So I have a situation. I really want to switch to Linux as my main gaming/production OS but need the Adobe suite as I am a graphic designer. Adobe is the golden standard for this industry (and likely to always be) so while Gimp and Inkscape might work, they are not feasible for my career. I also know that there will be situations where games just don’t run well or at all on Linux.
Dualbooting works but is not really worth it for me as I would have to stop what I’m doing and restart my PC. I heard that you can set up a single GPU passthrough for games and software but it seems complicated. How difficult would that be to set up for a new user to Linux? I would consider myself a tech savvy person but I know very little about the ins and outs of Linux. I have a massive GPU (XFX RX 6900 XT) with a big support bracket that covers the second PCIE slot so buying another GPU isn’t really feasible either.
I do have an Unraid server with decent specs that I use for a hosting Minecraft servers and Jellyfin so setting up a VM on that might be a good option.
What would you guys recommend me to do?
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I second this, I also use arch (btw) on all of my personal computers, gaming rig, media machines; But when it comes to my work machine, it also runs Windows because it needs to.
I love Linux and want it to prosper. Hopefully one day windows specific software like that won’t be such a hurdle, but unfortunately it is; If your livelihood depends on it, you cannot afford to risk hard breaks in compatibility. There will be days where as a less experienced user, issues could take hours to fix.
If you get a secondary computer in the future that you only use for personal activities, that is when I would reconsider installing and learning Linux. It’s rewarding to learn, you have more control over your system and better privacy, but it takes time and effort.
Well, I sort of do work on two devices for work and gaming. I have a decent windows laptop that I use at work and have my main rig for everything else.
As much as I dislike a lot about Windows, I think you are right. If I am in the graphic design industry, I will need to use Windows. Adobe will probably never port to Linux so I will always have to use it in some shape or form.
If you depend on a piece of software for your career, you shouldn’t try to force it to work on another OS or some hardware it doesn’t have support for. Just run Windows.
You could try using a Windows VM, or even doing GPU passthrough. But do you really want to troubleshoot that for 2 days when an update breaks everything?
fwiw, running photoshop through a VM would be pretty easy and pretty quick to setup with very little (if any) troubleshooting required, and it’s unlikely that updates would break stuff. I’ve done it many, many times.
The real problem is getting good performance out of it. Now, I don’t know OP’s specific needs or what specific Adobe apps he’s using. if it’s just Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, he’s gonna be fine. if he’s got enough memory and he’s running the VM by itself, he shouldn’t notice much of any performance degradation until he’s got some gigantic files open in PS and/or he’s juggling a bunch of files between PS and Illustrator.
Now, if he’s trying to run AfterEffects or Premier, he could run into more serious performance issues and would definitely need to dual-boot if he wants to render anything. But he may not be using those apps.
Running those apps through Wine? THAT is the massive PitA that can take days to configure and troubleshoot and where an update can break anything— but it runs at native speed. Using a VM is pretty simple… just slower.
I mainly work with illustrator and Photoshop but I occasionally edit videos on Premier Pro.
Yeah, I heard Wine does not work well with Adobe products. I haven’t tried it though.
Wine will suck ass with Premier, if it works at all. There ARE reasonable alternatives to use in Linux, unlike with PS or Illustrator.
PS in Linux is… ok…. depending on what you’re doing with it. if it’s basic stuff, you’ll get by. start delving into big boy stuff, and it struggles. Illustrator… I doubt it. I’d stick with a VM for both for major workloads until you really need bare-metal performance. This is something you will have to feel out for yourself.
GPU passthrough is a huge headache that doesn’t work how you would want it to from what I’ve vented. You apparently need 2 gpus. There are some setups that take one in theory but I’ve yet to find anyone who properly set it up.
Those who I’ve found to have setup a GPU passthrough said it wasn’t worth the upkeep and stopped with the first update cycle.
I think this depends on the GPU and drivers, I know some professional/enterprise ones can be divided among multiple VMs and a host. I haven’t had to deal with this because it seems like a headache to try. And everything I use works on Linux anyway.
If you need Adobe, just don’t bother with linux on your primary work / study machine. Save linux for another system.
As a primary Linux user, this might be the easiest answer. If there is specific software needed for work, then your work computer should serve that purpose.
Still, if I was freelancing and it’s my computer, I certainly would look at dual-booting or just having more than one computer (could even use a KVM switch to use the same keyboard, monitors and mouse). Also if I’m using software professionally, I would also have a professional interest in open source alternatives.
Still, this is all optional and extra. Just running Adobe is the baseline.
Yeah, you are right. I am thinking about maybe buying a MacBook since my school I’m transferring to will require one anyway. Having that be my school and work laptop only will probably help with productivity too.
While this won’t work completely, with a Mac you have access to a POSIX-like (zsh) terminal. Doing stuff in terminal will help with learning Linux to the side. As long as you treat the differences as a learning opportunity rather than an irritant, you’ll be better able to switch between them.
I really want to switch to Linux as my main gaming/production OS but need the Adobe suite
That’s not a hurdle… that’s a wall.
