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Video Editing: Mac vs PC

M

Macster12

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 15, 2004
10
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I've been doing some reading lately on the net concerning video editing with computers. I bought my first Mac, (a PowerMac G4 1250 mini tower 1.25 processor), a couple of months ago. I bought with it a software called "Final Cut Express". I've been learning how to use it these past months and I must say I've been very happy with it, (and the Mac's), performance. I'm new to Macs and before, I originally got into video editing using my pcs. For some reason and I don't know why, my pcs have not done a very good job at video editing. Whenever I tried putting any transitions or effects, it caused my video to drop frames and look jerky. Not long before I bought my Mac, I had been hearing from more than one source that Macs were made for video editing, that they excelled in graphics and so on.
I was wondering if anyone out there has had the same experience I had, where they were dissatisfied with their pc's performance at video editing and turned to Macs for this reason. I've read a lot of people's posts in other forums and their opinions are either on one side of the fence or the other on this issue. My own opinion is made up on this subject, and I've decided that I'll only use my Mac for video editing from now on.
An additional question: how does anyone rate Final Cut Express with Final Cut Pro? I like Final Cut Express, but would it be worth the extra money to invest in FCP?
Thanks for any replies.

Macster12.
 
Re: Video Editing: Mac vs PC

Originally posted by Macster12
I've been doing some reading lately on the net concerning video editing with computers. I bought my first Mac, (a PowerMac G4 1250 mini tower 1.25 processor), a couple of months ago. I bought with it a software called "Final Cut Express". I've been learning how to use it these past months and I must say I've been very happy with it, (and the Mac's), performance. I'm new to Macs and before, I originally got into video editing using my pcs. For some reason and I don't know why, my pcs have not done a very good job at video editing. Whenever I tried putting any transitions or effects, it caused my video to drop frames and look jerky. Not long before I bought my Mac, I had been hearing from more than one source that Macs were made for video editing, that they excelled in graphics and so on.
I was wondering if anyone out there has had the same experience I had, where they were dissatisfied with their pc's performance at video editing and turned to Macs for this reason. I've read a lot of people's posts in other forums and their opinions are either on one side of the fence or the other on this issue. My own opinion is made up on this subject, and I've decided that I'll only use my Mac for video editing from now on.
An additional question: how does anyone rate Final Cut Express with Final Cut Pro? I like Final Cut Express, but would it be worth the extra money to invest in FCP?
Thanks for any replies.

Macster12.
Click to expand...

I switched to mac 4 years ago for the reason of video editing ... there was not Final Cut Express back then ... so i went with Final Cut Pro

after going from premiere 5.0 to Final Cut Pro 1.2 ... i will never, ever go back to using a PC for editing ...

As far as FCP vs FCE ... well not ever using FCE ... i do know that FCE is perfect for the DV editor ... one thing that FCE 1.0 was missing was the Real Time rendering, which is something that was new in FCP 3.0 and improved in 4.0 ... however ... the release of FCE 2.0 has brought RT to the lower end package ....

now ... FCE doesn't have a lot of things ... SD and HD support, it won't do true 24p editing, it doesn't come with broadcast codec, it doesn't have soundtrack, or cinema tools (if you edit film)

i know i'm missing something

buttom line

if your a DV editor, your probably going to be just fine with just upgrading to FCE 2.0 ... if your looking at shooting an Indie film, and need PRO tools ... then it's going to be time to fork over the extra cash
 
I share your experience pretty much exactly. I never got a good result out of my PC. For that matter, I never got a result period! Windows Movie Maker (I think that's what they call it) is a joke--and not a funny one. Adobe Premiere has features, but is a pain to use. On the Mac it's fast and easy to make a movie. On my Mac I have a finished movie in the same time it would take to just get to the "throw things across the room because this damn machine won't cooperate" stage. Oddly I don't get to that stage on the Mac.

I have FCE (traded in Premiere for it) but haven't used it much yet. iMovie still meets my needs.
 
