Best Laptops for Editing Photos and Videos: 2019 Buyers’ Guide!

Buying the best laptop for photo editing doesn’t mean that you have to get the expensive one. You don’t need a powerful machine to do simple picture edits such as resizing, cropping, or adding some basic filters.

But when it comes to more advanced tasks and taking your photography to another level, a good computer will always come in handy. And especially if you are using a professional software like Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite, or if you are working on very high-resolution images.

What to consider when buying a laptop for editing Photos and Videos:

Here are our recommendations for a laptop for photo editing:

1. Intel Core i3 processor at least, but you preferably want either i5 or i7 for more demanding tasks
2. At least 8 GB of RAM is a must. In most cases, it can be upgraded later on if the needs get higher
3. For Photo editing only, a graphics card is not required; although some tasks may benefit from a GPU, most users will be more than fine with an integrated one. However, that’s not the case if you’re going to edit videos.

As for video editing, as this is a more demanding task, you are going to need a faster machine than for photo editing. Especially if you are doing this on a professional level, which means working with software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Sony Vegas which require a better machine.

Suggested minimal requirements for video editing look like this:

1. An i5 or i7 processor is pretty much a must
2. You will need at least 16 GB of RAM, but 32 GB will make sure that you don’t need to upgrade
3. When it comes to GPU, you need a mid-to-high-tier card. Most video editing software takes advantage of the graphics card through hardware acceleration for encoding and rendering.  We recommended at least a GTX 1050 as an entry level video card for video editing. Also, if you’re planning to use Adobe software, such as Premiere Pro, you should know that it’s actually optimized for Nvidia Cards.
4. And last, you need an SSD with at least 256 GB, since the HDD is quite slow and it will hold you back

Display quality:

Your laptop’s display is very important when it comes to editing photos and videos, it’s where you will actually see and preview your work, and preview all the changes that you make.  For this purpose, it is recommended to get a laptop with a 15 inch display, because unless connected to an external screen, editing on a small display is just not going a good experience. Screen resolution is also another factor you should take in consideration, and it’s recommended to have a laptop with A Full HD screen at least.  Newer laptops also come with IPS technology – In-Plane Switching – which provides a better experience because of its wider viewing angles and superior color quality. For professional users whose work can be color critical, getting a laptop with %100 RGB screen is also recommended. This means that the display is capable of a wider and more accurate color spectrum.

Best Laptops for Photo and Video Editing

So, now that you have an idea what to look for in order to get the best laptop for you; let’s check some of the best laptops for Photo and Video editing available right now. If you  have any question, ask us in the comments below.

• Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-78VL

View at Amazon

The Acer r Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-78VL is well known when it comes to gaming laptops, but it’s also capable of handling other tasks, such as video editing. It is powered by a 9th generation Intel Core i7, with 6 cores running at 2.6GHz. This is definitely for those who require good speed for more demanding games and applications.It has 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM and another slot for up to 32 GB. When it comes to graphics, Helios 300 is packed with powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 with 6 GB of video RAM! This laptop also comes with a 256 GB SSD, but it also has some extra features such as the backlit keyboard and VR support as well.

The construction is solid and the keyboard has also a palm-rest area ideal when you have a longer session of work up ahead. However, it’s quite heavy, and the display is not color accurate like some other options below.

• Apple MacBook Pro 15
  

View at Amazon

MacBook Pro, as the name suggests, is more catered towards professionals and those who take the photo and video editing seriously.

This model features the latest 9th generation Intel Core i9 processor with 8 cores that go up to 5 GHz when you engage the Turbo Mode.

Depending on your requirements, you can configure this laptop for up to 32 GB of RAM, and you can get up to 4 TB SSD in this model as well!

The GPU is Radeon Pro 560x Graphics with 4GB of video RAM.

It also has a Brilliant Retina Display with True Tone technology which has a huge viewing angle and provides more colors than ever!

MacBook also possesses some additional features, such as Touch Bar which you can customize to suit your needs.

It also comes with four Thunderbolt 3 ports and a battery that can hold up to 10 hours.

• Dell XPS 15 7590

View at Amazon

At the width of 17mm, XPS 15 7590 it is one of the smallest yet fastest laptops on the market.

It is run by a 9th generation Intel Core i7 with 6 cores up to 4.6 GHz in turbo mode and it is probably the most powerful laptop from the XPS series.

Additionally, it supports up to 16 GB RAM, and it comes with a 256 GB SSD.

GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4 GB of video RAM.

What makes the XPS 7590 one of the best laptops for ediitng Photos and videos is not only the performance, but it’s also the fact that it comes with a high quality 4K display.  The screen provides amazing visuals and significantly higher contrast as well and it is capable of 100% Adobe RGB colors.

• Gigabyte AERO 15 Classic-: SA-U73ADW

View at Amazon

Gigabyte is one of those manufacturers that slips under the radar a lot when it comes to laptops, but it is quite a good brand, especially if you are on a tighter budget.

AERO 15 Classic is powered by an Intel Core i7-9750h processor that goes up to 4.5 GHz.

The graphics card is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 with 6 GB of video RAM, and it supports NVIDIA Optimus technology.

It comes with 16 GB of installed RAM and a 256 GB Intel 760P SSD.

The laptop also has some cool features such as RGB backlit programmable keyboard.

The battery can last up to 9 hours.

And like the previous one, it has a screen that supports 100% Adobe RGB.

• MSI P65 Creator-1084

View at Amazon

Even the most demanding rendering processes and immense multitasking sessions are a piece of cake for this monster.

If your job is to make great quality video and graphic content, then this machine is probably a dream-come-true for you!

Powered by the latest cutting-edge 9th generation Intel i7 processor that can be boosted up to 4.5 GHz, this laptop makes the impossible possible.

It has a 15. 6″ UHD anti-glare 4K screen which also supports 100% Adobe RGB, like the last two laptops.

Graphics card is NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6G GDDR6 loaded with studio drivers and a 32 GB DDR4 which runs at 2400MHz. This laptop’s performance is almost unmatched, as it can also process 8K videos with ease.

And that’s not even all. It also comes with some very unique features as well, since it was tailor made for creative professionals. It has a brand new AI-Assist to help you with photo enhancements, lightning effects, color matching, etc. to create outstanding images and videos that almost feel alive. It has an Optane Memory which is a sort of an AI that tracks your behavior, such as the applications that you are using more frequently, to optimize the device and take your organization to another level!