MacBooks are pretty popular among graphic designers. Having a laptop that is known for its reliability is great for work. Besides, Macs look quite nice, and they are relatively light, meaning that traveling around with your computer should not be a problem.
If you are thinking about getting a MacBook as well or have one already, you may find that getting the most out of it will not be that easy early on, especially if you used Windows before.
Usually, one can discover and learn various aspects of their computer naturally. However, not everyone can afford to wait because they need to meet deadlines at work. The goal is to master the MacBook as soon as possible.
The tips below should help you improve efficiency on a MacBook as a graphic designer. Implement these tips, and you are bound to notice a difference in using the laptop and achieving better productivity.
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Tips for Graphic Designers using MacBook
If you are a graphic designer or planning to become one, you do need a powerful machine that can give you the best colors, processing, and software compatibility. For creative tasks, MacBooks are extremely popular for creative tasks like graphic design, music production, writing books, video editing, and whatnot.
If you don’t like macOS and want a powerful Windows machine, you can grab gaming laptops that come with dedicated GPU and powerful CPU for the smooth rendering of graphics. Check out best gaming laptop under 1 lakh in India.
Here we are going to talk about some of the tips for graphic designers who are using Macbook or planning to get one.
1. Get the Best Graphic Designing Software
It is likely that you are already set on using specific software for your craft. Nevertheless, if macOS is new for you, spend some time discovering some of the best free photo editing software for mac that also has features you might need for other work, not just editing photos. You might be pleasantly surprised by the available choices on the Official Mac App Store.
In fact, it is worth checking the Store for apps that are not related to graphic design directly. You may struggle to keep track of your time, and a tool that sends you reminders about upcoming deadlines and when you should take a break could be quite useful. To make things even better, look for something that is also compatible with Macbook Touch Bar. The touch bar on the Macbook really helps you in designing.
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2. Keep the MacBook in Good Condition
A new MacBook should not have difficulties with its performance. However, it is still recommended to keep tabs on the overall speed and other aspects of your computer’s performance.
For example, if you use Photoshop—software that creates a lot of temporary junk—you may run out of drive space faster than expected. When that happens, the MacBook will struggle to perform optimally. Macbook already lacks storage and in all that, storing a lot of junk in the storage gives you poor performance and battery degradation.
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The dust that accumulates inside is also a problem. If you use the laptop in a poorly ventilated room, the situation becomes even worse. Sure, investing in a cooling pad is one of the options, but removing the filth inside the computer should still take priority.
If you wait too long, the problem will only escalate, so it is recommended to remove the dust inside regularly. Those who are reluctant to take the MacBook apart for a thorough cleaning because they are afraid to damage the internal hardware should take their laptop to a computer service shop and have a professional handle the work for them.
Finally, make sure to avoid potential cybersecurity threats because those snowball out of control and leave you with a poorly running computer.
3. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts
Knowing relevant keyboard shortcuts is bound to improve productivity using your MacBook. The entire list of macOS shortcuts is available on the official Apple support site. However, as a graphic designer, you are unlikely to need every single keyboard shortcut for your work.
Instead, take a look at the list and determine which keyboard shortcuts are relevant to you and focus on memorizing those instead. Along with that, start practicing it in your work. That way, it will be stored in your unconscious memory.
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As a graphic designer, you will likely need to take and send screenshots to your colleagues or clients. For that, Shift + Command + 3 and Shift + Command + 4 are the combinations. In case there is too much clutter on the computer’s drive, and you want to remove unnecessary files permanently, use Option + Command + Delete rather than dragging files in the Trash Bin and emptying it. Using a keyboard shortcut saves you some time indeed.
Having too many screenshots on the desktop is also annoying. To get rid of that situation, you better change the screenshot location to a particular folder. That way, you can manage your work efficiently.
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4. Back up your files
Backing up computer files is a good piece of advice, regardless of whether you are a graphic designer or not. While Macs are reliable, it is better to be safe than sorry and back up computer data regularly.
The simplest solution would be to use iCloud and transfer files there. The cloud service offers five gigabytes of free storage, but that will likely not be enough, meaning you will need to get an upgraded storage plan for a monthly fee.
Other than using iCloud, one could also back up MacBook’s files to an external hard drive using Time Machine.
5. Take advantage of the Sidecar feature
The macOS Catalina introduced the Sidecar feature that lets MacBook owners create a second display by connecting their iPad to the computer.
Graphic designers should appreciate the feature a lot because Macs do not have the largest screens, and working on a MacBook computer is not always convenient. However, when there is an iPad that you can use as a second display or any other 10 inch tablet to draw on, the problem does not seem like that much of a deal. Not to mention, the iPad gives you an intuitive graphic designing experience than Macbook.
Graphic Designing Tips for Macbook Users: Wrapping Up
These are some basic yet effective tips for all those graphic designers who are using Macbook for designing beautiful graphics. If you are just beginning, this is even helpful to you. Macbooks are indeed one of the most powerful computers you can buy. For creative tasks like Graphic Designing, macOS is no doubt the best OS.
Did these tips help you? Do you have any other tips for graphic designers using Macbooks? Let us know in the comment below.
