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Ok to have other apps open while editing?
I still have this tendency from the days of the coal-boiler computers – if you wanted your computer to focus on the job at hand you would shut down all other open applications. Is that necessary while we’re editing in FCP? Say I wanted to leave Entourage and Safari and Itunes up while I was editing – is this well and good or does it slow things down? I tend to shut out all other apps, the editor across the hall leaves them up and doesn’t seem to be having any problems.
Nick
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12 Replies
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It doesn’t really matter to me… FCP only uses about 2.5 gig of system memory as a maximum amout so anything above that can be used for whatever. Besides that, the programs you mentioned really aren’t resource hogs.
Now, if you edit with DVD Studio Pro open, you’ll notice a system slow down, just because it is a system resource hog. Otherwise, you’ll be fine. I do it all of the time. Its not unusual to have Safari, Mail, FCP, Photoshop, iTunes, Compressor, and the Kona Control Panel open all at the same time without any problems what so ever.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
http://www.schazamproductions.com -
[Nick Ryan] “the editor across the hall leaves them up and doesn’t seem to be having any problems.”
I think you answered your own question. Why don’t you open iTunes and go nuts.
Many a time I’ve surfed the web and checked email while digitizing. Occasionally you’ll get a hiccup. I’ve also had FCP and AE rendering while surfing or checking email, listening to iTunes, etc.
While outputting to tape it’s a whole differnet matter. Other apps can be open, but I wouldn’t touch anything.
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[Nick Ryan] “Is that necessary while we’re editing in FCP? Say I wanted to leave Entourage and Safari and Itunes up while I was editing – is this well and good or does it slow things down? I tend to shut out all other apps, the editor across the hall leaves them up and doesn’t seem to be having any problems.”
Personally, I don’t run anything on my editing computers except the apps necessary to complete the task at hand. If I need Photoshop, i’ll launch that and quit. I only run FCP when I’m editing. I have a laptop and Mac Mini for web surfing and email. My feeling is my livelihood depends on the efficient operation of my editing systems. Therefore, I’m not going to chance a crash just because I want to check out cnn.com or look at my mail. Get a laptop and leave the editing system to edit.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.comDirector, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow Posting “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Technically speaking, with few exceptions (apps that directly access hardware with kernel extensions), applications in OSX operate in their own memory space (protected memory). Even if they crash, they can’t affect other applications. Because of pre-emptive multitasking, they also do not use up system memory or processor cycles when you are not working in them. You are most likely to have problems with other apps while outputting to tape or digitizing, as that tends to be more demanding on the system.
That being said…being as careful as Walter is certainly not a bad idea, and having a laptop around to do other things would be ideal. But your system should have more than enough horsepower to run Safari and Entourage at the same time as FCP without a problem. DVDSP, Motion or a big Compressor encode might be pushing it.
Remember to turn of your e-mail alert sound.
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I was told by a DVD Replicator that when you are burning a DVD (and want a good solid burn) you should only have DVDSP running. Don’t know if it’s true, but there you go.
Kevin Monahan
Take My FCP Master’s Workshop!
fcpworld.com
Pres. SF Cutters -
Well, yeah….
Its extremely resource heavy and to burn a DVD it takes everything the system has to burn it properly. Otherwise, you’ll get failed burns. Sort of like when you Print to Tape in FCP.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
http://www.schazamproductions.com -
Around here, we dont let editors use edit systems for browsing the net… Laptops are cheap these days, and are perfect for checking email, IMing, browsing the net…
Maybe we are a little parnoid, but once you have a system go down from a virus, it just doesnt seem worth it to take risks with our systemsmoody glasgow
smoke artist / editor -
We often have many apps running while editing in FCP. Other than DVD Studio Pro the only trouble I ran into was a super slow down when AE was running. Finally found that disabling Video Output frames in FCP made the difference. Must be a Kona 2 issue. I now have frames off hot-keyed to CMD+OPT+F12 since frames output was already CMD+F12.
For Output to Tape (ETT) we try to kill most stuff, but I tend to still do a few small things like, reading the Cow, which I am doing right now, as I lay off. If frames get drops it will stop. However, we just put our XServe RAIDs together into a SAN (FiberJet) and it is more finicky and drops frames occasionally. I don’t think it has anything to do with using the workstation as it does it sometimes with nothing else running. Anybody have experience with FiberJet. We are demo’ing it and will also demo MetaSan soon. I would like to get Apple XSan but not getting anyone to agree with me ($$$).
Brad Loflin
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With FCP 5.0, I had problems with slowdowns after Photoshop had been open for a while; even after I quit Photoshop, the slowdowns in FCP were noticeable. This seems to have been fixed by one of the most recent versions. I still have some issues if I get greedy and try to encode files with Cleaner and use FCP at the same time, but I’ve never lost any work due to these issues.
As you get accustomed to how fast your system works with FCP, you’ll learn to notice when things aren’t working up to normal speed, if there are any problems with other software running.
Joe Murray
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Thats INSANE ! Are you talking about Avids, and PC’s ?? Remember FCP runs on a system that does not have a single os virus. !!! I am in charge of 10 suites that make high quality broadcast stuff 20 hours every day. I am VERY liberal, and let all editors to do whatever they will with the system. They can install apps… download stuff, check mails.. ANYTHING
No problems whatsoever. No mac having problems from that stuff at all. Everything works great. If you think you need to be restrictive, maybe you don’t know osx good enough.
For me.. this is one of the biggest advantage with macs.
Running pc’s and avids, I can totally understand that you you want to be restrictive
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