an eye opener for me and its approach makes a million times more sense than the fiddly layer approach from Adobe...
 
Get an Apple one-2-one session on Aperture...I bet you find out things you'd never thought it could do....I was an eye opener for me and its approach makes a million times more sense than the fiddly layer approach from Adobe...

Lightroom doesn't rely on layers for editing. And in fact, layers are very simple and much more versatile for local adjustments than both Lightroom and Aperture.
 
I prefer Aperture, its photo management is far superior to Lightroom imo. Lightroom does have some better editing tools its noise reduction is pretty amazing and its got built in lens correction which is useful. Unfortunately apple have dropped the ball with Aperture and it hasn't had a proper upgrade in quite a while but I still prefer it for its picture management. Of course if your wanting to use Aperture then a Mac is a necessity.
 
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laptop vs macbook = same underlying hardware, only difference is OS layout when comparing same specs.

there thats that one dealt with.

Not really.

i have not seen a laptop screen that is comparable to a macbook pro retina. unless you can point me to one i am all ears.

screen quality should be one of the highest priority for a machine that is used for photography
 
Not really.

i have not seen a laptop screen that is comparable to a macbook pro retina. unless you can point me to one i am all ears.

screen quality should be one of the highest priority for a machine that is used for photography

indeed, that's why I wouldn't ever use a laptop screen (an anti glare MacBook pro at a push maybe).

however HP have had IPS offerings, as have Lenovo.
 
If you've never used Lightroom I'd download a trial copy and see how you get on with it. I've used Lightroom since it was in beta form and find it an excellent program, others may disagree. I've not use Aperture for a number of years so wont comment. If you do decide to try Lighttroom drop onto the Adobe web site and go through some of the tutorials .

As far as screen quality is concerned the Retina MacBook Pro has an excellent screen that calibrates accurately, and matches that of my iMac. So I can edit on that and know the results will match the iMac.

You could look at using the iMac as a display with the MacBook if you want.

Now if you want to edit images on two separate machines you'll need to store them on an external hard drive alongside with Lightrooms catalogue. That way each machine will see the same images and data There are other options but this is the simplest
 
LR3 < Aperture 3 < LR4 (IMHO)

I got Aperture 3 for "free" when I ordered my Mac through uni and got a £65 Appstore voucher. I used it as my main editing program for about 12 months, then the LR4 trial came out and it was a winner for me. Aperture is a decent program and it is found cheaper than LR, but it's getting old, LR5 is looking like it's going to improve on an already good LR4.

Windows v Mac OS? There's no winner, I use both interchangeably, but I much prefer Windows as the desktop OS, and Mac OS on the notebook. My next notebook will be another Mac and my next desktop Windows. Lightroom works on both OSs anyway.
 
indeed, that's why I wouldn't ever use a laptop screen (an anti glare MacBook pro at a push maybe).

however HP have had IPS offerings, as have Lenovo.

Have they? What are the models for these ips panel laptops from hp and lenovo? The glare is not a huge concern so long as it is a ips panel screen
 
Well I've opted for a 2011 13" MBP upgraded to 16GB and a 240 ssd drive for a good price so I will be able to afford an external ips monitor as well. I've got light room and will give that a go with the tutorials along with someone in work who's will to show me the ropes with lr. Thanks for the advice :-)
 
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