Are we going with MAC as an industry for some actual reason?
Or just because everyone else is doing it? Is it all HYPE a sort of placebo affect?
(FYI: I own a PC and a MAC.)
What actual benefit does MAC have on graphics that everyone says
“If you do anything with graphics or video, 100% hands-down, no option go with a MAC.”
Pictures look real pretty on a MAC and I hope my clients view on a really nice big mac display.
But I run a color calibration to get Real-as-they-should-be-looks and it seems to take away all that niceness so I can view the picture as it really is.
(So doesn’t that erase the benefit of those displays?)
This is because of the way they build their displays and do their color profiles… so should i just be buying a Mac Display?
(Aren’t the color profiles replaced when you do a color calibration?)
You will be able to keep tabs of all the future showdowns
See that month’s theme
And sign up to compete
REVIEW
Last month we had a great showing and we were able to learn a lot to Iron out the wrinkles in the setup of the day.
It should go much more smoothly and faster tonight.
I hope to see you all there
BENEFIT
You will be benefited to learn lots of editing techniques by 8-10 photographers as they spend 20-30 minutes editing a set of pictures (everyone gets the same pictures.)
We will then review all of the different versions of each picture and the spectators will vote on their favorites
We will be able to crown the champion and spend a few moments on each winning picture.
Champion
Last Month David Daniels took home the “crown” and he’ll be there tonight to defend his title.
We will also ask him to show off some of his editing for a short presentation.
I suppose I could do a write up on each of these. (And really milk you for your attention)
But it’s August and I have 9 weddings to take this month… including later today.
But I’ve changed up how I’m doing a few things and thought I’d write a little bit about each one and make it one power packed post
Instead of stringing you along and milking the marketing aspect of several posts.
Keep in mind this is a changing science… some of this stuff I just come up with out of thin air.
Sometimes its info I’ve gleaned from other sources and then changed it to fit my own needs.
I’m sorry I didn’t put in pretty pictures or reformat it to look nice… did I mention 9 Weddings (one today)
Thought I’d write a short little ditty about my new baby.
Sorry I’m not all detailed and didn’t include fancy screen shots and what not.
But what I lack because of my lazieness I’ll make up for with awesome detailed info.
The beginning
I bought the new 2nd gen 30″ Dell monitor. I can’t compare it to the 1st gen that is 500$ cheaper.
But I’ll compare it to all my previous monitors. old crts for ages and ages past… dozens. More recently sony 17″, samsung 22″s
And a few laptops with the biggest being the 17″ macbookpro functioning at 1920 resolution.
I’m talking about tons of editing… fast editing.
A computer for tons and tons of editing with fastest speeds possible.
Not a computer that will be used from time to time to edit.
Because if you have other pressing needs for the computer then your decision might differ.
My solution isn’t for the pretiest or the most user friendly… I’m talking effeciency!
Fastest, most powerful machine to run Lightroom or Photoshop. = Saving Time
Winner = Hand built PC for serious editing
If you want the fastest machine possible (at the moment) for picture editing you’ll have to stick with a PC for now.
-Good news is it will be abt half the cost (Roughly $3000 less)
-You’ll either need to set it up yourself
OR – Pay someone a couple hundred to set it up.
Still much cheaper than a Mac by several thousand.
Price has a lot to do with my consideration… so if several thousand for a similar powered machine isn’t a concern… by all means go Mac.
I don’t like store bought PCs
Thing about PCs is that stores sell cheap PCs or sell the good ones too expensive.
(Not an efficient move)
The PCs in stores aren’t that good… companies trying to make a buck on shoddy stuff. Therefore the whole PC system gets a bad rap.
And I must admit Macs are great for people who don’t know much about computers and have no desire to learn. But they just aren’t as fast for the same cost… and the options are way limited in comparison. (Stick with them for laptops)
Get a really great one set up by someone
Like i said just pay some techy friend to set it up…
or I’ll find you a techy friend to set it up for you.
Spend the couple hundred you save by buying hand selected parts and pay someone.
