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Topic: What kind of computer should I get?

Allison Parsons
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 630
From: East Peoria, IL
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 08-23-2005 01:28 AM

Ok, I need a new computer. I would LOVE to get a laptop. However, my main objective to getting a new computer is to do a lot of photoshop work on it. So my question is:

If you are doing photoshop or any picture manipulation on a laptop, do you get the same image quality on the laptop's screen as opposed to a desk top PC's monitor? Not to get in a argument over Mac vs. PC, but is there an 'ideal' computer for photo manipulation? I only have about 16 hours worth of Photoshop CS under my belt but would like something at home (doesn't have to be the CS version) to poot around with.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 08-23-2005 02:25 AM

I don't do an awful lot with Photoshop (Photoshop Elements came bundled with my film scanner and I use it to correct under- or overexposed negatives, but that's about it), but I do video edit a lot with Premiere. Personally I'd always prefer a TFT to a CRT display: the illumination and colour balance are more consistent to my eyes, at least. They're also more environmentally friendly, too: a TFT screen guzzles about half the wattage of a similar sized CRT.

IMHO, the only reason I would buy a laptop over a desktop is if I really needed the portability. The cost of a laptop is around a third more than that of a desktop with a similar spec, they're more difficult to upgrade (and some features, e.g. the display, cannot be upgraded at all) and more difficult and expensive to repair if a component goes wrong. For example, if the optical drive on a desktop dies, you can simply open the case, undo four screws, remove two connectors and swap it out for a new one costing around £30. If the same thing happens in a laptop, you're almost certainly looking at sending it back to the factory; and even if the drive is in a pull-out module, the replacement will cost more. Then there's the security issue - if someone breaks into your house it'll be easier for them to nick a laptop than a desktop.

So if I was in your shoes, I'd only go for a laptop if the advantages of portability are worth putting up with the drawbacks.

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Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: Boulder Creek, CA.
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 08-23-2005 03:08 AM

quote: Allison Parsons
If you are doing photoshop or any picture manipulation on a laptop, do you get the same image quality on the laptop's screen as opposed to a desk top PC's monitor?

Yes.
Unless you spring for a very high quality notebook the image quality will always be LCD quality.
This might be acceptable for your image editing at high resolutions, and yes the illumination is very good on some of the high end ones, LCD's don't refresh quickly and don't really have the deapth a good CRT does.
I do a lot of photowork and graphic design on a Samsung CRT I've had for 3 or 4 years and to be honest it's better than any LCD I've ever seen.
The shadows on LCD's are hard to get right, especially if the source isn't a high end digicam.
In general the image on an LCD reminds me a lot of the image coming out of DLP projectors...

And as to the laptop/desktop debate, I agree with Leo. It's really not worth spending the money on a notebook unless you need the portability.

I'm a PC man myself so I'm biased on the MAC/PC debacle.

[ 08-23-2005, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: Dominic Espinosa ]

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 08-23-2005 09:21 AM

quote: Dominic Espinosa was the last to post
If you are doing photoshop or any picture manipulation on a laptop, do you get the same image quality on the laptop's screen as opposed to a desk top PC's monitor?

Kodak has a few products specifically designed to help assure proper setup of workstation displays:

Kodak Display Manager System

quote:
How do you ensure display devices in a Burbank studio and a Bangkok lab are on the same page—presenting not just consistent tone and color, but the look of final print film? KODAK Display Manager System—powered by KODAK Color Science—calibrates, characterizes and leverages 3D LUT technology to do just that. Now everyone in the postproduction workflow has a consistent visual reference—saving time and streamling collaboration—of what will appear on the theatrical screen.

Kodak Display Manager User Guide

quote:
The KODAK Display Manager System lets you display an image as it will appear projected via a motion picture film projector or as it will appear on a broadcast display. A flip book playback feature allows you to view a sequence of images with the look you create.When creating a print film look, the system emulates the photochemical process of motion picture print film. The results are placed in a 3D LUT (three dimensional Look Up Table). This LUT can be exported and used by supported imaging applications during the post production process. When creating a video look, the system emulates the video process. The resulting 3D LUT can be exported and used by the KODAK VISION2 HD System Processor. Before emulating a look, you must first calibrate and characterize your display.

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-23-2005 09:52 AM

Then again, you can always opt to connect a laptop to a CRT monitor. In most intances these days, in that case you can essentially run in a "dual screen" mode.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 08-23-2005 01:11 PM

I do lots of Photoshop work on both desktop machines and my new notebook computer.

My recommendation: if you already have PC-based software and you want a good notebook, get one from Dell. Choose either the 15.4" widescreen Inspiron 6000, the 17" Inspiron 9300 or the 17" XPS Gen 2 (if you have some serious cash to spend and want the best rated gaming notebook on the market).

There are several reasons why Dell is a good choice for notebooks.

Hard Drives: Dell is the only major notebook maker that offers 7200rpm mobile hard drives. Nearly all other manufacturers (including Apple) offer only 4500rpm and 5400 rpm drives in their notebooks. That sucks. The higher spindle speed and better data transfer rates will translate into superior Photoshop swap file performance.

Screen resolution: When you get a widescreen notebook just about any company is going to limit you with a stupid 1280 X 800 native resolution. That SUCKS for Photoshop work. You need more pixels. Dell will allow you to buy a notebook with the standard WXGA 1280 X 800 display or customize it to WSXGA+ 1680 X 1050 or WUXGA 1920 X 1200 resolutions. Personally, I would only choose the WUXGA setting for a 17" notebook. My Inspiron 6000d is set at WSXGA+.

Dedicated graphics cards: The Dell Inspiron 6000d, 9300 and XPS Gen 2 notebooks can be equipped with good PCI-X mobile graphics cards instead of the integrated chips you'll find in most other notebooks.

My Inspiron 6000d has a 128MB ATI X300 card. It won't play Doom III all that well, but it accelerates 2D graphics fine and doesn't drain the battery. I have a 9-cell battery in my notebook and can get 4 to 6 hours of use per charge. If you put in a faster video card (like what is available for the Inspiron 9300 and XPS-2) you will get less battery life. The XPS Gen-2 notebook was recently called the best gaming notebook on the market by Tom's Hardware, in part from it boasting the nVidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra 256MB video card. The machine is a monster, but stay close to a power outlet.

****

About TFT LCD monitors:
They are kind of a hazard to use in Photoshop work. CRT displays are far superior. They display greyscale and subtle earthtones much more faithfully than any flat panel display. You can try optimizing a LCD display, but you're still not going to have dead on correct display of color across all shades from light to dark.

The bright side is most any new notebook will have an external monitor output. CRT monitors, even the huge 21" variety, are cheap. In using an external monitor to preview, be careful about extending the Windows desktop over to that monitor. Because where palettes tend to fly in a multiple monitor setup, you may lose certain dialog boxes off the main desktop when using only the main notebook screen. It might be better to have the external CRT simply duplicate your notebook display.

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