As a Photoshop professional and author of Photoshop
<http://aps8.com/taplb.html> and Elements <http://aps8.com/hppe4.html>
books, people looking to buy a computer to use for image editing often
ask my opinion about what I recommend. I use Mac
<http://www.aps8.com/mac20.html> as my main work station, and have a PC
laptop. Though Mac is a preference for me, I think the platform isn't as
critical a decision for image editing as it once was. However the
peripherals and accessories I put into my 'ultimate system' whether on
mac or PC can be fairly extensive. To me, the additional expense is not
only unavoidable, but essential to handling images safely and getting
the best results. All the items I choose are not necessary for every
system and all level of user, and some of your personal preferences may
differ. But some core elements should be considered beyond just the
platform to enhance your image editing experience.

The following are all part of my main work station:

*Dual, matching monitors <http://aps8.com/monitor.html>

*Spyder monitor calibrator <http://aps8.com/spyder.html>

*2+ GB of RAM
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008XOKP/newwriting/>

*4 matching hard drives
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IHXDR2/newwriting/>

*dual core processor

*Kensington Turbomouse <http://aps8.com/kensington.html>

*DVD Writer
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000F4U592/newwriting/>

*External backup drive
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000HQ071O/newwriting/>

*Card reader <http://www.aps8.com/wolvarine.html>

*Power backup system
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00064NVBK/newwriting/>

Keep in mind that for my work with professional photographers I need a
lot of processing oomph. If you are a more casual user you may not
really need all this stuff, and some of that is personal preference. But
here is a breakdown of what advantages each of these provides:

Dual, Matching Monitors <http://aps8.com/monitor.html>
Dual monitors provide a lot of visible landscape, generally at a
fraction of the cost of a larger monitor. Another option may be a very
large screen, like the 30" Mac Cinema Display
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002ILKWM/newwriting/> , but
that is not in the price range of many users. Two monitors may require
an additional video card <http://aps8.com/videocard.html> depending on
your setup, but really a large monitor may demand a video card upgrade
as well. The goal of increased viewing area is to allow for room to open
multiple palettes while viewing your images large on screen.

Spyder Monitor Calibrator <http://aps8.com/spyder.html>
Monitor calibration is essential for getting good results with your
images consistently, in print and on the web. If you don't calibrate,
your monitor color may be off, and you can't possibly trust what you see
on screen. Dark monitors will find you overcorrecting images and the
results will be light in print; monitors with a color shift will find
you compensating toward the shift's complement color -- a monitor with
too much red may find your prints consistently leaning toward a cyan
hue. Hardware calibration can measure the color on your screen with
great accuracy and will be the cornerstone of good color practice and
workflow.

2+ GB of RAM
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008XOKP/newwriting/>
One of many complaints I hear from users as they upgrade to new versions
of Photoshop and Elements has to do with the program running slower.
Often running slower can be attributed to keeping an old system and
trying to run a more demanding program with the same equipment. Current
system requirements for Photoshop suggest a minimum of 512 MB of RAM,
this is in addition to what you need for your operating system (Windows
Vista requires 1GB of RAM), and really the size of your images. There is
almost never too much RAM and you may want 4GB to stay ahead of the
curve.

4 Matching Hard Drives
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IHXDR2/newwriting/>
It might seem like overkill, but I use 4 hard drives on my system: 1 for
system/programs, 2 for images/work in a RAID array, 1 more for a
dedicated scratch disk. Drives should all be fast, and it is handy to
have them in matching size and manufacture so you can swap them out in
emergencies (e.g., for example if one drive in your RAID goes out, you
can sub in the scratch disk while waiting for a replacement). Keeping
work separate from your programs allows you to run a RAID array to make
instantaneous backup of your work to protect you from losing anything. A
dedicated scratch disk allows photoshop plenty of room to scale its
memory needs without conflicting with image saves and program activity.
A RAID can easily be set up on a Mac; PCs will require additional
software.

Dual Core Processor
Photoshop is a processing and memory hog, and having a fast processor at
the core is essential for peak performance. Photoshop has been built for
a long time to handle dual core processing, and that capability leads to
less wait and more productivity.

Kensington Turbomouse <http://aps8.com/kensington.html>
There are various input devices to choose from, and my input of choice
is a Kensington Turbomouse, and has been for many years. Mice require a
lot of wrist movement and potential strain, and Wacom tablets while
interesting and unique, do not provide the kind of accuracy and control
I can get with a trackball (try stopping in the middle of a stroke with
a graphics pen, for example). The trackball is really a huge inverted
mouse with the advantage that it never needs to be moved, takes up
little desk space and offers the ultimate in control of your cursor.
Don't get a flimsy trackball with a small controller...it just isn't the
same.

DVD Writer
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000F4U592/newwriting/>
As images mount on your drives you will eventually need to back them up
to make room for new ones. One of your best long-term options for high
capacity storage/archive are DVDs, which offer about 6 times the space
of a CD. They are also quite durable, and likely your best option
currently for image archive and storage.

External Backup Drive
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000HQ071O/newwriting/>
For daily or weekly backup, to keep your current work safe should you
experience some type of computer meltdown, you can make use of an
external drive with at least the same storage capacity as your work
drives. Doubling the capacity will allow you to retain the original
backups while making the new, and considering the low cost of hard drive
space these days, a single large backup drive will save you infinite
worry and offer the capability to restore work easily.

Card Reader <http://www.aps8.com/wolvarine.html>
A device that I have found to have ultimate utility on the road as well
as for daily download of images is my portable Wolvarine drive. It
sports additional slots for a variety of card types, and an 80GB
capacity which allows me to take approximately 12,000 photos before
having to touch base with my main desktop. It has an internal power pack
so it can operate anywhere, and attachments for car lighter plugs. Great
for backing up cards on the road, and reading them into the computer. If
you keep two cards on hand, you never need to waste time downloading
before you geet to the next shot; download one while you keep shooting.

Power Backup System
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00064NVBK/newwriting/>
Power backup allows you to stave off the ultimate, unpredictable
catastrophe: power loss. Power can go out at any time, and some types of
power/surge protectors offer surge protection and full switched power
that automatically stores and kicks in during a power outage -- and can
save your work. A must if you live in an area where unpredictable power
outages occur.

Of course, my image editing program of choice is Photoshop
<http://www.aps8.com/pscs3.html> , but Photoshop Elements
<http://www.aps8.com/elements5.html> is often just as good for most
users who will never need the additional non-photo-editing features
(CMYK generation, Actions/Scripting, Web development tools). Some of
this list is equipment you can accumulate and reuse between systems as
you upgrade.

You may notice the glaring omission of a home printer. I am not big on
printing at home, and send everything to a service. To get the equipment
I'd want for that I figure I am saving about $80,000 in a printer
cost which I assume is worth it ;-). You can also save yourself the
headaches associated with maintaining supplies and printer
maintenance/calibration/profiling. I discuss this in a lot more detail
in my From Monitor to Print: Photoshop Color Workflow
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=175> course.

If you are looking for the ultimate system for editing images, or even
to begin upgrading as you begin to take image editing more seriously,
this list of key components should prove helpful in your consideration
of building the ultimate system. I'd be glad to answer additional
questions on the subject (Contact Richard: richard@...
<mailto:richard@...> )

Don't miss my online courses starting September 3rd!

* Photoshop 101: The Photoshop Essentials Primer
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=136>
* Correct and Enhance Your Images
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=178>
* From Monitor to Print: Photoshop Color Workflow
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=175>
* Leveraging Layers: Photoshop's Most Powerful Tool
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=103>



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