My old PC vs New MacBook Pro
I have a brand new MacBookPro for traveling but it’s way way slower than my PC. (1 yr Old quad core)
But laptops are small and convenient and great for travel. I don’t expect to use it all the time, just travel… that’s what it does best. Why mac for laptop – macs don’t have a huge price difference when it comes to the higher end. I think it was only a few hundred more than the HP and it was smaller and had better battery life. The mac laptops are great…
BUT… For serious editing – use a desktop with real power
But come on, don’t use a laptop for editing if you do lots.
If you edit just a bit… it’s ok, by all means… get a laptop and plug it into a monitor and use a mouse.
COST
Top of the line PC can be built sub $2k (w/o monitor)
(See details below)
Throw in a dell or a mac 30″ monitor and then you’re loving life, you’ve saved several thousand by going PC why not.
MAC = $5549 (w/o monitor)
8cores 2.6, 2 video cards, 2HDs
(NO FAST HD option like an SSD … at least not from their store… so you’ll need to get one of those somehow and reinstall OS)
So yeah it’s a fast machine I can only imagine, perhaps due for an update… but it’s nice.
They really don’t have a lesser version I would recomend unless get the 4 core instead of the 8 core.
Mac is $3000 dollars more and isn’t technically quite as fast. (Not sure how it compare honestly)
But it is prettier and the Mac/OS is nice for many people.
But let’s face it… you’re using Lightroom and Photoshop not finder or laucher all day long.
Seriously I’ll find someone to build it for you
Specs=
i7 8cores, 12gb ram, SSD fast HD with several 1.5TB HDs, best video card or two for up to 4 monitors, full tower, best MB with tons of toys.
Crazy fast for Lightroom editing.
Add in a 30″ monitor or a couple of regular size ones. I recomend always having a couple of monitors
Oh and if you play games on the side… You’ve pretty much built the ultimate gaming machine
Yet another reason to get a PC for editing?
Fusion IO is coming out with their incredible new pro-sumer HD and it’s a PC device!
And no longer do you have to spend $3-$10K to buy one!
Both will be about the same cost.
The HP will have more horsepower and more bells and whistles when it’s loaded up.
But I must admit the MacBookPro is pretty snazzy and has some crazy good battery life and the size and weight are nice.
I don’t think the other options (dell, gateway, Toshiba etc) are that much better. To give them the nod over these two.
I could be swayed otherwise given that I haven’t had real life experience with all of them.
But for now I’d say the HP 18″ or the new macbookpro
You really need to have a large screen if you’re going to edit on the road.
And a word on that:
Laptops and Editing
Try not to Edit on the road!
in fact
Don’t edit with a Laptop!!
Particularly the SCREEN or the TRACKPAD!
Both are terrible choices!!
(Now That I’ve said my inflammatory statements I’ll continue on and say why)
For the insistent
If you insist on it being your only computer for some interesting personal reasons, OK, Fine… but understand. It’s never as good as a desktop when it comes to EVERYTHING besides portability.
Use a Desktop
I will still be using my custom built PC for editing because it’s Much much faster
It’s consistent… I’m not moving it around into different lighting situations.
I get to use two identical monitors or 3 monitors or even 4… maximising my efficiency.
A keyboard and a mouse are a must and I’m not tempted to try to edit without them.
I use my desk and am not tempted to edit on a couch.
(For busy moms out there maybe that’s why you go with a laptop so you can edit in different rooms throughout the day. Or computers on the bus or subway)
I’m busy and stuff… so I’ve just decided if you haven’t signed up for thursday yet… JUST COME.
Leave the nice tables for those who’ve already signed up. But there will be chairs and stuff.
Also please send an email to lightroom@jarviedigital.com to list things you want me to cover in intermediate class.
I’ll try to cover them all.
Intro/Beginning Class
(Those wanting the intro and the basic rundown of Lightroom)
Tuesday 14th April
7pm-9:30pm
Intermediate Class
(Those who have used it for projects &/or gone to a previous long workshops.
We’ll be learning some tips and tricks, guest presentations and a more extensive Q&A for me and other Advanced Lightroom users)
Thursday 16th April
7pm-9:30pm
Advanced Class
There is no workshop or class
But we will be a monthly meetup. Lightroom Advanced User Group Meetups – “Jarvie’s fellow Lightroom Geeks”
You must have a good deal of lightroom experience
If you want to be involved or help organize these meetups email lightroom@jarviedigital.com and specify your interest
There is a cool special format for these meetups.
