How useful are touchscreens for photo editing?

**wedge** · 05-23-2016, 07:56 AM

This Summer I'll be in the market for a new computer. I'm trying to move away from the Apple ecosystem (I'm a longtime Mac user - since 1984, actually - but I don't like where they've gone since iOS came out) and am actually starting to use a Linux (Ubuntu 14.04) desktop with Darktable for most of my photo editing and organizing. For consistency, I'm looking at Windows 10 laptops and hybrids/2-in-1s, with the intent of dual-booting Win10 with Linux of some flavor so I can use Darktable and other Linux-based apps natively.

My hangup is that I've always been a traditional laptop kind of guy. We've all seen the MS Surface Book commercials showing how easy it is to use its Smart Pen to make intricate edits in (presumably) Photoshop, so that sort of makes me think that I should go with a 2-in-1; like that's the "future" of things, so I should grab on now. I've found a few blog posts reporting that some Linux distros will run on some devices (I'm looking most intently at the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro).

So, the question in the subject is what I'm hoping to get answered here. Does having a touchscreen (or touch interface, like a graphics tablet) actually help in the realm of photo editing?

VoiceOfReason · 05-23-2016, 08:12 AM

My laptop has a 1080p touchscreen and I generally forget about it and use it as a normal one out on the road.

robthebloke · 05-23-2016, 08:18 AM

I've got a yoga 2 pro (with a 3200x1800 touchscreen). The display is awesome for photo editing, but touch it I do not

**jatrax** · 05-23-2016, 09:08 AM

No touchy here either.

pathdoc · 05-23-2016, 09:27 AM

I would like to find a way to turn my laptop's touchscreen function OFF.

**jatrax** · 05-23-2016, 09:40 AM

Just don't touch it?

**UncleVanya** · 05-23-2016, 10:29 AM

My experience with touchscreen is limited and I do think some apps may benefit from it. However I think getting an IPS screen is more important overall. Both would be great but touch is not required.

virusn3t · 05-23-2016, 10:31 AM

I got a XPS 13 with a UHD+ touchscreen, i honestly never use this feature, last time i remember it have it when my little nephew (used to smartphones) slide a few pictures.

For editing, well, i prefre something like a Wacom device is more easy for me than the fingers, or just the mouse.

**Aristophanes** · 05-23-2016, 11:25 AM

Personally I've been using iOS devices for my design, planning, and architectural work lately, including photos, and it is the future. The current limitations are software but that is changing. The Apple Pencil is outright amazing for its fine controls. The mouse as an editing device has been replaced. IOS sandboxing is an issue, but that will likely change.

It will take awhile for the transformation but more and more I am seeing the touchscreen in pro settings.

**monochrome** · 05-23-2016, 12:33 PM - **1 Like**

^^ The limiting factor is the pointing device. A fingertip is rather imprecise.

virusn3t · 05-23-2016, 12:39 PM

Originally posted by Aristophanes

Personally I've been using iOS devices for my design, planning, and architectural work lately, including photos, and it is the future. The current limitations are software but that is changing. The Apple Pencil is outright amazing for its fine controls. The mouse as an editing device has been replaced. IOS sandboxing is an issue, but that will likely change.

It will take awhile for the transformation but more and more I am seeing the touchscreen in pro settings.

Maybe, but a "pencil or pen" as a gadget is diferent from the original question about the touchscreen.

I use a Wacom Pro, i like it, when im in my PC or the mouse when the editing is minimal. Out of my PC the wacom tablet is larger than my Laptop, and im not do heavy editing on that machine, im ok with the mouse. But honestly i never felt using the touchscreen+finger is precise or comfortable.

**UncleVanya** · 05-23-2016, 12:40 PM

I'm not typically doing the kind of manipulation where precise pen or mouse control is needed. However I don't see using touchscreen for what I do either except maybe crop/zoom type stuff.

robthebloke · 05-23-2016, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by Aristophanes

Personally I've been using iOS devices for my design, planning, and architectural work lately, including photos, and it is the future. The current limitations are software but that is changing. The Apple Pencil is outright amazing for its fine controls. The mouse as an editing device has been replaced. IOS sandboxing is an issue, but that will likely change.

It will take awhile for the transformation but more and more I am seeing the touchscreen in pro settings.

