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It's "fine" or more along the lines of "Meh." The 4090 is complete overkill and is a waste of money for Photoshop, since it won't take advantage of what makes a 4090 so fast. (It's not programmed to.) Plus the LED Rainbow Keyboard, I'm not a fan. You are editing photos, and the color casts from that keyboard would drive me nuts. The Display, is a Matte Screen, which is nice, but I don't think it's truly a IPS-Based Display, which is one of my requirements for using a laptop to edit photos. This is a "Gaming Laptop" meant for FPS Games, and not the direction I would have you head in. For me, it's a pass. Save your money. The AI Stuff is a new thing, and as the years go on, will be more important. For now, Adobe is just starting to scratch the surface with it.

Awesome. I was hoping that she didn’t need to buy anything.

Those toggles irritate me so much!

DisplayPort has a higher bandwidth and refresh rates, so you can have multiple displays with a high resolution on one single port. HDMI is basically one Monitor per port. DisplayPort is also Royalty Free, so manufactures don't have to pay a licensing fee for each device. HDMI had ARC / eRC Tech, which is why you see them on TVs and they can not only transmit video, but also audio. Display Port has a more robust connector, usually with a release latch. HDMI is more universal because it's been around a lot longer. Basically, it's two technologies that are similar but have their own strengths. For me, I'd use a DisplayPort over a HDMI with a computer. 4K Resolution and DisplayPort just seems to "work" better, but this is due to the higher bandwidth with that technology type. For my Home Theater Setup, it's HDMI all the way. The choice for @KimMoore is based on WHAT she is using. If her Computer Monitor(s) are hooked up with a HDMI cable, then select HDMI. Likewise, if she is using a DisplayPort...then it's DisplayPort for the selection. Many higher end cards, like the NVIDIA RTX 4070 or RTX 4080 have both ports on them and it really depends on what you are using with your monitor.

It is!! Thank you for your Donation!!

https://www.damiensymonds.net/art_vista.html

Hell, even an older NVIDIA RTX 3070 is $1150. You are not going to get a video card for $800. The 4070 seems to be around the $1500 price-point, but it's sold out. ***SIGH*** As much as I hate to recommend this, since you have an older system, something like a NVIDIA 4060 might be in your budget. It should work, JUST BE SURE TO INSTALL & USE THE NVIDIA STUDIO DRIVERS AND NOT THE ONES THAT COME WITH THE CARD. Even though I recommend at least a 4070 / 4080, in this circumstance and your budget, with an older PC...it will be WAY BETTER than what you currently have. Plus, $564.50 is probably an easier pill to swallow. I also tend to like MSI Video Cards, as Gigabyte's support has really gone down-hill in recent years. I'm buying either a EVGA or MSI product if it were my money.

Yep, that video 4070 video card should work. Hopefully your Power Supply will support it, otherwise you will be upgrading that as well. Besides Amazon, two places that you can buy stuff from: NEWEGG Micro Center Amazon is usually "fine," if it's being sold and shipped from Amazon. It's when you buy stuff from their 3rd-parties is when you can have the most issues. If it's not from Amazon and shipped via Amazon Prime, chances are I'm not buying it. Hell, I never buy stuff from eBay, but that's just me. EDIT!!! It looks like both of those places aren't viable. Newegg seems to be shipping directly from China, and the prices are around the $1500 mark, for just the video card. Micro Center doesn't have any 4070 cards, and they seem to be pushing the 5000 series cards. I would hold off and save up. You are likely going to throw money away as I'm not 100% convinced that a new card will work with your older Motherboard. Downgrade to an older version of Photoshop and hopefully that will work for you. A $3000 budget for a new computer is realistic in 2025. I know, you can't afford it. Why do you think I'm still on PS CC 2023 with my 2017 iMac? PS: The reason you can't click "Buy Now" on NVIDIA's site, is they are linking to Micro Center's Website. Micro Center is flat-out sold out. The $799 price tag is probably from late 2024; it's a new Ballgame with stuff coming from China in 2025. The Tariff's are making things more expensive. ...and people often question me on why I recommend such high-end / expensive stuff...it's to cut down on this very situation. I configure my systems for Photoshop a few years from now, not the current versions of software.

