I would add one important point that wasn't mentioned so far: Even though the Air will run the actual application pretty fast (in fact, both Photoshop and Illustrator start up faster on Air because of the SSD drive) there is a significant problem. If you're using one of these computers with OS X Mavericks or later, you can install macOS Catalina.Your Mac also needs at least 4GB of memory and 12.5GB of available storage space, or up to 18.5GB of storage space when upgrading from OS X Yosemite or earlier. Hi there, I'm using a 13' MacBook Air (2.2GHz dual core Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB 16000MHz LPDDR3 memory). It has 128GB storage and Intel HD 6000 graphics. I need to have Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and PremierPro on my laptop. I am not an expert and can't decide whether it would be wise for me to buy the Adobe Creative Cloud.
My wife has been in need of a new laptop for a while now. Typically she's delighted to get my old hand-me-downs when I upgrade. But this time around, she wanted something a little newer.
- Apr 17, 2020 Although you can purchase a higher-spec MacBook Air model with a Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor, it is only clocked at 1.2 Ghz, which is not great. There is no dedicated graphics card (GPU embedded into CPU) and there are only two Thunderbolt 3 ports, so if you have more than one device to connect, you will need to get a USB Type-C hub.
- Granted you may not be able to run photoshop efficiently on a $350 PC but for the same price as a $1200 macbook, you can get a PC setup that works much better. Thats where the disconnect is. And most people in the design industry when you go to a design job, you are more than likely working in an office that uses Mac OS machines in their office.
My one year old 13″ MacBook Pro was churning along just fine, so I wasn't really thinking about upgrades for myself when she finally had enough and told me to get my butt to the Apple Store. She doesn't need a powerful laptop, just plenty of storage for her music, photos and videos. I had a tough decision to make, because I've already been eye-balling a new 27″ iMac to replace my six year old MacPro sitting beneath my desk. I didn't want to spend too much, but I do need a capable laptop for working on the go.
Enough of the background, what did I buy?
After reading a few forum discussions, playing with the demo units at the Apple Store, and three days of inner termoil, I decided to toss caution to the wind. I went with the 13″ MacBook Air, with the 1.7 GHz Core i5 processor, stock 4 GB of RAM, and the 128 GB SSD storage drive. My only question remaining to be answered was how would the Adobe Creative Suite perform on this lower-spec laptop?
It was a big step for me giving up a faster processor, more RAM and an optical drive. But after thinking about it, I realized that I really haven't used the optical drive at all. In fact, the only disc-based use I've had in the last few years is installing Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. I've since switched to Apple iWork for heavy-duty office work, and I've ripped the CS5 install DVDs to disc images and stored them on an external HD. You can now purchase Adobe CS online, so not having an optical drive shouldn't be a problem moving forward. I then took a look at what I really use my laptop for, and decided that I really didn't need all the power and extra RAM that a MacBook Pro could offer. Finally, I considered the weight of the 13″ MacBook Pro vs. the 13″ MacBook Air. I hated the weight of the MB Pro, so my decision to purchase the Air was made.
It's the little things
It's amazing how much difference the lighter MacBook Air makes when carrying it around in a laptop bag. Even sitting on the table or desk, it seems smaller than it really is. It still feels sturdy, but at the same time it's elegant in appearance. One of the things that kept me from considering past Air models was the lack of backlit keys. This is no longer an issue with the latest models.
I would be not at all surprised if Apple doesn't begin phasing out the 13″ and 15″ MB Pros in favor of the MacBook Air How to screenshot something on a macbook.
Boot-up, wake from sleep, shut down, and app launching are all wicked-fast. And this machine was definitely built with Apple's OS X Lion in mind, because it runs spectacularly. Because I have the MacPro at home serving as my main machine, the relatively small 128 GB SSD isn't an issue for storage, and I must say that when I do get that iMac later this year, I'm definitely getting the model with the SSD hard drive! I also love the fact that the Air has a USB port on both sides. The SSD card slot is handy. Even though my previous MacBook Pro had one, I never used it. Now I've actually come to love having it.
How does it perform?
I've been working on the MacBook Air exclusively for two weeks now, and I'm delighted to report that it has performed beyond my wildest expectations. No, really! I had prepared myself for slower speeds due to having less RAM than my previous MacBook Pro – but not only have I not suffered any slow-downs, I've found it to be quite a bit faster. This is most likely due to the ultra-fast SSD hard drive. In fact, in every-day tasks, the Air easily out-performs my dual-Xeon processor Mac Pro with 11 GB of RAM and 7200 RPM hard drive.
