The fact that M1 Macbook Air has absolutely no fans and can compare directly with a big desktop PC is amazing.

I have a 15” 8 core i9, 16gb & Vega 20 gpu. It’s really struggles with running multiple programs such as bridge, camera raw & word. I’m looking at the MacBook Air for its portability, and no fans, along with the m1 having a gpu and cpu all-in-one.

Finally got around to catching up on your videos (busy month). Happy to see this video, I have been waiting for the M1 iMac to come out, and I'm gunna wait for the next 27" equivalent (potentially now a 30" based on the +3" on the new 24") as that is what I'm used to editing on. Glad you've noticed the actual real life performance improvement as that is something I really really need too 😂

This was great! I wanted to see someone who was editing something that wasn’t from 6k cinema camera or anything ridiculous like that. Really informative, big thumbs up from me 👍🤩

Great Practical Review！

Great review thanks.

Thank you for this great review

That looks great after my old laptops about dead and the iPad mini I’ve been editing my pics on in lightroom is starting to act up I’m looking at other options and the Mac book sprang to mind

Great Review!

Excellent content

I got mine finally two days ago it was on sale for 1099 at Best Buy on the 512 8gb variant I couldn't pass it up. So far it has been such a joy to use. I have zero complaints.

I bought an M1 powered Mac mini as a desktop replacement for a Windows i5 powered box and I've been astonished just how powerful it is. I'm not a fan of the MacOS user interface, but I do love the Unix underbelly. But the main reason I got it was for photo and video editing and that's all about the apps. I use DxO Photolab and the Nik Collection extensively and they were slow on my old kit but now, well I just never even have to think about it. The newer M2 family of chips are even faster but I really don't need any extra speed over my M1. It keeps up with my editing in real-time so any more would just be a waste. An amazing achievement from Apple.

Thank you 😀

How do you like the screen? Is is accurate and good for editing? Except it's small size of course

Hi Alex, nice video! recently I've got MacMini with M1 and using LrC and PS without major troubles (but hard for me to say, since I'm new to LrC and PS so I can't compare) but yesterday I noticed one thing. While editing noise on the pictures, in the Library module, it didn't show the edit and the pics look unprocessed, which is confusing. Not sure if it's preview thing (using original+smart preview and pictures are stored localy) or if it's caused by not native LrC. Have you had any issues with that?

Hi Alex, great Video. Quick question: how do you have your external HD formated as? Do you have any trouble using them on a PC and Mac device? I'm thinking about getting an M1 but I'm wondering about compatibility with a desktop pc. Cheers!

Thanks Alex. Going to get one. I was going to start with the iMac, but there are too many times when I want the portability for seminars, travel, etc. I’ll drive a larger monitor for awhile and then may get an iMac. Can you comment on driving a large monitor?? Geoff

Thanks for a good review on practical matters. In the last year I got back into photography. I also have lived in a motorhome for 8 years and chose to forego my dual monitor iMac based system I had in my home. I opted for a 16" MBP. It was getting long on the tooth and running out of hard drive. I'm primarily a LRC user with a little bit of PS thrown in. I opted for an M1, 8GB ram, base 8/7 core MBA with 1 TB SSD. I feel that in LRC I get better performance now but it still can bog down a little bit on heavily edited photos. As an amateur (at best) photographer I can tolerate the the very slight delays. OTOH, the little bit of PS usage where I've done layering (like done to sharpen moon scapes) I haven't observed any performance issues. I do look forward to a future upgrade to a MBP M1X along with LRC being upgraded to running native on M1 processors. That will allow me to hand down my MBA to the wife and support a larger monitor that will fit in a new home we are building.

You have helped me finally make a decision, after so many days of research and confusion between a windows system. Thank you so much.

How is editing 4K 100mbs footage from a Sony camera with the h264 codec?

Nice review and good point about its efficiency. Just purchased this and am really impressed so far with its performance.

Thank you!

I have macbook air m1 chip from where can I get the lightroom

Hi Alex, I use an A1 for bird photography so my files are quite large... and I blow through lots of them. I use Capture One and Photoshop. I was thinking about getting the upcoming m1x MBP and getting a high end NEC monitor but it is a pricey buy. (I now use a 27" iMac). I saw the 24" iMac is Costco other day and was surprised that it didn't look that small to me - actually usable for my purposes. I don't mind the fewer ports (would like more but.... it's a desktop unit so a breakout box is fine). I'm just wondering if 16 GB of ram will be enough. I now have 24GB on my 27" but I think the m1 is more efficient memory wise so maybe it would work out on that end. And as for processing power - well, I'm just wondering if you think it'd be sufficient or if I should go the more expensive MBP route. I'd love to just wait and get the 32" iMac (if that's what it come out as) - but I hear that's not till early next year and that seems just too far off. Your thought?

