Please forgive me but I'm not canadian and I don't own a mac. I'm american and I own a pc. But I think I might like to switch to a mac as I primarily use my pc for photography editing and printing. Here's what keeps me from doing it. I'd have to replace all my software (word processing, photo editting, bookkeeping, internet.) My image editing program costs $600 US alone. Then I worry about all of my peripherals being compatible. I have 2 scanners, 2 printers and a zip drive. I can just about live with the initial machine costing so much more but the cost and frustration of replacing everything else scares me out of switching. I began a discussion on a photgraphy web site where it has taken on "the chicken or the egg" proportions. While most everyone has a strong opinion on the superiority of pc or mac for photo work few could address my technical concerns. Anyone have advise to share?
Ease of switching from PC to mac?
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Welcome to ehMac Laura,
Glad to see that you decided to venture up from
www.photosig.com
Most scanners and printers that are USB can be easily switched
over to Mac if the drivers are available.
Which scanners and printers are you using and how are they
presently connected to your P.C.?
Did the scanners and printers come with hybrid C.D.'s?
If there are Hybrid C.D.'s then it's possible that you already
have the drivers for the equipment and some Mac programs.
As a digital Photo Artist I tend to use Adobe Elements 2.0 and
GraphicConverter for OSX, Both of these programs are very inexpensive.
Dave
Glad to see that you decided to venture up from
www.photosig.com
Most scanners and printers that are USB can be easily switched
over to Mac if the drivers are available.
Which scanners and printers are you using and how are they
presently connected to your P.C.?
Did the scanners and printers come with hybrid C.D.'s?
If there are Hybrid C.D.'s then it's possible that you already
have the drivers for the equipment and some Mac programs.
As a digital Photo Artist I tend to use Adobe Elements 2.0 and
GraphicConverter for OSX, Both of these programs are very inexpensive.
Dave
Hi, thanks for the welcome. Printers: HP 732, Epson Stylus photo 780; Scanners: HP ScanJet 4100c, Minolta Dimage Scan Dual II. Iomega Zip drive. I've got a Gateway PC, using Windows 98. My image editing sw is photoshop7, bookkeeping is Quicken-which has years of records on it. Does that help? Is there a mac in my future?
Hi, thanks Dave. Just read your response after I posted my last one. Everything is USB connections. It appears the discs for the printers and hp scanner are windows or mac, the disc for the minolta scanner is windows (of course, that's the most expensive thing I have)and the disc for the zip drive doesn't say.
Laura
Laura
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9,262 Posts
Minolta has released as of 11/14/2003 some Mac software for the Minolta Dimage Scan here:
Mac Software for Dimage scan
If it's a USB Zip then you'll have no problem finding software for a Mac connection.
The only problem that I can see is the Adobe PhotoShop 7 that
you have, Unless you can somehow trade it for a Mac version
or just continue to use it with your P.C. and use the Mac as well
until you can get a Mac version.
P.C. to Mac image software change overs aren't my forté.
Dave
Mac Software for Dimage scan
If it's a USB Zip then you'll have no problem finding software for a Mac connection.
The only problem that I can see is the Adobe PhotoShop 7 that
you have, Unless you can somehow trade it for a Mac version
or just continue to use it with your P.C. and use the Mac as well
until you can get a Mac version.
P.C. to Mac image software change overs aren't my forté.
Dave
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838 Posts
I have the same Minolta film scanner, no problem with using it in Mac here, download the latest drivers from the minolta site. The ones included won't work in new computers.
the zip should just be able to plug in, mine is internal, but I didn't install any drivers, so I assume it's already included in the OS.
The software you need has all probably been just upgraded. There was an announcement at MWSF for MS Office X, new Adobe CS was released not to long ago, so you'd need to get a new version of Photoshop anyways. and you can export your internet stuff like emails and bookmarks onto disk and import them into your mac with no problems.
vince
the zip should just be able to plug in, mine is internal, but I didn't install any drivers, so I assume it's already included in the OS.
The software you need has all probably been just upgraded. There was an announcement at MWSF for MS Office X, new Adobe CS was released not to long ago, so you'd need to get a new version of Photoshop anyways. and you can export your internet stuff like emails and bookmarks onto disk and import them into your mac with no problems.
vince
For your bookkeeping needs, the latest version of Quicken Deluxe is included in some model of Mac (iBook, eMac and iMac). You should be able to import all of your current records fairly easily (using your Zip drive or networking the 2 computers, for example.