Yep. That is true. In addition, Video Graphics Cards have become "Computers within Computers," and software products like Adobe Photoshop have taken advantage of this fact. It this processing power and dedicated video memory that makes them so fast and ideal for Bitcoin, that drives up the prices. Now add the 10% Tariffs from China, and all of this computer shit is made in China, so there's that. I just tweaked my Buying a Computer in 2025 article, since the Dell XPS Desktop Line that I used to recommend for years, has been replaced. The good news is, the computer I just configured is a little cheaper. The bad news is, it's about $2600. The days of the "999 Special" from a Big Box Store are over. Those computers happened 20 years ago. Everything today is more expensive. Hell, my wife just bought a pound of Beef for Tacos, which will be tonight's dinner. It was $10.24!!! For a fucking pound of Ground Beef!!! I remember when something like that was around $5-ish! I just did a quick CPI Inflation Calculator, to see what "999.99" in 1995 would be in today's money. It works out to be $2122.95. Which if you think about it, is more along the lines of $1199.99-ish back then. So yesterday's $1200 model is the $2600 model that I configured. So what can you do? You will need to un-install / downgrade to an older version of Photoshop CC AND STAY THERE!!! NO UPGRADING FOR YOU!!! NOT YOURS!!! NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE ADOBE MOTHER-SHIP BUGS YOU THAT THERE IS AN UPDATE!! Bottom Line: I'd look to install PS CC 2023 and see how that works for you.

Sorry to bother you. I fixed it! I was just stumped because some worked and some didn't and assumed a setting on the external. It was a "Mac" setting but why some worked and some didn't still doesn't make sense but adding it to privacy & security full access did the trick. I'm not sure I'm going to survive this new hard drive. Small glitches occurring every day!

"Meh," I'd delete that shit

I appreciate you taking the time to help me with this issue

The Apple Studio Display uses a Thunderbolt Cable, there should be one in the box, to hook up to the current Macs. It doesn't have a DisplayPort or HDMI Port.

OK, first things first. We need to verify how that Sandisk is Partitioned. So attach the drive to your computer and head to Disk Management. (Right Click on the Start Button & you should see it.) From there post a screen shot of the Disk Management Screen, as you did above. I did a Screenshot of mine with my 1TB Sandisk Highlighted. As you can see, my drive is currently set to exFAT, which is what we DO NOT WANT. So post a screenshot so I can see what file system it's on. Note: Don't read too much into my example, as I'm working on a Virtual Machine. Currently my 1TB External Sandisk is configured for a 50GB HD. The steps I'm going to give you are the same, so don't worry.

I see it. That's cool.

Thank you very much. I promise to turn off my computer every day.

You aren't going to like this. Apple has made it so that the only display that will look good (like you are used to / the Apple Macintosh Experience) is the stupidly over-priced Apple Studio Display for $1599. You will want the Standard Glass version. It's only money, right? "1600?!?!!!" Surely there must be another cheaper alternative!!! Here is the thing... Apple changed the signal coming out of the HDMI port. I found this out from a tech bulletin put out by Eizo, who make really high-end displays. They were the ones to discover this. According to the bulletin, "When using HDMI on a Mac computer, the signal from the Mac computer may change to YUV Limited Range and banding may occur." So in a nutshell, the only display that will look good on a Mac Laptop is a Apple Studio Display. Yes, Apple does this on purpose. Just think, when you use Apple Branded Cables for your iPhones & iPads, magically data transfer speeds improve dramatically than if you used a 3rd party (aka cheap) cable. See a theme here? Apple does this shit all-the-time. Anyway, back to the Eizo Tech Bulletin... Meaning, your colors might be a little off, and banding may occur. Apple doesn't do 4K very well, and things like text look like crap, and Apple really-really-really wants you to use their 5K Displays. Of course, as time goes on, 3rd party manufactures will adapt, but I will say this... Every member in Ask Damien who went the cheap route going with a 3rd party display were not satisfied and ended up forking out the $1599 at the end. One member went through 3 third party displays an was only happy when she bought the Apple Studio Display. Even with the $1299 LG Display that Apple helped design...just fork out the extra $300 and be done with it. So honestly? Save yourself the stress and just save up. Because you are going to end up there any way. Of course, at the end-of-the-day, it's your money. If you do go the 3rd party route, let me know what you picked and how your experience was. I hate having to recommend a stupid $1600 display.