Considering a MB air for very similar purposes. Would I see a substantial difference in performance with 16GB memory over 8?

I’m not really computer knowledge but I’m in need of a laptop for photo editing and possibly video. Would you recommend pro m1 8GB 512 SSD or Hp spectre x360 15” w/ 4K screen i7 11gen 16GB 512 SSD?

2024 and still highly viable. Doesn’t throttle down as quickly the newer M2 and M3 MBA’s, keeping performance at higher levels longer. Considering buying an M1 despite its age because of the lack of throttling because it runs cooler than the newer higher powered ones. Still a beast 4 years later compared to Windows counterparts that still throttle down unplugged. Not as fast as an M2 or M3, but still great. Edit: and it’s not sitting in a lap like a toaster oven.

Do you recommend 8GB and 256SSD Macbook air for photoshop and video editing? I'm planning to get a laptop that's good for editing under 1000$

how do you feel about the new IPad Pro with the M1 architecture? so many different opinions out there! interested in your thoughts on this. thanks!

My main purpose is premiere and after effects , but its not fully optmised . Its beta version . Is premiere beta working well on it or is it fully optimised . Should i go for it ? Plz reply .

Thanks for the review, I was curious how Lightroom/Photoshop handled larger pano files. I'll probably be getting one soon as my current machine goes at a snails pace in LR/PS.

what would you think would be the best photo editing software fir beginners.. ii ordered a M1 Mac 16GB

Hi Alex! I am a graphic and web designer, and little by little I am getting into the audiovisual world. As a designer I mostly use Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign and XD; and personally I edit 4K videos in Premiere and later I would like to do an After Effects course. Currently I have a MacBook Pro 13” from 2016, i5 dual-core and with 16Gb of Ram, and the truth is that for some design and photography or video actions it goes quite slow, it heats up and the fans turn on very loud. Some time ago I thought in buying the MacBook Air M1 with 512gb and 16gb of ram, but now I have doubts with the new models. Yesterday I ordered the 14 "Pro with the M1 Max, 24 graphics cores and 32gb of Ram. Do you think it is an unnecessary waste of money and that the Air with 16gb will be fine for me? Thanks and best regards!

Hey Alex, question for you. You seem to have the Audio Engine a5+ bamboo speakers in the back? same ones I have. How do you find it sounds rotated?

I don't know why it's the case but for some people Lightroom is pretty snappy on their M1 macs, but for other's including me it's disappointingly slow. I finally upgraded from my 2014 MacBook Pro but it seems like Lightroom is even slower on my M1. Anyone has any tips to make things faster?

What are the specs on you MacBook Air thank you for your time

Hey Alex..!! I hear that Adobe Premiere pro is not Optimised fro M1 Mac.. Is that true ..?? I have been working in Premiere Pro and I recently purchased M1 Mac.. Should should I upgrade to FCP..?? Or can I continue with Premiere pro..??

thank you for the video, but i am kind of confused i do not know what to do, please can you help me to understand. I am full time photographer i only do photo editing using Lightroom classic and Photoshop, i do not do any video shooting and editing, so i would like to buy new laptop and good professional 4k monitor. I want to be portable as much as possible but the same time i would like to have laptop powerful enough to connect via thunderbolt to external 4k professional monitor and get my job done. I saw a lot of videos on youtube that for perfect sweet spot and for the future almost everyone recommends 32GB memory for professional photo editing, but the problem is MacBook air m1 does not have that option only MacBook pro has it but as soon as you choose 32GB option price jumps to the sky. There are some you-tubers that say 16GB memory is fine for photo editing, You are saying and showing the same thing that photo is fine, and now i am confused should i buy MacBook air 16GB variant and monitor or what, after buying i do not want to be disappointed, so that is why i am asking your advice

Hey, this is a really good video. How much RAM did you get on the MacBook Air?

can i know yours is 8gb or 16gb?

What configuration did you use? I didn't hear you say it... 8 or 16 ram? 256 por 512 storage?

Finally a great review ! Does your M1 Mac has a 8 or 16GB RAM ?

Why did you dislike the touchbar?

Can someone tell me what the wallpaper in the thumbnail is called? A link would be appreciated

Great video, Alex. What about the quality of the built-in display? I'm thinking about getting a Macbook Air M1 as my only and main computer with no external displays during a very long trip. Do you think it's a good option?

Superb content

do you calibrate the monitor or is it good enough right from the get go?

Great review! I'd like to know, what specs do you have?

