Macbook Pro M1 lagging while editing movie. What are my options?

[Gogogosia]

I'm super disappointed with my M1. I purchased with 512 gb and 16gm ram. My main goal is video editing and some graphic design (nothing super demanding).
Even if my videos are simple from clips, the processor lags while working in IMOVIE. And that's on a clean fresh mac with nothing installed.
I had a replacement and the same thing is happening. I read online some of simila reports. I'm shocked how this might be happening. Now I've started a return and need options for moving forward.
I've a mid 2014 macbook pro and the performance is better on this old one than the M1. But the battery is dying - switches off in ramdom times. Mostly runs on a charger. I need to replace a battery. I didn't consider this as i purchased the M1 and i know i can extend the 2014th life just as much. I know i will need to look into an upgrade pretty soon and the ratio of price to workability.

I'm wondering about the options. There is really not that much options if i need
a laptop
Apple
For movie editing and design

I was thinking about maybe getting some intel based mac bit maybe 2019 or something like that but in Portugal the apple resale or even repair market doesn't look exciting. I'm still new here.
They don't even have an apple store here. Just online.

Any suggestions what else ard considerations in my spot?

 

[leman]

As a new Mac purchaser you are entitled to initial support. Consider asking for an Apple representative to look at these problems together with you. This can be done either in person or remotely. You can also ask for an extension of the return deadline until this problem has been discussed and diagnosed, Apple is usually very open about this.

The symptoms you are describing are very unusual, as these laptops should rip though this level of video editing work. There must be something going on. If you want a Mac, these new models are second to none. Like other posters, I cannot recommend a purchase of any older obsolete Intel Mac at this point. If the new Macs don't work for you, the best thing to do is to switch OS.

 

[leman]

The problem may be that 512 GB SSD. Larger-capacity SSDs offer more speed, which can make a difference since the whole system is now unified (RAM, storage, etc.).

Oh come on. Even the slower of these SSDs are still much faster than anyone really needs.

 

[headlessmike]

Thanks for a suggestion, but using other clips wouldn't be wise - becasue I'm using my phone to record videos. I'm not planning to replace or upgarade my recording equipment - it's a simple 1080 phone setting 9/16 - nothing fancy. Like I said my 2014 pro rips through this

To help pinpoint the problem you could try converting a few files to another format or using other files just to see if the problem persists. Opening a file in Quicktime and then exporting it as a 1080p H.264 file should give the best case scenario for iMovie to work with. If it still lags then, then there's certainly something wrong.

 

[e1me5]

Your files are the problem. Footage from smartphones tend to have a variable frame rate, and that slows down your hardware. You need to re-encode them to a more solid format and framerate, and that will cure your issues. Doesn't matter what software you use, or hardware, it's a file problem.

 

[Ethosik]

As others have mentioned. Something is at play here. I do quite complex video editing work and even my M1 Mac Mini performs well. I use Final Cut Pro and Davinci Resolve. No issues. No lag. Even on 18+ hour projects. Yes my projects can go for that many hours for a single video.

 

[unclearregency]

Thanks for a suggestion, but using other clips wouldn't be wise - becasue I'm using my phone to record videos.

Others are asking you to try other clips not in an attempt to change your workflow but to help diagnose the problem. It could very well be that there is a bug in Samsung‘s codec or how iMovie handles it, but if this is happening to all videos regardless of format/resolution, we would be looking at very different problems. So using other clips would actually be extremely wise 😀

not sure what you mean by "installation is still so new that the OS is doing its disk-based optimization tasks in the background?" sorry I'm very non-technical - all i want is to use my mbp
I am using just a few gb of clips in 1080 from a local drive. All seems pretty basic as I do the same stuff of my 2014 model

Spotlight indexing is usually not finished on new Macs as it can’t be preconfigured without your personal data actually being on the Mac. This always seems to take a while on new computers so I assume is disk intensive. Hence try checking the other tabs of Activity monitor for any RAM or disk read/write logs.

 

[Ploki]

I've been doing editing in FCPX on a 13" M1 2020 till fairly recently and i can't say there was any lag, and it was better than any intel mac i've worked with before.

it should run circles around a 2014 intel mac

 

[Gogogosia]

Just wanted to say to all kind folks who shared their perspective that after updating everything the movie editing works so far good! Smooth and efficient.
I didn't realise that the new mac had old OS and apps installed so thos who suggested it were right.
Thanks all 💜

 

[benwiggy]

I don't think that's normal, so I'd investigate what's happening a bit more before sending it back. There's no way that a 2014 MBP should be better than an M1 at anything. Can you define 'lagging'? Have you looked at Activity Monitor, to see whether anything is using excessive CPU or memory?
What's the source of these clips? Do they use unusual codecs?

 

[meson]

I believe iMovie itself is the limiting factor here. iMovie is designed with the beginner in mind or a person who just wants to clip and splice together a few video segments. I'm pretty sure that it only operates on a single CPU core and cannot take full advantage of your computer's hardware. There are more sophisticated video editing applications that will take full advantage of the resources that your hardware provides.

