Brian

Yes. That's called a "Virtual Display." More info here: https://changelog.jumpdesktop.com/virtual-displays-pbTZC https://changelog.jumpdesktop.com/new-multi-monitor-experience-for-fluid-4aUVfq Enjoy your purchase!!

Yes. It's the design and Cores of the Processor. The more you have, the more compilations it can do, and the faster things compile. Since you are editing still photos and not video, and playing with spreadsheets, you don't need a "96 Core CPU" (or whatever.) That's like buying a M1 Abrams Tank when all you need is a Honda CRV to get you around. Pretty much. 32GB of RAM on a M2 Mac is more along the lines of 64GB on a Intel Machine, conversationally speaking. The Processor accesses and uses the RAM very differently than a Intel-based Chip, so you have to get away from the old way of thinking. Unfortunately, with the current M1 & M2 chips, there is no upgrading after the fact, since everything is built into one single chip; the hard drive, video GPU, RAM, and Processor are all one chip. So if you need to "upgrade" anything down the line, you are buying a new computer. Since the RAM is treated so differently, you do not "need" as much as you would on a Intel CPU. So 32GB is perfectly fine in 2023. Like I said, it behaves more like 64GB on a Intel Mac. That said, the new Mac Studio allows you to upgrade the HD, provided it's a Apple or authorized Apple HD. I really haven't looked into the particulars, but at least with the Studio and Pro, you have a storage upgrade option. BUT! it's not as great as one would think. A 1TB main drive is FINE. That G-Drive you have? Will work just fine with the new Mac, provided it's formatted and partitioned correctly. The current macOS versions do not like exFAT or NTFS partitions, but since it's a G-Drive, I'm 99.99999999999999999999% sure you will be fine. They usually come Mac-Formatted out of the box. IF you purchase a refurbished model from Apple Directly, go for it. Just make sure you get AppleCare on it. Also, whatever you see for sale on "Apple's Used/Refurbished Market" Web Page is what they have in stock at that time. So if you see something you like, can afford it, BUY IT!! Because someone else may buy it tomorrow, or later that afternoon. Going the Refurbished Route is a great option, and like I said, as long as you get it from Apple directly. Refurbished Mac Deals Now, to get my recommended configuration with the Mac Mini, chances are you are buying that new. But! There might be a chance you can get a Studio Display for a little less money to help with the budget. Here is one such Studio Display - $1359. That's about $240 off, which if you think about it, is "Free AppleCare" once you purchase it. You still are paying around $1600, but AppleCare is included at that price when you add it. Make sense?

