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or, could I possibly take my cube with me and connect it to my laptop? or just buy a portable monitor instead of spending another $5k?

Does Brian have an update to the MacBook? Looks like it's from Nov 24. I might want to buy one since my daughter is having a baby and I will need to be more portable this Fall. I just got a new iMac with all the best specifications this fall. I have a MacBook Pro from 2017 that I can use on vacation for light editing, but not for big weddings! I'm a very busy wedding photog! HELP LOL

Hi Brian, I need to purchase a new laptop, I am wondering if the below specs meet the requirements for 2026 and the high demand from photoshop? Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 Intel (16") with RTX 5060\ Memory : 32 GB DDR5-5600MT/s (SODIMM) Solid State Drive: 1 TB SSD M.2 2242 PCIe Gen4 TLC Processor: 14th Generation Intel® Core™ i9-14900HX Processor (E-cores up to 4.10 GHz P-cores up to 5.80 GHz) Display: 16" WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, HDR 400, 100%DCI-P3, 500 nits, 240Hz, Low Blue Light Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR7 Sorry for the wonky way that information posted! I am in Canada, so trying to find laptops that aren't over $4000 is very hard! Thank you! Samantha

Ok. So I think what you are saying is wait until I hear about M5 with MacStudio. Is there a website that I can monitor for this? Thanks Brian.

The current Mac Studio is still decent in 2026, but personally...I'm waiting for the refresh that has a M5 Chip. Apple really has changed their website, but my previous WTB Article still applies. Here are some screen-shots: Between a Mac Studio and a Mac Mini, I'm going to lean towards the Mac Studio. If you want to wait until the M5 hits a Mac Studio, you are probably going to wait until late this year or a better prediction...this time next year. Things are in such turmoil with all this MicroSlop / AI / Data Center Crap, that things like Memory and HD storage chips are at a premium and are very scarce. In fact, when I tried to configure a tricked-out Mac Mini, it was a 12-16 week delay! Oh, don't forget to add a Macintosh Studio Display for $1600, whatever you buy. So since 2026 is completely fucked technology-wise, I'm really not sure what to tell you. I would just keep saving at this point and be prepared to jump on any deals. That said, Apple controls the prices, so I wouldn't hold out for any "deals." Just be ready to buy when the time comes. As to what I recommend, it will be the Mac Studio.

Keep in mind, RAID1 (Mirrored) is just redundancy. If the file is corrupted on the 1st drive, it is instantly corrupted on the 2nd HD in the RAID1 configuration. Sometimes it's a fluke, other times it could be something like a bad sector on one of the HDs, in which case things can get botched up, as the data is mirrored. Keep an eye on things. Once...OK...things happen. But if you find multiple images giving you grief? Something is wrong with one of those HDs! Again, RAID allows for tolerance in keeping you up and running for as long as possible, so you can get to your data; RAID is not a backup strategy!! How you choose to back up your data, is really a personal thing. In reality, before going nuts with backup strategies, it is more important to have a file/directory/folder structure that makes sense to you. This way you can avoid triplicates all over the place and you can find things quickly in the event of a disaster. Secondly, testing your backups is imperative. I can't tell you how many times I've performed resurrections and voodoo chants with my Customer's Servers, only to find out that several backup tapes are no good and they haven't had a good backup in MONTHS. Then their main HD dies and I can only restore the backup from 11 months ago, the recent stuff has to be inputted in, by hand, all over again. So the first thing I would do, is to get your file structure files/folders straightened out, THEN purchase a larger external HD, like a 8TB (or even larger) to copy stuff to. One big data-dump. Use that as your "Workbench" to see how easy it is to navigate to, pretend your main HDs and Server was in a flood or fire. If you can figure out what is where within seconds, THEN you can pay attention to the Cloud Stuff and folders on your Server. Keep things simple. It doesn't do you any good not knowing what is and what isn't backed up when things go horribly wrong. Yes, this is going to be a PITA and a huge time-suck, but you are wasting time when things are working, rather than doing it the other way around, which is not fun at all. I speak from experience. Offsite Backup is imperative, Home Server is another, and having external access to that server helps. Always remember, the Cloud is "Someone else's Computer," and OneDrive isn't fool-proof. In fact, NONE of them are and I would always remain skeptical of these services. TRUST NO ONE!! Always read the fine-print with Cloud Storage. I do not care how great a service claims to be, again...read the fine-print. That's why I recommend having a simple external HD to duplicate you main backups and then that EHD is stored off-site somewhere. For long-term storage, I recommend spinning traditional hard drives and not fancy SSD Drives for this. Why? Because Flash Media breaks down over time if the drive isn't powered on at least monthly. Digital Rot is a very real thing and a Traditional HD stores things magnetically, and lasts for years. SSD Drives? Notsomuch. Especially if you don't hook them up for a few years...the data goes "Poof." So fiddle around with things. Figure out a Directory / Folder Tree. You need to be able to find something within 30 seconds at all times, that's the goal. In fact, it needs to be as logical as possible, in the event that someone else needs to find things if you aren't around to do it for them. Do a data dump to a large EHD, then see how easy it is to get to your files, even using another person's computer.

