iMAC

[Thru_These_Eyes]

I am looking into purchasing an iMAC this summer. I have heard rave reviews about the iPHOTO program on the laptop. I know I am new to photography, but I am determined to learn HDR photography. Its the most insane photography I've ever seen and apparently the iPHOTO is capable of giving you those true colors to create HDR photography. And just in general I'd like to have to a computer that has a good photoshop program so that I can become more capable and understanding in photoshop.

 

[usayit]

No Mac nor Windows machine comes with photoshop. You can't learn photoshop by using iphoto. Adobe Photoshop is a different application from Apple IPhoto.

I would first decide whether you want a windows machine or Mac. Then purchase the machine (or perhaps upgrade the one you already have) and purchase the latest version of Photoshop which does support HDR. Adobe photoshop has versions that will run on either Mac or Windows.

 

[chrisburke]

macs are deffinatley the way to go with graphics, but deffinatley not because of iPhoto. I've been using mac for 5 years, and still dont use iPhoto, its more or a organizational program, you can do some VERY BASIC touch ups, but not a lot.

deffinatley buy a mac, but dont say iPhoto is yor reason, cause its a bad reason. You will have to buy photoshop, it doesnt come with the mac, nor any windows machine.

 

[chrisburke]

and just another note, i'd go with a macbook pro, not an iMac. It's just as good, or better than an iMac, and its portable, where the iMac isnt

 

[Hertz van Rental]

iPhoto is just a storage method. It keeps your images in order and has a lot of printing options - but if you are going to do anything with your pictures in the way of manipulation, then you need Photoshop. And if you are using a DSLR then iPhoto won't really be up to that either. I just use it for my little digital Ixus.
Whichever Mac model you get you need to fill it with as much RAM as you can. A lower spec Mac with a heap of RAM will always perform better than a top spec Mac with not enough. Especially with PS - it eats memory. You can use virtual memory (uses the HD) but it slows everything down.

 

[BAB]

Yes for MAC a great platform, and although IPhoto has some image editing capabilities, they are very weak and almost worthless. A program such as Photoshop Elements or if you are able to spend the extra money, Photoshop is the way to go. Since it sounds like you are new to this, I'd start with Photoshop Elements. You can however use IPhoto for storage and organization of your images, and while there are better alternatives out there for image storage and organization, Iphoto does a decent job in this area.

 

[sabbath999]

I use iPhoto all the time, but baiscally as the other say it is just to organize my images. If it just needs cropped (which is pretty much all I do to my images, by and large), I will do that in iPhoto, but anything more means I output it to Capture NX or PhotoShop.

iPhoto is a decent organizational program, but Aperture is better as is Lightroom.

As a computer for photo purposes, iMacs simply rock. I have the 24 inch screen Core Duo 2 version stuffed full of memory, and an external Firewire 800 drive, and it is very fast and the colors you see on the screen are quite true. It is a very, very rare day when my monitor needs any adjustment at all.

 

[kaboom]

okay, i'll be the discordant note and be flamed for it...
I've had macs, and they suck, at least for me. I've used aperture and photoshop under mac, and they just run faster and the menus are clearer on a PC. All kinds of software are much cheaper for PC, you can upgrade way more easily and for WAAY less money, not to mention that a PC of equivalent power will be significantly cheaper than a MAC.
my advice? if you don't need a portable, get a desktop with plenty of memory and a decent amount of processing power (not all that much is required, but memory is since if you have several pictures open at the same time they eat up memory) and save most of your money to buy the nicest monitor you can afford and calibration hardware. You'll have a computer that is good for everything.
i just fail to see any advantages on MACs

 

[Stretch Armstrong]

I have both Mac and PC. Mac is the better IMO, especially for photography.

I agree with the points made by sabbath999.

 

[sabbath999]

okay, i'll be the discordant note and be flamed for it...
I've had macs, and they suck, at least for me. I've used aperture and photoshop under mac, and they just run faster and the menus are clearer on a PC.

Nonsense.

Aperture is a Mac only program, you can't possibly run it on a Windows computer to compare speeds.

Besides, MODERN Macs ARE PC's as well... you can run the hardware with Windows XP or Vista, whichever floats your boat... and you can run Windows and Mac simultaneously (including advanced 3D graphics gaming) under Parallels at blazing speed.

If you like photoshop under windows better, simply open the Windows version on a Mac... you can drag and drop files between the two OS's as they run at the same time.

 

[gravy]

ha! I'd like to see em do THAT on a PC!

(I use a macbook, and love it.)

 

[chrisburke]

okay, i'll be the discordant note and be flamed for it...
I've had macs, and they suck, at least for me.

from time to time i have a convo with someone who has had a bad experience with mac, and its a shame.

yes, and powerful PC would be considerably cheaper then a mac.. however, heres the problem, in 2 years, your going to have to buy a new one. I have a G3 tower, which i got 5 years ago, and it was used for 3 years before i got it, and it still works GREAT, i have a mac mini, which i bought 2 years ago, and it works GREAT, I have a macbook which i bought a year ago, and IT works great.

my buddy has a decked out PC laptop which he bought 2 years ago, for half the price of my macbook, HOWEVER, he already needs to get a new one. The screen is crapping out, the hard drive has had to be replaced the CD burner doesnt work anymore... SO now he's going to have to spend another 6-800 dollars, when if he had of taken my advice, he could have spent 1700 bucks, and his computer would still work, and he wouldnt have lost all the stuff he lost when his hard drive crashed.

A mac with problems come few and far between. and if there is something wrong with it, apple is VERY good to fix it for you, usually at no cost. just because you had a bad experience doesnt mean they suck.

My macbook has 2 gb of ram, and photoshop FLIES on it, no delays at all, its very fast. If you run less than 1GB on a mac, your just being foolish.

 

[Windyplains04]

I would first decide whether you want a windows machine or Mac.

Okay well not true, the new apple computers can run dual boot with windows and mac os x, All you need to do is create a separate partition in your harddrive for the windows os and change the startup disk. If you buy a mac you can use mac os and windows on the same computer. I have used apple computers my entire life and they are by far better machines. I have to work on PC's at work and the windows OS is not as user friendly.

 

[usayit]

and just another note, i'd go with a macbook pro, not an iMac. It's just as good, or better than an iMac, and its portable, where the iMac isnt

Not for graphics.... in general, laptop displays are not all that great for photos. iMac or Mac Workstation with a good display is the correct answer.

Oh... loaded it up with memory.

 

[usayit]

Okay well not true, the new apple computers can run dual boot with windows and mac os x, All you need to do is create a separate partition in your harddrive for the windows os and change the startup disk. If you buy a mac you can use mac os and windows on the same computer. I have used apple computers my entire life and they are by far better machines. I have to work on PC's at work and the windows OS is not as user friendly.

well duh... you still have to decide which you prefer...

sheesh.

face it... users rarely will spend the extra bucks for MAC hardware for a dedicated windows machine. Mac users will purchase intel based Macs for the option of dual boot with primary being MAC OS X. So in the end... you gotta still decide are you a Windows user or Mac user. You think the OP is going to purchase two licenses (windows and Mac) just so they can sit on the fence? Don't need to add confusion.

Next we'll talk about VMware.. virtual PC.. etc.. and really confused the OP. I say forget all of it and lets have class in something called Linux and its wonderful buddy Mr GIMP.