Yeah, I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat with my 2017 27" iMac. Going forward, we will both have to pay more money than we would have liked, but in the long run we will save money. By buying a separate display, opens up options down the line. Spend the money now on the Apple Display, and have WAY more flexibility upgrading the computer if need be. As fast as the AI stuff is working its way into Photoshop, and the more horsepower is required, by having a separate computer allows you to just update the computer in a shorter time period. The downside is, you are in the market sooner rather than later, but on the upside, you don't always have to go with the "Overkill" configuration. But I'm me, so "SuperFast" or "Overkill" configurations is what I buy. I have used Jump Remote Desktop with my Macs, and that program works extremely well. Much better than the Microsoft Remote Desktop. They even have a iPad version that hooks up to a Windows Terminal Server flawlessly, so much that I have a Pediatrician's Office using a bunch of iPads with their Windows Terminal Server instead of laptops. Hell, the App even works on my iPhone. I can't say enough good things about that program. It's $35 currently and is money well spent. This is going to make things extremely difficult. Why? Because you are coming from a iMac, which has a built-in screen. Which leads me to the next part of your question... Yes, if you want to have the "Apple Experience" that you are used to, YOU NEED TO PURCHASE THE APPLE STUDIO DISPLAY. (I HATE typing that statement, but it's true.) The reason is, Apple decided that the HDMI Video Port produces a different Video Signal, so your typical 3rd party display won't look right, especially for when editing photos. I've touched on this with my "What Mac to Buy in 2023" Article and mentioned the Technical Bulletin put out by Eizo, which make high-end fancy displays all by themselves. Even their fancy displays don't look that good on the new M1 & M2 Mac lines. Judging by Apple's history, this is intentional; just like they crippled the 21.5" iMacs and now 24" iMacs, which I do not recommend for photo editing. General use? They are fine, but as soon as you throw true editing into the mix, I'd rather you spend your money somewhere else and not waste it. Yes, it sucks that the Apple Display costs so much. But you really don't have a choice, and I feel this is intentional. Hell, Apple is being forced to switch to USB-C over in Europe and Apple is trying to make it for the people that use 3rd party cables, that the transfer speeds are slower. Use a Apple Cable? You get full speed. See a theme here? So what about LG? I'm sure you've heard of people talking about the LG Monitor that Apple helped develop. Does it work better than an average Display? Yes. Is it as good as the Apple Studio Display? No. Is there THAT much of a price difference? Also no, it's about a $300-ish difference. From reviews of people that I follow online and know in real-life, EVERYONE of them regrets buying the LG. Usually I get the opinions of, "...it's OK, I guess. I really should have went with the Studio Display." "It's not the usual 'look' that I'm used to with my other Macs, I should have spent the extra $300." "I was looking to save money, and went with the LG. If I had to do it all over again, I just would have bought the Apple Studio Display." See a theme here? It's not worth wasting $1200 only to "save" $300. KWIM? Buy it Right - Buy it Once. So what to buy right now? You don't need to spend the extra money on a Mac Studio, the M2 Mac Mini, but the high-powered one, works just fine for Photoshop and what you want to do. I just did a quick configuration, and here is what I chose: The cost before AppleCare and Tax is $2199. You will either need to use the existing Keyboard and Mouse that you have, or will have to buy new if you need to go that route. The Larger Apple Keyboard with the built in number pad is totally worth the extra $30. But you are an Accountant, just like my Wife, so I'm sure you already have this keyboard. The good news, it's a choice and if you use the ones you have, you save a little money. For the Mac Studio, you don't really need to go wild with that model, since you aren't doing any real 3-D Rendering, dealing with memory intensive Music Apps, or editing Video. For the Professional Creative Types, I could see them buying a Mac Studio. For the average Photographer who is editing still photos? Nope. Save your money. Hell, put those savings towards a new Mouse & Keyboard. Here is a quick config of a Mac Studio, and no...for Photoshop work, you don't need the M2 Ultra Chip, for the reasons I just stated. Granted, I did upgrade the Video GPU a little bit, and made damn sure I have at least 1TB for the main HD, but in order to take advantage of what makes a M2 Ultra Chip so fast, is Photoshop needs to be programed to take advantage of it. Personally, I don't think you will see that great of a ROTI by going with the more expensive Mac Studio. I'd buy a tricked out Mac Mini and get the Studio Display. Then you can decide down the line if your next computer will be a Mac Studio or not. So without further adieu, here is a Mac Studio I configured: It's $2799 before AppleCare and Tax. Oh, just in-case you are wondering, the Standard Glass, 27" Apple Studio Display with tilt-adjustable stand for $1599 is FINE. If you want to spend the extra $300, I can't stop you as you can't go wrong with either, but I'd just get the Studio Display for $1600 and call it good. (Plus AppleCare and Tax.) Don't bother with Adjustable Stands, I'd rather have you get a VESA Arm that will allow you to really move the display if you need to. Sidenote: As a Test, purchase a Apple Studio Display for your main editing Display, and then get a IPS 27" 4K Display for your accounting work. Granted, the two displays won't look even and it will drive you nuts, but I totally get why an Accountant would like two 27" Displays.

Well, the Display Panel isn't a IPS-Based one, so "Photo Editing" will be limited, but I guess it depends on WHAT she is doing to her photos in Photoshop. If all she is doing is running an Action or Two and not truly "editing," as a laptop it's "fine." I'd pick the 2nd one from the left, but the small HD concerns me. You really want a 1TB Main HD. But if she is really going to edit-edit photos to get the best results, I'd pass on these models.