Hi Brian, I am wondering if you have an update now (mid-April 2026) on what to buy when it comes to a new desktop. TIA

I have the same issue , any luck with Gs Richcopy360?

yeah I can do that. Hopefully that resolves the problem. Thanks Damien. I'll revisit this thread if the problem recurs or if that permanently solved the problem,

Hi, I'm formulating some sort of my own backup policy because as I just realized, my file organization for the past decades have been a mess (no backups, some even with triplicate files in one HDD) and I'm lucky I was able to recover my decades old family photos. I lost a lot of photos before just because of hardware failures. Surprisingly, not a single one was lost due to a corrupted files (at least from what I can remember). I want to make sure I avoid all that now. As of now, I have these: 1. Working PC equipped with 2 x 4TB HDDs, set to RAID1. 2. Home server - Truenas with NextCloud installed, equipped with 4 x 4TB HDDs, set to RAIDZ2 (I think this is similar to RAID6). Set up in the same house where my working PC is. 3. OneDrive subscription My planned backup "rule" as of now is to: 1. Retain ALL raw files in my working PC, whether they be active or not. I'll archive everything there. 2. Working PC is then synced to a folder in NextCloud (Home server). No file in here will ever be touched or accessed unless my working PC gets stolen, catches fire, or things like that, unless I really have to (something which I will try to avoid at all cost). Files will never be uploaded to NextCloud directly as well. 3. NextCloud is then synced to OneDrive. Similarly, no file will be accessed unless both my PC and Home Server get lost at the same time. No files will ever be uploaded here. I'm new to this and I'm not sure if this is a good plan to follow. I think this is enough protection from hardware failure. or maybe not? Remember I just said I never had a corrupted file? Not anymore. I just had it last night (It's in this topic: . ) I'm not sure what caused the file to be corrupted but what happened eventually was: corrupted fie in main PC = corrupted file in home server = corrupted file in OneCloud. So, not a single useable file was left. Luckily it was my first file using this new system I want to follow. A blessing in disguise and a wake up call, telling me that I am not doing enough. So, with all that, what else should I do? Basically, I just want my kids, their kids, grandkids, and so on to still be able to access these files in the future. Thank you.

Yeah, I figured the problem had to be coming from outside Photoshop. No doubt the syncing is causing the problem. Can you set it to only sync at a time when you're not actively working?

oh I just did. Thanks. By the way, my pictures folder is set to sync to the NextCloud installed in my home server. I tried pausing the sync and all .psd files saved during that pause turned out fine. I tried resuming the sync, then all psd files saved after that turned out fine as well. I'm quite puzzled though how this app which does a one-way sync could corrupt my local file (then eventually to the cloud file as well). I'm afraid it could recur and damage my new files again, like the taipei 101 file I just edited. By the way, this might be a useless info but that was the first ever file I edited on this pc and synced to the homeserver.

PLEASE turn extensions on like a grown-up. https://www.damiensymonds.net/2012/02/view-your-filename-extensions-windows.html

thanks Damien. Same thing happened after about a minute.

Next time you're saving one, can you show me a screenshot of the save window?

Hi, I'm working on a newly set up pc and have noticed that whenever I save a psd file, the file would eventually become like this after about a minute or 2. It's not happening to my older files. Just the newly saved ones. Thank you.

Thank you!

That one checks all the boxes. I do recommend NVIDIA’s Studio Driver over the default one that’s meant for video games / general computing. The Studio Drivers are meant for Adobe’s products.

ProcessorIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285K, 24 cores Operating SystemWindows 11 Home Graphics CardNVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5080 Memory64 GB DDR5 Storage2 TB SSD Or can you recommend another desktop? Thank you.

