Is Photoshop Better on Mac or PC?

The short answer is that there is no significant difference between Mac OS and PC when it comes to how Photoshop runs on the two. There might be a slight difference in processing speed but not so significant that it will be particularly noticeable.

What matters more than the type of Operating System is that you have a computer with a powerful CPU that can handle heavy software such as Photoshop. Some people prefer PCs because they are mostly cheaper than Mac. Let’s take a look at some of the differences between Photoshop on both platforms.

Is Photoshop the same on Mac and PC?

For the majority of users, it comes down to personal preference and which Operating System they are used to. So if you are already using a Mac OS then don’t switch to Windows and Vice Versa. There is no significant difference between Photoshop on Mac and Windows simply because the codebase for Photoshop is the same on both Operating Systems.

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This means that they will carry all the same features and neither one will have a shortage of any of the tools which make Photoshop such a popular image editing software. The main difference would be in the user interface of Photoshop which would be based on whichever Operating System you are using so, for example, on a Macbook the layout of Photoshop as well as the panels and drop-down menus would look similar to other Mac programs for ease of use.

A bigger difference would be made by the type of processor your computer has. A quad-core processor would work better than a dual-core processor for handling a heavy program like Photoshop. And the more RAM the better. Don’t expect Photoshop to run on 8GB RAM like it would on 16 GB RAM. So if you need to do a lot of professional editing it would be worthwhile to invest in a computer with a powerful CPU irrespective of which OS you choose.

Why do creative professionals use MACs?

The main reason why so many creative professionals prefer Mac is because of the high-quality display screen. The colors are brighter and more vivid and details are more apparent on a Mac screen than on a PC. Apple uses a pane of glass over its monitors on Mac which creates incredible retina displays and really make the colors pop. For this reason, most people working on image editing and image creation would prefer Mac.

Conclusion

Photoshop itself is not that different on either Mac or PC as all the features would be the same. The main difference is made by the CPU of your computer so if you’re reading this for advice on which OS to buy make sure to aim for a quadcore 16 GB system for optimal performance. Check out Photoshop’s minimum and recommended requirements here. However, many professionals prefer Mac because of its higher resolution screens which display images at a much higher quality.