Procreate (iOS - $10) Procreate is hands down the best app we've found if you're looking to create. Photoshop provides a set of preferences (Preferences Performance) to help you make optimum use of your computer's resources, such as memory, cache, graphics processor, displays, etc. Depending on your primary use case for using Photoshop and the types of documents you generally work with, different combinations of these settings may suit you. A compatible graphics processor (also called a graphics card, video card, or GPU) lets you experience better performance with Photoshop and use more of its features. Also, display problems, performance issues, errors, or crashes can occur if your computer’s graphics processor or its driver is incompatible with Photoshop.
I'd suggest you a) check out the technical specifications on both Machines and then also b) check out benchmark testing on both.
As a general observation, a fast i7 processor is best with that kind of app as well as lots of RAM (the new OS versions all require far more RAM and so does Adobe), so 16 GB would be a minimum.
And, a laptop is designed for portability, not necessarily processing power (unless it's a top model Macbook Pro).
Pick a model you're considering and check out the specs, then do the same with iMacs:
Nov 7, 2018 10:09 AM
October 2020 release (version 22.0)
Important! The Photoshop hardware requirements for Processor and Graphics card and have increased for version 22.0.
Ensure your system still meets the minimum requirements listed below. If you experience any issues, see Known issues in Photoshop.
Photoshop For Macbook Pro 2011
Minimum and recommended system requirements for Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop For Mac Pro
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| Processor | Intel® or AMD processor with 64-bit support; 2 GHz or faster processor with SSE 4.2 or later | |
| Operating system | Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1809 or later | |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
| Graphics card |
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| See the Photoshop graphics processor (GPU) card FAQ | ||
| Monitor resolution | 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling | 1920 x 1080 display or greater at 100% UI scaling |
| Hard disk space | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation
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| Internet | Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services † | |
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| Processor | Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support | |
| Operating system | macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later | macOS 10.15 (Catalina) |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
| Graphics card |
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To find out if your computer supports Metal, see Mac computers that support Metal See the Photoshop graphics processor (GPU) card FAQ | ||
| Monitor resolution | 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling | 1920 x 1080 display or greater at 100% UI scaling |
| Hard disk space | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation | 4 GB of available hard-disk space; additional space is required for installation
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| Photoshop will not install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system | ||
| Internet | Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, membership validation, and access to online services † | |
† NOTICE TO USERS. Internet connection, Adobe ID, and acceptance of license agreement required to activate and use this product. This product may integrate with or allow access to certain Adobe or third-party hosted online services. Adobe services are available only to users 13 and older and require agreement to additional terms of use and Adobe’s online privacy policy. Applications and Services may not be available in all countries or languages and may be subject to change or discontinuation without notice. Additional fees or membership charges may apply.
Photoshop is available in the following languages:
Dansk
Deutsch
English
Español
Français
Français*
Hebrew*
Hungarian
Italiano
Nederlands
Norwegian
Polish
Português (Brasil)
Suomi
Svenska
Turkish
Ukrainian
čeština
Русский
عربي*
日本語
简体中文
繁體中文
한국어
* Arabic and Hebrew supported in a Middle Eastern version with full right-to-left language support, Arabic/Hebrew features, and an English interface; also in a North African French (Français*) version with full right-to-left language support, Arabic/Hebrew features, and a French interface.
The Adobe Camera Raw plug-in gives you ability to import and work with raw images, as well as JPEG and TIFF, in Photoshop.
Your computer may need to meet additional system requirements to work efficiently with Adobe Camera Raw.
See Adobe Camera Raw | System requirements for details.
Best Photoshop For Macbook Pro
See Considerations for Graphics Processor (GPU)-accelerated features.