How does Adobe Creative Suite 5 running on a MacBook Air perform?
Photoshop boots near instantly, and working on 200MB files is no problem at all for the Air. Screen re-draw is smooth, file saving is rocket fast, and filters run at acceptable speeds.
Illustrator actually seems usable for me now. Even on my MacPro, Illustrator is easily the biggest slug I've ever used – but on the Air it's a pleasure to work in.
InDesign runs just awesome. Normally, it's the slowest CS app to launch, but on the Air it takes only three or four seconds after a fresh boot-up, and under two seconds to launch if it was previously run. Different color keyboard for macbook pro. Shocking!
The same can be said of Dreamweaver, Acrobat and Bridge, they just run better than they do on my MacPro and MacBook Pro.
Would I recommend it for any designer?
This of course is a loaded question. The Air is perfect for my needs, which includes blogging, writing, web and email, and light-to-moderate Adobe Creative Suite duty. But I believe it probably could serve as my only Mac if I had the extra storage and larger monitor to plug it into while working at home. Unfortunately, I can't plug my 30″ LCD screen in to the Thunderbolt port on the Air to see how it performs.
With the Air, you must have a wireless network in place because there is no Ethernet port built-in; although you could order a USB-to-Ethernet adapter. I chose not to, and haven't missed it yet. Nor have I missed the optical drive.
If you're in the market for a second Mac to take on the road, the Air is by far the best option, in my opinion. In fact, I would be not at all surprised if Apple doesn't begin phasing out the 13″ and 15″ MB Pros in favor of the MacBook Air; keeping only the 17″ MB Pro at the top end.
The only down-side to running Adobe CS5 on the MacBook Air is the lack of support for Lion's new features like Full Screen and Resume – but those will no doubt come with the next CS upgrade.
Related posts:
October 2020 release (version 22.0)
Important! The Photoshop hardware requirements for Processor and Graphics card and have increased for version 22.0.
Ensure your system still meets the minimum requirements listed below. If you experience any issues, see Known issues in Photoshop.
Minimum and recommended system requirements for Photoshop
Minimum | Recommended | |
Processor | Intel® or AMD processor with 64-bit support; 2 GHz or faster processor with SSE 4.2 or later | |
Operating system | Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1809 or later | |
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
Graphics card |
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See the Photoshop graphics processor (GPU) card FAQ | ||
Monitor resolution | 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling | 1920 x 1080 display or greater at 100% UI scaling |
Hard disk space | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation
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Internet | Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services † |
Minimum | Recommended | |
Processor | Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support | |
Operating system | macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later | macOS 10.15 (Catalina) |
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
Graphics card |
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To find out if your computer supports Metal, see Mac computers that support Metal See the Photoshop graphics processor (GPU) card FAQ | ||
Monitor resolution | 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling | 1920 x 1080 display or greater at 100% UI scaling |
Hard disk space | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation
|
Photoshop will not install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system | ||
Internet | Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, membership validation, and access to online services † |
† NOTICE TO USERS. Internet connection, Adobe ID, and acceptance of license agreement required to activate and use this product. This product may integrate with or allow access to certain Adobe or third-party hosted online services. Adobe services are available only to users 13 and older and require agreement to additional terms of use and Adobe's online privacy policy. Applications and Services may not be available in all countries or languages and may be subject to change or discontinuation without notice. Additional fees or membership charges may apply.
Photoshop is available in the following languages:
Dansk
Deutsch
English
Español
Français
Français*
Hebrew*
Hungarian
Italiano
Nederlands
Norwegian
Polish
Português (Brasil)
Suomi
Svenska
Turkish
Ukrainian
čeština
Русский
عربي*
日本語
简体中文
Can You Run Photoshop On A Macbook Air Freezes
繁體中文
한국어
* Arabic and Hebrew supported in a Middle Eastern version with full right-to-left language support, Arabic/Hebrew features, and an English interface; also in a North African French (Français*) version with full right-to-left language support, Arabic/Hebrew features, and a French interface.
The Adobe Camera Raw plug-in gives you ability to import and work with raw images, as well as JPEG and TIFF, in Photoshop.
Macbook Air Photoshop Performance
Your computer may need to meet additional system requirements to work efficiently with Adobe Camera Raw.
See Adobe Camera Raw | System requirements for details.
See Considerations for Graphics Processor (GPU)-accelerated features.