Video editing: non-pro, home use only

[MDF314159265]

Hi All, I’m picking up an iMac Pro soon and need to know what my best (most valuable) option is for video/photo editing. I’m only using iPhone photo & video and Mavic Pro video (some 4K). I’m not concerned about time it takes to make a video, but I want something easy to use (I consider myself moderately tech-savvy), and I don’t want to jump through hoops to do simple edits.
Mostly focused on correcting color for drone vids, cutting and snipping into home/family videos, and putting adding audio/text to videos.
I know this is a loaded question, so ask what you must to help.
I’m counting on you, the community to help me make the right decision. Please help!
FWIW - I have been looking at the adobe option (premier, I think?) and Apple’s own offering of FCP.

 

[Shadow Jolteon]

If you're looking for something non-professional grade that can edit 4K videos, adjust color, do basic clip editing, and add text, iMovie is likely to do all this for you just fine. iMove will come preinstalled on your iMac Pro and is pretty simple to use.

If you go with Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere and are not familiar with more complex video editing software, you may find there is some learning curve with them. They are also fairly pricey, with Final Cut Pro being $299, and Adobe Premeire being a subscription at $21 per month.

 

[MDF314159265]

If you're looking for something non-professional grade that can edit 4K videos, adjust color, do basic clip editing, and add text, iMovie is likely to do all this for you just fine. iMove will come preinstalled on your iMac Pro and is pretty simple to use.

If you go with Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere and are not familiar with more complex video editing software, you may find there is some learning curve with them. They are also fairly pricey, with Final Cut Pro being $299, and Adobe Premeire being a subscription at $21 per month.

Thank you! Hadn’t even thought about iMovie. I currently use iMovie on my iPad though and I feel like I’m missing out; filters mainly. Is there more functionality in iMovie for iMac vs. iPad? Are there more filters or color adjustment options?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Hi All, I’m picking up an iMac Pro soon and need to know what my best (most valuable) option is for video/photo editing. I’m only using iPhone photo & video and Mavic Pro video (some 4K). I’m not concerned about time it takes to make a video, but I want something easy to use (I consider myself moderately tech-savvy), and I don’t want to jump through hoops to do simple edits.
Mostly focused on correcting color for drone vids, cutting and snipping into home/family videos, and putting adding audio/text to videos.
I know this is a loaded question, so ask what you must to help.
I’m counting on you, the community to help me make the right decision. Please help!
FWIW - I have been looking at the adobe option (premier, I think?) and Apple’s own offering of FCP.

For colour correction try Divinci Resolve. There is a free version and a paid version. But the free version is pretty good.

 

[MDF314159265]

For colour correction try Divinci Resolve. There is a free version and a paid version. But the free version is pretty good.

Awesome! Thank you AFB! Free is the best price too.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Awesome! Thank you AFB! Free is the best price too.

My favourite type of software too!

 

[Fishrrman]

If you can afford an iMac Pro, you can afford Final Cut Pro X.
That's what I'd recommend...

 

[MDF314159265]

If you can afford an iMac Pro, you can afford Final Cut Pro X.
That's what I'd recommend...

Thanks Fishrrman. I got my iMP on sale at MicroCenter though and am still a cheapskate.
I am tempted to go for FCP, but as mentioned above, don’t wanna have to find a class to use the program. I took a class on Photoshop and still feel like I’m only utilizing 5% of the entire program.

 

[bopajuice]

Thanks Fishrrman. I got my iMP on sale at MicroCenter though and am still a cheapskate.
I am tempted to go for FCP, but as mentioned above, don’t wanna have to find a class to use the program. I took a class on Photoshop and still feel like I’m only utilizing 5% of the entire program.

iMovie is your best bet. I sometimes edit segments using iMovie to add simple George Burns effects, (Pun intended) and then import the results to FCP to add titles and effects, edit audio, fine tune transitions, etc. Both have their plusses and minuses. But when I export the movie under FCP, the final result is smooth and fluid, no choppiness or stutters like FCP or iMovie of yesteryear. The latest version of FCP is not that hard to learn. Look at Youtube videos. Helps a lot.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I am tempted to go for FCP, but as mentioned above, don’t wanna have to find a class to use the program."

Final Cut isn't all that much different than iMovie, if you can use one, you can use the other.

There are MANY video tutorials on Final Cut on YouTube.
You can spend hours and hours learning from them.

The big advantage of FCPX when editing 4k video is that you can create "proxy media" that edits in lower resolution (which makes that go much faster). Then, when you "print", the full-resolution 4k is used instead.