Thanks for the replies. I too have used Windows Movie Maker and it is a joke. Of course, what do you expect from a software that comes free with Windows XP! It's funny how even on forums that don't have Macs as their main topic, when the subject of Macs are brought up, most of the replies are in favor of the Mac computers, at least when it comes to video editing. I too will never use a pc again for video editing. On my pc, if I were to have to make a video production that was supposed to meet certain standards of quality, what my pc would produce would be unacceptable.
I am very pleased with the quality of video production that my Mac produces, however the only complaint I have is the time it takes to render certain effects using Final Cut Express. I am very willing to accept that as a tradeoff though compared to the shoddy work of my pc. I know now that if I did have to produce an acceptable video work that I could produce it with my Mac.
I don't know if I'm ready to shell out the extra, and I do mean extra bucks for Final Cut Pro, but maybe someday in the distant future I might. Can anyone quote me some prices on it? Thanks.

Macster12.
 
Originally posted by Macster12

I don't know if I'm ready to shell out the extra, and I do mean extra bucks for Final Cut Pro, but maybe someday in the distant future I might. Can anyone quote me some prices on it? Thanks.

Macster12.
Click to expand...

like i mentioned earlier you can get that rendering problem fixed with Final Cut Express 2.0 which is i think a 150$ upgrade from version 1.0

Final Cut Pro is 999$

Note all prices USD

as far as editing on PC ... i know guys that swear by Avid ... i didn't like it personally ...

It's possible to get results on a Windows Machine ... but you have to make sure to get good components, Capture/Firewire cards, Harddrives, and anything else.

But your talking about shelling out a lot of money and it's going to be a hassle
-- best is to buy from special companies that put the system together

like TSC.com use to be

i like using a mac
sure you pay a premium when getting a mac, but it's ready to edit out of the box, with all components ready to work for you ... and then extra stuff that you buy, it it is mac rated, you know it was tested on a computer with similar to yours ... you don't have that on a PC ... because there are some many PC's
 
Speaking as someone who edits video as a job and been editing on FCP since the first days of 1.0, Apple is better at making integrated systems that handle video well. There have been bumps along the way and there still are some now, but when you figure how little it costs and how much it does they are minor. I have an FCP4 system with a 10bit uncompressed I/O box that still amazes me with what it does and how little it cost.
That being said, there are decent set ups on PC for video editing, but they are the very high end expensive ones. I have yet to see a fully functioning PC edit system that does everything advertised in the under $20,000 range. In this arena, the PC just can't touch the Mac, in the over $50,000 range it's a matter of preference.
Even at that range I have a producer who misses his deadline every time because of tech problems, but he won't switch to a mac simply because he's a PC diehard.
I'm rambling and ranting, so I'll end it with this...in the low and mid range the Mac is supreme, in the high end it's anyone's game.
 
Originally posted by SPG
Speaking as someone who edits video as a job and been editing on FCP since the first days of 1.0, Apple is better at making integrated systems that handle video well. There have been bumps along the way and there still are some now, but when you figure how little it costs and how much it does they are minor. I have an FCP4 system with a 10bit uncompressed I/O box that still amazes me with what it does and how little it cost.
That being said, there are decent set ups on PC for video editing, but they are the very high end expensive ones. I have yet to see a fully functioning PC edit system that does everything advertised in the under $20,000 range. In this arena, the PC just can't touch the Mac, in the over $50,000 range it's a matter of preference.
Even at that range I have a producer who misses his deadline every time because of tech problems, but he won't switch to a mac simply because he's a PC diehard.
I'm rambling and ranting, so I'll end it with this...in the low and mid range the Mac is supreme, in the high end it's anyone's game.
Click to expand...

Exactly ... and if your working with a small budget on a indy film ... a working FCP set up just can't be beat
 
pcs are excellent for dv editing. Actually they are so good that my friend is buying a mac just to do video editing. He of course saw me and FCP3 before he made that decision. Most people only need iLife and even then the most of them only need FCE is they want more.

FCP is for people who do production stuff.
 
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