What are you actually editing on? A Server of some kind or an actual workstation? Having a quality P/S is a good thing, but choosing the right Video Card AND using the Drivers that Adobe's Products like, such as the NVIDIA Studio Driver - Windows 11, along with having enough RAM is key. Don't forget having a decent cooling setup; Water-Cooled might be a better choice for you than an Air-Based only system. Video Cards that I recommend currently are still NVIDIA's products, usually a RTX 5070 with 12GB VRAM at a Minimum, and if you can swing something like a NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - Gun Metal, even better. Especially with Large Panos...which I also do and can totally relate; I often have to divide photos into 3rds and process each separately, then combine them at the end. Otherwise, my system crashes or the fans sound like a Jet taking off. RAM, that's another thing you are going to consider. Unfortunately, with all of the AI Slop and products being diverted to Data Centers, which haven't been built, are driving up the cost. For your needs, I'd look at least getting 96GB of DDR5 EEC RAM, or more. Also, you will need a motherboard that supports ECC. So there's that. CPU? I always used to recommend Intel's Chips, but Intel is being stupid and the latest chips have a flaw, which causes them to short out. Intel says they have released a Motheboard / BIOS Patch, which should take care of the issue, but Chips are still dying and Intel isn't Warranting them. So currently, AMD seems to be a better bet at this point. For your needs, I'd probably recommend a Ryzen 9 9900X/9950X. Power Supply? Yes, you want quality. 850 Watts is the minimum I'd recommend, and I'm going to tell you to invest in a 1000 Watt "Platinum" Power Supply. Here is a Montech Century II 1050W Power Supply. I've also had good luck with EVGA Power Supplies, but I've also seen bad reviews with Customer Service Experience. Of course, you need to take things with a "Grain of Salt," Power Supplies work or they don't and after a period of time, manufacturers will usually tell you to "Pound Sand." Now there is one more thing you need to worry about!!! The Electrical Line Conditioning on the power itself. I highly recommend APC's UPS Sine-Wave products. There is absolutely no sense in building a $5000 Computer, only to use a el-cheapo power strip that's 10 years old purchased from a Big-Box Store. THAT'S JUST STUPID. Here is my UPS that I purchased a few years ago, and is currently sitting at my feet as I type this: APC UPS Back-UPS Pro 1500VA Sinewave UPS, 900W Battery Backup. Not only does that UPS save your ass in the event of a "Power Blip," it also monitors the current coming into your CPU. Now, that UPS is from 2022, and a power supply of 1000 Watts or more, we might need to get a bigger model (something like a 2200VA model.) In any case, you will want one that has "Sine Wave" Technology. Yes. You can buy all the fancy hardware, and still have issues. Plus, not only is Server Grade things more expensive, Photoshop will most likely not take advantage of all that stuff you are throwing at it, there needs to be a balance. In 2026...that $999 Computer Bundle isn't going to cut it when it comes to Photoshop. Likewise, building a Server with a XEON CPU that is meant for SQL Databases is just a waste of money...Photoshop will just ignore all of the extra tech. That's why a i7 CPU was only about 5-7% faster over a i5 about 10 years ago. PS never took advantage of what made a i7 CPU so fast. Personally, I'd recommend a High-End Motherboard, 96GB - 128GB DDR5 ECC RAM, NVIDIA RTX 5080 16GB VRAM, Liquid Cooling, NO STUPID RGB STUFF (you are editing photos and don't need to deal with color casts messing you up,) and a quality IPS-Based Display. HD capacity...at least 1TB, preferably 2TB OR have a 1TB main drive and a 2nd 1TB Drive that is just meant for PS's Scratch Disk. You can tell PS to use the 2nd drive because at the current prices of HDs, you are spending BIG bucks on a 4TB m.2 Drive. Power Supply, probably around 1000 Watts, but 850 Watts is still viable, you just need to get a CPU with higher-grade materials.

Hey everyone, I’ve been hitting a bit of a wall lately with my current setup. I shoot mostly high-res landscapes and some architectural stuff, and my workflow involves stitching together massive panoramas and focus-stacking dozens of 45MP RAW files. My current machine is starting to crawl, and I’m finally looking into building a dedicated editing workstation that can actually handle the heavy lifting without stuttering. One specific point I’ve been stuck on while picking out parts is the stability of the system under a sustained load. I’ve been doing some reading on hardware forums, and there’s a lot of talk about how high-end CPUs and GPUs are pointless if the power delivery isn't rock solid. I’m currently looking at an 850-Watt unit to provide enough overhead for a couple of NVMe drives and a beefy graphics card for Lightroom’s AI masking features. In my previous build, I definitely cheaped out on the power component, and I’m pretty sure that’s why I dealt with those random "blue screen" crashes during long exports. I’ve even been looking at server-grade power options or at least high-efficiency platinum-rated 850-Watt models because I really can’t afford to lose work during a 3-hour batch processing session again. It feels like we spend thousands on glass and calibrated monitors, but then it's easy to overlook the thing that actually keeps the electricity stable. For those of you who have built your own machines for heavy photo editing, do you prioritize high-wattage headroom, or do you find that standard consumer-grade units are sufficient? Is there a point where opting for server-level reliability in a PSU becomes overkill for a photography-only build?

Ok. I can't find one but I'm sure one will turn up eventually

Gotta be apples and apples, remember. That photo of the two men is taken in overcast light. It matters.

I have a client that likes the desaturated look with greens. (Example is the 2 men right at the bottom in the middle) https://www.themerribee.com.au/?utm_campaign=626757282013&utm_medium=PaidSocial&utm_source=Pinterest&utm_content=2680088524336&pp=0&epik=dj0yJnU9SGxKOGhUSndnN1otZjZSMmtVc1pSMDlCTVppVXQ4ZzgmcD0xJm49QmI1aUlZV0R3Ym80bUNINnNfOWdSZyZ0PUFBQUFBR21TVXNR

It happens.