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4K in FCP7 on 2008 MacBook Pro?
Newer camera technologies are pushing us to shoot in 4K. I’m still on FCP7 as Premiere Pro CS5.5 and CS6 don’t always run smoothly when editing ProRes 422 footage.
My Mac is from 2008. These are the specs: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 ghz, 4GB RAM, 256 MB video card, and 200GB 7200 rpm HD.
I’d like to start renting cameras that can shoot in 4K, but I’m not positive my system or FCP7 can handle it. FCP7 can handle ProRes 422 footage just fine though.
Anyone know if 4K would be compatible with this system on FCP7 or am I going to need to upgrade my editing platform?
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7 Replies
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The typical workflow is to convert the footage to ProRes 422, or proxy, at 1920×1080…edit that way, and then finish on systems that handle 4K, like Resolve or Scratch or Smoke.
CS6 does handle ProRes fine, I use it all the time. But you also need that CUDA enabled GFX card. Without that…yeah, it’ll struggle.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Editing 4K on that system is going to be an issue. You don’t mention what type of external storage you are using but you will need some fast external drives in a raid configuration. A single 200 gig drive is never going to be enough in terms of size or speed.
I would try editing in HD or maybe 2K and then conforming to 4K in either Color or Resolve depending on what you have.
That said your laptop may not run Resolve (not sure of minimum spec) so Color is possibly the only way to attempt it.If you are really looking to edit 4K regularly long term then I would look at a new system and maybe use FCPX or CC to do that.
FCP7 is really too old to make it a smooth process but the conform option may see you OK for a while.You may find this useful as a guide to the kind of workflow you couple adopt.
https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/professionalformatsandworkflows/index.html#chapter=11%26section=3%26tasks=truebest wishes
Neil
http://www.patience.tv8 Core MacPro, Kona 3, Tangent Wave, Mackie Universal Symphony 6.5 or MC V 7 with Symphony option. FCP7, Color, Media creation and conversion. Adobe Encore DVD creation and authoring.
i7 2.7 Gig MBP (non retina) 16Gigs Ram Blackmagic Monitor Mini Symphony 6.5 or MC v7 with Symphony option FCP7
7TB raid 5 fibre storage. -
Understandable. Sorry forgot to mention that I editon a RAID-0 1TB external GRaid hard drive, connected via FW800.
I’ve read and seen demonstrations with RED workflows that you can edit a 720p proxy version of footage, and the 4K version can be output? Not sure how Canon 1DC, Arri, and other 4K cameras work. Seems I’ll have to upgrade though if I’m planning on 4K, but I knew that was coming
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[Ryan Atkins] “I editon a RAID-0 1TB external GRaid hard drive, connected via FW800.”
Firewire 800 is not fast enough for 4K…not by a long shot. You’ll need a two or more RAID-0 eSATA drive, or SAS, or GIG-E Ethernet. Firewire is your bottleneck.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
I kinda thought so. I had to reconfigure from an eSata connection because a drive went bad a while ago…and just haven’t gone back. Of those 3 connections (eSata, SAS, and GIG-E Ethernet), which one is fastest?
I appreciate your feedback
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Well, on your MACBOOK PRO…your only options are…well, Ethernet. There is no adapter for eSATA on that thing either, don’t have an Express34 slot either. Nor SAS. 4K on a laptop…maybe if you had a newer laptop with Thunderbolt. But 2008 MacBook Pro…you are limited.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
I see. I actually do have an ExpressCard34 slot. Definitely need to look into upgrade options for the future. Thanks for the feedback
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