Hi Alex, great review. Quick question for you: would the Air M1 8GB, base version, be enough for 4K video editing and, alternatively, Adove Bridge/Photoshop CS6 + LR6 running simultaneously? Many thanks!

I tried everything, but my Photoshop running on M1 couldn't recognize video as a valid format. Does anybody else also faced this problem? Honestly, I don't know what to do anymore. Already tried to test with several older versions available on Creative Cloud, but none works.

Love your Apollo model.

So 8GB 24" M1 wil be good for foto editing with Lightroom, don't need 16GB ?

Love the review! Did you purchase the 8GB or 16GB RAM version?

I am using Macbook pro M1. I bought it because of my work as a VA. heavy load on spreadsheets and formulas. My old one was slowing down on me. I just started learning photoshop and video editing, that's why I'm here. After watching this and other similar videos, I am more confident that my purchase was the right decision.

Is the disk still alive with all the memory swap?

i’m really want to get the macbook air M1 due to its portability, now since it’s performs incredibly for what it is, i will buy it! thanks for the content!

Why not use the Air with the 2 monitors? I have mine connected to 2 monitors through a Lenovo Thunderbolt3 dock. Works like a charm.

I just bought a Macbook Pro a month or so ago. The performance and battery life is astounding. However, enjoy it while it lasts. The software developers have a bad habit of using up all that extra memory and CPU/GPU bandwidth just so we can go buy more hardware every year or 2. Microsoft is the leader in this game but Apple isn't far behind. And that's only because Mac OS is built over the top of Linux. I see how small my Linux partition is and how fast the editing software runs on a 2015 Dell Laptop. I can also run that same partition (USB bootable SSD) on my mid 2011 iMac Pro that was given to me. I just downloaded LRC v11 today and can't wait to use the new masking tools. Like you, heaving masking has been a limiter for me both with the Adobe tools as well as ON1 Photo Raw. In summary, the software developers really need to get more efficient in their designs and coding. If it can be done by the Linux community then we know it's possible.

The M1 Macs write up to 58 times more data to SSD than an equivalent Intel Mac with the same amount of RAM when editing or exporting photos in Lightroom. This issue has been known about since December - there's a long thread on the Adobe support forums about it, with users seeing hundreds of Gigabytes written in a short space of time. I myself have seen 90GB written in the course of editing just three photos from my Fujifilm X-T30, while my Intel Mac wrote under 2GB to perform the same task. I thought perhaps you may have mentioned this, given serious doubts it inevitably raises as to the longevity of the M1 machines in the hands of video or photo editors.

Is this a base model? How was it spec’d out??

Hi! The Air has 8 or 16 GB of RAM?

How about the color profile of the screen?

Can i ask, 16gb or 8gb ram you working?

A serious question. Why are Apple’s technology bonafides constantly doubted? I heard the doubt and mocking with the AirPods Max, “no way will Apple come close to Sony or Bose sound quality.” The M1 chip is the latest. Apple is one of the few original tech companies doing well from 20 years ago. Their biggest competitors are either manufacturers who began uild machines with tech companies specifications or old tech giants barely hanging on. It just seems Apple has revolutionized music, computing and mobile devices

How to install photoshop on MacBook Air

Macbook Air Specs: M1 / 16GB RAM / 1TB SSD / 8GPU - Forgot to include this in the video. Only the ram/gpu count make a difference for performance.

What computer was this test made on? Apple M1, great... what about RAM, cache, graphics card? I've had apple computers for years and it's getting more and more annoying to see the way they're trying to sell their new equipments. It's as if a car company would simply deny from saying which is the horse power of their cars, and just say: Oh, we are better and faster, you can "trust us". Thinking about going back to windows!..

excuse me Alex, can you reply with your PC specs, thnx

Indicating the RAM size, which is so crucial, could have made this video useful.

how bout adobe illustrator bro please make a v ideo for this

Which is best for editing mac air , pro 13 or 16

Maybe you could find some cheesy 70s porn music for the background, or just skip music altogether. I was listening to a guy who had music on his DaVinci Resolve tutorials. I forgot his name..on purpose. I tune in for the knowledge. Thanks for the knowledge.

I want Mac book air

I like your video! however I would recommend some background music or something playing in the background when you’re talking, it’s just too quiet when it’s just you. Just some constructive feedback. Interesting topic!

Sounds like you are reading from a script and not well. But I still enjoyed the video.

Two years later and Lightroom classic is still not compatible with the M1 chip.

Tough to get past the boogers in his nose.

Great! Thanks a lot for this video! I'm your subscriber now. :-) Do you have any thoughts if it would be OK to use an M1 MacBook Air as the only machine for Ps and LrC, with a 4K external screen connected at home? Just performance wise - I know about all the port trouble etc. :)