An M1 MacBook Pro photo editing test found that the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro that uses M1-optimized applications was faster than an “animal” of a Windows computer – despite the fact that the latter is specifically specified with photo editing in mind and had a large 128 GB RAM.
Professional photographer Andrew Hoyle said he was “surprised” by the performance and concluded that an M1 Mac is a safe bet for photographers who want to upgrade …
Hoyle is CNET ‘‘s European chief photographer. He found that the M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM did not compete with Intel-based Photoshop, but that was a different story when he tried the M1 beta version.
I tested how long it took Photoshop (both in Intel and M1 beta versions) to align 19 raw images in full resolution and then merge them into a focus-stacked image. This is a technique I use regularly in my product photography, so it’s important for me to be effective here. [Focus stacking is where you take a bunch of photos with different focus points, then combine them in software to get the entire image in focus, from the closest point to the furthest.]
Intel-based Photoshop, via Rosetta 2, took 50.3 seconds to align the layers and 1 minute, 37 seconds to put it together. I compared it to an extraordinarily powerful Windows desktop computer built with an AMD Ryzen 9 3950 X CPU, Nvidia RTX Titan graphics and 128 GB RAM, specifically to be an animal with photo editing and 8K video. The computer took 20 seconds to align the layers and 53 seconds to put them together – a clear victory for the computer.
However, I performed the same tests on the beta version of Photoshop that supports Apple M1. It took 22 seconds to align the layers and 46.6 seconds to put them together – a faster overall time than my extremely powerful editing equipment could achieve.
The M1 version of Lightroom also knocked out the computer when it comes to importing 100 raw images.
However, the computer was still significantly faster when it came to video.
The Intel-based version of Premiere took 6 minutes, 25 seconds to run on the M1 MacBook, but the optimized M1 beta version took about half the time, at 3 minutes, 24 seconds. For reference, my desk did the same output in 1:20.
While Hoyle showed no comparisons, he said there were “no problems” working with 4K files in DaVinci Resolve Studio, a high-end video editing and color correction app.
All in all, he says, there is no reason for photographers to hold back.
Overall, I was impressed. Even when running non-optimized versions of applications, the M1 MacBook Pro still fights fiercely against a superpowered computer, and the fact that in some tests it can outperform the computer than your M1-optimized beta using apps is amazing. I’m definitely excited about what performance improvements we’ll see if more developers fully optimize their software for Apple’s silicone.
If you are a photographer and considering upgrading, I would absolutely say that the M1 MacBook is a safe bet. At the very least, you will still be able to use all your current software with Rosetta 2, and over time if the official M1 versions are released, the performance enhancements – and probably the battery life savings as well – will be extremely welcome.
Personally, though, I would advise photographers and videographers in the market for a MacBook to stick out for the Apple Silicon 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is expected later this year. In addition to the larger screen, it should be significantly more powerful than the 13-inch model. But if you specifically want the smaller form factor for portability, there seems to be no reason not to push the button right now.
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