If your livelihood depends on running a Windows-only application, run it on a Windows computer.
You are, of course, free to also have a Linux computer for everything else. Use a KVM switch to toggle between them, or something like Synergy or Barrier to pass the mouse/keyboard/clipboard between both PCS. Share the storage between them over your network.
Yep. My work requires some Windows programs, and I run them on a separate Windows machine I got for cheap. The only policy I have is no personal computing on Windows, and I keep it disconnected from the internet permanently. That OS is creepy af.
I went Mac. it’s UNIX, and far better than suck-ass windows… but there’s a real limitation when it comes to gaming… Linux is supporting more and more games and macOS isn’t so much… that might change soon, it might not.
Personally, I’m not so much of a gamer, and I really like the Apple ecosystem. I run linux on my server and love it, too, and macOS plays really nice with linux. But if gaming is big for you AND you need Adobe apps like I do, then you’ll have to dual-boot if you want your main OS to be linux.
As for learning the ins-and-outs: there’s a leaning curve we ALL go through, and you’ll always be learning more as you go. But there’s never been a better time to learn as there’s never been more resources to help nor more community to support you with any and every problem you could ever have. Now is a very exciting time for linux. it’s super.
So, if I were you, I’d consider the switch away from Windows. You can dual-boot (or run a VM) or find a way to run Adobe Apps via Wine (not sure how that works). Personally, I couldn’t live without them and am very happy with macOS, but it’s not for everyone. Maybe you’ll be able to live with dual-booting into windows for wen you need to work and living the rest of the time in linux. it’s a journey you’re just going to have to take.
best of luck to you!
True! I am still going to college and the school I will be transferring to requires a MacBook so I have to get one anyway.
Does Mac OS have the same issues as Windows where settings change each update? That is my major annoyance with Windows.
True! I am still going to college and the school I will be transferring to requires a MacBook so I have to get one anyway.
I’m pretty sure you’ll like it, a hell of a lot more that Winblows anyway. like I said, macOS is UNIX (which linux was made to emulate), so they’re interoperable and have very similar architectures under the hood. macOS is defiantly different in its Apple-y ways, but still plays very nice with linux systems and also supports many linux software ports. There’s also a macOS command-line package manager called Homebrew that’s used to distribute many of these crossover software packages.
Does Mac OS have the same issues as Windows where settings change each update?
NO! macOS updates very rarely (if ever) break things, even with the legendarily persnickety Adobe apps, mostly because Adobe apps don’t have to hack shit in order to run on macOS, because macOS isn’t a dumpster fire of an OS like windows is.
Oo okay sweet! Mac OS doesn’t seem too bad now.
macOS is actually pretty awesome. lots of FOSS people don’t like it simply because of Apple and because of how Apple tends to be a bit overbearing when hit comes to how it likes to do things. macOS has limited customizability, for example, which is something linux users like to go bonkers with. I get it. but there are still ways to do what you want regardless. lots of hacks and stuff.
But it’s the most widely-used and most commercially-successful distribution of UNIX in the consumer space, and the only one still around in any meaningful way. Apple managed to bring UNIX to the masses and to scale it from smartwatches to servers where others failed for decades, all in one, unified ecosystem of software and hardware products. Yes, Apple’s control over that ecosystem is too much for some to bear on philosophical grounds, but those objections usually turn out to be mostly symbolic when put to practical tests.
The other main objection is that Apple products tend to be in the “premium” range of pricing and are “anti-consumer” in that they’re difficult or impossible to repair or upgrade. Those are valid criticisms, however they affect a very tiny sector of users, so make what you will of that.
Note: Linux, currently, cannot run on Macs with Apple Silicon processors. great efforts are underway to make linux compatible with the processor, and AFAIK, the linux kernel itself runs on the AS processors, but the project hasn’t gotten much farther than that, being stuck on untangling the display adapter or something. The effort is, however, ongoing and should, hopefully soon, see a fully-compatible AS linux kernel with compatible AS linux builds n the near future.
Stick to Windows. Linux is fine for IT pros and as a hobby. For graphic design with Adobe I just don’t see your productivity would be the same.
Looks like someone created an install script for photoshop on Linux. Uses wine to run.
Photoshop is just one of the many apps included in the Adobe suite. So while this is a welcomed repo, I’m afraid it is not feasible for people who design professionally
Youre stuck on Windows Im afraid, and Im pretty sure Adobe will never make a linux port
Don’t feel bad because you’re really good at using a tool that doesn’t follow your values. I use Windows during the work week and I use Linux for gaming on the weekend where I literally can’t work even if I wanted to.
For me Windows is a tool box with propriatry tools that have no Linux compatibility. That’s OK for me. People get emotionally invested but that’s neither healthy nor helpful. No point being angry at work, it’s like being angry that your work uniform is made by one textiles vendor not the other.
You get to choose what you use at home in your own time. If you feel good using Linux then, do it!
True, yeah. I think if I tried to fully switch over, it might slow down my workflow trying to make it work. What I should do is buy/build a new PC for work. A lot of people are suggesting a MacBook which might be good.
