New Mac for amateur photo editing

[NorthStar_IT]

Good morning everyone,

I would like to purchase a Mac for amateur photo/ video editing (more oriented on photos now). This is a hobby just starting out, that I will carry on in my spare time.

I have no experience with professional software; for photos I would be leaning toward Adobe, for video Final Cut or Da Vinci.
The idea is to do the job only at home, in a small studio., so no portability is needed.
I have no monitors, keyboards, mice, speakers, etc, so I will have to buy everything unless I choose iMac. Budget is around 2K€ (2.5K€ if it's worth).

Despite the 24” screen and the non-availability of the M4 Pro chip, I would be leaning toward an iMac (M4, 32gb ram, 512SSD for 2,2K€). This is because of the retina screen, because it is all-in-one (so I don't have to buy anything else) and it’s the cheapest option.
In any case, so as not to rule out anything regardless, I also keep the choice open toward Mac mini and MacBook Pro.

The Mac mini would appeal to me, maybe in an M4 Pro configuration with 24gb ram and 512gb SSD, the thing is I don't know if I could live with a screen that doesn't support Apple's native resolution. This drives me crazy, and knowing me, I'm afraid I would notice right away.
Adding a good monitor (The Apple display is completely out of budget), speakers, keyboard and mice, I arrive at 2.5K€, which is the limit I set.

Although I don't need portability at all, I include the 14” MacBook Pro, M4 Pro, 24gb ram and 512SSD. The problem here is the same as with the Mac mini, namely the external monitor to be added, which I'm afraid I won't tolerate because of the resolution/ppi.
The only Pro for me is that on the MacBook I would be able to get a big discount and by adding a 27” 4K external monitor (€500), I would get to the 2.5K€ budget limit.


The first question I am asking myself is the following : in your opinion, just for the use I have described above, could I live with a M4, or in the medium term would I regret not having chosen a machine with the M4 Pro?

The second question : to your knowledge, is there any bottleneck on the new M4 iMacs, compared to the M4 Mac mini?

What would you guys do in my specific case and with my needs?
Many thanks

 

[jz0309]

Good morning everyone,

I would like to purchase a Mac for amateur photo/ video editing (more oriented on photos now). This is a hobby just starting out, that I will carry on in my spare time.

I have no experience with professional software; for photos I would be leaning toward Adobe, for video Final Cut or Da Vinci.
The idea is to do the job only at home, in a small studio., so no portability is needed.
I have no monitors, keyboards, mice, speakers, etc, so I will have to buy everything unless I choose iMac. Budget is around 2K€ (2.5K€ if it's worth).

Despite the 24” screen and the non-availability of the M4 Pro chip, I would be leaning toward an iMac (M4, 32gb ram, 512SSD for 2,2K€). This is because of the retina screen, because it is all-in-one (so I don't have to buy anything else) and it’s the cheapest option.
In any case, so as not to rule out anything regardless, I also keep the choice open toward Mac mini and MacBook Pro.

The Mac mini would appeal to me, maybe in an M4 Pro configuration with 24gb ram and 512gb SSD, the thing is I don't know if I could live with a screen that doesn't support Apple's native resolution. This drives me crazy, and knowing me, I'm afraid I would notice right away.
Adding a good monitor (The Apple display is completely out of budget), speakers, keyboard and mice, I arrive at 2.5K€, which is the limit I set.

Although I don't need portability at all, I include the 14” MacBook Pro, M4 Pro, 24gb ram and 512SSD. The problem here is the same as with the Mac mini, namely the external monitor to be added, which I'm afraid I won't tolerate because of the resolution/ppi.
The only Pro for me is that on the MacBook I would be able to get a big discount and by adding a 27” 4K external monitor (€500), I would get to the 2.5K€ budget limit.


The first question I am asking myself is the following : in your opinion, just for the use I have described above, could I live with a M4, or in the medium term would I regret not having chosen a machine with the M4 Pro?

