Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is the MacBook Pro suitable for video editing?

M

Minxy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
339
419
Later this year I will need to make a full length film with soundtrack and possibly some effects. I'm strictly an amateur but will be probably using Final Cut X or perhaps Adobe Premiere and am considering my options for what hardware to use. If the price isn't too high possibly a new Mac Pro with external HDDs but am wondering about the 2013 MacBook Pro 15".

Does a MacBook Pro 16GB really have the horsepower to edit a whole 1080p film fluidly without the beach ball icon and the frustrating waits for it to complete tasks?

When you are using it for the most intensive editing tasks is there a risk of it overheating? I have a Mac Air which the fans come on which concerns me.

Can it be the sole computer used for editing?
 
F

fa8362

macrumors 68000
Jul 7, 2008
1,571
497
You can do it, but there's a reason why editors use desktops and workstations.
 
M

Minxy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
339
419
fa8362 said:
You can do it, but there's a reason why editors use desktops and workstations.
Click to expand...

What specifically is the reason?

Is just all the ads on the website for Final Cut X have the retina MacBook Pro in them so it makes you think the machine is more than capable.
 
acearchie

acearchie

macrumors 68040
Jan 15, 2006
3,264
104
You haven't said what you are shooting on and the format you will be recording...

Current laptops can handle video editing. I edit a lot of stuff and even my 2011 Macbook Pro can just about keep a hold of it.

The only instance where I have had to move to a Mac Pro was when I edited a short on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera.
 
F

Fallencircus

macrumors member
Feb 5, 2007
35
0
It is absolutely more than capable, especially if you are just doing 1080P. I do that and some 2.5k and 4k, with those you arent getting realtime, but there are absolutely no problems running multiple streams of 1080P. Hope that helps.
 
S

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
I have a MacBookPro with only 8gigs. This past week I edited a corporate video - lots of green screen/transitions/motion stuff. The computer handled fine (and I also happen to have VMFusion running an instance of Windows 7 as well during most of it).

You should be more than fine.
 
LethalWolfe

LethalWolfe

macrumors G3
Jan 11, 2002
9,370
124
Los Angeles
Minxy said:
What specifically is the reason?
Click to expand...
Speed, upgradability and expandability.

Is just all the ads on the website for Final Cut X have the retina MacBook Pro in them so it makes you think the machine is more than capable.
Click to expand...
It's just marketing.

A modern laptop can edit fine but it won't be as good as using a tower. Whether or that's a difference that makes a difference for your needs is only something you can answer.

Why not an iMac? I'd rather use an iMac than laptop. Even if you go the laptop route you should still invest in at least one 24" monitor, a full sized keyboard and a mouse/trackball/wacom tablet. Being hunched over looking at a tiny laptop screen, using a tiny laptop keyboard (which means you lose valuable keyboard short cuts) and using a trackpad which is not ideal for small, precise movements is not enjoyable for long periods of time at all.
 
martinX

martinX

macrumors 6502a
Aug 11, 2009
928
162
Australia
You can edit full-res 4K RED video footage on a 2012 MacBook Air, so a MBP should be just fine.

----------
LethalWolfe said:
Even if you go the laptop route you should still invest in at least one 24" monitor, a full sized keyboard and a mouse/trackball/wacom tablet.
Click to expand...
Abso-posi-lutely. Do some rough cuts on a small screen, but you need something BIG to watch in order to finalise things.
 
M

MacBookProzak

macrumors regular
Nov 16, 2011
131
0
The specs you see in my signature line edit video day in and day out for a few shows I work on. Also we are cutting a reality show pilot on it -all using FCPX. It eats through any and all video I put through it. Plus after leaving the slow and out dated 32bit FCP 7 for the faster 64bit application of FCPX, editing has got alot faster.

Go for it, get a MBP, it will serve your needs. However when the new MacPro desktop comes out that will certainly be a powerhouse that would blow away the MBP.
 
C

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,555
1,666
Redondo Beach, California
Minxy said:
Later this year I will need to make a full length film with soundtrack and possibly some effects. I'm strictly an amateur but will be probably using Final Cut X or perhaps Adobe Premiere and am considering my options for what hardware to use. If the price isn't too high possibly a new Mac Pro with external HDDs but am wondering about the 2013 MacBook Pro 15".

Does a MacBook Pro 16GB really have the horsepower to edit a whole 1080p film fluidly without the beach ball icon and the frustrating waits for it to complete tasks?

When you are using it for the most intensive editing tasks is there a risk of it overheating? I have a Mac Air which the fans come on which concerns me.

Can it be the sole computer used for editing?
Click to expand...

THw 15" MBP would work but you'd need to buy a larger monitor. I'd go nuts with a 15" screen. Get a 27" or even 30" monitor

You will also need a large and fast disk array to hold the media files

And then a few more disks to hold multiple backups of your work.
 
M

MacBookProzak

macrumors regular
Nov 16, 2011
131
0
ChrisA said:
THw 15" MBP would work but you'd need to buy a larger monitor. I'd go nuts with a 15" screen. Get a 27" or even 30" monitor

You will also need a large and fast disk array to hold the media files

And then a few more disks to hold multiple backups of your work.
Click to expand...


Yes, ChrisA is correct.... perhaps I could have also went into all the peripherals connected to this which include a large monitor connected via Thunderbolt. All footage is housed and edited from a LaCie Thunderbolt 2Big in a RAID configuration. This combination has served us well and will make editing a pleasure.
 
J

JasonA

macrumors member
Feb 18, 2009
97
1
MacBookProzak said:
Yes, ChrisA is correct.... perhaps I could have also went into all the peripherals connected to this which include a large monitor connected via Thunderbolt. All footage is housed and edited from a LaCie Thunderbolt 2Big in a RAID configuration. This combination has served us well and will make editing a pleasure.
Click to expand...
If you don't mind me asking, how do you manage using both an external display AND thunderbolt hard drive with only a single Thunderbolt port on the computer? I'm currently running a similar setup, with the MBP in clamshell mode, wondering how I can add any more Thunderbolt peripherals (like a Matrox MXO2 mini) without spending a small fortune on an extra Thunderbolt dock or something.
 
M

MacBookProzak

macrumors regular
Nov 16, 2011
131
0
JasonA said:
If you don't mind me asking, how do you manage using both an external display AND thunderbolt hard drive with only a single Thunderbolt port on the computer? I'm currently running a similar setup, with the MBP in clamshell mode, wondering how I can add any more Thunderbolt peripherals (like a Matrox MXO2 mini) without spending a small fortune on an extra Thunderbolt dock or something.
Click to expand...

Daisy chain them....

All the details of the pass through are here:
http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10573
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom