So don’t worry about grabbing an 18-core monster machine – aim for four and you’ll be fine. I ran some tests in Photoshop with a massive 96-megapixel image (1.2 GB), and with my quad-core iMac with hyper-threading to eight cores, the four virtual cores were very rarely used, and the four physical cores were never even pushed to their max. Photoshop doesn’t actually make use of hyper-threading much, but if you only have two physical cores, it will make a difference. This effectively makes your processor act like it has twice as many cores though they’re virtual rather than physical. One thing to look for is “hyper-threading” if you go for dual cores. This is pretty standard for desktops, though for laptops, you might have to make due with a dual core machine. I think for 99% of Photoshop users, your best bet is to get a quad-core machine with a good clock speed. Four to six cores is the sweet spot, past that, you really see diminishing returns. Luckily for us, Photoshop makes this decision easy by failing to use multiple cores very effectively. Unfortunately, the number of cores is inversely proportional to the clock speed, so you’re going to have to make some sacrifices in your specs. The other aspect of CPUs, the number of cores, is a little less straightforward. However, the 3.5 GHz processor in my iMac has yet to meet its match. I found 2.6 GHz in a Macbook to be great for most things, but it slowed down when applying complex filters and using large brushes. Photoshop uses the CPU for the majority of its tasks, so aim for 3 GHz or higher for best results. Adobe recommends that you use a 2 GHz or faster CPU, but if you can afford better, it’s worth it. The number of cores is how many independent computation devices there are – so the more cores there are, the better a computer is at multitasking (or breaking up complex operations). Clock speed, measured in GHz, is how many computations a core in the CPU can perform every second.
There are two specs to a CPU that you need to know – the clock speed, and the number of cores. It’s also one of the more expensive components in a machine, but these days they really are a bargain. It’s the little chip at the heart of everything that does the heavy lifting for almost every application you use, and Photoshop is no exception. The keyboard also functions as a normal Mac keyboard outside of Capture One Pro.The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the brain of your computer. The new keyboard comes in as a more affordable tool at $139. The Tangent compatibility was introduced just before the end of last year, with the control panels starting at $350. Now in Capture One Pro version 10, the program boasts a number of advanced features, including a quick engine for faster edits.Īlong with the keyboard, the program is compatible with Tangent control panels, which give digital photo editors hands-on controls including dials and dedicated buttons.
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The software comes not from a software giant, but from Phase One, a company specializing in medium format digital cameras. The keyboard is designed to help make Capture One Pro workflows more time efficient, Johnson said, but could also help beginners learn the program more efficiently by laying out the most commonly used features in a visible way.Ĭapture One Pro is both a RAW converter and photo editor, competing with the likes of Adobe Photoshop while the company’s Media Pro SE is more similar to Adobe Lightroom. Local adjustments are coded in purple, key cursors in blue and navigation in pink, for starters. The shortcuts are color coded, Phase One Product Manager James Johnson said. The keyboard uses the same layout as a typical Apple keyboard, but labels the Capture One Pro shortcuts for a more efficient workflow, or to help beginners learn the program, Phase One says. The colorful keyboard puts 107 shortcuts from Phase One’s image editor onto a Mac-compatible keyboard. Earlier this week, the company shared a new custom keyboard created in cooperation with LogicKeyboard. Logickeyboard for Capture One Pro 10The 500-plus keyboard shortcuts from the Capture One Pro photo editor are getting a bit easier to learn.