Yes, you definitely want to keep your Web Browser updated. Click the Gear icon on the Dock and choose software update. Now, it will ask if you want to upgrade to Ventura, don’t do that, but look below and you should see a blue link for Other Updates, click that. You should see the Safari Update and possibly other ones in a list. Install those. I’m not at my computer, so I can’t give screenshots.

Those are fine to upgrade. It's going from PS CC 23.xx.xx to PS CC 24 that will have the greatest chance of issues. But a routine update to the current versions should be fine.

That’s a tough question. The reviews are mixed as the current version of PS really requires a beefy video card. We’ve had a up-tick with posts of our members having issues. Currently, you can no longer blindly click “update” in the Adobe Mothership App and call it good. Now you can open up a whole box of worms and issues. So unless you have a brand new computer, which you and I do not, I’d hold off. In reality, you aren’t missing much except for the new AI stuff. But even those brand new tools still need to mature; we are on Version 1.0 and they still have a long way to go. For me, I’m still on Big Sur and PS 23. I’ve have turned off Auto Updates within the Adobe Mothership App. The reason is, PS is acting a bit sluggish on my current 2017 iMac, and I have better things to buy rather than forking out $4600 for a new Mac setup. I do plan on upgrading in 2024 or 2025 though and am holding off on doing any major upgrades to PS. At some point, the gains do not outweigh the hassles and costs of inconvenience.

To top things off, Adobe is starting to add all sorts of fancy AI Tools and that will increase the System requirements in future computers.

In reality? It’s time for you to replace your iMac. The reason is Apple Crippled the 21.5” on purpose, and the 8GB RAM, along with the i5 CPU and definitely the lower end graphics card concerns me. (I have the model that is the next step up with 8GB Video RAM, and it’s starting to struggle with the current versions of PS.) While upgrading to Big Sur will get you to the current versions of Photoshop, the lack of “Horsepower” will cause you nothing but grief when it comes to Photoshop CC 24 complaining about everything. To answer your question, yes…Big Sur is a mature OS and works fine with Intel Based Macs. Ventura, which is the current OS is meant for the M1 & M2 Macs. Bottom Line: Unless your OS is somehow corrupted, preventing you from using your computer, I’d stay where you are. I also WOULD NOT UPGRADE PHOTOSHOP to the latest versions. You will hate life if you do. Start saving. Remember, Apple wants you to “Go Big or Go Home.” Take a look at the pinned Article at the top for a “Mac that’s good for Photo Editing,” your budget needs to be around $4600. Unless you can fine a used 2020 27” iMac with a decent Video Card, but even then that Mac Model’s days are limited. I have a fancy tricked out 2017 27” iMac, and it’s starting to run a bit sluggish with the modern versions of PS. Even with 64GB of RAM I plan on replacing my computer in 2024 or 2025.

All of your External HDs are fine. So that's off the list of possible suspects. The next thing I want you to check is to see if Photoshop and Bridge have the correct Permissions enabled. This gives them read/write access to your hard drives, both internal and external. Head to the System Preferences >> Security & Privacy. Click the Padlock and enter your Admin Password. Click the Privacy Tab on the right. Scroll Down in the Left Column, we are looking for Full Disk Access. Make sure the following programs are in the list. I have a check next to Bridge on my computer. If you need to add anything, click the + under the right column and find the program in your Applications Folder. While we are here, click the Files and Folders in the left column. Give Photoshop Full Disk Access: Give or verify that Adobe Bridge has Full Access: For those who use Lightroom and come across this thread, make sure Lightroom has access: When finished, click the Padlock in the Lower Left to Lock this Preference Setting again and close out the Window. I'd Reboot, just to be sure that the changes apply. Then try Bridge again. If Bridge or any other program isn't in the list, click the + icon and add the program.

The WD 10TB is Partitioned correctly. I’m wondering if it’s some sort of Permissions issue with Photoshop / Bridge. I will need to get back to my computer to get you screenshots.

I just watched an install video for the M1 & M2 Macs using Paragon and Ventura. There are so many steps you need to do in order for it to work correctly AND it is imperative that you are using the absolute latest version. I could share the video and can't stop you from using Paragon, but in reality... We need to get Paragon off your computer and your external drives Mac Partitioned / Formatted.