The second question : to your knowledge, is there any bottleneck on the new M4 iMacs, compared to the M4 Mac mini?

What would you guys do in my specific case and with my needs?
Many thanks

what camera gear do you have? do you shoot RAW? what does "editing" mean? post processing or more than that?
to make recommendation need more detail about your use case ...

I'm a hobby photographer, shoot in RAW, have ~ 100k photos and use LR/PS and have a M1Max Studio 64GB/4TB with ASD.

 

[NorthStar_IT]

what camera gear do you have? do you shoot RAW? what does "editing" mean? post processing or more than that?
to make recommendation need more detail about your use case ...

I'm a hobby photographer, shoot in RAW, have ~ 100k photos and use LR/PS and have a M1Max Studio 64GB/4TB with ASD.

Thank you for your response first of all.
Photos are underwater photos.
I currently use a Sony RX100 V compact camera (with underwater housing, external lights, wide wet lens, etc.) and for video, also underwater, GoPro and Insta360.
The photos are exclusively RAW and the videos 2/4K.

I am quite new to photo editing (When I am experienced, maybe it will be time to evaluate a new computer 😄) and mostly it is post processing, so tones, highlights, colors, contrast and some noise reduction. With experience I don't rule out needing to go further or wanting to experiment.

I will also have to decide what software to use because I have no experience with it. For now I would like to start with the most popular ones, for example Adobe for photos and for videos Final cut or Da Vinci.

I hope this can help
Many thanks

 

[mmkerc]

The only thing I would suggest is getting at minimum a 1TB drive. The 32 Gb is good as well. I play with photos, and short videos. I use to use Photoshop, but have switched to Pixelmator Pro since I lost my discount for Adobe products, and I found iMovie did everything thing I needed for video. I used a 2013 "TrashCan" MacPro with 64 gB up until 2021 when I switched to an M1 Mini with 16GB (which was/is still faster than the Mac Pro with 64gb). I use two Dell gaming monitors (dell s3222HG) as I needed more ports and my eyesight is not good enough to justify the super hi-res retina displays. Other thing I would suggest is to think about a dock, (OWC Thunderbolt 4, or Belkin's). I have a ton of accessories, mainly HD, but also plug in my 35MM, and camcorder so plenty of ports are good to have.

 

[NorthStar_IT]

The only thing I would suggest is getting at minimum a 1TB drive. The 32 Gb is good as well. I play with photos, and short videos. I use to use Photoshop, but have switched to Pixelmator Pro since I lost my discount for Adobe products, and I found iMovie did everything thing I needed for video. I used a 2013 "TrashCan" MacPro with 64 gB up until 2021 when I switched to an M1 Mini with 16GB (which was/is still faster than the Mac Pro with 64gb). I use two Dell gaming monitors (dell s3222HG) as I needed more ports and my eyesight is not good enough to justify the super hi-res retina displays. Other thing I would suggest is to think about a dock, (OWC Thunderbolt 4, or Belkin's). I have a ton of accessories, mainly HD, but also plug in my 35MM, and camcorder so plenty of ports are good to have.

Do you thing 512 internal SSD + e.g. 2T external is the, or it’s better having an internal of 1T?

 

[mmkerc]

I have 20TB external (5 external drives), and 1TB internal. I like having the extra internal space for when I am working on large files.

 

[Alameda]

I have 20TB external (5 external drives), and 1TB internal. I like having the extra internal space for when I am working on large files.

I have a 16/512 MacBook Pro M1 and I do a lot of photo editing with it. No problems at all. I copy photos to the Mac using a Thunderbolt card reader, I do my edits and then I move the folder to my external SSD drive.

Sure, you could get 1TB or 2TB internal, but for me, the photos need to get offloaded to external storage no lather what.

