Photo editing and design
Photo and design apps are lighter than video, but large files and many layers need memory.
What matters
- System memory: big files with many layers are the main load.
- A graphics chip speeds up filters, previews and zooming; integrated graphics are accepted by many of these apps.
General guidance in our own words. The figures below are the makers' published requirements.
The requirements
| App | Minimum | Recommended | System the list names (the recommended list where there are two) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Photoshop | 8 GB memory, 1.5 GB graphics memory, DirectX 12 GPU (feature level 12_0), less than 7 years old, 1.5 GB GPU memory | 16 GB memory, 2 GB graphics memory, DirectX 12 GPU, 2 GB video RAM; 4 GB GPU memory for 4K displays | Windows 11 24H2 or 23H2, Windows 10 22H2 | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Adobe Lightroom Classic | 8 GB memory, 2 GB graphics memory, DirectX 12 GPU with 2 GB GPU memory | 16 GB memory, 4 GB graphics memory, DirectX 12 GPU with 4 GB for 4K displays; 8 GB dedicated or 16 GB shared memory for AI features such as Denoise | Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 23H2 or later | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Adobe Illustrator | 8 GB memory, 1 GB graphics memory, GPU Performance feature: 1 GB VRAM, DirectX 12 or OpenGL 4.0; 1.5 GB for smooth pan and zoom | 16 GB memory, 4 GB graphics memory, 4 GB VRAM recommended | Windows 11 v24H2 or v23H2, Windows 10 v22H2 | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Affinity | 4 GB memory, DirectX 10 compatible GPU (Windows) | 8 GB memory, Page says it runs fast on mid-range machines but benefits from a dedicated GPU | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit; macOS 10.15 or later | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Adobe InDesign | 8 GB memory, 1 GB graphics memory, 1024 MB VRAM, OpenGL 4.4 or newer, for GPU performance | 16 GB memory, 2 GB graphics memory, 2 GB VRAM; monitors above 2K | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Capture One | 8 GB memory, No graphics card figure | 16 GB memory, 8 GB graphics memory, Dedicated GPU with 8 GB or more (Windows); Apple silicon integrated GPU (Mac) | Windows 10 22H2 with ESU or Windows 11 23H2+; macOS 14 or newer | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Krita | 4 GB memory, OpenGL 3.0 or newer, or Direct3D 11 | 16 GB memory, OpenGL 3.0 or newer, or Direct3D 11 | Windows 8.1 or higher; macOS 10.15; Linux | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Clip Studio Paint | 2 GB memory, GPU with OpenGL 3.3 support | 8 GB memory, GPU with OpenGL 3.3 support | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit; macOS 14, 15 or 26 (Mac page) | official page read 2026-10-22 |
Which laptops meet the most of these
The 30 best of 359 listed laptops, compared with each laptop's largest memory option. Memory and graphics memory only. The operating system is not checked: many of these apps and games run only on Windows or only on macOS, so open the source link before you rely on a ranking. A laptop whose maker does not state its graphics memory counts as not meeting any figure that depends on it. The graphics class and processor each maker names are in the source links too.