Also, your macOS Ventura is out of date! They are up to version 13.4. Please upgrade your macOS! System Preferences >> Software Update: I'm for being Conservative and holding off on Operating System Updates, but there comes a point where you can cause WAY more problems by not updating; if you get too far behind, bad things can happen when you are forced to upgrade. Usually, people blame the OS Updates for their issues, but it reality, their computers are a complete mess and are unstable without them realizing it. Then the update stirs up existing problems.

I'm thinking this is the issue. Ventura has problems with HDs and older Paragon Software. Paragon and Ventura do not like one another. I keep seeing threads mentioning Paragon & macOS Ventura and weird stuff happening. Ventura does not like reading exFAT Drives or even dealing with NTFS Partitions with ones created by Paragon. Can you do a "Get Info" on that WD External Drive and post a screenshot? Hell, I'd like to know how your G-Drive is Partitioned. Do a Get Info on all external drives and post the screen shots. I'm thinking the easiest fix is for you to get that new G-Drive, BUT! We need to verify the Partition Type before you put any files on it. After we get the new EHD, and move files over, we need to delete Paragon from your computer.

Hook up the display to the HDMI Port. Hit the Fn Key + F8 to toggle between the internal and external display.

I answered your question in the original thread yesterday. Did you miss it? Click this:

After you get Big Sur installed, I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing CleanMyMac X to get rid of junk on your computer. You really don't want to go more than 75%-80% full on ANY Hard Drive, Internal OR External, when it comes to a Macintosh. If you fill your HDs, your performance takes a huge hit. Also, the more crap (files and folders) you have stored on your Mac Desktop, the slower the damn thing runs. So make sure your Desktop doesn't have 1000's of files on it. If it does, move them to a folder inside one of your Hard Drives.

Fantastic. Thanks for posting here. This is how you update to Big Sur and this REQUIRES SAFARI TO ACCOMPLISH. No other browser will work. Period. No Chrome, Firefox, Edge, whatever. It MUST be Safari only!! Copy and Paste the following URL into Safari: macappstores://apps.apple.com/app/macos-big-sur/id1526878132?mt=12 Or, click this Get Big Sur link in Safari. That link should open the App Store and take you to the Big Sur Download Page" It should Say macOS Big Sur at the top. Click the "Get" button, download the installer file, and go through the motions. I will warn you, this file is about 1GB in size and I would not have anything else open while you download this. No Netflix or Spotify or Facebook or E-mail. No 50 Tabs open in a Browser either, I don't care if they are all important. When it comes to a OS Upgrade, it should be you, your computer, and the OS Installer. That's it. Keep in mind that this is a OS Upgrade, so I'd check the software that you normally use to see if there are ANY updates that fix compatibility issues with Big Sur. There is one thing that has me concerned...your 16GB of RAM. What Make/Model/Screen Size is your Mac Desktop?

Nope. Not from Microsoft. So you have a couple of choices. Buy a physical copy from New Egg, and I would just get Windows 10 Pro and be done with it. Or go to one of those questionable sites and roll the dice...

Please keep in n mind that my default instructions were meant for Traditional Hard Drives, so you will see Mac OS Extended (Journaled) throughout the instructions. If you formatted things with the APFS Filesystem, that will appear in place of the Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) I need to write new instructions soon.

