I want a MAC

[cmelltt]

I really want a laptop to be used almost solely for my photos and scrapbooking. We have 2 desktops and a laptop already. One desktop is 4 years old still works fine, the other is 2 years old and has been a problem child (this is where my pictures are since it has the most RAM) The laptop is new and is almost exlusively for my 13yo's school work. (We homeschool) I have become slighty proficient at elements 4 and am really enjoying using it, but my computer is very slow if I work with several photos at once. And I can't work in the Editor and have the organizor open at the same time. I know I could just buy more RAM and probably fix that, but it wouldn't solve the "being stuck in this room issure". My hubby has been wanting us to switch to MACs for a while but we've been a bit afraid to make the change. I think he's agreed to let me get the MAC I want, but he might change his mind when he sees the price. :rolleyes:

I am still a bit afraid, and have a few questions.

1. Will it be easy to learn for an old PC person like me?
2. What Must I have to work with photos and movies?
3. Will it be easy to set up with my wireless network?
4. I have about 500 pictures tagged in my organizers with thousands still to be scanned. How will I ever get them moved and reorganized in a new system?
5. If I pay a ton of money for the computer, should i get elements 4 or keeping blowing money and get CS2. Will 5 be out anytime soon? If I get CS2 will I be wanting CS3 this spring (which will cost more).

So if anyone can talk me into or out of this please do. I'm think I'm sold, but still hanging on.

P.S. Window autmatically downloaded Explorer 7 for me and now my whole computer is messed up. Needless to say, I am not liking Microsoft at all right now.

[CarolLHB]

1. Will it be easy to learn for an old PC person like me?
2. What Must I have to work with photos and movies?
3. Will it be easy to set up with my wireless network?
4. I have about 500 pictures tagged in my organizers with thousands still to be scanned. How will I ever get them moved and reorganized in a new system?
5. If I pay a ton of money for the computer, should i get elements 4 or keeping blowing money and get CS2. Will 5 be out anytime soon? If I get CS2 will I be wanting CS3 this spring (which will cost more).

1. Yes-I did it and I'm an idiot. Seriously-switching is a breeze, and Apple supports those who come over from the dark side (hehe) very well. There are also some really experienced Mac users here to help.

2. Nothing-except PS-Macs come with iLife '06, which includes iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD among others.

3. Absolutley with Airport Extreme (in the computer when you get it) I work wireless flawlessly.

4. Not sure-I've used Mac exclusively since PSE, but there are folks who can answer that for you here.

5. That's a very personal decision-the one downside to all of this is Adobbe's SNAIL pace at releasing a universal version of PSE5 for Mac. I understand there's a BETA version of CS2 for macs with Intel that's blazingly fast...

PS-the iBooks are running at about $1100 and the PowerBooks in the 25-2800 range, but whatever you do, treat yourself to the highest RAM available for speed with PSE...

Hope this helps:)

[Wendy]

Hi ...

If I had to choose just one computer for photos and scrapbooking then I would consider a desktop and not a laptop. Laptops are great but not as good for editing images as desktops ...

... and desktops tend to be cheaper too with the iMac starting at $999

http://www.apple.com/

If you get a chance then try to visit an Apple Store and see them for yourself ..

Wendy

[scrapperjlc]

If you don't want Windows to do any automatic updates, you just need to turn off that feature. I can't see why you would need a Mac to do what it is you are wanting to do on a laptop. I run a laptop for basically just my Elements (Scrapbooking/Photo Editing) and internet surfing. It runs Windows Media Center/Windows XP, 1 GB RAM, 1.8 GHz processor, and a 110GB Harddrive. I use mine on a wireless network (the couch is my favorite spot these days!) and I don't have any problems running Elements on my laptop. Most laptops come with built-in wireless networking, you just need a wireless router, which you can get at Best Buy, WalMart, etc. I worked on a Mac for about 8 years at my previous employer, and have been on a PC for almost 7 years at my current employer, plus all 5 of the computers in my household (including all the kids') are Windows computers. When I have to switch over to a mac for any reason at work, it seems so much like a Windows computer now that I couldn't see spending the extra $$ for one, when a PC will work just as good. I run a pretty heavy-duty proprietary graphics editing software on a PC at work, and it is much more stable than the macs at work. A lot of them have issues. But in the end, get whatever makes you the happiest, especially if $$$ is not an issue, and if $$$ was not an issue, I'd get CS too!

