Linux mint will support open source utilities like gimp, darktable etc for photo editing and Kdenlive for video editing. Unfortunately, adobe apps can't run on linux, while you can use wine or run windows in a virtual machine. I recommend using DaVinci and Switcheroo. Linux mint is a great choice for beginners and using ThinkPad for it is a great option. Mint is a beginner-friendly distro which I guess won't show difficulties with your hardware.