I need some opinions or experiences on using the MacBook Pro laptop as the main hardware for all Photoshop and Lightroom editing and short term storage. The laptop would be connected to a large NVIDIA screen during editing and used as a portable out in the field. An external drive would be used to store images for longer periods of time.
One concern is whether the graphics card on the Mac that is suitable for a 15" screen will render good color and resolution on a 30" screen.
According to the Tech Specs at Apple, the MacBook Pro will handle two large screens:
Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on up to two external displays, both at millions of colors.
Because the MacBook Pro supports the Retina resolution. I'd opt for the higher end models for the superior graphics card. And Photoshop always works better with more RAM.
He also connects his i5 13" MacBook Pro that he just got. Both Macs run fine, and it's a 4K monitor.
-Paul
Posted by Monika Chace on March 2, 2016 at 8:33 AM
I have a 15" MBP that's about 4 years old (dinosaur, I know)-- maxed out the RAM to run LR & PS (not CC). I replaced the OD with a SSD boot drive. It gets really hot running PS & that's not with it connected to an external monitor. I also have problems doing things like manual blending (keep getting error messages) on it but not on my MacPro. I now only do minimal editing on my MBP & leave the majority to my MacPro. No complaints with color/resolution when it's connected to my NEC monitor.
Posted by Greg Vaughn on March 2, 2016 at 11:20 AM
I have been using exactly the setup you're asking about for several years. I don't see any need for a separate desktop computer (maybe I would if I was doing high-end video?).
My MBP is the 15" Retina model, with the top options available when it was new 3 years ago. 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM, SSD hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB video card.
When I'm in the office, it runs all day connected to an Apple Cinema Display (older, but works just fine), and one or several external hard drives.
Both screens are calibrated with a Color Munki, and the Retina is remarkably close to the external display. If I edit in the field on the MBP, I rarely have to do any tweaking when I get back to the office and view the image on the external monitor.
I run the latest versions of Photoshop and Lightroom CC. The MBP has no problems with either in my workflow - which is primarily Lightroom; I don't have Photoshop files with multiple layers that create huge files. I'm sure a full MacPro would be much faster, but the speed of the MBP is fine for my needs.
The one issue I have with this setup is that with the high resolution of the Retina screen, images look small when viewed in Photoshop on the MBP. It is possible to scale the resolution, but that's kind of a bother. On the external monitor, the image sizes are normal. The scaling is unnecessary when working in Lightroom.
So, in short, quite likely you'd be very happy with the hardware you're thinking of.
Igor, I have a 5+ year old MBP 13" that I have set up to run in clamshell mode when I'm at our home in Montana. I bought a 4K, 24" monitor for that set up, but the old MBP won't support 4k resolution. Apple took care of the resolution problem in 2014 with their MBPs. I like the 13" for size during travel, but that screen is small for photo editing. Even with my ancient MBP, the colors are fine on the external monitor. I think the only issue that you might run into is how many pixels the MBP will display versus what your monitor can handle. That might leave you with some black edges on the external.
Discussion
6 repliesOne concern is whether the graphics card on the Mac that is suitable for a 15" screen will render good color and resolution on a 30" screen.
Thanks for for your input.
- Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on up to two external displays, both at millions of colors.
Because the MacBook Pro supports the Retina resolution. I'd opt for the higher end models for the superior graphics card. And Photoshop always works better with more RAM.My son has an i7 15" MacBook Pro with Retina display that he bought two years ago and he just bought this monitor for it:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PC9HFO8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
He also connects his i5 13" MacBook Pro that he just got. Both Macs run fine, and it's a 4K monitor.
-Paul
My MBP is the 15" Retina model, with the top options available when it was new 3 years ago. 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM, SSD hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB video card.
When I'm in the office, it runs all day connected to an Apple Cinema Display (older, but works just fine), and one or several external hard drives.
Both screens are calibrated with a Color Munki, and the Retina is remarkably close to the external display. If I edit in the field on the MBP, I rarely have to do any tweaking when I get back to the office and view the image on the external monitor.
I run the latest versions of Photoshop and Lightroom CC. The MBP has no problems with either in my workflow - which is primarily Lightroom; I don't have Photoshop files with multiple layers that create huge files. I'm sure a full MacPro would be much faster, but the speed of the MBP is fine for my needs.
The one issue I have with this setup is that with the high resolution of the Retina screen, images look small when viewed in Photoshop on the MBP. It is possible to scale the resolution, but that's kind of a bother. On the external monitor, the image sizes are normal. The scaling is unnecessary when working in Lightroom.
So, in short, quite likely you'd be very happy with the hardware you're thinking of.
- Greg
And I wish to publicly thank Harley Goldman for initially bringing this setup to my attention.