I would also recommend this book : "Switching to Mac : The Missing Manual".
Regards
I would also recommend this book : "Switching to Mac : The Missing Manual".
Regards
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I'm a recent switcher myself, and I'm very happy with my Mac.
Looks like a lot of your questions have been addressed, but for Word Processing software.
If you're WP needs are not particularly complex, AppleWorks will do fine. It's relatively inexpensive, ($100) if not included with your Mac. I haven't had issues converting average Word documents between PC and AW, but I don't like how it handles Excel.
If your needs are more advanced, MS Office for Mac is available, but it's about $600. I played with the test drive, and am now saving up to buy a copy. (I'm too used to Word & Excel.)
Looks like a lot of your questions have been addressed, but for Word Processing software.
If you're WP needs are not particularly complex, AppleWorks will do fine. It's relatively inexpensive, ($100) if not included with your Mac. I haven't had issues converting average Word documents between PC and AW, but I don't like how it handles Excel.
If your needs are more advanced, MS Office for Mac is available, but it's about $600. I played with the test drive, and am now saving up to buy a copy. (I'm too used to Word & Excel.)
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There's other Applications like GimpPrint (free) that has just about every driver for printers in OS X.
And VueScan for scanners $40
All my printers are Serial printers (HP, Canon, 2 Epsons), with PowerPrint USB to Serial cable and GimpPrint, they all work perfect.
VueScan with my Acer and Agfa Scanners, came with more options and tweaks over the Windows software, far superior.
I've only been dabbling with Macs for just over a year now, and I will never go back to Windowz.
And VueScan for scanners $40
All my printers are Serial printers (HP, Canon, 2 Epsons), with PowerPrint USB to Serial cable and GimpPrint, they all work perfect.
VueScan with my Acer and Agfa Scanners, came with more options and tweaks over the Windows software, far superior.
I've only been dabbling with Macs for just over a year now, and I will never go back to Windowz.
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Once you go Mac, you never go back.
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The really big issue is PhotoShop SW license. The rest can all be solved without much problem.
You might want to invest in a phone call to Adobe's customer service line and ask about whether you can transfer you Win license to a Mac CS upgrade, or exactly what your options are. Normally SW companies don't really do that, but it never hurts to ask. Adobe is pretty straightforward & helpful over the phone, and will give you a definitive answer.
Alternately you can sell your WinPS app and use the money to pay down your Mac version.
If you decide to sell PS, go to Adobe's website and download the license transfer form so the new user can register it. Not cheap, but at least there's some recovery of your investment there.
If they let you transfer the license to a Mac version upgrade you won't be able to resell your PC version.
You might want to invest in a phone call to Adobe's customer service line and ask about whether you can transfer you Win license to a Mac CS upgrade, or exactly what your options are. Normally SW companies don't really do that, but it never hurts to ask. Adobe is pretty straightforward & helpful over the phone, and will give you a definitive answer.
Alternately you can sell your WinPS app and use the money to pay down your Mac version.
If you decide to sell PS, go to Adobe's website and download the license transfer form so the new user can register it. Not cheap, but at least there's some recovery of your investment there.
If they let you transfer the license to a Mac version upgrade you won't be able to resell your PC version.
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to keep costs down, consider keeping your pc for bookkeeping and word processing.
pay the upgrade cost for photoshop cs (2-$300), which is significantly lower than paying for a new license.
you're all set.
pay the upgrade cost for photoshop cs (2-$300), which is significantly lower than paying for a new license.
you're all set.
Get PS Element. Its much cheaper than PS and it can do the same for 99.9% of the user, seriously! I have used it for a while and have yet to see the major diference! You can look at the Wacom tablet, I saw sometimes ago a special where Element was included in the box of the tablet.
I really recommend calling the Adobe support to ask about the licence. They can be very flexible, fearing losing a customer to piracy / other product.
As the hardware, macs dont cost more. Its a common misconception. $ for $, macs are a better value than Dells and most pc brands (except Alienware). Dont forget that macs comes right out of the box with great software that you will actualy use!
Now what kind of mac are you thinking about???
I really recommend calling the Adobe support to ask about the licence. They can be very flexible, fearing losing a customer to piracy / other product.
As the hardware, macs dont cost more. Its a common misconception. $ for $, macs are a better value than Dells and most pc brands (except Alienware). Dont forget that macs comes right out of the box with great software that you will actualy use!
