Photoshop
Photo / design editing
Primary tool for photo work. Nineteen years in, still the fastest way to fix an image.
first used 2007
04 — tools
Tools
Software that earns its place on my machine. No sponsorships, just what survived. Mac, iOS.
10
tools in rotation
5
favourites
19
years with photoshop
3
categories
Lineage
what replaced what · 2007 → now Photo editing
CS2 2007 → CS4 2010 → CS5 2012 → CC 2013 → now
Video editing
Sony Vegas 5 2008 → Sony Vegas 7 2010 → Final Cut Pro X 2013 → Final Cut Pro 2020 → now
Photo library
Aperture 2012 → Lightroom 2015 → now
Creative
04 tools 
Final Cut Pro
Video editing
Fast, reliable, integrated with the Mac workflow.
first used 2013
After Effects
Motion graphics
Compositing and motion work when Final Cut runs out of room.
first used 2009
Lightroom
Photo editing
Heavy and slow, but it manages the drone and camera RAW library.
first used 2015
Mac
03 tools
★ FAVOURITE iStats
System monitoring
Real-time CPU, memory, temperature, network at a glance.
menu bar, always
★ FAVOURITE DaisyDisk
Storage
Visual disk analyser. Shows exactly what's eating the SSD.
monthly ritual
★ FAVOURITE
BatFi
Battery
Caps charge at 80% to stretch battery lifespan.
runs unattended
iOS
03 tools
★ FAVOURITE Flighty
Travel
Live flight tracking with notifications that actually arrive first.
every trip
★ FAVOURITE Tripsy
Travel
Itineraries and trip planning in one place.
every trip
Photos
Photo library
Native, simple, iCloud-integrated. Good enough to not replace.
always
Tools I actually use daily, just things that solve real problems.