Should I get an iMac for video editing?

[Unikfreak]

I'm thinking about getting an iMac 24" along with FC Studio 2.0 since I'm getting more serious about video editing. To me, my PC just doesn't cut it anymore, I've tried trials of Avid (slow as hell on a E6600 and really unfriendly), I've been using Premiere in the past 4 years but there's something lacking. I remember 3 years ago, I went to an Apple store and got a demo of FCP HD (can't remember the version) and I was blown away with the realtime effects applied with NO RENDERING and Live Type was just completely off the chart as far as creating awesome titles with little knowledge.

Now, I'm thinking about getting the $2,499 iMac 24" since I haven't got a lot of space and I only want to do video editing on it (my PC can take care of everything else). So would it be a good investment? Or should I learn Avid properly and forget about FCP? It seems to me like FCP is combining power with ease (if you know Premiere, FC is like a second nature).

[edDV]

Comes down to personal user interface choice and the type of editing you do. The 2.8GHz 24" iMac is now $2299 plus $1299 for Final Cut Studio 2.

There is nothing more "powerful" about a Mac. All use the same Intel Core2 CPU chips now.

"No Rendering" usually means the preview is rendered in lower resolution to allow interaction. The full render is done as a background process. They all do this to some degree.

AVID is best used for movie style editorial or short feature editing. Once you learn the ropes if can be very efficient. Most movies and TV shows are edited on an AVID (Mac or PC platform). I suggest you take a class or buy a tutorial DVD to learn the workflow.

FCP takes alot of learning as well. The choice is yours.

[superpotts]

A Mac is like a cult leader - it has a lot of elitism appeal, but in the end it's just a hollow charlatan that doesn't live up to the hype of its outspoken advocates. In other words, it's no different than the PC. If you're comfortable on a PC, there's really no reason to switch. If you're comfortable on a Mac, then there's really no reason to switch to a PC. You'd be better off spending a portion of the $2500 making sure you have the right PC hardware for video editing and sticking with the format that you already know and are comfortable with.

[rumplestiltskin]

A Mac is not like a cult leader; Steve is the cult leader

I have the 24" iMac. Make sure you load it up with 4GB of RAM (the max). The difference between the 2.4GHz and 2.8GHz isn't that noticeable; spend the difference on your software, AppleCare, RAM, whatever.

However, if you'd like to spend your time fighting with the machine and Windows, do get a PC.

Or get Parallels and Windows and run it all on your Mac. (I do.) Then be sure your AVG Antivirus is always up to date for the PC side of things.

[lordsmurf]

If you have to fight with Windows, you probably are the reason it has issues, not the OS itself. The same people can usually find a way to screw up Mac, a VCR, the toaster, etc.

Who needs anti-virus? I have an editing machine that doesn't even go online. There is ZERO reason for it to ever go online.

Final Cut Pro is fine. DVD Studio Pro is really nice. But if you think it's an easier than Adobe Premiere (or Vegas), and any decent authoring software, then you're in for a rude surprise. It's not any easier, or better, or anything else. It's just another option.

If you want realtime effects, you need a realtime video editing card (Matrox, Canopus), not a Mac.

What's lacking in Premiere? Have you used Adobe Premiere CS3 yet? The entire CS3 line of software is simply wonderful. They have added, tweaked, fixed, improved, etc ... so much of the CS3 software. I'm a big fan, whereas before I was friendly to some version of the Adobe apps, and pretty disapproving of the others.

[jayrives]

given that you have been using PCs for a while, the advice to really check into how to soup up your existing machine and all the software options is sound,. you may find a perfect solution that way

if you go with the iMac you would be wise to max out the ram from the start. cause lots of ram is way better than using drive space as virtual memory. also, remember that FCP and iMovie both use DV files which are hard drive hogs. it's very easy to fill up a drive with workfiles. so either max out the internal drive or be ready to buy externals if you are working with longer videos.

[Unikfreak]

Damn, I had a nice reply ready to post but my browser (Opera) just shutdown on me and there it goes so I'll try to resume a bit.

I already got a nice gaming PC rig. And I'm still using my Matrox RTX 100 Pro that I bought a couple of years ago. Also, I've been using Premiere since 2003 but I'm a total newb with AE or Avid. But what I find attractive with the iMac is the fact that it's a compact computer with a 24" built in monitor and since FCP and Premiere shares so many similarities, it should be easier to adapt. I would prefer to have a dedicated editing station instead of having 10+ different drivers on my PC which wasn't built with video editing in mind.

I layed off the editing for a while (~2 years) but for the past 3 months I've been trying to get back in it but I see a lot of benefits from having a dedicated computer. I'm not throwing my PC anywhere lol.

@superpotts: Getting the right PC hardware would mean removing the things that make it a gaming PC and replacing it which, for me, are unacceptable.

@jayrives: The perfect solution would be me being able to run Leopard on my PC and then installing FCP. I know it's possible but I don't know if it's worth the trouble. Also stability is a huge issue. Don't want to have a crash while editing (happened to me a lot in the past, so I had to set auto save every 5 min.)

