Photography students typically use Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite, mainly Photoshop and Lightroom. A refurbished ThinkPad X1 Carbon would be a good portable option with a good quality screen. It might be better to buy a really good desktop and a cheap laptop. They can also handle more memory, bigger hard drives and faster graphics cards, and they are easier to upgrade. Desktop PCs can run hotter, faster processors than laptops. Note that a good desktop will always beat a good laptop. In providing more time for experiments, fast PCs can actually lead to better results. Cheaper machines can do the job, but reducing processing times from, say, 30 minutes to three minutes makes a huge difference to workflows. Professional photo and video editors typically go for the most powerful machines they can afford, with prices ranging from about £1,500 to £3,000. Last week’s column covered the needs of a history student, who wanted a laptop costing up to £500. Do I have to get a Mac or is Windows a good option? Aileen
I have a high-spec but old Toshiba Portégé that has served me well, but I’m starting an art course and will study photography so need a top-notch screen (perhaps touch screen?) and more processing power.