Now what kind of mac are you thinking about???
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One thing to think about might be the option of waiting until your applications are in need of an update and do the switch then.
BTW I like Photoshop Elements also - the only things I notice missing are bezier select and paths. I got Photoshop Elements 1 (or was it LE? no matter) free with a scanner, and used that to buy an upgrade to version 2.0 for a reduced price.
Another thing to consider is that many people find that even with the cost of replacing some applications, the switch is worth every penny. It's a one-time expense, since you won't be switching back
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BTW I like Photoshop Elements also - the only things I notice missing are bezier select and paths. I got Photoshop Elements 1 (or was it LE? no matter) free with a scanner, and used that to buy an upgrade to version 2.0 for a reduced price.
Another thing to consider is that many people find that even with the cost of replacing some applications, the switch is worth every penny. It's a one-time expense, since you won't be switching back
Ah Mantat! Which mac am I looking at? That question's almost as big as "pc or mac?" Initially the imac with the 17" screen. Has all the requirements and it does look so cool. Realistically...emac with super drive. Which, if I was starting from scratch, IS less expensive than a pc and all it requires. But I'd only need to update my pc and could do so for less than $500 from Dell. Plus it looks like I'll probably be buying some form of photoshop...I like the idea of elements. I'm going to take a look at it. Ok, any opinions on my choices?
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I think the G4 tower 1.25 starting at $1299. usd
would be better than the eMac's or the iMac's.
Most might disagree with me and tell you to buy the G5,
But for your needs and for the flexibility and ease of use...
I'd be more inclined to recomend a G4 for what your needs are.
Dave
would be better than the eMac's or the iMac's.
Most might disagree with me and tell you to buy the G5,
But for your needs and for the flexibility and ease of use...
I'd be more inclined to recomend a G4 for what your needs are.
Dave
Hi Laura,
I'm a relatively recent switcher, and I've several friends/colleagues who've switched to macs over the past few years. The common feature is that we all love our macs and would never go back.
I've been using computers since 1968, I've worked extensively with every version of windows from 3.0 to XP Pro, I know Linux and other Unices well, and I can honestly say that using a mac running OS X is by far the best computing experience I've had. So I encourage you to take the plunge and invest in a mac.
However, having used Photoshop Elements and Photoshop 7 quite a bit, I have to disagree with those who've suggested that Elements will do it for you...they may be right, and you should probably check it out, but I expect that you'll want a full blown version of photoshop. I can't imagine working without layers.
I also encourage you to contact Adobe. I think it is very likely that they will allow you to cross-grade from PS 7 for Windows to PS CS for Mac...it's another sale for them, and they won't care if they ship you the Mac disc or the Widows disc.
Something you might want to know about is the open-source Photoshop replacement: GIMP. It can do basically everything photoshop can do (so, naturally, there's a bit of a learning curve), it's free, and it runs natively on OS X (or Linux).
As for what machine you should be buying, obviously the new G5s are the cat's meow, but an iMac or a G4 would certainly do the job...I'd go for a G4 with as much RAM as you can afford (you'll bottleneck on RAM long before you push your CPU very hard most of the time).
Cheers
I'm a relatively recent switcher, and I've several friends/colleagues who've switched to macs over the past few years. The common feature is that we all love our macs and would never go back.
I've been using computers since 1968, I've worked extensively with every version of windows from 3.0 to XP Pro, I know Linux and other Unices well, and I can honestly say that using a mac running OS X is by far the best computing experience I've had. So I encourage you to take the plunge and invest in a mac.
However, having used Photoshop Elements and Photoshop 7 quite a bit, I have to disagree with those who've suggested that Elements will do it for you...they may be right, and you should probably check it out, but I expect that you'll want a full blown version of photoshop. I can't imagine working without layers.
I also encourage you to contact Adobe. I think it is very likely that they will allow you to cross-grade from PS 7 for Windows to PS CS for Mac...it's another sale for them, and they won't care if they ship you the Mac disc or the Widows disc.
Something you might want to know about is the open-source Photoshop replacement: GIMP. It can do basically everything photoshop can do (so, naturally, there's a bit of a learning curve), it's free, and it runs natively on OS X (or Linux).
As for what machine you should be buying, obviously the new G5s are the cat's meow, but an iMac or a G4 would certainly do the job...I'd go for a G4 with as much RAM as you can afford (you'll bottleneck on RAM long before you push your CPU very hard most of the time).
Cheers
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