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Hi,
I just took the plunge and switched my desktop from PC to Mac. I need some guidance regarding the software setup as it relates to photography. I have 8G of RAM. How much should I allocate to Fusions to run PS in Windows 7? How many cores? I still have a Windows laptop (travel machine), so I am still using Windows Photoshop. Eventually I may change my laptop to Mac - any differences between PS Mac vs WIndows versions? Does anyone know if I have to buy all new Mac versions of plugins when I do switch to Mac PS? Any help is appreciated.

E Gravois

PS I'm really liking the Mac OS....

You would need a Mac version of PS but I would wait until CS5 is out for that since the Mac version of CS4 is crippled compared to the Windows version as there currently is no 64 bit version of PS for Mac. CS5 will rectify that sometime this year. As for how to allocate memory I will leave that to someone that actually runs Fusion.

Plugins are generally cross platform.

Thanks, EJ

With your target VM shutdown and highlighted, press Command+E to go to the settings for that VM. Under system settings you will see an option to alter the Processor and/or RAM settings for your VM. I do all of my photo processing in OS X, but I do all of my software development in a VM hosting Windows 2003 Server. This requires significant RAM and processing power, so I have 1 core and 2 gig of RAM to my Windows VM. If I had more cores (dual quad core) I'd devote 2 cores. I've never run PS in a VM so I'm not sure what the optimum setting for that should be.

Thanks, Scott

If you have a quad-core iMac (the i5 or i7), you can safely give Fusion two cores for Windows, and if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows (either Vista or Windows 7), you should be able to give it 4GB of RAM. If you are running 32-bit Windows, just allocate 2GB. If you have a Core 2 Duo iMac, give VMWare 1 core.

You can switch your license to Mac if you get a Mac laptop, but as EJ said, best to wait until CS5 comes out, as Adobe will charge you for an upgrade to make the switch - if you switch before CS5 comes out, you'll have to pay again to go from CS4 to CS5. They don't advertise the ability to switch a license, but you should be able to call Adobe and get it done - they'll have you sign a form promising to destroy your Windows PS CDs, etc, but it's pretty straightforward.

Rick

Thanks, Rick. Just what I was looking for!!


When Fusion is shut down, is the memory given back to the Mac OS?

When Fusion is shut down, is the memory given back to the Mac OS?

Some of the extra services associated with Fusion continue to run (mostly network-related), but they don't take up much in the way of system resources. The amount you give Fusion to run the virtual machine is given back to OS X when you shut Fusion down.

Rick

Thanks, guys.

FYI, we transferred a copy of PS CS2 for Windows to CS4 for Mac and the process took over 3 months when I did it for my wife's iMac last spring. This part of Adobe's customer service is abysmal at best. I do like that the Lightroom license is cross-platform, and therefore avoids this hassle.

My transfer wasn't instantaneous, but it didn't take three months (thankfully) - it is true that you have to work your way through the system, and that can take time. They don't make it easy, as I'm sure they'd prefer that you buy a full-price copy for your new OS.

I'm fortunate that I've never actually paid full price for any version of Photoshop - I believe I got my original v3 for Windows for $150 because I was fortunate enough to get a copy of Aldus Photostyler with an Epson scanner I bought to use with an Amiga back in the early 90s, and Adobe offered a cross-grade to Photoshop when they bought Aldus and killed Photostyler. Add up all the upgrades, though, and it's still a substantial sum.

Rick

What is the difference between running Bootcamp or Fusion on a Mac to also run Windows? I bought a new MacAir for the road but it does not support Breeze Browser (Windows only), my favorite image sorter. My computer guy put Bootcamp into the Mac, Windows 7, and then I loaded Breeze Browser and CS4. The system is shockingly fast on down/up loads. It has a solid state drive. But I am not a computer guy, I hire that out.

The MacAir is wonderful for the road and air travel as it weighs almost nothing, and the power source and wires are so tiny.

Bootcamp lets you run one or the other. Fusion lets you run both simultaneously.