Thanks for the various comments though. I'm strongly leaning towards an iMac, especially since I know now that RAM is more important than speed. Doesn't work that way in gaming

[edDV]

If I were going for a serious FCP rigg, I'd choose the full Mac Pro to house the necessary disk drives. The iMac is limited to external Firewire (400/800) and USB2 only.

[terryj]

All good responses to the OP's original question.
I'm not going to respond to a "mac vs pc",
which is better becasue at this point it's moot.

What I will add is this:
Since you plan on starting basically over into video editiing,
take what you know and build from that point.

If you are comfortable using a PC, and have gotten down
key commands, shortcuts, and built up a wealth tricks
and tips on it, then get a PC and the newest version of Premiere.

If you are starting totally from scratch, then sit down and demo
a Mac at a local Apple Store. IF in say 15 to 20 minutes you
aren't pulling your hair out, and find the experience pleaseant,
then buy a Mac and FCP.

The one thing that will help you in the long run, over processor
speed, ram, amount of HD space, in being a Video Editor,
because that IS what you are wanting to be, is the ability
to be comfortable in front of the computing platform of your
choice, so when problems do occur, and they will, you
will be able to sit at the computer for hours until you get it
figured out, and not want to throw the thing out the nearest
window.

And by problems....just scan the last two or three days of this
forum, and you can see what I mean. Everything from interface
problems, to OS glitches, to the odd "how do I make this
piece of video/subtitle/properitary footage fit/transcode/shrink
to this for this project?" questions....

You'll end up having one of these head scratchers at some point,
and if your comfortable with the machine in front of you, it will
make it easier to get over the hurdles, and get back to the
work at hand.

Once you have that locked down, then you can figure out
your actual computing needs as far as processor, ram and HD.

What everyone has said is true:
For FCP, Ram and HD are more important in an iMac,
get the most Ram and HD you can afford in the machine
at time of purchase. Same with a PC and Premiere.

IF you get an iMac with
A 500GB HD, & 3 to 4Gb of Ram, then only having only one FW port
isn't going to kill you...You can easily switch between having the
DV Cam hooked, import footage, and then unhook, and then hook a FW
drive up if necessary.

Best of luck to you whatever you end up choosing......

[pck76]

Yesterday I stumbled upon the Mac shop in central london, and tried a 24" imac. In particular, i was trying Motion 3 (which is part of Final Cut Studio 2, as you probably know).

well...the result was a bit depressing. Although it was just a small file (300 frames, 10 secs), the imac struggled to apply the effect in real time. Probably the reason was that it required more Ram. but would that be enough with a bigger and more complex file?

i think that if you're serious (or even just a bit more than a beginner) with editing, you MUST consider buying a mac pro, with a good video card and good sized Ram.

but also - and I can't believe I'm saying this - you should consider getting a better PC, which will give you better performances for the same price (and, even more important, more flexibility when you decide to upgrade (eg. buy a new graphic card, which is what makes an incredible difference while applying effects).

[terryj]

well...the result was a bit depressing. Although it was just a small file (300 frames, 10 secs), the imac struggled to apply the effect in real time. Probably the reason was that it required more Ram. but would that be enough with a bigger and more complex file?

yes the iMacs in the Apple store are stock factory machines.
(ram is 512MB in most, 1GB where applicable).

Maxing out the ram will help Motion greatly, as will maxing out
the VRAM on the Video Card ( say from 64mb to 128MB to 256mb ).

[pck76]

yes the iMacs in the Apple store are stock factory machines.
(ram is 512MB in most, 1GB where applicable).

you're right, but that machine was 1GB. probably 2 GB would have made a big difference, but I was still quite surprised.

To be honest, if it was possible to upgrade the mac with new/better video cards, I would be much softer in my review.
I love my mac, but I'm quite tired of having to stick to expensive (and limited in number) products designed for mac, when PC-users can spend less to have better cards...

[Unikfreak]

No disrespect to anybody but have you bother to check my computer details before telling me to upgrade?

Also, I've slept on it and thought about what I really have missing and that's a titler like Live Type. So this afternoon I browse the web and found out suggestions about using Cool 3D or Boris Graffiti. That's my number one complain. My titles looks amateurish in colors (even after filtering them with the NTSC filter, the red bleeds too much, the dark is too dark, white is too white, etc...). I guess I'm looking for the magic pill instead of doing exercises so to speak and to be honest, yes I want the quick solution to be able to edit and spend the least time trying to figure how. For example, I want to do a nice flaming effect to dissolve my main title (like it went to ashes), however there's just no way of doing that in Premiere and I just don't know AE enough. I downloaded the trial for Cool 3D, I've spent around 30 minutes but it doesn't seem to have a timeline or if there's one I don't know how to activate it.

