How to use MacBook Pro+PC with LR2+CS4.

[ClickCardo]

I have been owning/using pc's since 1983. I bought a brand new desktop this summer and have added/improved HDDs/Video/Software. Did I mention I have a TON of Windows software applications? I use CS4/LR2 and some plug-ins on it. I considered a Mac Pro when I upgraded, but was too invested in my Windows software and the price difference nailed it for me.

I wanted to get a laptop for long travel and for field work where it would stay in the car/hotel/etc. Now that there are reasonable solutions to running Windows on a MacBook Pro I finally decided I'd tip-toe into Apple water and bought a 4GB/32'GB(72''rpm)/15.4" MBP. It came yesterday and MacMall included Parallels 4 free after rebate. I should have done more homework beforehand to know exactly how I would want to set it up, but was committed to a MBP in any case so just went for it after only some research.

Now I know I cannot install CS4 in OS X and my Windows pc at the same time. I tried calling Adobe twice about this. They say they have to deactivate pc to let me run OS X. LR2 I can however. I definitely do not want to buy another full copy of CS4 to run all OS X. This is not a showstopper. I had planned on hooking up a NTFS external drive for more storage, for Mac backup and to back-and-forth with my pc by using Paragon's NTFS for OS X (which I have not fully researched yet either). I also understand I can use BootCamp to setup a separate Windows partition on the Mac.

The advice I need is the best way to set this all up given the above. I assume I would want LR and CS4 both running in Windows so they could work together, right? I'd like to have access to my data/pics/etc. on both internal and external drives from both OS X and Windows. This access isn't required to be simultaneous, but that would be nice. I have not tried Parallels yet, but the way I have the MBP hardware spec'ed out for a secondary computer seems like Parallels would run well enough. Would I want to have both BootCamp and Parallels and if so how would I set that up? I would not mind having a separate copy of Windows for each since I'll have a 5''GB external for pics.

If the MBP works out really well maybe I'll plan my next desktop to be a iCore7 Mac Pro and plan any future software purchases accordingly. Any advice in this realm also welcome. Well thanks for taking the time to read such a long post any any advice you can offer a brand new Apple user.

Rich

 

[Denis Pagé]

Welcome to Lightroom Forums Rich!

Parallels is not compatible with 1''% of the Windows programs. You will have to check. Windows on Boot Camp is 1''% compatible as it only emulate a BIOS. What I did is that I put ALL my data on a FAT32 drive so both OS can read/write on it. Formatting a FAT32 drive on Windows will yield only small partitions but doing it from Mac OS will let you format a big drive in only one partition. I have 3 drives in my Mac Pro: One HFS for Mac OS and Mac programs, one NTFS for Windows and Windows programs and one FAT32 for shared data. Two externals are used for backup purposes. Oh! And as you, my Photoshop is Windows but I prefer to use Lightroom on Mac OS. The Catalog being on the FAT32, I can also use Lightroom from Windows but have to sync some settings from the HFS system files to the NTFS ones...

 

[ClickCardo]

Denis, thanks for the info on your setup. It's informative. If you use CS2 in bootcamp and LR2 in OS X don't you eliminate some of the automated interaction between the 2 programs? If you have LR2.3 installed in both Windows and OS X on your Mac and LR1.4 on your laptop are they from the same license, i.e. LR2.3 was a cross-platform upgrade of the LR1.4? Also, do you run CS2 in Boot Camp because it is one of those "Parallels is not 1''% compatible" programs? Why don't you just switch the license and install CS2 on your Mac over to OS X then you'll be running native for both LR & Photoshop? I ask these questions because licensing is forcing me down the Windows path on my MBP.

Rich

 

[Denis Pagé]

If you use CS2 in bootcamp and LR2 in OS X don't you eliminate some of the automated interaction between the 2 programs?

Yes! But if I need it, I can launch Lightroom from windows under Boot Camp. That said, Photoshop being only CS2, I don't loose much. Also, since Lightroom came out, I almost never use Photoshop for photography work but for montages and artwork.