Have fun,

Jodi

Also, if you are wanting to do videos too, you can get Adobe Premier Elements, which you can get bundled with Photoshop Elements or by itself.

[bnk1953]

One other thing - that if your son is in school (I think home-schooled also applies - check out the Apple website at http://www.apple.com/education/k12/homeschool/) you can get a reduced price on your mac (not a lot but every bit helps).

The iLife group of software is just amazing. Making a book in iphoto is a breeze. Making a DVD (in iDVD) of our family reunion in Yosemite National Park(complete with indexes, slides, movies and sound) was so simple. Garageband for creating your own music is a wonder. Haven't gotten into iWeb yet. And of course there is iTunes and iMovie. The costs of the macs have come down - and when you start to recognize all the "free" and totally useable software that comes with it - its way ahead of the other companies.
~bruce.

[Tom M]

Assuming there will be an iLife 7, I would wait to purchase until after the Macworld Expo (http://www.macworldexpo.com/live/20/events/20SFO07A/keynotes) , January 9, so to get the latest software.

[cmelltt]

Thanks everyone.

I've been browsing the apple store a lot lately. I've already priced several using the homeschool prices. My hubby wants us to get a desktop, but i really like to move around when I scrapbook. I like to be able to work in while i'm watching Grey's Anatomy or while visiting my parents. Not really possible with a desktop. Thanks to everyone's advice. I think my biggest fear right now is transferring and reorganizing my photos. It will probably be another month or more before I make a decision.

Carrie

[Carbone]

I switched from pC to Mac 3 years ago and it was a breeze. There is a procedure to transfer your photos from the Organizer to iPhoto (I posted it here several times). I don't have the time to search but maybe someone would be kind enough to search and post the link.

Adobe Premier Elements for the PC is great, but for the Mac, there's no need to spend anything to edit movies, iMovie comes free with every Mac and it's a praised piece of software (as well as the rest of the iLife suite, iPhoto, GarageBand, iWeb, iTunes, iDVD).

I helped over 20 people switching from Pc to Mac over the past 18 months and most of them (23 out of 24) have had a smooth transition, one complaining about the lack of Universal applications (which has been taken care by various publishers, including Apple).

As for applications, they are plentiful and you'll find everything you might need : Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, Adobe full suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, Go Live, Dreamweaver, Flash, etc.), Quicken for your accounting (should you need it), Yahoo! Messenging, Microsoft Messenger, etc.

On this forum, Beatrice recently switched and I hope she reads this, her switching has been a breeze too!

Ray

[cmelltt]

Thanks, I did a search for Iphoto and came up with lots of great information. I had done several searches before with other things but never came up with so much. In my reading I thought of another question.

I have downloaded many different fonts, brushes, and effects. Will I be able to copy those to the MAC photoshop? I sure hate to loose them.

Carrie

[ME100FINN]

Carrie, you decision to switch is a great one. I am a new owner of a Mac Pro (purchased about two months ago) and I have never looked back! I now want a macbook too! It sounds like most of your other questions were answered, so for the last few...

I have found PSE4 on the mac very nice and easy to use. On the pc I had created a separate folder for all the additional brushes, etc. that I added to the pc version. I simply copied that to a thumbdrive and loaded on the mac. Each file I dropped into the appropriate file folder and then cleaned the cache - that easy. Only a very few were pc only versions.

as for iPhoto, go to the apple.com page and there is so much information there with help and discussion boards, etc. that will give you a good feel for the program. When I loaded my **20,000+** pictures, those that had **written** keywords using PSE4 Windows were recognized on the files! Be sure you do that prior to your switch over. Oh, and I did directly connect the pc to the mac via firewire and I was able to copy over the files. That took a bit of work with settings, but it was trouble on the pc side (firewall, etc.).

http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto/

Have a great time.... you won't be sorry!!

[Carbone]

Also, Mac can now read (and use) Windows True Type Fonts. So most of you fonts will be usable with your new Mac.

Ray