I both agree and disagree.

If you need an interface that is very similar to painting (because you are painting masks), then yes a stylus interface will be useful. If however your touchscreen interface affords you a control system that is basically finger painting, then no. I'm almost forty, not four.

Finger painting on a touchscreen laptop is just that, finger painting. If your 2-in-1 offers some form of stylus, then yes, it *may* be useful (assuming you do a lot of photoshop type work, and not Lightroom). If however you are basically using Lightroom to adjust sliders, then no, a touchscreen is not useful, a trackpad is better.

If I need to paint masks, I use a Wacom. The finger painting interface of my laptop(s) don't really cut it.

bakerking31 · 05-23-2016, 01:10 PM

I have a touchscreen laptop, I would never use the touchscreen for photo editing. If you want a tablet device for editing get a wacom tablet to go with your non touchscreen display

PDL · 05-23-2016, 05:30 PM

I have been using the equivalent of a Wacom tablet based PC since 2005. They are called Tablet PC's which are pen driven. I currently have both a 2008 era Tablet PC with a build in Wacom pen and a desktop with a Wacom touch/tablet. The use of a pen is absolutely critical for my editing in Capture One, even the guys at Capture One use Wacom tablets in their seminars and rave (rightly so) about it. A pen beats a mouse for photo editing without a doubt.

If you go out and view videos on editing by high end graphic artists, retouchers and others of that sort, the good ones use pens on tablet surfaces. My son works for a video game company creating video characters and he has used a tablet since he got out of high school and into college. I have his old Asus B-121 tablet and my wife has his Surface Pro (original version). He is currently using the Microsoft laptop that has a pen. While I have touch interfaces on most of my devices, when I am working on photographs - it is the pen not the touch screen that comes into play. Most touch screens do not have pressure control and the pad of your finger is just to darn big to work with fine detail.

To the OP - a Surface Pro would be OK for you to use. The use a non-phone OS's and run full blown programs. However, they do not allow you to upgrade their internals at all which is a trend that I find really disappointing as I have upgraded several laptops.

05-23-2016, 07:56 AM	#1
wedge Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Montco, PA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 154	How useful are touchscreens for photo editing? This Summer I'll be in the market for a new computer. I'm trying to move away from the Apple ecosystem (I'm a longtime Mac user - since 1984, actually - but I don't like where they've gone since iOS came out) and am actually starting to use a Linux (Ubuntu 14.04) desktop with Darktable for most of my photo editing and organizing. For consistency, I'm looking at Windows 10 laptops and hybrids/2-in-1s, with the intent of dual-booting Win10 with Linux of some flavor so I can use Darktable and other Linux-based apps natively. My hangup is that I've always been a traditional laptop kind of guy. We've all seen the MS Surface Book commercials showing how easy it is to use its Smart Pen to make intricate edits in (presumably) Photoshop, so that sort of makes me think that I should go with a 2-in-1; like that's the "future" of things, so I should grab on now. I've found a few blog posts reporting that some Linux distros will run on some devices (I'm looking most intently at the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro). So, the question in the subject is what I'm hoping to get answered here. Does having a touchscreen (or touch interface, like a graphics tablet) actually help in the realm of photo editing?

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05-23-2016, 08:12 AM	#2
VoiceOfReason Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Mishawaka IN area Photos: Albums Posts: 6,124	My laptop has a 1080p touchscreen and I generally forget about it and use it as a normal one out on the road.

05-23-2016, 08:18 AM	#3
robthebloke Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sydney Photos: Albums Posts: 844	I've got a yoga 2 pro (with a 3200x1800 touchscreen). The display is awesome for photo editing, but touch it I do not

05-23-2016, 09:08 AM	#4
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	No touchy here either.

05-23-2016, 09:27 AM	#5
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	I would like to find a way to turn my laptop's touchscreen function OFF.

05-23-2016, 09:40 AM	#6
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Just don't touch it?

05-23-2016, 10:29 AM	#7
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,406	My experience with touchscreen is limited and I do think some apps may benefit from it. However I think getting an IPS screen is more important overall. Both would be great but touch is not required.

05-23-2016, 10:31 AM	#8
virusn3t Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 676	I got a XPS 13 with a UHD+ touchscreen, i honestly never use this feature, last time i remember it have it when my little nephew (used to smartphones) slide a few pictures. For editing, well, i prefre something like a Wacom device is more easy for me than the fingers, or just the mouse.

