Absolute newbie looking to maximize my MBP

[XeroZeus]

Hey MR forum members,

I have followed this site for a while and really appreciate the great help that is provided by many members. With that said:

I have a 2011 MBP 13" 8GB RAM 2.4GHz i5 and I LOVE it! The only problem is that I use it for basic computing. (work, outlook, school, facebook, web browsing).

I want to really start "using" it and learn some new things. Can you guys please recommend me some good programs to use for the following:

Image editing (I was familiar with Photoshop in Windows - what is the equivillent for Mac?)

Video editing: I am an ABSOLUTE newb. I have never made a movie before but have a GoPro and a Canon Reble t3i I can shoot on. I have heard of Final Cut Pro. Is this a good application? It carries a steep price.

Are there any other apps you guys can recommend for a completely clean Mac? I REALLY appreciate it!

 

[GGJstudios]

Helpful Information for Any Mac User
Portables Fast Start: The New User's Guide to Apple Notebooks

 

[XeroZeus]

That is a lot to sift through and I am grateful that you would give me all of those resources; however, to save time are you able to recommend some photo editing and video creating apps? I know I could do a google search and look for articles but I would prefer opinions of people on here in real time. No disrespect.

 

[CylonGlitch]

iMovie for videos, Pixelmator for Photos.

 

[Weaselboy]

That is a lot to sift through and I am grateful that you would give me all of those resources; however, to save time are you able to recommend some photo editing and video creating apps? I know I could do a google search and look for articles but I would prefer opinions of people on here in real time. No disrespect.

You can use Photoshop for Mac if Photoshop is your preferred editor. It is not a full featured as PS, but many get by nicely with the image editor Pixelmator.

Can't help you with video editing as I have no experience in the area.

 

[tdhurst]

Seriously?

Photoshop and iMovie.

You're welcome.

 

[arjen92]

You can just use photoshop for the mac. But Pixelmator is a great alternative and I've heard some great praise about it. It also won a price for being the best mac app (if I'm not mistaken).

For video, start with iMovie. It has great options if you just want to get started. Only when you feel limited you should look into FCPX (or premiere pro or even Avid ;D).

If you still want toget moreout of your mac you could; learn and install Maya, get into research and install spss, maybe you want to build a product and use autoCAD or pherhaps you need to do calculations and need Maple.