Definitely!! Driving me silly (it doesn't take much!). I just did the one folder and can't tell but I may just need to do all of them. I opened a few other folders and they didn't show until I clicked on one edited and then it changed but I can handle that for a one time thing! Leave it to me to find something new for you.

Right, because you haven't finished the Raw Class yet.

They sure will.

I'm so glad you'll get to see it in real life. I'm always so nervous about people ordering screens online.

I’ve managed to do it now. I had to download it about 3 times because on the first two when I double clicked it said I didn’t have anything to open it with. Then it went to an .au file then eventually it worked. I have used it and tested it. Thank you

Sorry, I haven't actually looked at your screen, because I got distracted by this comment: You MUST make sure the teens know that your monitor is calibrated for imaging, and if they touch the monitor's settings (brightness, colour, contrast) even a tiny bit, they'll be grounded for a million f&*king years. Agreed?

That display should work.

Thank you Brian, great information. I have my prints back, re-calibrated my screen 6250k & they match much better. I do think my lights are a little yellow in my office, but until I can change them this works. I took my prints outside & there were still on the warm side. Santa has ok'd a new monitor for xmas & wanting to check this looks like a good option. https://www.amazon.com/Dell-S2721QS-Ultra-Thin-DisplayPort-Certified/dp/B08DQWG3JG/ref=pd_ci_mcx_pspc_dp_2_t_1?pd_rd_w=vj1KU&content-id=amzn1.sym.9cb932c3-e29e-44db-929c-bdc1460b3774&pf_rd_p=9cb932c3-e29e-44db-929c-bdc1460b3774&pf_rd_r=QW1X5CKEEN0T80WYS0BT&pd_rd_wg=oZxPt&pd_rd_r=7f1caa45-8511-49d1-a39b-478a2d487b3e&pd_rd_i=B08DQWG3JG&th=1 I really only want to do it once Thank you for all your help.

Nevermind Damien. I've been trying to solve this problem for days now and suddenly I have my answer as soon as I ask you.

I think DisplayPort supports higher resolution, doesn't it?

You can get one of each. I'd recommend finding a Thunderbolt 3/4 or even Thunderbolt 5 if they exist, and I'd start off with one that will live on your Desk. Keep in mind, that not all Thunderbolt Ports on your MacBooks are the same, it's usually the ones on the left side tend to be the fastest. You want to use a 40Mbps or better Thunderbolt Port on your laptop.

Okay.

If you are using external IPS monitors for editing in both locations, then get whatever. That Dell Alienware is fine. I thought you were editing solely on the Laptop's Display. The only thing you will need to worry about is calibrating both Displays and then making sure the correct profile is loaded for the particular Monitor.