 

[Alameda]

Good morning everyone,

I would like to purchase a Mac for amateur photo/ video editing (more oriented on photos now). This is a hobby just starting out, that I will carry on in my spare time.

I have no experience with professional software; for photos I would be leaning toward Adobe, for video Final Cut or Da Vinci.
The idea is to do the job only at home, in a small studio., so no portability is needed.
I have no monitors, keyboards, mice, speakers, etc, so I will have to buy everything unless I choose iMac. Budget is around 2K€ (2.5K€ if it's worth).

Despite the 24” screen and the non-availability of the M4 Pro chip, I would be leaning toward an iMac (M4, 32gb ram, 512SSD for 2,2K€). This is because of the retina screen, because it is all-in-one (so I don't have to buy anything else) and it’s the cheapest option.
In any case, so as not to rule out anything regardless, I also keep the choice open toward Mac mini and MacBook Pro.

The Mac mini would appeal to me, maybe in an M4 Pro configuration with 24gb ram and 512gb SSD, the thing is I don't know if I could live with a screen that doesn't support Apple's native resolution. This drives me crazy, and knowing me, I'm afraid I would notice right away.
Adding a good monitor (The Apple display is completely out of budget), speakers, keyboard and mice, I arrive at 2.5K€, which is the limit I set.

Although I don't need portability at all, I include the 14” MacBook Pro, M4 Pro, 24gb ram and 512SSD. The problem here is the same as with the Mac mini, namely the external monitor to be added, which I'm afraid I won't tolerate because of the resolution/ppi.
The only Pro for me is that on the MacBook I would be able to get a big discount and by adding a 27” 4K external monitor (€500), I would get to the 2.5K€ budget limit.


The first question I am asking myself is the following : in your opinion, just for the use I have described above, could I live with a M4, or in the medium term would I regret not having chosen a machine with the M4 Pro?

The second question : to your knowledge, is there any bottleneck on the new M4 iMacs, compared to the M4 Mac mini?

What would you guys do in my specific case and with my needs?
Many thanks

This is what I would do:
Mac Mini M4 with 24 GB RAM and 512 GB of storage, an Apple Studio Display or similar. 4 TB Thunderbolt SSD drive. Kensington MX keyboard and mouse. Maybe a Thunderbolt card reader. (Although, the new Apple keyboard with fingerprint reader might be a lot more convenient). I don’t have the Apple Studio; I just have an LG 4K monitor. Not as good but it’s fine with me.

The only thing a system like that is missing is backup storage, which would probably exceed your budget.

Personally, I do not like iMac. The 24” screen is too small and you can upgrade the Mac Mini in 3-4 years while keeping your external display.

There are some very steep incremental costs when you add a faster CPU or storage. My opinion is it’s better to just plan on replacing the computer in 3-4 years than to spend a lot and hope to keep it 7 years.

For photo editing, I really like DxO PhotoLab. You can get a 30 day trial, but when you do, you need to start working with it because these programs have a learning curve. With PhotoLab, I’m able to edit my photos to final result, watermark, scaling and all. I used Photoshop so little that I canceled my subscription to Photoshop and bought Affinity instead.

 

[pig pile]

I'm a hobby photographer....mostly. Recently have gone from a 2017 iMac i7 to an M4 base Mini, with a slight bump in storage to 512GB, base RAM. So far things are great with LR and really anything I've thrown at it for this last week or so. Recommend you take a look at Art Is Right Youtube channel for his tests from a photog standpoint.

 

[NorthStar_IT]

I'm a hobby photographer....mostly. Recently have gone from a 2017 iMac i7 to an M4 base Mini, with a slight bump in storage to 512GB, base RAM. So far things are great with LR and really anything I've thrown at it for this last week or so. Recommend you take a look at Art Is Right Youtube channel for his tests from a photog standpoint.

I discovered the Art channel last week and it's great!
Thanks for your feedback!

