The Best Laptop for Photoshop: The Top 5 Recommendations

Adobe Photoshop is the standard industry software for editing photos and graphics projects. The web is full of celebrities whose images have been comically altered to provide us with entertainment. Jokes aside, its versatility makes it an attractive choice for most photographers, graphic and web designers and other image-editing and design professionals.

However, to do your photo-editing tasks properly, you need to have a laptop that works best with Photoshop. Udemy offers classes to help you fine-tune your skills with the software. The list below discusses features of the top 5 laptops that can help you obtain the most from Photoshop.

1. MacBook Pro Retina

With a spectacular 2880×1800 resolution for the 15-inch version, it is not that hard to see why MacBook Pro is a top choice for most professional photographers and graphic artists. The retina display allows you to view crisp, clear images; with pixel-for-pixel accuracy that makes it easy to edit smaller details in Photoshop. Sharper text also makes you feel as if you are reading a laser-printed document.

The laptop is also a delight for multi-taskers as it comes packed with 16GB RAM and 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor which ensures it can shoulder any load without flinching. It also combines Iris Pro Graphics with the Nvidia GeoForce GT 750 M AND 2GB video memory, which ensures greater responsiveness and speed for HD photo and video projects.

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The battery also has an amazing life; it lasts up to 8 hours with about 30 days standby time. However, if you need a portable model, it is recommended to go for the much lighter 13-inch model. This version has, amongst other attractive features, a 9-hour battery life and an amazing 2560×1600 resolution.

The 15-inch version is also equipped with two Thunderbolt 2 processors that has four times more data transfer speeds than USB 3.0. This ensures that you can upload or download images to and from the notebook faster. The notebook also has 2 USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port and an SD Card slot.

2. Dell XPS 15

This notebook is the closest comparison to MacBook Pro, as it matches it feature-to-feature, and even beats it in a few. It comes packed with a fourth-generation Intel core i7 processor, 3200×1800 screen resolution-the highest ever in the market and Nvidia GeoForce 750M discrete graphics with a 2GB video memory.

The 15.6-inch touch-screen offers enough space for photo editing, and displays crisp-clear images and text to allow you to Photoshop effortlessly. However, Photoshop menus and icons tend to be tiny, so be prepared for some pecking and hunting.

Unlike the MacBook Pro, the XPS has three USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 ports plus a 3-in-1 media card slot and an HDMI port. However, the XPS screen is brighter, measuring around 342 lux on the light-meter compared to the 324 lux on the MacBook.

One of the main drawbacks of this laptop is that it has a shorter battery life of around 7 hours. However, if you can look past this, this laptop can be a great tool for editing your photos and other general tasks.

3. Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2

Like the Dell XPS 15, Lenovo IdeaPad has an impressive 3200×1800 screen resolution, which is a notable improvement from the 1600×900 resolution in its earlier version. The notebook allows you to view images with an amazing clarity; I could see a bead of water on a wet daffodil flower clearly. It is equipped with Intel core i5 processor, 4GB RAM and Intel HD graphics with 1,792 MB video memory making it good for medium photo editing tasks.

The screen can also be folded 180 degrees, such that the screen points towards the audience without the keyboard and touchpad in front. This feature, which is known as kiosk mode, helps you to navigate the touch-screen easily and view slideshows.

However, as with the XPS, icons and links are hard to hit, hence you should be familiar with Photoshop or other photo-editing software in order to navigate through the small pull-down menus. However, since the high resolution is packed on a 13.3-inch screen, icons are tinier in the Yoga 2 than in the XPS.

4. Sony Vaio Pro 13 Ultrabook

If you want an ultra light laptop and prefers Windows operating systems, this one is the best choice for you. The 13.3-inch weighs 2.24 pounds; which goes up to 2.9 pounds with its battery, the same as the 13-inch MacBook Air. It has an excellent screen resolution of 1920×1080, which allows you to flawlessly view and edit images using Photoshop. Text is also sharp and crispy.

The screen has a touch feature and uses IPS technology, which enables you to expand or shrink objects on the screen easily. The notebook has a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB RAM, plus 1659MB Intel HD Graphics which allows you to view and edit HD photos and videos without it stalling.

The laptop has 2 USB 3.0 ports and an SD card reader. Battery life is slightly better; at 9 hours, this makes it the best portable companion especially if you prefer taking pictures or painting and editing them in the open. If you are an artist, consider enrolling for a course on how to optimize your photo-editing skills with Photoshop. It will pay off in the long-run.

5. HP Envy 17’ Laptop

This laptop-with a 17.3 inch screen- is the biggest one in the list. However, it packs an impressive array of features that makes it one of the best workstations for both professional and aspiring Photoshop users. It has a massive 6GB RAM, 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor and Nvidia GT 740M Graphics, not to mention the 1920×1080 screen resolution.

This allows you to view and edit images faster, as icons and drop-down boxes on Photoshop are clearly visible from a slight distance. Other features include four USB 3.0 ports, a card reader slot, HDMI port and a Gigabit LAN port. The laptop, is however very heavy, and is therefore not recommended for highly mobile users.

So What Now?

After deciding on which laptop is best for you, it is advisable to take a crash course (and we offer one!) on the latest Photoshop version-Adobe Photoshop C6 so as to make the maximum use of it. The new version comes with new tools and powerful improvements, some of which you might spend a lot of time mastering.