[slip]

I know nothing about Macs but was looking at buying a notebook for the wife.
is there a program that comes with Macs that can edit raw files and do basic editing? I would likely still use Photoshop on my PC and transfer them to the notebook for cropping and Web optimization.
does it have a built-in browser similar to Photoshop Elements?

thanks

Randy

[pepperberry farm]

I use a Mac and LightZone covers all my needs for RAW, basic processing, etc....


I've never used Lightroom, but from the screenshots I've seen, it has a similar interface....

[slip]

oops I forgot it has to be dead nuts easy

Randy

[pepperberry farm]

from what I gather, if you can use Lightroom, you can use LightZone....

[KiloHotelphoto]

All Macs come with Photos and can handle raw files and is so easy to use.

[slip]

from what I gather, if you can use Lightroom, you can use LightZone....

my wife hates Lightroom
thanks for the suggestion

Randy

[reeftool]

Apple's Photos app will do what you want. I believe it's free on the Mac and comes with it. I use it on the iPad and it reads and edits my DNG photos.

[Oakland Rob]

Photos does RAW. I dislike it for various reasons, but it's simple and easy to use, if limited. Sort of a front end to Apple's iCloud Photo Library sharing service. Apple pushes out raw conversion via system updates, so a new machine should do about all the common raw formats.

But I would suggest Mylio instead. It has a folder sharing system that would make it very easy to transfer between the PC and her laptop, and is free for like 20K images and three devices. And it's compatible with Lr, so most Lr adjustments, metadata edits, and so on would be accessible. And as easy to use as Photos. Photos does NOT play well with other applications; you basically have to export photos to see adjustments. Might not matter depending on your usage.

But since you have Ps why not a subscription to the photo plan? Includes a license for Lr for two computers, one Mac and one PC. I know she doesn't like it, so you use Lr and let her use Bridge, which works fine on the Mac.

[boriscleto]

As the other posters have said Photos will handle basic editing of RAW files. You can extend Photos with other programs that have Photos extensions.

Edit your photos using third-party extensions in Photos for OS X - Apple Support

Affinity Photo, Pixelmator, DXO, Macphun, etc.

[slip]

As the other posters have said Photos will handle basic editing of RAW files. You can extend Photos with other programs that have Photos extensions.

Edit your photos using third-party extensions in Photos for OS X - Apple Support

Affinity Photo, Pixelmator, DXO, Macphun, etc.

does it open up a different interface for raw like PS and PS elements does?

Thanks

Randy

[boriscleto]

does it open up a different interface for raw like PS and PS elements does?

Thanks

Randy

It's all done in the same basic interface. The window changes color to indicate you are in edit mode. Unfortunately there isn't any way to set an external editor like there was in the old iPhoto.

[MikeW]

If you want "dead nuts easy", then stick with the built in Photos program on the Mac. It is very easy to learn and use and will do 90% of what I think most people want - your wife will like it. If she really gets into things, then she will probably outgrow it. I use Lightroom on my Mac and like it a great deal. I don't think the learning curve is very steep, it is versatile, and I can always go to Photoshop when it has options that LR doesn't. By contrast, my wife thinks there is a learning curve to LR and prefers Photos with which she produces some great photos. There are lots and lots of other options.

PS Another option is Google's NIK collection. It is a wonderful set of programs and is now free.

[slip]

It's all done in the same basic interface. The window changes color to indicate you are in edit mode. Unfortunately there isn't any way to set an external editor like there was in the old iPhoto.

thank you for the time you spent going into detail.
so are the edits made to the raw image or jpg?

Randy

[boriscleto]

thank you for the time you spent going into detail.
so are the edits made to the raw image or jpg?

Randy

It's all non-destructive when using the built in tools. Extensions are a little different, you make your edits and then save, so you don't get unlimited undo.

Here is some more info.

Make Apple Photos for OS X more powerful with an editing extension | Macworld

[sbh]

It's nondestructive raw editing. Like a light version of LR or CO minus local adjustments (brushes). If you use plugins from other apps (Affinity, dxo ...) then it will automatically switch to jpeg at a certain point wich most users won't recognise because that happens seamlessly in the background.