hi, i am a new macbook pro owner. Never had a mac before of any kind.

Problem:
I have photo editing software that i have used for a while now and have gotten very used to. It only works in windows...

solution:
Parallels or Bootcamp (i am not sure which yet).

I am relatively computer illiterate, and don't really understand how computer things work. I have done a bit of research about tranfering files between the mac OS and Parallels/Bootcamp and have heard that they are not compatible? is this true?

So i present these questions for the knowledgeable person:

#1: Parallels or Bootcamp? Which is easier to transfer Jpeg's from mac OS, and vice versa?

#2: Do i need to "do" anything to transfer jpegs to and from each OS?

#3: If i save an edited file in my editing software in the windows OS as a JPEG, can my mac OS read that file as a normal JPEG? or does it do something weird to it?


ANY help would be greatly appreciated. I dont really know anything about what i am trying to talk about, lol. The only think i need the windows OS on my mac is for the one photo editing software, JPEG's only.

Thanks!
-Eric

Jpeg file format is compatible with all OS that support graphics. (AFAIK) Nothing special needs to be done to transfer the files. The first question, I can't help with at all.

brian

brain is correct, I edit sometime on my work laptop, and save the files on a usb stick and transfer them right onto my mac without any issue between window OS and Mac OS.

On question 1, I really do not know. As I do not use them. Never had a problem just moving the whole jpeg over with a usb stick.

To answer the question you asked:

Parallels or VMWare Fusion is probably your best bet rather than Bootcamp. Bootcamp is like having two computers on the same hardware, but you can't use them both at once.

With Parallels or Fusion you can read files in the Windows virtual machine that are on your Mac drive without problem, and pretty much all image formats will be fine with both Mac and Win.

With Bootcamp things are a lot more complicated. You need to set up a shared partition that you format with a file system format that both systems can read. Generally it is best is to use FAT32, then you can access that partition from either Mac or Win.

If you are not a computer expert however I recommend using Parallels or Fusion.

But I think you asked the wrong question:

What software are you using that only works on Windows? You might find that iPhoto on the Mac is everything you ever need.

For someone who is not a computer person, my advice is that you change the photo editing software you are using, rather than go through the significant cost and hassle of using multiple boots or virtual machines.

1. Try iPhoto first, it's very good. If you don't like iPhoto then...
2. Try Adobe Photoshop Elements. (or Photoshop CS5 - v. expensive).
3. Try Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
4. Try Bibble Pro.
5. Try Apple Aperture.
6. Try DXO Optics.
7. Try Capture 1.

I have been using Sagelight for a while now. They have no plans of updating for mac use. I actually just bought Adobe Photoshop Elements, but it runs kind of slow, and i am not a big fan of the interface (it is my first photoshop product i have ever used). Sagelight has been fitting my needs wonderfully (and i bought it for $1). So i think what i will do is keep PSE i just bought, then buy Parallels and a Windows OS. I am sure one day in the future i'll need windows for something else too.

thank you for all the advice.

well, in case anyone was holding their breath in anticipation (or more likely... 2 years from now, someone searches for this answer for themselves), I bought Parallels Desktop 6 (which was just released yesterday) online, delivered today, installed today. I had an old version laying around of Windows XP that i installed, i installed Sagelight, for which i already had an activation code that i bought for 1 dollar.

$79.99: plus next day shipping for Parallels.
$0.00: for Windows XP.
$1.00: for Sagelight.
Priceless: Happiness and comfort of using my trusty well liked photo editing software.

Phew, I had been wondering. That's a relief!

And congratulations. I had a look at the Sagelight website - looks pretty nice, I can see why you might want to stick with it.