PC User switching to MacBook.. Is Photoshop good?

I love using photoshop and I use it very often on my PC. Now that I finally have a job i've been wanting to switch to a mac, and the macbooks seem to be worth the price they are.

But i'm very confused. Is photoshop good on the macbooks, as in, fast? And also, when you buy the Macbook can you upgrade hte graphics card?

(sorry for the newbie talk. I'm new at this)

1) Not at the moment. Photoshop has to be emulated using Rosetta because it is not native ATM. And since its not a pro level machine it won't be blazing. When Adobe creates a universal app i guess it'll be fast.. My iBook runs CS2 well.
2) No (It's soldered onto the board (i've read so if I'm wrong someone correct me.))

(No question is dumb so ask away, besides, we here at Mac-Forums are here to help.)

Also, Welcome to the boards.

iWonder is mostly right. Until Adobe makes Photoshop a Universal Binary, it will have to run on Apple's emulation program named Rosetta. This causes a huge slowdown compared to running it natively.

But, you have a couple of other options:

1) If you already own Photoshop for PC, as well as Windows, you could install Boot Camp which would allow you to have XP on your Macbook and therefore it would run natively and without a speed decrease.

2) Purchase the Macbook, and wait till next year when Adobe introduces the Universal Binary version of Photoshop.

I wouldn't call the Macbook not a near pro level notebook. Processing wise, it is just as fast as the Macbook Pro. True it has non-upgradable on board video, but since Photoshop isn't graphic intensive per se, you will be just fine with the Macbook for this application.

I don't think you can go wrong with the Macbook as a new laptop. Think about the choices I mentioned and figure out what's best for you. You may want to continue using your PC for Photoshop until Adobe releases the next version.

What kind of work do you do in Photoshop, do you deal with massive high resolution images?

These would be the best things to ask :flower: Also are you planning to run Photoshop CS2 or an older version like 7?

Everything that has been said here is indeed right—the best performance for Photoshop on a MacBook right now will sadly be within Windows as it natively runs on Intel, whereas under Mac OS X (where Photoshop is a dream to use... ) it will have to be emulated as it is still PowerPC—which will change with CS3.

Vicky

Any Idea when CS3 will be coming out?

Middle of 2007 is what we have been told.

Vicky

Now, you said Photoshop works well under Mac OS X. I'm new to macs, so is that on the macbook? And, is it the Photoshop for Mac or PC?

I was referring to how well Photoshop works within the Mac OS X environment, it works nicer than the PC version to me at least, but that may just be the Mac OS X interface I like giving me that experience.

As for speed, CS2 won't be great on a MacBook or any Intel Mac, but it won't be too bad, it depends on what you use Photoshop for.

Vicky

I'm a long term PC user that bought an iBook 12" a few weeks ago. It runs CS2 okay - not as fast as my AMD64 Laptop or PC, but that's to be expected. What I miss, is the right mouse button and all that it allows on a PC... Life is so much easier on a PC.

So far, I enjoy the build quality of the Mac, but find it much slower to use than a PC. All the Mac users who've been yacking on about how good/easy/fast/etc Macs are, obviously haven't used a PC in a while.

Cheers

Have you ensured in Power Settings it is set for best performance?

I have used recent PCs well, on Friday, and with CS2 and don't find it nearly as slick as it is on my Mac, but my PowerMac G4 is a bit more of a better comparison than an iBook vs. a modern PC with its modern processor, faster bus, faster hard drive, faster graphis card :flower:

Vicky

So, if I just use Photoshop 7.0 for mac OS X i'll be ok on a macbook?

Yes it will be fine and run somewhat better than CS2 as well.

Vicky

well Ive found that the macbook (2ghz w/512) is just a tad faster than my athlon 64 3200+ w/1 gb. Atleast as fast as my tests have shown. I imagine the macbook will rock when I get get my 2 gigs and rock more when photoshop universal comes out ..

an iBook vs. a modern PC with its modern processor, faster bus, faster hard drive, faster graphis card

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They are comparable on price however, but not in performance...

Toonman said:

They are comparable on price however, but not in performance...

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Well then let me be the first to welcome you to the world of Apple. Nothing about Apple is "affordable", and comparing a consumer notebook (iBook) to a professional desktop PC is not anywhere near fair in my mind. Some of the price for Apple hardware also has to do with teh style. The majority of people are willing to pay more for a computer that looks nice rather than something that is just utilitarian. Some people don't want to pay extra, but those who really want the Apple be it for the OS or whatever else are willing to pay the higher price too.

comparing a consumer notebook (iBook) to a professional desktop PC is not anywhere near fair in my mind

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It is in mine. People do compare on price and performance. Once reason why IBM type PCs sell by the truck load and Apple type PCs don't. And remember, unlike many on both sides, I'm open minded enough to stick my hand in my poclet and buy/use both.

You're 100% correct and if I hadn't started learning about computers on a mac, i probably wouldnt own one now because I probably wouldn't spend the extra money. The fact is, to some extent, this isn't fair because it also it depends on whether or not you consider the look and (to some people) the apple "culture" as part of what you are paying...both things that can't be measured. I think most mac users can make that price leap by feeling that they are buying an experience. This all sounds well and good in fairyland, but youre right. Computers and compared price to performance, and that may be one reason why Apple will never be dominant.