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Video editing: Mac or Windows?

Arthur Reygnier -  
 Anonymous user -
Hello,
I am about to enroll in a cinema degree, and since I don't have a computer, I need to buy one. The degree remains very theoretical, but for my personal projects, I need to do video editing.
I have no background in IT, and I wanted to know if owning a Mac is greatly necessary:
If so, is Final Cut the only high-performance software on Mac?
I also wanted to know if there are any high-performance and intuitive software on Windows?

Because I would be more inclined to go for a PC, as it offers a better quality/price ratio.
But I don't want to invest only to have to buy a Mac a year later.

Thank you in advance.

Configuration: Macintosh / Chrome 60.0.3112.90

4 answers

  1.
    ziggourat Posted messages 24643 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   5 340
     
    Hello,

    If I may suggest, for video editing, wouldn't it be better to go for a desktop computer?

    Best regards
    P.S.: I could move the topic to Video --> Editing or to Equipment where it would be more appropriate, if you want.
    Long live Bobo! ~ Little fish will become big ~
    2
  2. Jimpix Posted messages 12079 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 391
     
    Hello,

    Windows or Mac, it doesn't matter. On PC, there is the excellent Adobe Premiere, and it's cheaper than Mac.
    However, in any case, the PC will need to be very powerful.
    Plan for a big budget...
    1
    1. Arthur Reygnier
       
      You seem to be excellent advice; I've chosen this computer, may I ask for your opinion?
      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071DGXRLR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
      0
    2. Jimpix Posted messages 12079 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 391
       
      No, far too low. What is your budget?
      0
    3. Arthur Reygnier
       
      Too weak?
      I was helped by my cousin who knows very well the various characteristics of PC components. It surprises me, but if I come to you, it’s for greater help. Here is my budget: between 700 and 1200 at most.
      0
    4. Jimpix Posted messages 12079 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 391 > Arthur Reygnier
       
      For video processing, you need a powerful processor, a lot of RAM, a high-performance graphics card, and a fast hard drive.
      Video processing is the most resource-intensive task on a machine...

      This one:
      https://www.cdiscount.com/informatique/ordinateurs-pc-portables/v-10709-10709.html#mpos=4|cd

      Or that one:
      https://www.cdiscount.com/informatique/ordinateurs-pc-portables/asus-pc-portable-gamer-n552vw-fi307t-15-6-8go-r/f-10709-asun552vwfi307t.html#mpos=22|cd
      0
    5. Arthur Reygnier
       
      I'm blown away, the second PC is by far the best VALUE for MONEY, just crazy.
      It's still expensive, but I'm thinking about it very seriously.
      0
  3. _Ritchi_ Posted messages 21130 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   6 135
     
    Hello

    Wouldn't it be best to contact the institution that will be offering the courses for your film degree? The teachers should be the best placed to indicate which applications and equipment you will be using if you continue your studies in film after the degree.
    If it's for personal editing, I don't think you'll need a high-end machine that will be outdated in two years anyway if you continue studying film.
    What you mainly need is a lot of RAM and a huge amount of disk space, or even a dedicated external hard drive for editing that you reformatt before each new project.

    Personally, I've been editing videos of my scuba dives for years with my mid-2007 iMac, iMovie and/or Final Cut Express. Importing videos from my GoPro takes some time, but if I start it in the evening, everything is ready by the next morning. In terms of editing, the iMac performs well. Then when exporting the final edit, the iMac takes a long time when I choose 1080HD (an entire night). But hey, this isn't my main source of income, so I can afford these delays.

    Ritchi
    1
  4. Anonymous user
     
    Hello,

    +1 for Ritchi, I completely agree with what he said.

    Personally, I have done a lot of video editing, traveling, weddings, often videos longer than 2 hours, but most of the time I cut them into 2 or 3 parts so that the viewer doesn't get overwhelmed. In the beginning, with MiniDV tape camcorders, and the latest ones from camcorders that output HD files (m2ts, mts...)

    I did my first edits on a basic iMac G3, then an iMac G4, then an ordinary iMac G5, then a basic iMac Intel Core 2 Duo, and now on an iMac Intel i5. This, with the applications iMovie, Final Cut Express, Adobe Premiere, the demo of Final Cut Pro X, and on completely ordinary Macs, without high-end graphics cards, just the basic graphics card.
    The graphics card doesn’t need to be high-end at all, except possibly for special effects. With my very old Macs, real-time rendering was not possible, it was sometimes necessary to launch the rendering of a sequence, but nothing dramatic. With Intel Macs, especially since the i5s, there are no issues on that front. It’s real-time. The bulk of the work is done by the processor; if it is supported by good RAM capacity, it runs smoothly.

    I also agree with Ziggourat's remark that for video editing, the bigger the screen, the better. The better the screen quality for color adjustments, the better, so a laptop doesn't seem like the best option, except to take the computer to class... indeed... :)

    Best regards..

    --
    Always indicate your complete system configuration - exact model of the computer, exact version of OS.
    1