2017 MacBook Pro: Convert 50-Megapixel RAW Files to JPEG (Adobe Camera Raw)

Mac wish list • all 15" Apple MacBook Pro 2017 models • MPG gets credit if you buy through those links. Suggested accessories include the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock and 1TB Envoy Pro EX.

MPG tested a fully-loaded 2017 MacBook Pro with 1TB SSD.

This test is a real-world task relevant to Adobe Photoshop: batch convert raw files to JPEG. Disk I/O is not a significant factor, at least with a Mac with an SSD.

Raw file conversion to JPEG

Results from desktop Macs are also shown for perspective. Adobe Photoshop does a poor job of utilizing CPU cores just as with Lightroom: the Mac Pro results do not scale commensurate with its 8 CPU cores. It’s such an obvious fault that one wonders how Adobe can go on year after year without improving matters.

As in other tests, the 2017 MacBook Pro has no meaningful speed gains over the 2015 MacBook Pro. Here it is a nudge faster, but only in a meaningless way (1%). Both laptops offer relatively good performance versus the desktop machines. The standout performer is the 2017 iMac 5K.

Convert 52 Canon 5DS R 50-megapixel raw flies to max-quality JPEG