Location:
East Bay Studios
85 Eastbay Blvd
Provo, UT 84606
How to register – Follow directions exactly
Send email to lightroom@jarviedigital.com – Or leave a comment on this blog post
Write out the following items 1,2,3,4
Email Title: “April Workshop”
Name
Which class you’ll be attending (1 class only, you pick)
If you want to be on the waiting list for the other class. (The one you didn’t pick.)
Whether you expect to want to go in for Pizza &/or Rootbeer Floats
5. Notes/Comments – Anything you want me to cover, thoughts, inspirations, resources, ideas! Everything else I can skim through for kicks. Or questions.
Extra: If you’ll be bringing anyone else please supply their information as well – including email
Example:
Title: “April Workshop”
1. Scott Jarvie
2. Tuesday Class (beginning)
3. Yes (for waiting list on thursday/intermediate class) 4. Yes, Pizza (Yum Yum)
5. My question and ideas: Are you going to give away all your presets? Have people there to talk about their experiences, share their workflow.
80 person Limit
… so RSVP soon. (Specially since it’s only 1 week away)
Questions?
If there are further questions please try to use lightroom@jarviedigital.com – or twitter @jarvie
I will try to refrain from doing much chatting on facebook or gmail chat about the subject to help save me some time to get pictures edited to free up time to do these workshops.
This next entry is from a photographer I met recently. He’s never been one of my workshops and he actually teaches lightroom where he works. So not only is it a fresh perspective but it’s a pretty knowledgeable viewpoint
SAM SCHOLES
What types of photography you do: Urban Decay, Landscape/Scenic, Portraits, Travel/Lifestyle
This way we can discuss and keep in contact for now.
I don’t want to go having to make a list of ya’ll and stuff.
Are you game?
Anyway.
Respond only if you’re certain you can make it saturday morning the 8th.
It will be in pleasant grove.
If you are sure you can make it and don’t have facebook I will give you more details.
There are a few more spots tentively open.
We don’t have unlimited space for everyone to sit and plugin their laptops or what not.
We’re thinking about 15
If it works well we could try it again.
FAQ
BTW, Lightroom can be downloaded and used on a trial basis just fine.
Knowing how to edit is very helpful in becoming a better photographer and stuff.
How it will probably run down.
It’s an informal gathering. What are you expecting from my free generosity?
I’ll have a big screen so you can see the main computer at work.
I will spend let’s say about 60-90 (maybe less) going over my workflow and showing off absolutely everything about lightroom. We’ll then play around with our own stuff answering eachother’s questions.
We’ll be doing show and tell and giving eachother insights and sharing presets and techniques and stuff.
Towards the end i’m sure people can go when they want, but I’ll remain to the end to help and answer questions.
Disclaimer…
this doesn’t mean i think i know everything.
I just think we should be sharing our talents and I thought it would be fun.
Plus it’s much faster and effecient than helping people out individually all the time.
-This doesn’t include regular photoshop because… well that’s not what I’m good at.
If I were face to face with an adobe developer what would I personally ask him/her?
Obviously: How do I make lightroom faster?
Would i have a better experience if I upgraded to 64bit operating system?
The answer is probably yes… but then I would ask… How much better and how?
What I’m getting down to… Is it even worth bothering?
Would things be better with more than 4GB of Ram?
Again the answer I expect is yes…. but then I would ask…
How much better and how will I notice the effects?
What I’m getting down to… Is it even worth bothering?
How big can I make my catalogs?
He’ll say… it depends.
I’ll say of course it depends… that’s how computers and technology works…
Now expand on that thought.
Is there a perfect way to install Lightroom and set the preferences?
He’ll probably say there’s no “perfect” way or it depends.
Then I’ll ask ok… what’s the “best” way you know of?
Would a sub $2000 mac be better than a quad-core PC with 4GB of ram 5-6 HDs?
