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A MacBook is one of the best computers for managing a large collection of photos due to its speed and Photo Library features. However, if you are uncertain how many photos a MacBook Pro can hold, you might wonder whether to get one with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage.
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An entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with an SSD storage of 256GB can hold around 33,000 standard JPEGs and around 5,000 RAW images if you dedicate around 200GB to the Photo Library. On the other hand, a high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD storage can hold around 70,000 JPEGs and over 10,000 RAW images if you dedicate about 400GB to photo storage.
You can also consider configurable storage of 1TB or 2TB if you manage a large collection of images. However, the actual number of photos the Mac can hold can vary widely depending on the following factors.
You can shoot real estate photos in different file formats such as JPEGs, TIFFs, or even RAW format. JPEG format is compressed, where the camera processes the image data to generate the final image and discards the rest of the data.
On the other hand, images in RAW format contain information as captured by the camera sensor. Since this information is not processed, the file is uncompressed, and you will compress it when processing it in photo-editing software such as Lightroom.
As a result, the file sizes of RAW images are around four times larger than those of JPEGs. That means a Mac can hold more JPEG images than RAW files, regardless of the hard drive storage space.
Image resolution refers to the number of pixels displayed per inch (PPI) in a digital photo. Usually, a higher number of pixels per inch makes the image look smoother, more high-quality, and more detailed. For instance, an image with a resolution of 600 PPI looks higher-quality than an image with a resolution of 72 PPI.
However, since a pixel is the smallest element that holds data in a photo, having many pixels per inch means more image data and bigger file size. As a result, high-resolution images tend to occupy more space than lower-resolution images of the same dimensions.
As a result, a Mac can hold more low-resolution images than higher-resolution images. However, it's advisable to shoot high-resolution images, as most Mac models come with a retina display that uses high pixel density to enhance the viewing experience.
The image dimension is the length and width of the photo in digital format. In most cases, the image dimensions depend on the camera's aspect ratio or whether you have cropped the images. Since a digital photo is made of pixels, the image's dimensions affect the number of pixels.
For instance, assuming the images have the same number of pixels per inch, the total number of pixels in a large photo will be higher than in a smaller one. As a result, larger images tend to occupy more storage space.
That means a MacBook Pro can store more photos shot using a 20-megapixel micro-four-thirds camera than those shot using a 20-megapixel full-frame camera.
The hard drive is non-volatile storage where the MacBook stores the image files you view in the Photo Library. Instead of traditional hard disk drives, most Macs use solid-state drives (SSDs) for enhanced speed.
The number of photos the Mac can hold primarily depends on the SSD storage space. Generally, JPEGs with a standard aspect ratio from a standard camera have an average file size of 6 MB.
On the other hand, RAW file sizes can vary from 20-40 MB depending on the camera model. Although you might be storing other documents, videos, and files on your computer, here is an estimate of the number of photos you can store depending on the SSD size.
You can't get a MacBook Pro with 8TB SSD storage as the maximum configurable storage in these models is 2TB. Configurable storage refers to the storage you want the Mac configured and expanded to when you order it from Apple.
The number of details in the photo can affect the file size. A photo with fewer details to be described compresses better, resulting in smaller file sizes. For instance, a photo of a leafy tree might be larger than that of a blue sky.
The number of photos a MacBook Pro can hold mainly depends on the internal storage size. Note that real estate photos can be in different file formats, and Macs tend to hold more compressed images, such as JPEGs, than uncompressed RAW files.
