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LR4 on Mac Air

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rctneil

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Jul 1, 2012
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218
Location
Cheshire
Lightroom Experience
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Hey guys,

Was having a discussion on another forum about this and wondered what you guys on here think.

Basically I wish to know if any of you have run lightroom 4 on a 2012 Apple Macbook Air 11"

This is the topic on the other forum for you to read up on: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=23468791

Any thoughts on all this from anyone?

Neil
 
You already said in the other thread that screen size doesn't worry you - that would have been my first thought.

Other than that, how much work are you expecting to do on that machine, and what else will be running at the time?

How much RAM and which processor would you be thinking of having?
 
I will see at the time about getting the 8gb version but definiteley the 1.7 core i5. My photos will be stored on an external drive
 
I will see at the time about getting the 8gb version but definiteley the 1.7 core i5. My photos will be stored on an external drive
I considered the MBA when I realized the my iPad was not going to be sufficient for extended trips. Ultimately I opted for a 13" rMBP w 8GB RAM, 512SSD and the i5 processor. The biggest selling points were these:
  • The retina display. 1366X768 pixels is not IMO sufficient to do real work in LR
  • 13" vs. 11" - Side panels will only go so small and you need every pixel in develop mode

I opted for the 512 SSD because I did not want to carry a separate EHD just to view images. (I do carry a EHD to have the safety of a backup copy of my images while traveling). I briefly considered the i7, but my i5 iMac is doing just fine with LR

The i5 13"MBP works just fine with LR and everything else.
 
As stated on the other forum, I would take a MacBook Pro with me but I have to keep things super small and super light and the air fits this bill better than the pro.

Using lightroom on it will only be for organisation and very very little developing and editing. LR will literally only be used on this machine during trips and then used for web development once I'm back but would be useful for a bit of photo organisation using LR every now and again I guess

Is there a mac app that can resize a window to a specific size so I can try it out on my iMac before I go for the purchase?
 
As stated on the other forum, I would take a MacBook Pro with me but I have to keep things super small and super light and the air fits this bill better than the pro....
Is there a mac app that can resize a window to a specific size so I can try it out on my iMac before I go for the purchase?
I "weighed" those differences (pun intended) myself before I made my decision. We are talking about ~1 1/4 lb difference and an inch or less in L&W dimensions. You really need to get yourself into an Apple store and look at the two side by side AND compare the std display with the hiDPI retina display.
 
Doesn't mention the huge difference in price though does it
No, you are right and I don't have a clue where your bank account fits in.
Mistakes are expensive too. I bought an iPad in January 2012 to replace my aging Win7 laptop. It worked fine for giving talks to nature groups and for a weekend of photography. It could not manage a two week photo trip since it had only 64GB storage. Do you know anyone that wants to buy a used iPad2?
 
I too was thinking about taking my iPad which is amazing for travel but fails for photography because as you state only has 64gb which once you have filled it with media for flights you don't have space for photos so that's why I have given up on the iPad idea and thought an air may be best
 
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I too was thinking about taking my iPad which is amazing for travel but fails for photography because as you state only has 64gb which once you have filled it with media for flights you don't have space for photos so that's why I have given up on the iPad idea and thought an air may be best
You can see that we are traveling down the same path. What we are both after is the lightest/smallest and most powerful laptop that will do the job. For me Light/small converged with power at the 13" rMBP. You OTOH think that convergence point might be the 11"MBA. I can't say that it is. I know from my own mistake that it is not the iPad.
 
Do you know anyone that wants to buy a used iPad2?

They go for a good price on eBay. I sold my original iPad on eBay just before xmas. I love my iPad 3, but however hard I try to love it for photography, I just don't.

I think I'm going to go with Clee on this - you'll need to see an 11" Air and 13" MacBook in person to make that decision. Sounds like we're all happy that either will run Lightroom quite well enough for your needs though.
 
I use a 13" MacBook Pro for work so I know the main differences and it does feel heavier than the 11" air, it is quite a bit bigger too. Think ill go for the air tbh. Would it be ok with 4gb ram as not 100% sure I can stretch to 8gb
 
If you're not running anything else, it should be quite happy with 4gb. Once you start opening other programs, it might start to struggle a bit more. That said, since you can't add more RAM into the Air later, I'd stretch if you are able to. Programs are only getting more hungry.
 
I use a 13" MacBook Pro for work so I know the main differences and it does feel heavier than the 11" air, it is quite a bit bigger too. Think ill go for the air tbh. Would it be ok with 4gb ram as not 100% sure I can stretch to 8gb

Two suggestions. First, how about a 13" MBA? You get a bit more screen resolution, but you keep the weight and size down compared with the MBP's. Second, if you are doing a bit of file management and not editing raw images, why not consider something like ImageIngester? It handles a number of "front end' functions for LR, and is a lot less hungry for memory and screen real estate. Combined with an image viewer, it could be a nice way to prep your files for ingestion when you are working at your primary computer.

--Ken
 
I have an Air and it's OK for Lightroom. It's light and feels well-built but there are things I dislike about it compared with my old MacBookPro, which I needed to replace last year just before the new MBPs came out. The poor choice of ports means I've now got a set of adapters (video etc) for the otherwise-useless Thunderbolt port, I miss not having a DVD drive, and the edges where you rest your hands while typing are a little sharp (bad design). So if I had the choice today, Mac Book Pro.
 
I did think about the 13" but it did seem a bit bigger than I really was wanting. The 11" is the perfect size really. I was thinking about using LR, mainly because I have a license for it and why not. I can easily hide the panels. Don't really use the bottom panel anyway!
 
I did think about the 13" but it did seem a bit bigger than I really was wanting. The 11" is the perfect size really. I was thinking about using LR, mainly because I have a license for it and why not. I can easily hide the panels. Don't really use the bottom panel anyway!

Sounds like you have thought this through quite well. I hope it works out as you wish. I have a soft spot for the 11"MBA, but have not picked one up. Perhaps some day!

Good luck,

--Ken
 
Just a quick update. Got a refurbished 11" Air arriving on Tuesday! Will update to say how well it's coping with Lightroom. Can't wait to use it as a nice little very portable development machine too! Should be excellent for a wide range of tasks
 
Excellent, congratulations!
 
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