Lightroom library

[rookies]

Ok I am a Mac user at the moment but thinking getting a Windows laptop could it read the LR library I have already? Or would I best getting a MacBook Pro

 

[boyfalldown]

Ok I am a Mac user at the moment but thinking getting a Windows laptop could it read the LR library I have already?

Yes.

Or would I best getting a MacBook Pro

Yes. (Stands back to watch the scrap)

 

[Deadlock]

As Hugh says. I find LR works better on a mac.

 

[ecoleman]

Yes. Your LR library will work on both platforms.

 

[rookies]

Hmm let say I had a external formatted so it works on Windows and Mac if this possible kept my images on there and the library I could plug it in any system and work away?

 

[ecoleman]

Hmm let say I had a external formatted so it works on Windows and Mac if this possible kept my images on there and the library I could plug it in any system and work away?

That should be fine.

 

[Deadlock]

Hmm let say I had a external formatted so it works on Windows and Mac if this possible kept my images on there and the library I could plug it in any system and work away?

A windows formatted drive can be read by macs but not written to without some third party software.

 

[rookies]

A windows formatted drive can be read by macs but not written to without some third party software.

What software if allowed be mention? Might just stick to Mac as I've everything else

iMac
iPad
2 iPhones
Apple tv

 

[Deadlock]

google gives results like:
http://www.howtogeek.com/236055/how-to-write-to-ntfs-drives-on-a-mac/
I just reformatted to mac.

 

[Byker28i]

As Hugh says. I find LR works better on a mac.

I find it works better on my PC...





... But that's probably down to the specs of both.

 

[rookies]

I find it works better on my PC...





... But that's probably down to the specs of both.

Have you got both system?

 

[Deadlock]

You can always test it yourself using bootcamp to see if you have a preference.

 

[rookies]

Don't want but Windows 10 software to install then don't like it. Might get a laptop from John Lewis as they have the 90 days not happy return policy

 

[Byker28i]

Have you got both system?

Yeah, had a home built pc based around a pair of quad core xeon cpu's and fast drives, and an i5 based 27" iMac from about 2012 which I picked up cheap and used as it had a later photoshop included with it. Lightroom works on both platforms with the same key and it was a 27" monitor as opposed to my 24" Dell. Also the missus started working from home.

Sold the iMAc mainly because of storage on it andf the spec of the new PC is i7 skylake, 32 gb fast memory, m2 ssd for the OS (200mb/sec write, 2500mb/sec read), 500Gb 850 SSD's for this years raws and lightroom cache and catalogue and a raid of 4 x 4tb WD red drives for data. Reverted back to photoshop 5.5 on the PC as it does what I need.

Lightroom flies, and I have over 130K images in my catalogue.

 

[ecoleman]

A windows formatted drive can be read by macs but not written to without some third party software.

It's an external drive. Just format it as FAT32. Can be read and written by a Mac.

 

[Deadlock]

It's an external drive. Just format it as FAT32. Can be read and written by a Mac.

Fair point. Beware the 4GB limit though.

 

[ecoleman]

Fair point. Beware the 4GB limit though.

That would be one heck of an image.

 

[Deadlock]

That would be one heck of an image.

Not so much for images.
My lightroom preview lrdata file is currently 7.24GB
video files
backup images of disks.
A 15GB compressed backup file of my website.
etc

Thats not to say fat 32 isn't still handy - just beware of its limitations as I'd personally hit those more often than needing a windows formatted drive.