Anyway, for cutting and transition, Premiere is more than enough. I just thought that FCP would give me more versatility. In Premiere 6.5 with Matrox plug-ins, it was great since I could see what I was doing on the spot. I haven't tried CS3 yet because Matrox doesn't support it (well not my RTX-100 Pro). They have stopped at CS2. And to be honest, I don't have the space in my computer for another PCI card (because of a cooler I bought for my 8800GTX which takes 4 slots but drops the temp to 40c). A PCI-e card would be a nice fit though.

[lordsmurf]

The one thing that will help you in the long run, over processor
speed, ram, amount of HD space, in being a Video Editor,
because that IS what you are wanting to be, is the ability
to be comfortable in front of the computing platform of your
choice, so when problems do occur, and they will, you
will be able to sit at the computer for hours until you get it
figured out, and not want to throw the thing out the nearest
window.
.

I often forget what OS I'm even on. It's not important. I get lost in the task of video or photo. The biggest issue to me is not the OS itself, but how you customize it. I can sit at my workstation at home or at work, and whip through any number of projects in a short time.

If I have to sit at somebody else's computer, many of which have minimal customizations, and lots of extra crap installed on the computer (Mac or Windows), that's when I get frustrated, as it's not set up for my needs. I have to hunt in candy-coated Start menus or Apple menus, and the machine keeps wanting to "help" me, and that just pisses me off. I have shortcuts directly to hard drives and document folders and software on my desktop, and I customized how my OS responds to certain files and discs. It does not ever try to help me, I don't need help from a dumb OS. I'm smarter than it is.

The only time OS comes into play is when I work on a Mac and need a video task-specific program, and then realize only Windows has that type of software available. Not Max, not Linux, and that's a pain too. If you're just editing off camera, it won't be a problem.

[lordsmurf]

. I guess I'm looking for the magic pill instead of doing exercises so to speak and to be honest, yes I want the quick solution to be able to edit and spend the least time trying to figure how. .

Sorry, but you're out of luck here. Video takes time, knowledge and effort. If you can't handle that, pay somebody else. There is no magic pill.

It's taken me 7 years of using NLEs to gets as proficient as I am, and there's never any shortage of new things to learn.

[terryj]

It's taken me 7 years of using NLEs to gets as proficient as I am, and there's never any shortage of new things to learn.

too true smurfy, too true.

I often forget what OS I'm even on. It's not important. I get lost in the task of video or photo.

But in terms of the OP, who has never used a mac, and so many other
"switchers", the little things they don't know in the OS can trip them up,
to the point that their questions of "why doesn't this work" could mostly
be attributed to the differences in the OS they are used to, vs the OS
they are using now.

Try hanging around the mac forum more often and answer questions like:

* Why doesn't ( this iLife app) work like this app I'm used to on Windows?
* Why doesn't my mac like USB for video editing?
* Why doesn't ( a quicktime based app)behave like this app I'm used to?
( which is based around Windows Media/some arcane codec/etc)
* Why can't I save a video file into Windows Media Video (WMV)?

Most of these questions can be "brushed aside" by newbies by making sure
they are comfortable with the platform first they are on,
and learning those intricacies/"little gotchas", so that they can move on
to the "harder questions".

Sure, now you aren't concerned about the OS, because your (raises hand over head).
But once upon a time, maybe in the mid to early 80's
you were here ( places hand on the floor).
I'm saying what I said for people who are there, whether new to the mac,
new to video, or just new computing in general.
that's all.

[lordsmurf]

What OS was an Apple IIe using, anyway? I forget.

[terryj]

I got started on a Macintosh IIsi running system 7.0, and it was just upgraded
when I started on it, so you had to be running
6.0.5 maybe...?

[lordsmurf]

I don't think it even ran MacOS, but something else. I don't even recall if "Mac" was part of the Apple brand yet. I took a look over at wikipedia, and it showed some DOS-like non-GUI OS. That's what I started with. I remember when Mac got a GUI OS that had color. I also used an 8088 and 80286, way back when. I've been using both Apple/Mac and DOS/Windows machines for a long time.

I didn't start using MacOS (v6) until 1993 or so. Then 7, 8, 9, X. used them all. Photoshop 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I prefer Windows/DOS, mostly because it has more software for my media needs.

[terryj]

What?
you missed out on the beauty that was Adobe Photoshop 2.0/2.5?
lol!!

"Mac"or "Macintosh" was "part of the line" starting in 1984, with the mac 128k.
and you were using System 6 in 1993? System 7 came out in 1991
when I was in college, and I remember my Art Teacher
was thrilled to get it......of course she did the machines slowly,
and I remember how much ( to me) how 6.05 was a POS at the time...

[Jester700]

Yeah, the mac was later, and was the first popular GUI. The IIe was dos-based. I learned Basic, PASCAL, and some assembler on a IIc and IIe...

[dcsos]

Burrell Smith was the apple engineer who did the first VIDEO on the MACINTOSH. Around the time Wozniak left, he left too, to found the first video-computer company...RADIUS..later Digital Origins/Cinestream
re they still around?