Part 2 Now the fun begins! Let's get that new Hard Drive prepped for use on the Macintosh!! Click your Applications Folder, then open Disk Utilities. Head to Applications Menu >> Utilities >> Disk Utilities. This is where your Disk Utilities might look slightly different. Anyway, here is mine: While in your Disk Utilities Module, please make note of any additional Hard Drives listed in the left column. Pay special attention to the Hard Drives listed under the "External" Section. For this process, it is much safer to only have one EHD Mounted / Listed! Select your new HD that you want to change, make sure you select the correct one!! Then click "Partition" up at the top and click the two arrows on the right where it says "Format." Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for Traditional / Spinning Hard Drives. External HDs that will be used for Time Machine Backups or ones that will be used on other Macs that could possible have older Operating Systems, should use Mac OS (Journaled). This Partition Type is more universal and is the most flexible. Choose APFS for Flash Based Media Drives, such as SSD or m.2 Drives. Do NOT choose Case-sensitive in either case, the normal / simple one is perfectly fine: Give the new External HD a obvious name: The Format will either be Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS, which is based on the situation that I talked about above. Traditional / Spinning HDs or Time Machine Drives: Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) SSD / m.2 Drives: Use APFS. Then click Apply. A Pop-Up Box will appear asking permission, click Partition or OK, or Apply. Let Disk Utilities do its thing... When completed, you should see "Operation successful" at the bottom. Click Done. Now the new External Hard Drive should appear on your desktop. If you want to verify things, Right-Click and select "Get Info." You should see the name of the HD and the Partition Type being Mac OS Extended (Journaled): Now you should be able to move a simple file to the new drive as a test and be able to read that file. Edited April 22 by Brian

Here are the instructions on how to Partition / Format a Drive for use on the Mac. Part 1 The first thing I want you to do, if you haven't already, is turn on the feature that allows you to see HDs and other "Mounted Devices" on your Mac Desktop. Open the Finder. The easiest way is to click the Smiley Face on your DockBar: Then head to the Finder Menu and select Preferences: Once there put checks next to these items and change the bottom to "Macintosh HD" if you want: From there, just click the Red Circle in the upper left corner to apply the changes. After you make this change, things like the Macintosh HD, any External Drives, Memory Cards from Cameras that are in a Card Reader and even portable DVD Disks will all appear on the Mac Desktop. This makes accessing them a breeze and is one of the things that has always puzzled me on why this feature isn't turned on by default. For example:

You almost got things working. Can you head into Disk Utilities and head to the Erase Tab? From there you should be able to erase and choose the following: Please give your EHD a name. Call it WD My Passport 1TB or whatever. Since it's a SSD, select the APFS for the file system. Then click Erase. Now! If you want to use this drive on another machine OR use this drive for Time Machine, we need to choose something else, and that's done under the Partition Tab. You can't switch from a drive that is set to APFS and convert it to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) which is the other Partition Type that's used on a Mac.

Thanks for posting here. Before we begin, will this drive be used for Time Machine Backups or just regular backups? I really recommend having a separate and dedicated EHD for use with Time Machine. Also, will this EHD be used with other Mac Computers?

Age has nothing to do with things in this case, well it does to a certain degree. It boils down to "Buy it Right - Buy it Once." If you have noticed I generally recommend spending a little more up-front to get better / beefier hardware; this is intentional, which in turn helps you down the line as software starts to overtake hardware in performance. The problem is, you bought a "3 Door Honda Civic Hatchback" and now need to go off-roading / driving through running rivers in the mountains. Your Hatchback has no problems getting you from your house to the Grocery Store and back, but driving through mud and rocks? You need a 4-Wheel Drive Vehicle that is suited for that sort of thing. It's not the Hatchback's fault, even if it is only 3.5 years old. It's just not meant for that sort of thing. Technology moves fast. 3.5 years is a whole product generation. The other main issue is, to keep people hooked on the Subscription Plan from Adobe, they are forced into pushing out new modules and features. Since Video Cards are REALLY GOOD at crunching numbers (which is why they are used for crypto-mining,) and creating graphics is all numbers, it just makes sense for Software Developers to utilize Video Cards. As time goes on, when it comes to Adobe's products, is they are relying more and more on the Video Card! In fact, in 2023 and beyond, THE CHOICE OF VIDEO CARD IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CHOICE OF CPU!! The days of PS of running for YEARS are over. With each and every major update, one must check their hardware against the new software. More often than not, unless you bought a video card that has at LEAST 8GB of Video RAM, you are rolling the proverbial dice on whether things will work properly or not. Photoshop is a Professional Program. It's just so widely used that people forget that. If you want "Consumer Grade," that's PS Elements. But even then you still need a decent Video Card.