FinalCut Studio and Macbook

[inspir3]

Hi there guys, im not too sure if this has been asked in regards to the new macbooks and finalcut pro.

I'm currently studying Physiotherapy, but i also help my girlfriend manage her fansite, and thus i do some photoshop and at times i do abit of video editing.

i have done some reading, but i'm still alittle confused. ( mac newbie, planning to switch to mac in a few months)

to put it simply, to what extent can i run Final Cut? if its just slightly slower i can live with that, but if i can't run it at all....

Sorry if this is a stupid question!

 

[Igantius]

It's been asked many, many times.... and always will be.

As video editing is a CPU-intensive process, MacBooks can handle FCP very well.

However, the minimum requirements for Final Cut Studio exclude the MB due to its integrated graphics - but it does run. With GPU-intensive apps like Motion and Color, the MB's performance is far from magnificent but is (just about) usable.

Initially, Apple told people the FCS wouldn't run on MBs, but later changed its stance when some were posting their experiences on the Web. Posts on various dedicated editing forums made fascinated reading about this.

There are a lot of threads about this - worth a search as you'll find benchmarks and some first-hand experience.

 

[jemeinc]

I just tried to install FCE2 on my 2.2GHZ macbook and it won't run- says it requires an AGP Graphics card.. Can't imagine why express won't run- yet studio will?.. weird..

 

[Cave Man]

I just tried to install FCE2 on my 2.2GHZ macbook and it won't run- says it requires an AGP Graphics card.. Can't imagine why express won't run- yet studio will?.. weird..

Try using Pacifist to install. I had the same issue with Aperture 1.0.2 and my Mini. It worked pretty well (Aperture uses the gpu a lot). I have FCE4 installed on my 1.66 gHz CD mini and it runs great. Also, keep in mind that FCE2 is PPC binary so it will run under Rosetta on your MB.

 

[jemeinc]

ok . nice tip, thanks.

I suppose I should consider upgrading to 4- but I've heard that soundtrack isn't included in 4? its not something I really even use much, and I suppose the benefits of running it natively far outweigh the negative of losing soundtrack, but I just hate the thought of losing features through an upgrade.

 

[Igantius]

ok . nice tip, thanks.

I suppose I should consider upgrading to 4- but I've heard that soundtrack isn't included in 4? its not something I really even use much, and I suppose the benefits of running it natively far outweigh the negative of losing soundtrack, but I just hate the thought of losing features through an upgrade.

Pretty sure that FCE 3.5 was the first version to be Universal - if so, I would think about upgrading to that.

You're right, Soundtrack was dropped from FCE 4.

 

[f1]

Try using Pacifist to install. I had the same issue with Aperture 1.0.2 and my Mini. It worked pretty well (Aperture uses the gpu a lot). I have FCE4 installed on my 1.66 gHz CD mini and it runs great. Also, keep in mind that FCE2 is PPC binary so it will run under Rosetta on your MB.

If i remember correctly, final cut will NOT run in Rosetta AT ALL. Time to shell out some money for the latest version.

 

[inspir3]

Thanks a bunch guys! think you guys just saved me a few $$

 

[closeupman]

It's been asked many, many times.... and always will be.

As video editing is a CPU-intensive process, MacBooks can handle FCP very well.

However, the minimum requirements for Final Cut Studio exclude the MB due to its integrated graphics - but it does run. With GPU-intensive apps like Motion and Color, the MB's performance is far from magnificent but is (just about) usable.

Ig,

I know FCS will run, but I thought Motion wouldn't due to it's need of the graphics card. Do you know for a fact that Motion will run on a MB (albeit probably at a snail's pace)? If so that would definitely help me in my decision making.

Thanks.

 

[Igantius]

Ig,

I know FCS will run, but I thought Motion wouldn't due to it's need of the graphics card. Do you know for a fact that Motion will run on a MB (albeit probably at a snail's pace)? If so that would definitely help me in my decision making.

Thanks.

Yup it, does run – it's usable, just don’t expect miracles. Have a look at these:

Here are some benchmarks of a MB (2.0 CD) running FCS, including tests for Motion 2.1:

http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=43717

A few more:
http://campustechnology.com/articles/49026_3/

And some from barefeats.com:
http://www.barefeats.com/rosa02.html

From the various feedback I’ve read on various forums, Motion does sometimes ‘hang’ on MBs, but otherwise it’s sound enough.

Hope that helps!