Advice w/ Video Editing on MacBook (FCE4)

[92WardSenatorFE]

Hi.

Like I said in an earlier post, I just switched to MacBook (Early 2008) which I just started using as of this month.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone on here uses Final Cut Express 4 on a MacBook? I originally started my interest in video editing using iMovie 6 HD at school on a iMac G5 and using MiniDV camcorders. (We even edited on 400MHz G4 towers w/ OS 9)

Most of my stuff I've done previously on my own I've edited on my Windows desktop with Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0, however it runs HORRIBLE with my desktop's configuration.

Anyway, to cut to the point, I just got a Panasonic SDR-H60 60GB HDD camera. I'm looking at purchasing Final Cut Express for my MacBook tomorrow to edit with (nothing fancy, just like school projects and stuff i do on my own). Apple.com says it'll work but some of the effects won't work with the Intel integrated graphics. I've never used any Final Cut programs, so I have no idea what to expect.

Any advice?

 

[CaptainChunk]

Some of the built-in effects (especially certain FxPlug filters) rely heavily on the GPU because they typically use OpenGL, Quartz or Core Image libraries to function. But I don't think I've run into anything specific in FCE/FCP that an Intel graphics MacBook simply won't do.

Motion and Color (which don't apply to you since you don't use FCS) however, are different stories...

 

[Cory5412]

Probably the affects that "won't work" on the intel graphics are just realtime affects, and you can still use those affects, you will just need to render the video before you can see the results. Other than real-time rendering of those affects, everything should work just fine. The only worry I'd have is with the hdd camera, but if you can already view the footage with other apps on the macbook, then it should work fine.

If you have already used any of the final cut apps before, using final cut express on your macbook will be really easy, and if not, Apple's got video tutorials and there are tidbits of information all over the place to help you get started.

 

[Courtaj]

Probably the affects that "won't work" on the intel graphics are just realtime affects, and you can still use those affects, you will just need to render the video before you can see the results.

This is true. FCE4 runs fine on my Mac mini 2GHz 2GB. If your MacBook has FireWire, get yourself a big, fast external drive for capture and scratch.