Mac vs. Macbook pro for editing

[Paul Duvilla]

oddball question:
does anyone think that it might be feasible to edit scarlet footage on a maxed out macbook air?
-n

I doubt it. I had a regular Macbook and it really couldn't handle a lot of more basic projects, so I don't believe an Air could. But I could be wrong.

And thanks for all the answers! Right now I'm thinking of forking out the extra money for the mac pro to be on the safe side

 

[Ivan Kovax]

oddball question:

does anyone think that it might be feasible to edit scarlet footage on a maxed out macbook air?
it would be an amazing combo for international travel...

-n

If the new MacBook air comes with an actual video card other than the integrated intel one, then yes... Possible. If not I wouldn't suggest it.

I have done are effects on a maxxed out Air before, and it is do-able, however this is only because after effects is mostly reliant on CPU and ram rather than GPU.

Cheers,

Ivan

 

[JIM MALLON]

Sometimes this forum is more about people blowing their own horns that it is answering the question.

I wanted to say that but I bit my tongue. I don't lknow why but forums generally drive me crazy simply because 50% of replies never attempt to answer the actual questions asked.

This is a very valuable discussion for many who are wondering what peoples experiences are on the new imac/MacBook/Macpro and later on Final Cut X. Some want to end the disscussion even though Final Cut X isn't even out! and the new imac was released last week.


So real world question, how quickly approximatly would it take for an hour of 3K Red footage to be converted to ProRes for the different Apple systems.
I heard thats the common method by way people are editing. Would Final Cut X change this method?

 

[Ivan Kovax]

I wanted to say that but I bit my tongue. I don't lknow why but forums generally drive me crazy simply because 50% of replies never attempt to answer the actual questions asked.

This is a very valuable discussion for many who are wondering what peoples experiences are on the new imac/MacBook/Macpro and later on Final Cut X. Some want to end the disscussion even though Final Cut X isn't even out! and the new imac was released last week.


So real world question, how quickly approximatly would it take for an hour of 3K Red footage to be converted to ProRes for the different Apple systems.
I heard thats the common method by way people are editing. Would Final Cut X change this method?

Final Cut X will probably not need much transcoding as it an open CL based system. Which means you should be able to edit natively most formats. Have a look in the FCP workflow section. It is a great resource.

Guys, I know are new here,so welcome. This is really a great place to learn and gather useful info, provide useful info and make good friends as well. But also please be aware that one of the unwritten courtesies around here is to do your own research via the search bar to see if your question has been answered before. Questions on FCP X can be found in the workflow section, for example. It is not that anybody is tooting their own horn, but you will come to notice that after a while the same questions tend to be repeated again and again.

Sorry if I came across the wrong way, however in future please don't go on the defensive if somebody mentions "please use search" or something of that nature.

All the best,
Ivan

 

[Liam Hall]

Hi I was wondering what everyone thought would be better for editing footage from scarlet or epic s when they come out? Either the new Mac or the new Macbook Pro. Which one does everybody think will handle the workflow better and which is faster?

Of course a MacPro will be faster than a MacbookPro, but whether it is better or not depends on your own particular needs. I often need to edit in hotel rooms or on planes or in a client's office, so a MacbookPro is essential. But when I get back to my studio I tend to use my desktop - mainly because it's hooked up to faster drives, bigger screens etc.

It will be interesting to see how fast FCPX handles RED and other footage - if it's quick enough it might mean that a pimped out MacbookPro with a decent cinema screen and external RAID is the way to go for the indie. Certainly Thunderbolt makes this ever more likely and that is why I bought the new 17inch on the day it was released.

 

[JIM MALLON]

Final Cut X will probably not need much transcoding as it an open CL based system. Which means you should be able to edit natively most formats. Have a look in the FCP workflow section. It is a great resource.

Guys, I know are new here,so welcome. This is really a great place to learn and gather useful info, provide useful info and make good friends as well. But also please be aware that one of the unwritten courtesies around here is to do your own research via the search bar to see if your question has been answered before. Questions on FCP X can be found in the workflow section, for example. It is not that anybody is tooting their own horn, but you will come to notice that after a while the same questions tend to be repeated again and again.

Sorry if I came across the wrong way, however in future please don't go on the defensive if somebody mentions "please use search" or something of that nature.

All the best,
Ivan

Its not an obvious thing to do a search for a computer thats just been released. BUT knowing there is a thread that discusses it already, well that actually is useful to know. Thanks

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?58361-New-iMac-with-ThunderBolt-...-Plausible-to-Use

the disscussion on the New MacBook is over at Workflow too.

 

[Paul Watt]

Aargh. My Mac Pro has a few issues and is being worked on right now, so I'm painfully editing on my Macbook Pro. It is awful compared to two big screens and a wireless keyboard etc. It's possible to do a small project, I guess, and I know people do it, but it is far from ergonomic, and very slow compared to a Mac Pro. That's why I'm procrastinating here, in fact!

 

[JIM MALLON]

Aargh. My Mac Pro has a few issues and is being worked on right now, so I'm painfully editing on my Macbook Pro. It is awful compared to two big screens and a wireless keyboard etc. It's possible to do a small project, I guess, and I know people do it, but it is far from ergonomic, and very slow compared to a Mac Pro. That's why I'm procrastinating here, in fact!

Is it the new macBook pro?

How slow is very slow?

What screen size?

 

[Paul Watt]

A year old 15". It's much more about looking down at a screen instead of straight ahead, and having one small screen instead of two big ones. And I use shortcuts on the the number pad on the far right of the keyboard a lot too, so those aren't there. If you had a wireless keyboard, and a second monitor, it would be a lot better, but then you might as well have a desktop. The big comp is running again, (a crappy power cable!) so I'm happy now. Also, much faster rendering encoding etc., maybe twice as fast or more? Not sure, but it's a big difference of course.

 

[John Warner]

I would assume if you transcoded just for an offline edit you would be able to edit on most standard machines build after 2010 and then relink your offline footage vi xml or edl back to your r3ds for rendering and or grading, but i think having a slower machine for the final render or grade will be more of the issue then if the machine will be able to edit smoothly.