 Joan E. Herwig |
MacBook Pro 17 vs. 15' I would like to buy a MacBook Pro & am debating between the 17" & 15". Perhaps anyone owning one or who has made this similar decision could advise me. Is the anti-glare (matt) screen better for photo editing? Also I read that the 17" has 60% more color gamut. My main reason for purchasing a laptop in addition to my desktop is so that I can attend workshop & classes on Photoshop. Thank you, Joan
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Lynn R. Powers |
WOW! I just took a look at your site and my first question is do you really need more photoshop workshops or courses? I wish I could process that well. Your photos are wonderful. Now to your question. If you haven't already purchased the laptop the advice may or may not be relevant. First is a laptop is not the bestway to process photos. Being that I said that I confess that the only computer I own is a 17" Dell laptop. I hope to purchase the new 21" iMac this Spring. The biggest problem with the larger screen is that I have been unable to find a case that will carry a laptop that large. Even the backpacs are designed for a maximum size of 15". I have checked Apple's site and they do not make one that I have been able to find. If you find glare with the glossy screen make yourself a collapsible screenshade that you can take to class with you. This will help in keeping unwanted reflections off the screen. My local processor uses one on his 26" Mac monitor at work and he uses the Mac Pro desktop. If you have already purchased a new computer I am sorry that my reply is late. I have just started going to the discussion section after over two years of being a BP member.
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Joan E. Herwig |
Thank you so very much Lynn for your compliments on my photos and thank you so much for taking the time to write & answer my question. Your comments are very helpful. I have put the purchase of a laptop on the shelf for now mostly due to some unexpected financial expenses. However, I will tuck away your advice for if or when I revisit the thought. For now I will continue to improve my photoshop skills (yes, I still struggle with the computer side of photography) via my desktop & Better Photo.com. I wish you all the best Lynn & thanks again!
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chrisbudny.com - Chris Budny Contact Chris Budny Chris Budny's Gallery |
I'll chime in as a MacBook Pro user - 15" version. I'd used a Windows PC forever, and most recently a Gateway laptop (attached to an external CRT for editing photos.) When that laptop began showing signs of impending doom after 6 years of use, I went looking for a new one---I distinctly wanted a laptop for my photo editing, as I travel every week for my job, and my photography had taken a major hit by not being able to edit on the road. I was astonished at the remarkable displays on the MacBook Pros... I quickly concluded that I could edit on them quite reliably, without need of an external CRT. I chose the 15" mostly out of portability. I was not sure I'd enjoy hauling the 17" around every week. It was the right decision for me; I've had the 15" for 6 months, and it is, with the bag, power cords, mouse, backup drive, etc., a hefty little load to haul, along with my other luggage and camera gear. I think I will have to pick up the new wireless Magic Mouse---the one design gap I find on the MacBook Pro is that the USB slots are all on the left side; I'm right handed, and my "mini mouse" has a retractable cord that fully extended, just barely wraps around the back and over to the right side, with enough slack to allow movement. I've been 110% satisfied with my MacBook Pro from Day 1. The screen is big enough to view a typical BP portrait-orientation photo online without requiring vertical scrolling (the smaller Macbook was not) and all the other Mac features are really something, coming from Windows machines... I've rapidly grown accustomed to the fantastic glass trackpad on the Mac, to the point that I forget my Win laptops at work don't work that way, unfortunately. I have the glossy screen, and while it is quite reflective, I much prefer the way images look on it---much richer, it seems---and I've also grown accustomed to it, no longer finding it a distraction during editing. I've cropped & sized many of my favorite photos to the 1440x900 pixel size so that they make exact-fit wallpaper images, which I have set to rotate; after always seeing my photos as 720x480 for BP, it was eye-opening to see them full-screen, on the MacBook Pro screen! Best of luck, when the time comes!
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Joan, I recently had the same decision to make and though I do love the bigger screen and obvious better tool for working images on the 17", I decided to just get the 15" as I still do my heavy editing on my 24" IMAC at home. Any editing I do on my MBP is just a temporary thing although CS3 works great on it. Because of calibration issues and constant lighting changes a laptop is exposed to, I cant really keep it calibrated so I dont even try. I made the decision for a 15" because I didn't want to carry around the larger 17" even though it will fit in my LowePro Vertex 300 camera bag. I am rarely away from home more than a week or 2 so I use my 15" MBP more for temporary storage & emails. Good Luck with your decision Joan and either will work well for you. Carlton
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