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would the Base model 11" Macbook air be good for light video editing?
- Thread starter ThisIsMe
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I have the 13" MBA and run Final Cut Pro 6 on it to edit XDCAM EX full high def footage. I was surprised at how fast and responsive it is - runs circles around my 2008 15" MBP. The SSD is a huge performance boost, if you have enough space for your projects. I have the 256gb SSD.
You will want to use an external monitor for any serious editing though.
You will want to use an external monitor for any serious editing though.
What do you classify as light? Just for perspective, I'm running a Mac mini with 2GB of memory (see sig) as my file/media server. Just checking how much free memory it has, around 770MB.
My MBP with 8GB of memory is currently using around 3GB for just two tabs and a large document in Pages.
Now video editing, of most kinds, will be far heavier than what I'm doing at this moment on my MBP. While the SSD will help reduce the performance decrease by caching, it'd still not be great.
Honestly, I'd take a look at any of the higher end models that Apple sell.
My MBP with 8GB of memory is currently using around 3GB for just two tabs and a large document in Pages.
Now video editing, of most kinds, will be far heavier than what I'm doing at this moment on my MBP. While the SSD will help reduce the performance decrease by caching, it'd still not be great.
Honestly, I'd take a look at any of the higher end models that Apple sell.
It's funny how a whole lot of people manage video editing on old systems which are easily out-performed by an entry-level MBA, yet somehow the MBA is said to be unsuited to the task, or capable only of pretty simple projects of this kind.
Like all systems, the 11" MBA has its limitations, but it is actually a perfectly capable computer. It outperforms many Macs which were current models in 2009 when the last edition of iMovie was released, so at that level it is clearly more than capable. Whether it is well suited is a matter of exactly what kind of projects and your preferred workflow, since 2Gb RAM is a bit limiting in what it can run concurrently, and the 11" screen isn't exactly a luxurious amount of real estate to work with.
However, I routinely use mine for video work in the field - and indeed bought it for its supreme portability - and it does the job perfectly well. A MBP would be better in terms of absolute power and RAM, but is hardly necessary for video work.
Like all systems, the 11" MBA has its limitations, but it is actually a perfectly capable computer. It outperforms many Macs which were current models in 2009 when the last edition of iMovie was released, so at that level it is clearly more than capable. Whether it is well suited is a matter of exactly what kind of projects and your preferred workflow, since 2Gb RAM is a bit limiting in what it can run concurrently, and the 11" screen isn't exactly a luxurious amount of real estate to work with.
However, I routinely use mine for video work in the field - and indeed bought it for its supreme portability - and it does the job perfectly well. A MBP would be better in terms of absolute power and RAM, but is hardly necessary for video work.