05-23-2016, 11:25 AM	#9
Aristophanes Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Photos: Albums Posts: 3,948	Personally I've been using iOS devices for my design, planning, and architectural work lately, including photos, and it is the future. The current limitations are software but that is changing. The Apple Pencil is outright amazing for its fine controls. The mouse as an editing device has been replaced. IOS sandboxing is an issue, but that will likely change. It will take awhile for the transformation but more and more I am seeing the touchscreen in pro settings.

05-23-2016, 12:33 PM - 1 Like	#10
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	^^ The limiting factor is the pointing device. A fingertip is rather imprecise.

05-23-2016, 12:39 PM	#11
virusn3t Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 676	Originally posted by Aristophanes Personally I've been using iOS devices for my design, planning, and architectural work lately, including photos, and it is the future. The current limitations are software but that is changing. The Apple Pencil is outright amazing for its fine controls. The mouse as an editing device has been replaced. IOS sandboxing is an issue, but that will likely change. It will take awhile for the transformation but more and more I am seeing the touchscreen in pro settings. Maybe, but a "pencil or pen" as a gadget is diferent from the original question about the touchscreen. I use a Wacom Pro, i like it, when im in my PC or the mouse when the editing is minimal. Out of my PC the wacom tablet is larger than my Laptop, and im not do heavy editing on that machine, im ok with the mouse. But honestly i never felt using the touchscreen+finger is precise or comfortable.

05-23-2016, 12:40 PM	#12
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,406	I'm not typically doing the kind of manipulation where precise pen or mouse control is needed. However I don't see using touchscreen for what I do either except maybe crop/zoom type stuff.

05-23-2016, 12:42 PM	#13
robthebloke Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sydney Photos: Albums Posts: 844	Originally posted by Aristophanes Personally I've been using iOS devices for my design, planning, and architectural work lately, including photos, and it is the future. The current limitations are software but that is changing. The Apple Pencil is outright amazing for its fine controls. The mouse as an editing device has been replaced. IOS sandboxing is an issue, but that will likely change. It will take awhile for the transformation but more and more I am seeing the touchscreen in pro settings. I both agree and disagree. If you need an interface that is very similar to painting (because you are painting masks), then yes a stylus interface will be useful. If however your touchscreen interface affords you a control system that is basically finger painting, then no. I'm almost forty, not four. Finger painting on a touchscreen laptop is just that, finger painting. If your 2-in-1 offers some form of stylus, then yes, it may be useful (assuming you do a lot of photoshop type work, and not Lightroom). If however you are basically using Lightroom to adjust sliders, then no, a touchscreen is not useful, a trackpad is better. If I need to paint masks, I use a Wacom. The finger painting interface of my laptop(s) don't really cut it.

05-23-2016, 01:10 PM	#14
bakerking31 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 109	I have a touchscreen laptop, I would never use the touchscreen for photo editing. If you want a tablet device for editing get a wacom tablet to go with your non touchscreen display

05-23-2016, 05:30 PM	#15
PDL Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: PNW USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,128	I have been using the equivalent of a Wacom tablet based PC since 2005. They are called Tablet PC's which are pen driven. I currently have both a 2008 era Tablet PC with a build in Wacom pen and a desktop with a Wacom touch/tablet. The use of a pen is absolutely critical for my editing in Capture One, even the guys at Capture One use Wacom tablets in their seminars and rave (rightly so) about it. A pen beats a mouse for photo editing without a doubt. If you go out and view videos on editing by high end graphic artists, retouchers and others of that sort, the good ones use pens on tablet surfaces. My son works for a video game company creating video characters and he has used a tablet since he got out of high school and into college. I have his old Asus B-121 tablet and my wife has his Surface Pro (original version). He is currently using the Microsoft laptop that has a pen. While I have touch interfaces on most of my devices, when I am working on photographs - it is the pen not the touch screen that comes into play. Most touch screens do not have pressure control and the pad of your finger is just to darn big to work with fine detail. To the OP - a Surface Pro would be OK for you to use. The use a non-phone OS's and run full blown programs. However, they do not allow you to upgrade their internals at all which is a trend that I find really disappointing as I have upgraded several laptops.