 

[NorthStar_IT]

This is what I would do:
Mac Mini M4 with 24 GB RAM and 512 GB of storage, an Apple Studio Display or similar. 4 TB Thunderbolt SSD drive. Kensington MX keyboard and mouse. Maybe a Thunderbolt card reader. (Although, the new Apple keyboard with fingerprint reader might be a lot more convenient). I don’t have the Apple Studio; I just have an LG 4K monitor. Not as good but it’s fine with me.

The only thing a system like that is missing is backup storage, which would probably exceed your budget.

Personally, I do not like iMac. The 24” screen is too small and you can upgrade the Mac Mini in 3-4 years while keeping your external display.

There are some very steep incremental costs when you add a faster CPU or storage. My opinion is it’s better to just plan on replacing the computer in 3-4 years than to spend a lot and hope to keep it 7 years.

For photo editing, I really like DxO PhotoLab. You can get a 30 day trial, but when you do, you need to start working with it because these programs have a learning curve. With PhotoLab, I’m able to edit my photos to final result, watermark, scaling and all. I used Photoshop so little that I canceled my subscription to Photoshop and bought Affinity instead.

So you suggest to invest on the display and not too much on the computer and change it in a few years.
The only doubt I might have is how this hobby will evolve, in the sense that it might increase as well as fade or stay on the same level. Other doubt might be the technology of the monitors in a few years.
In any case, a non-trivial point of view.
Thanks!

 

[Alameda]

So you suggest to invest on the display and not too much on the computer and change it in a few years.
The only doubt I might have is how this hobby will evolve, in the sense that it might increase as well as fade or stay on the same level. Other doubt might be the technology of the monitors in a few years.
In any case, a non-trivial point of view.
Thanks!

Resolution seems to have hit a plateau, but you never know. It seems like we’re going to stick at 4K/5K for a while longer. Some gaming displays are getting super high refresh, but we don’t need them for photo and video editing.

So I think a good monitor has a lot longer usable life than a good CPU.

 

[Ben J.]

My immediate thoughts.

Don't buy a macbook if you don't need portability. It just takes up space, might have noisy fans, has a battery that will need to be replaced, has a keyboard and trackpad will almost never be used, it just doesn't make sense.

I have the Adobe Photo subscription. Lightroom and Photoshop ++. I think it's reasonably priced, and LR is fantastic.

iMac is great. plug'n play. But I would feel 24" to be very small for photo/video editing. You need to see lots of things at once; many small previews, settings panels, before/after etc. I'm using a 32" Benq. It's 4k, but I use it with 1920x1080 resolution. I get enough space to work with, and the text is quite readable. If you get one of these or similar, make sure it's factory calibrated. That means it will have a color profile installed - custom for that particular screen - and it will be available on any computer you plug it into. All you do is adjust the brightness and contrast to your liking.

So, I say; go for a Mini. Doesn't even have to be the latest. I've run LR/PS on both base M1 and M2 minis and now on a M2 pro. All of them coped well, but if you find a deal on a used second hand M2 pro mini, know that it's a powerhouse. But get at least 16GB ram. You might even afford a second screen with the money you save.

So, save some money by not getting the latest, and you might upgrade the mini in a couple of years, when you have gotten more into it, and the macs are even more powerful.

 

[mmkerc]

I have a 16/512 MacBook Pro M1 and I do a lot of photo editing with it. No problems at all. I copy photos to the Mac using a Thunderbolt card reader, I do my edits and then I move the folder to my external SSD drive.

Sure, you could get 1TB or 2TB internal, but for me, the photos need to get offloaded to external storage no lather what.

Agree with Alameda comment storage of the files should be on an external drive. Sorry if that was not clear in my post, but that is one of the reasons I have 20 TB of external storage. On my internal drive, I only store apps and files I am currently working on which generally mean I have about 500GB free.

 

[NorthStar_IT]

Just found what I might call the last hope :
Asus 5K IPS

Let’s wait for some reviews…