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Do you use a 13″ laptop for HD editing? How about 15″?
Does anyone use a 13″ macbook pro for editing DSLR HD footage? I’m wondering if the screen size is usable or if it would be annoying. I very much like the portability of the 13″ macbooks.
If not, is a 15″ screen large enough to edit without an external monitor?
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5 Replies
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DSLR footage as H.264, or as ProRes? And how many streams? You can certainly give it a go but as with anything the less powerful the computer the less responsive your editing will be and more waiting to render.
Personally I don’t find the actual size of the monitor being that great of a factor as most NLEs will scale fine to whatever display you have. One notable exception being Apple Color which does not work well on a 13 inch machine- to say nothing of not being a good idea to color grade without a broadcast monitor.
Noah
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D.
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For now all I have is Final Cut Express which limits me to Apple Intermediate Codec, probably 2 streams tops. But at some point I’ll likely use FCP w/ ProRes or Avid editing native H.264 using AMA.
I’d be looking at a 2.4 GHz 13″ macbook pro. Or if I jump to the 15″ I’ll go for the 2.4 intel i5 most likely.
My main concern is the screen size, though and I’m really interested in hearing from people who’ve edited HD on a 13″ and/or 15″ screen.
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I’d go look at both an Apple Store. Can FCE/FCP be done on either- sure. Is a 15″ monitor more preferable and easier to work with editing-wise than a 13″? Absolutely. Does that ease justify the greater weight and expense- that depends entirely on YOU. 🙂
Noah
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D.
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I find the 17″ too small but that is just me. But I don’t care what other people find comfortable but they are not me. I would never buy anything smaller than a 17″, but I don’t fly a lot. Try opening a 17″ MPB on a plane.
Like what Noah said, you have to make this call.
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FWIW, I went to the Apple store and their 13″ Macbook Pros don’t have Final Cut Pro or Express installed on them.
I did open iMovie on the 13″ and I did get on a 15″ and reposition the Final Cut windows mimic a 13″ screen. Honestly, it looked more useable than I was expecting. That said, I’m probably going with a 15″.
20″ intel iMac, 2.66 GHz, 4GB ram
View my reel – http://www.youtube.com/patrickdsimpson
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