Follow up if the answer is yes… would it be worth giving up my 3 screen setup? (And having to classify myself with annoying Apple Fan Boys… I mean I did get an iPhone so I don’t suppose it’s way out there)
Because if it’s only a tiny bit faster then what’s the point?
Why does it seem that Lightroom is specially sluggish when I leave for a while. Or when I wake in the mornings?
I don’t turn off my computer or even shut down lightroom.
Is that a terrible thing and the root of all my problems?
Does lightroom need to be shut down from time to time just like a computer?
Will add more to the post as I think about them or you suggest them.
I’m in search of the best lightroom article that has never been written.
(As far as I can tell)
Here’s a series of twitter messages I sent out this morning.
I figured it might be important enough to put on the blog since more people view it on a daily basis.
Somewhere out in the tubes there’s an article/blog called: “10 things to do to speed up lightroom” I just can’t find it! Please write one!
In that blog tell me what the fastest computer would be and what tips you suggest about how to run the computer etc…
If I do too many pictures in one catalog am I overburdening things and slowing lightroom down? What’s the magic number?
In fact almost everyone writes about the 10 new features they love in LR2
I would but hundreds of people already did it.
And the article is always called “10 features I love in the new Lightroom 2″
Thomas hawk wrote about the new LR2 features It’s probably my preferred so far. But seeing how they were all the same I stopped looking at them.
In that Thomas Hawk article Sephen Shankland makes a comment that makes it seem like he knows a bit about speed issues in lightroom. Turns out he has a blog over at CNET
This article needs to be by someone who really really knows what they’re talking about.
Not written by someone who is simply a user. (Heck I’ve edited tens of thousands of pictures and i’ve noticed trends but I’m certainly not the person to write this because I would only have theories and not solid facts)
Base their 10 points on facts and not speculation
Give us the perfect setup
(I have a quad core and that sped up things immensely! But I want more)
Going from picture to picture is where the most annoying lag is.
In my case I don’t care about the exporting/crunching of images i’m talking about the navigation more so… moving from grid to develope and from picture to picture or applying the edits.
Some lightroom developer needs to do this (maybe they have)
Or someone that likes doing detailed research
I wouldn’t mind Scott Kelby writing this up because he certainly chats with the adobe people a lot and isn’t afraid to ask the questions. Plus everyone seems to read his blog so he can at least pose the question.
Update:
Thanks to Calanan for finding an article that gives 5 apparent ways to speed things up.
Heere’s the twitter message he sent
5 tips are great but I want more.
An article not just for the common lightroom user. I want something geared toward huge catalogs and not just focused on speeding up lightroom on an old crappy computer but on an already upgraded computer.
Something that goes more into depth.
I could probably spit out 5 tips to make lightroom faster based on experience.
But i want some really solid stuff going above mere observations and guesses.
Saying get a faster computer and get more ram is cheap because that speeds up every computer. Say that and then explain how it benefits and perhaps give an example.
Am I being too demanding? Lots of people out there blogging and looking for things to write about… just trying to help make the best lightroom article ever.
dwterry @jarvie I have Lightroom store my data in XMP files with the images. That way my edits and my images get backed up simultaneously.
dwterry @jarvie The other advantage is that frees me to blow away my LR catalog any time I want. Which is about every few thousand files or so.
jarvie @dwterry XMP files? that sounds so messy. but i’m willing to listen. Will that make them import into any lightroom with settings in-tact?
Plus i thought one of the points of lightroom was to be more than a place to edit… DAM
DAM – a way to Manage our Digital Assets
If I really had a choice and it worked I would love to have ALL my pictures in the same library… so that might be going the wrong way.
zelph @jarvie I have 17,000+ on my home computer’s lightroom catalog and only about 1,000 on my laptop… I see no noticeable difference
This isn’t what I’ve heard elsewhere, but I’m not sure he’s wrong. I don’t really know if my catalog with 5000 runs faster than those with 40,000 plus.
Now we just need a thousand more people to say what they think and we’ll get down to the bottom of this
Harsh sun gave the bride a sunburn and provided some harsh shadows but it also provided a beautiful blue sky and striking clouds and I dealt with the shadows with a strong flash and some fancy editing.
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