first time mac buyer need to know specs, for editing Final Cut Pro/adobe premiere

[Shane Ross]

[Misty Campbell] “Can be a refurb”

Get the latest model you can. If new…go new. If refirb…latest refirb you can. Basically the best mac you can afford.

[Misty Campbell] “want to run Final Cut NOT X”

Be prepared to scour eBay looking for it. But why get invested in an NLE that came out 4 years ago, last updated 3 years ago…discontinued 2.5 years ago? It’s EOL.

[Misty Campbell] “do not have final cut,,, would there be a refurb that might have it.”

Not legally, no. People sell computers loaded with software all the time on eBay, but it’s not legal, unless they also give you the original installers as well.

[Misty Campbell] “do not need as much power as you high end tech guys
simple editing,, minimal graphics, no fancy stuff …but would be nice to be able to upgrade with more ram etc, later”

Then get the best computer you can afford. ALL macs will run FCP.

[Misty Campbell] “want it to be able to edit video from a dslr”

OK…make sure you convert the footage it shoots to ProRes 422 or ProRes LT before you bring it into FCP. FCP does not work with the native format it shoots. Compressor (comes with FCP) has presets for ProRes.

[Misty Campbell] “it would be good if i could also run adobe premiere cs4 or 6”

Get CS6. Or go Premiere Pro CC (Creative Cloud). It’s like $30 a month for the single app, or $50 a month for everything they make.

[Misty Campbell] “have firewire”

Don’t get a Mac Air or MacBook Pro Retina. They lack Firewire.

[Misty Campbell] “tried to be as detailed as possible,”

Look on the Apple site…look at the models that interest you, make sure they have firewire…avoid the two models I listed above. There’s not a lot of variations in the Mac world…

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Bret Williams]

Imacs don’t have firewire anymore either. Course there’s an adapter for that.

[Misty Campbell]

forgot to add,, can i also hook up extra drive if i need to burn?

[Bret Williams]

I bought an external samsung bluray burner for $89. It’s USB 2 just like Apple’s external DVD burner.

[Misty Campbell]

thank you!

[Misty Campbell]

Shane,, thanks for all info!

[Misty Campbell]

just want to burn dvd.. guess i can do same thing

[Ben Holmes]

You can use a FW800 drive with any Mac that has Thunderbolt via an adapter. Just be aware that due to the technical limitations of TB, you cannot BUS power that drive via the adapter, so you need to use the power supply that came with the drive.

If you want to edit with DSLR footage, don’t bother with FCP7. I’ve just rough-cut a 15 min doco in Adobe Premiere CC all shot on a 5D – no need to transcode, especially to ProRes which will take up a lot more space. The whole notion of a transcoding just to edit is a bit old now. FCPX, as much as it is maligned, is also a great tool for DSLR editing – and it sounds like you are not a ‘power user’ based on your specs, so it’s ease of use might interest you.

I’m not sure if Shane mentioned it, but whatever you get (and for my money, it’s an iMac if you don’t need portable and a Macbook Pro if you do) just make sure you get plenty of RAM – all new apps like Adobe CC and FCPX need a lot of it. 16Gb of ram is not expensive for these machines and should be considered a minimum now.

Ben

Edit Out Ltd
—————————-
FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producer

https://www.blackmagic-design.com/community/communitydetails/?UserStoryId=8757

[Craig Alan]

This ir right on the money. For simple editing. X is a good match and will continue to work with latest OS. FCP 7 is getting old. It’s slower and no on-going support. PP is fine and being updated. But it’s a monthly bill. Any fairly recent Imac will get the job done. Great machines. Look at Apple’s refurb list in the apple store on-line. https://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac.

27′ imac so you can add more ram and lots of real estate.

https://store.apple.com/us/product/FD095/refurbished-imac-29ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i5

https://store.apple.com/us/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter for non-bus powered firewire drives.

go to owc for extra ram and blu-ray players. great company.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Camcorders: Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV30/40, Sony Z7U, VX2000, PD170; FCP 6 certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.