Choosing a laptop that strikes a balance between performance, portability, and screen quality can make or break your workflow. This video offers a clear breakdown of what you need to know about laptops specifically for creators, touching on practical details about performance and specific configurations that work best for different creative tasks.
Coming to you from Brent Hall, this insightful video focuses on three types of laptops: ultra-portable two-in-ones, creator-focused laptops, and high-powered gaming laptops. Hall begins by explaining why ultra-light laptops, like the Samsung Galaxy Book, can be convenient for travel but lack the power needed for heavier editing tasks. Weighing under 2.5 pounds, these laptops prioritize portability over performance, which can be limiting if you require features like Adobe's AI noise reduction. Despite their appeal for light work, these options fall short for those needing consistent, high-level performance.
The video then examines creator-focused laptops, which have gained popularity among photographers due to their tailored design and balanced specs. These laptops offer a middle ground between weight and performance, often including discrete graphics cards and higher-quality screens. Hall points out that while these laptops perform well in editing programs like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, they can suffer from thermal limitations due to their thin build. He emphasizes that creators should consider laptops with solid cooling systems, as poor heat management can reduce performance over time.
Next, Hall covers gaming laptops, which provide the highest power in exchange for extra weight. Equipped with powerful CPUs and GPUs, these laptops perform exceptionally well for demanding tasks like rendering high-resolution videos and working with numerous layers in Photoshop. However, their screens often prioritize high refresh rates over color accuracy, which can be a drawback if you require precise color representation. Hall advises that gaming laptops should ideally have adjustable refresh rates, allowing you to lower them to save power and improve color accuracy during editing.
Beyond choosing the right type of laptop, Hall details crucial hardware considerations such as CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. He advises opting for multi-core processors and sufficient RAM—ideally 16 GB or more—for smooth multitasking. Integrated GPUs in ultra-light laptops can manage light edits, but a dedicated GPU is essential for more complex work. He also highlights the importance of checking for expandable RAM and storage, which can extend a laptop’s usability as your needs grow. For ports, Hall recommends Thunderbolt 4 for fast data transfer, especially if you work with large files on external drives. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Hall.
No Macs. Waste of time.
The title of the article should be:
"Choosing the Least Bad Windows Laptop for Photo and Video Editing"