My wife wants a notebook computer for Photoshop

[rpcrowe]

My wife uses a Lenovo Desktop (16 GB of RAM) computer for working with Photoshop CC and she would like a notebook computer so she can travel with her editing program when she visits relatives. We can afford a notebook and since I want to keep her happy - why not!

Since we have decided to do this - the question is... Which brand and model would she like the best.

It is important for her to have a very good display because we are both in our seventies and vision is not all that it was. She likes the Macbook Pro Display the best that she has seen.

However (and a big however) she has been working with Windows based machines forever and doesn't want to go through the learning curve of switching to Mac!

We are wondering what might be the best choice of notebook... She has view a Microsoft Surface Pro display and really likes it however, she doesn't remember which Surface Pro that she looked at.

I wonder if we could get some recommendations regarding which notebook (of any brand) that she would be best off with. I don't really expect that she will be working with more than three or four layers open at once and she doesn't expect to edit video with her machine...

ANOTHER QUESTION: Can you use the Microsoft Surface Touch Screen as an editing tablet with Photoshop CC or Elements 2020?

[Arjung]

I would suggest any Windows machine which has a 4k screen

[Manfred M]

Check the machine against current Adobe Photoshop requirements:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/sy...uirements.html

At a high level, I would look at meeting or exceeding the "recommended" requirements, rather than the minimum requirements.

You are going to need to look at the trade-off between screen size and unit weight; larger scree size is probably more important in our demographic than a smaller one. If you are looking at using it without plugging it in for considerable periods, then battery life can be another key issue to look at.

I disagree with Arjun; screen resolution is considered to be one of the least important factors in deciding on a screen for image editing. In general, that adds expense and usually with reduced colour acuity. I would look for IPS technology rather than TN technology for the screen (better angle of view and generally better colours), but most laptops have TN screens.

[mugge]

I would consider Dell xps range. They are noted for good photo editing.

[rpcrowe]

My wife decided on a 13-inch Microsoft Surface 3 with 16GB of Ram and 256GB SSD.

I tried to convince her to get a 15-inch model but she want the potability of the 13-inch. A also tried to convince her to get at least 512GB SSD but that was an extra $300 and she did not want to spend the money...

Oh well, whatever rings her chimes We can always get an external SSD if needed...

The best price and availability was directly from Microsoft. We are expecting the unit within a few days. The production halts in China may have impacted the availability of some models of the Surface 3 at various retailers. This model in the color she wanted was out of stock at two retailers,

She already has a RODZON external CD drive which we found is compatible with the Surface 3.

[Manfred M]

I guess small size was what was important to her. On the other hand, it's always possible to upgrade the SSD later on.

[DanK]

You can always get an external monitor to plug into it.

[rpcrowe]

She has her desktop on which Photoshop CC with NIK software is loaded along with a copy of Photoshop Elements 2020...

The small size of a 13 inch screen is what she wanted. She plans only to load Photoshop Elements 2020 and the projects of her digital scrap booking (that she is presently working on) on this computer...

I have several external hard drives of varying capacities and varying physical sizes that she can use to store the completed scrapbook efforts.

I think that her aim is to build a life book for various family members...

[DanK]

I had an older model of the Surface a few years ago, but I don't remember much about the screen other than that it was shiny. However, my general experience with laptops is that their screen colors are often fairly far off. So, it might be worth calibrating the screen.

I calibrated my current Lenovo, and while the screen wasn't too far off, it was somewhat too blue before calibration.(I've lost track of how many monitors I have calibrated, but the two most common visible changes are making it less blue and less bright.)