I think that’s a good idea, good luck with it!
Dual boot is really your only option aside from straight up staying on Windows. You can game and general use on Linux, then switch to Windows when it’s time to work. Not the most ideal and I know you said you don’t want to do that, but if you rely on Adobe products (which sadly many people do) you kind of need a Windows install or a Mac.
Another, much more expensive, option is to get a MacBook (or another laptop I suppose, not sure if the goal is to fully cut out Windows) and have that at your desk for your Adobe uses, and have Linux on your desktop. Not really feasible for most people but I don’t really know your situation so I thought I’d throw it out there.
Getting a MacBook might be a good option to be honest. I am still in college and transferring soon. The art school requires a MacBook so I would have to get one anyway. My main goal is to try steer away from Windows. I am tired of it installing MS software and resetting some settings every update. I’m not sure if Mac OS does something similar though.
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You don’t need to “switch to Linux”. It’s not a binary decision. Dual booting or dual partitioning is completely fine. Adobe even with wine and GPU pass-through has far worse performance than if you just boot up windows. It is fine to combine any software you want. That’s the “free” in “free software.”
You should try Krita to replace photoshop on Linux, i am on professionnal designer but lt feels really close to photoshop to me.
Adobe suite is one thing that is still an immense pain to get running on Linux, if you can even get it running at all. There aren’t a whole lot of good alternatives depending on your workflow, either. GIMP can be a good Photoshop substitute, but there isn’t really a good Illustrator substitute (Inkscape doesn’t support CMYK, for example), and it gets worse for the other tools in the suite, so your mileage may vary with that approach.
As others have said, a VM is an option. But, how about a KVM? Maybe it sounds old school, but you could have a Linux box for home / fun / gaming that just shares peripherals with a Windows box that is just for work. Then you get a few advantages:
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Linux PC as normal with no fancy setup needed
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Windows work PC has Adobe as usual, and you just do your non-work stuff on the Linux box. Network them together for easy file sharing.
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You don’t need to reboot to go between one or the other; simply switch your KVM over. Let Windows do its update nonsense or other data processing while gaming on the Linux box.
Obviously this does mean you need two physical machines, which might be a dealbreaker for you unless you have parts sitting around.
Edit: something else I just thought of: it is also possible to dual boot but get fancy with hibernation (not sleep, but hibernate = write all RAM contents to disk). You hibernate either installation to switch to the other, so while technically a reboot, all of your apps / windows etc come back up as if you hadn’t rebooted.
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need the Adobe suite as I am a graphic designer.
Then simply use Windows when you need to design something and Linux for everything else.
“But I don’t want to dual-boot!”
Then buy another PC and install Linux in it. A $10 single-board computer can run Linux just fine – even play 4k videos.
$10 SBC? Can you name that one? It seems like every time I want an SBC for a project they’re all $50+ these days.
Can you name that one?
Orange pi zero 3. Its super small, has the same/slightly better performance than a rpi 4 and the power draw caps at (worst case scenario) 3W. The only downside is that you MUST be a turbonerd in order to use it effectively.
Not in Canada :( back to $50
What I would do in your case if you really want to use Linux, is dual boot. Put all if your professional stuff on the Windows partition, put your personal stuff on Linux. That way you can game and doomscroll from Linux and keep a separate, clean, professional environment for your Adobe needs.
GPU passthrough is not hard to set uo but requires a second GPU. If your processor has a GPU built in, you can use that as the second GPU, if not you’re out of luck. There are some very low profile cards (GTX 1030 style) that will probably still fit and do basic graphics for you, but you won’t be gaming that way.
To pass through a GPU, you set up a virtual machine in something like virt-manager, open its settings, click “add hardware”, find the pcie button and select the right pcie device to pass through. Things used to be more difficult with some cards (Nvidia mostly) but modern drivers should work fine.
You can get virtual GPU acceleration to work without passthrough if you combine very recent virtualisation software with the right drivers and a bit of luck. I tried it with Nvidia and Intel and both times weren’t a great experience, leading to hardware freezes and kernel panics when I tried to put a load on them.
After getting the pass through working, your VM will output its screen through the GPU you forwarded while your computer works through the other (integrated) GPU. You can install a program called Looking Glass that’ll copy the video signal coming from your real GPU to a window running in Linux so you don’t need to mess with display cables or KVMs. There’s a second program you need to forward keyboard and mouse events. With those two installed, you should be alright.
I don’t know your specific branch of creative work, but tons of creative people use tools like Krita and Inkscape. They’re objectively worse tools to use for an infinitely better price, which makes them very affordable alternatives for people in countries where Adobe’s subscription costs as much as a month’s wage. You’ll have to decide if training to use those tools is worth your time, though.
For most professions, I think even a day of learning to use the new programs will probably cost you more than a monthly adobe subscription in lost wages, so I don’t think it’ll be worth the switch unless you experiment in your free time.
Important note that nvidia drivers don’t like to be unloaded, so usually you have to restart and load another driver, which is annoying without a second gpu.
Nouveau usually plays a lot nicer