You're the best! Thank you so much. This is exactly what I needed to help me make this decision. ❤️

THE BIGGEST THING WITH A LAPTOP USED FOR PHOTO EDITING IS A IPS DISPLAY PANEL. That alone is damn near impossible to find in a lot of laptops. So while your IT guy might push Dell, which is fine...it's the stupid IPS Display that you NEED. What's so important about IPS? An IPS Display has consistent colors, contrast, brightness from corner to corner. Plus it has a better Viewing Angle. All of these things are kinda important for PHOTO EDITING WORK. I do not care how "great" a particular Dell Laptop is, if you are using it to edit photos, IT NEEDS TO HAVE A IPS DISPLAY PANEL. Period. See this? No mention of IPS. Most laptops use a TN Display Panel, which is great for everything else BUT Photo Editing. IF THE MANUFACTURER DOES NOT MENTION IPS, SKIP-IT!! The other thing you need to look for is a robust video card with at least 8GB dedicated Video Memory. I like NVIDIA RTX 4070 and RTX 4080 with 8GB - 12GB of dedicated Video Memory. Photoshop has become bloated with fancy tools, AI Crap amongst other things...all use the Video GPU in order to function. So if you get a Laptop that doesn't have a high-end video card, the current version of Photoshop CC will complain and sometimes flat-out not work. Basically, you need a Gaming Laptop with a IPS Display. That Dell Alienware Laptop almost checked all the boxes, and would be "fine" if you were using an External IPS Display. But since you need to be portable, your needs are a bit different.

Right now, from the information that you provided, buying a new display is not going to fix your problem. We need to get you Calibrated and straightened out BEFORE you spend money on a new display. Now, will you eventually be purchasing a new Display? It's plausible, but I want to see if we can get things working out first; I hate wasting money and would feel terrible that you fork out $500 (or whatever) only to be right back at square #1.

You need to convert in Adobe Camera Raw. Raw File Created by Camera >> Loaded into ACR >> Converted to the sRGB Color Space >> THEN you do your Raw Edits >> Finally, your Photo is imported into Photoshop already in sRGB and you do your final edits. This way what you see is what you (should) get. WYSIWYG. No surprises. No colors changing on you. What needs to change in your workflow is when converting to sRGB takes place. You do not want to edit in Adobe RGB (1998) with ACR, keep Adobe RGB (1998) in Photoshop, then have your colors shift because the default color space with .jpg files is sRGB!!! That's why we want you to be in sRGB at the start of your edits, because as soon as you save as a .jpg / .jpeg, your colors WILL shift if editing in Adobe RGB (1998) or Prophoto (Lightroom's default and ONLY color space.) Before you drive yourself nuts, let's make sure your Photoshop and ACR are setup correctly: Setting up Photoshop

Agreed. FreeFileSync

I switched to FreeFileSync. I'm liking it so far.

Not at all, it looks great.

Thank you so much Brian! this is exactly what I needed to hear to push my timeline up. Appreciate it

There's your problem!! Your Video Card is not powerful enough for the current versions of Photoshop. That video card is fine for "General Computing," like wasting time on Facebook, watching YouTube Videos, answering e-mails, paying bills, etc. Everything else BUT Photoshop. ACR now uses the Video Graphics Processor (Video GPU) in order to function these days. Currently it's still using the CPU / Low-end GPU to work, but Adobe is warning you as time goes on, this will be an issue and eventually ACR won't load at all. Time for a new Mac!! No software fix for this one. Well...you could downgrade to an older version of Photoshop CC that last worked with your computer and STAY THERE. No upgrading for you. Those are your two choices, but you really need a new computer. Start saving. This is such a common problem now, that I've written a very long article about this topic: Today's Modern Photoshop

Thank you! I really appreciate you revising the thread. This helps!

For the "high resolution" ones, don't resize at all. Send every pixel your camera took. For the "web resolution" ones, yes, resize to 2048px.

Thank you! I appreciate you!