If you have LR2.3 installed in both Windows and OS X on your Mac and LR1.4 on your laptop are they from the same license, i.e. LR2.3 was a cross-platform upgrade of the LR1.4?

Again yes. The licence permit Lightroom to be installed on two machines and I obviously can't use 2.3 on both OS at once on the Mac desktop. There is no cross-platform upgrade in Lightroom. You can have the Mac version on your desktop and the Windows version on your laptop with same serial. I use my laptop mainly to empty my CF cards on shooting location. It is too old to use the new features of Lightroom 2 so version 1.4.1 is only there as a reference to help people here on the forums.

Also, do you run CS2 in Boot Camp because it is one of those "Parallels is not 1''% compatible" programs?

No. Because my CS2 licence is Windows and also, as you can have an install at work and another at home, I only have Windows machines at work so can't cross-platform upgrade. I do not know how PS-CS perform on Parallels...

Why don't you just switch the license and install CS2 on your Mac over to OS X then you'll be running native for both LR & Photoshop?

I phoned Adobe on this and they told me that the only way was by upgrading from Windows to Mac. See also previous answer.

Hope this helps,

 

[ClickCardo]

Denis

Your info was most welcome.

I too tried with Adobe and got nowhere. I cannot understand why they care if one license runs OS X and 1 Windows as long as you only have 2 total licensed copies installed. What the difference? It must have something to do with how they check their activations. Oh, well, I'll play along and use Boot Camp on my MacBook Pro for now. I'll see how well I like Apple and plan to stay flexible for my next desktop os/hardware choice. Anybody with strong opinions are welcome as long as it's relevant to a windows user with very deep investment in windows software at the moment (also I do like that pc price/flexibility).

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Oh, well, I'll play along and use Boot Camp on my MacBook Pro for now. I'll see how well I like Apple and plan to stay flexible for my next desktop os/hardware choice.

I played that game for some months before CS3 was available (CS2 was really slow on Intel Macs) and couldn't wait to switch my license. I too had a huge amount invested in Windows software - but there's no way I'd switch back now. I still have Windows run virtually for the few odd programs (i.e. Quickbooks) but I hate having to boot it these days. Wait and see....

 

[Denis Pagé]

I played that game for some months before ...
...but I hate having to boot it these days. Wait and see....

Same happening here. I've got contaminated!
But all my astronomy computing and imaging soft won't be ported soon... :roll:

 

[ClickCardo]

Are you the Victoria whose very nice Missing FAQ book I bought?

I just bought an expensive windows desktop last summer that
along with my Windows software needs at least another year or
two of amortization before buying any Mac Pro. But within say
six months I should have a really good idea to start planning for it
at that time or not.

I played that game for some months before CS3 was available (CS2 was really slow on Intel Macs) and couldn't wait to switch my license. I too had a huge amount invested in Windows software - but there's no way I'd switch back now. I still have Windows run virtually for the few odd programs (i.e. Quickbooks) but I hate having to boot it these days. Wait and see....

PS : How would a Mac Pro do with TV tuner capture? Do they even have the software/hardware for it?
I record from my home cable dvr. Would I need to keep a windows pc just for that "critical" function.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

That'd be me Rich!

TV tuner? I'm not absolutely sure I'm following exactly what you want to do, but I have a USB freeview stick to watch and record tv on one of my macs... is that what you have in mind?

 

[ClickCardo]

VB

What a small world it must be.

A TV tuner is usually used just as you describe. It works in that respect with software that acts as a cable dvr to tune to one of many channels off ATSC anntena or a cable co-axial feed. My use is extremely narrow. I run a component cable off my cable dvr to get only it's playback channel. That's the only channel it can send to my pc where I use Nero 8's Vision app to record that video feed from the tuner and audio feed via a y-splitter into my X-Fi soundcard. The result is an .mpg file that I can then compress into other formats and/or make dvd's from. I do it a lot while working on other stuff unless I need all 4 cores. It keeps my computer utilized and wastes a lot of HDD space and dvds. :-}

Rich