Edit: It appears that iMovie has been upgraded significantly over the years and is not at as handicapped as I thought. My apologies.

 

[eicca]

What resolution and video format are you working with?

I did 1080p60 projects on my M1 Air and it was delightfully snappy. Couldn’t believe how fast it was for how little battery consumption and heat was involved.

 

[cupcakes2000]

hello, no I haven't. I don't have or know how to use another software. Now on such a short trial of equipment it's a bit of a stretch to learn a new editing software and be able to to judge the results. Tough spot.

Perhaps. But you seem to have pretty basic usage, so you hardly need to learn it straight away to test. Download davinci resolve (it’s free) watch a you tube clip on how to use it to do basic iMovie style edits and there you go. The fact of that matter is, is that first of all you will see that the computer is faulty or not, and secondly be on the road to a much more powerful editing system.

 

[Chrysalis99]

The Samsung mp4 might be in some odd container or format. Wondering if there is a way to import that video in a different file format or convert to MOV or M4V before importing? Have you looked into that? Like everyone else says, it’s odd. I use FCP and it blows through 1080p video edits and renders very very fast. Call Apple support and see if they can help diagnose the issue.

 

[G5isAlive]

Variable frame rate is not legacy tho, it's very real and today

Yep. I was agreeing with the comment that its the file format, and suggested another reason besides variable frame rate. Bottom line is, My M1 has no problems editing movies, so I reject the OP's hypothesis that its just the computer.

 

[benwiggy]

I'm pretty sure that it only operates on a single CPU core and cannot take full advantage of your computer's hardware.

iMovie is running 50 threads, just playing back a very simple movie for me, with a fairly even core spread. Even if it was single-core, an M1 would still be better than a 2014 Intel cpu. Something else is going on.

 

[eicca]

Mine was just 1080 as well. simple clips recorded with my samsung - I don't know what could be a problem, but I'm don't believe it's right.

Since the problem occurred with two different machines I would suspect the files themselves, maybe the way they’re encoded by the Samsung. Can you change format settings on the recording device, or find some other 1080p files to test?

 

[ProcessorSolderedToMB]

Possibly using very large video files in an unconventional strange format/codec? Does it happen if you test with standard .mov or .mp4 file downloaded off the web? Generally, this type of stuff shouldn't happen.

 

[leman]

You may be right. I may try just that. I was too consious of the clock ticking and as I can't look into the tech stuff with any level of confidence I am also suspicious of their tech reassurance. Since the same issue happened on the original M1 and then on the replacement - it really made my hair stand, because I can't afford to throw this money away of a dubious equipment. But then what are the options, right?

This is all very understandable. I would reach out to the support, describe the problem and ask for support + extension of the return deadline. If they don't agree to extend the deadline, well, screw them Chances are, since you already had it with a different laptop, that this is something about your specific environment or configuration.

 

[Scarrus]

What OS are you on? Are you running the latest instalment together with patches?
Maybe you are running an iMovie version created for intel thus running it through Rosetta...

Just thinking here...

 

[MajorFubar]

There's something odd here. I edit 1080p videos in iMovie for my YT channel on an M1 Mac and have zero issues. It burns a hole through my 2011 iMac.

 

[MajorFubar]

thanks for your response. Me too for YT!
What do you mean the timeline doesn't redraw? is that the same thing I'm describing? The delay in response as I clickl through and track. To me it feels that the playback rolls in preview while the timeline doesn't respond without a lag when I stop, cut, resume etc. What did you mean?

I can't describe it another way. iMovie doesn't redraw the timetime while it's playing your project. You just get blue frames where the image previews should be. But that's by design. Press pause or stop and it instantly re-draws. Presumably this is not what you're on about because iMovie has been like this since forever and would have behaved the same on your 2014 laptop.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Personally i find FCPX few times faster then davinci when working on similar footage, although i'd much rather work in davinci FCPX just appears to be more optimised.

Admittedly i never tried iMovie

FCP is pretty spectacular, but it’s heavily optimised, mac only and costs a pretty sum. Davinci on the other hand, is also blazingly fast, is as or more feature filled, it’s just as easy to use, it’s free for everything but the most advanced usage, and it’s available on everything - including Linux and iPad. It’s pretty hard to beat in my opinion.

 

[Asbow]

very helpful suggestion. I completely didn't think of that. Some people here mention some rosetta thing that could be at play - would you suggest anything I should do to hmmm.. eliminate that problem? Clearly I have no idea what I'm saying so hope you can read between the lines?

That shouldn’t be an issue. I run Motion on my 16” M1 Max in Rosetta due to some motionvfx plugins not AS native and it runs like a rocket.

 

[benwiggy]

I read online that folks using Premiere and Davinci resolve had the same issue with M1 so iMovie is not a problem

I'd be careful about assuming that all internet reports of similar problems are necessarily the same thing. What does Activity Monitor report when the lagging occurs?
I doubt it's a hardware limitation of the M-series CPU. But it's worth investigating. I'd suggest that buying an Intel Mac (already 3-4 years-old) is not a good investment.