Hi Brian My old Dell just died so I need a replacement urgently (Pro tog, large format fine art printing). Budget somewhat limited as I also need a desktop upgrade soonish. Looking at this Dell UltraSharp 31.5 Inch U3223QE Monitor and just wanted to make sure this model is suitable and there isn't anything better I should be looking at around the same price range. https://www.amazon.com.au/Dell-UltraSharp-U3223QE-31-5-Monitor/dp/B09TVZHV4W/ref=asc_df_B09TVZHV4W?tag=bingshopdesk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80401861673416&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584001437018425&psc=1 Thank you Michelle

Thanks Damien, that is a relief because I am sure if there was you would have heard about it. No response from Dell (and no other retailer I have spoken to can confirm either way) but I feel confident now to go ahead and buy it

"Sales" and Laptops happen typically in August, before College Students go back to classes. Then the Fall Line (in the northern hemisphere) models come out. Laptops are typically "En Vogue" for about 90-Days or so. Sometimes, they can linger for a bit longer...say around 6 Months, then around the 8-9 Month Mark, they will be discontinued and prices at "Limited Stock Available" will start to become more common. That's the problem waiting for sales and me creating What-to-Buy Links; I've given up. Things just move too quickly and if you don't buy it when I first link to it, and wait for a "sale," you will come away disappointed. Now, I get wanting to save money, but trying to find THE biggest requirement, IPS-Based Display Panel is TOUGH. It's a down-right Pain in the Ass to find one. While "IPS-Like" is better than a TN Panel, it's always better to get the true IPS version. What's so great about IPS? Things like Contrast, Color, Sharpness, Brightness, etc. are better overall corner-to-corner. Plus you have a much greater viewing angle. Simply put, if you are editing Photos & Video, it's best for you to work with a IPS-Based Display. If you can't find a laptop that has one, then purchase a nice 27" external monitor to edit off from. "But that will cut down on portability!! I MUST be able to edit next to the Pool while my Kids swim!!!" or "I can't be chained to a Desk!!! I must be able to edit photos in the Passenger Seat while my family drives to vacation at the Beach!!!" Trust me, I've heard it all. I don't care...if you want my opinion and want to ask what I would buy, it's a IPS Display Panel for editing Photos & Video. Period. Now for your laptop... BUY THIS AND BE HAPPY.

It's working!

A friend of mine has a MSI Laptop, similar to that one, but a few generations old. They make good laptops, but it seems that the WiFi Drivers go stupid each and every time Windows 11 does an update of some sort. He has to keep un-installing and re-installing the WiFi Drivers. Hardwired Ethernet is fine. It's more of a PITA than anything. Any of those Lenovo Laptops will work. Just make sure you update EVERYTHING for any laptop. Intel just put out a patch that affects Gen 13 & Gen 14 Intel CPUs; it seems the software on the CPU chip has a bug and the cores like to get zapped with extra current, thereby killing CPU Cores over time. So regardless which laptop you end up buying, make sure you upgrade ALL BIOS and other hardware updates, it's not just Windows and such you have to be worried about. I know with Lenovo, they have some sort of scanning utility. I think MSI has something similar, but am not 100% sure. I do like the Lenovo Laptops with the IPS Screens.

Yes, using Image Processor. Tools>Photoshop>Image Processor.

There are several methods. Here's one I'm fond of: Duplicate the Background layer Go to Filter>Other>High Pass. Begin with the Radius at 0, and slowly take it up and find the sweet spot where the freckles are being exaggerated the most (the whole image will be grey at this point). As you play with the slider, you'll see that if you go too low, the freckles won't be getting their maximum punch, but if you go too high, the freckles won't be getting any additional punch, all you'll be doing is exaggerating other things. Find that sweet spot. After pressing OK to perform the High Pass filter, change the layer's blend mode to "Hard Light". Finally, add a mask to the layer and mask it to the freckled part of the face only. By the way, if you want an even stronger result, you can duplicate that High Pass layer. Heck, I suppose you could duplicate it as many times as you want, but it would start to look a bit weird. Oh, also by the way, you can use "Overlay" blend mode for a slightly gentler result than Hard Light gives. Here's my play with the above method: