Imac, video editing and upgrades...

[satans worm]

Try again with a title!

I started a thread on the computers forum here http://mobile.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=...

But now I am wondering if it would of been better off here instead.

Basicaly looking at buying an iMac to be used for video editing and some photo work, can anyone make a reccomendation on spec/model I should be looking at ? And if I there are any components I should look to upgrade to make things work better?

Finaly, re video editing, I need to edit some old sony 8mm stuff from 10 years ago, mixing it with some DVD footage, picture stills and putting music and subtitles on, will iMovie be ok for this or do I need to buy a program?

Any help /tips appreciated

[Bacardi]

You don't need any upgrades or extra components. Even the basic spec iMac will more than adequate for your needs so it will come down to your budget. A bigger screen is nicer to use though. More Ram and faster chips will make things work faster, enable more apps to be open at the same time without clogging things up. But it's not so much of an issue as it was years ago. Most machines are very capable these days (unless you want to remake Toy Story). A basic spec 27" iMac from last year with the basic 4gb ram runs just fine with PS and Final Cut Studio, so it's not going to break into a sweat with iMovie.

iMovie is fine for basic editing but can't do complex multilayered, keyframe editing, but that's another conversation. iMovie supports most formats and if you drop your stills into iPhoto and your music into iTunes, integrates with these libraries from within iMovie so things couldn't be easier. The built in templates for transitions and titles are a cinch to use. The Ken Burns affect is a nice little touch to add some motion to stills.

Read for more details here: http://www.apple.com/uk/ilife/imovie/

Watching the tutorials will also give you an idea of what you can achieve: http://www.apple.com/uk/ilife/tutorials/#imovie

Depending on what formats your footage from 8mm or DVDs are in, you might find free apps like Handbrake, Mac the Ripper and VLC (amongst others), handy for ripping or transcoding.

HTH

[Fordo]

I'd echo everything said above- very good advice.


Like he said, spec isnt too much of an issue these days. Imacs are very good, just spec up the ram.

I edit using final cut pro on a specced up 3 year old macbook, and produce things like this (shameless plug): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One6BFdC-HA

So a modern imac will fly through most things. Imovie is pretty good, for what it is.

I'd be tempted to get an external drive to use as your video drive, if you intend to do a lot of video editing. Editing video is very intensive on the hard drive- lots of data being written and read constantly. Its generally best practice to have a separate drive to house your video on, so if there ever is a failure, it wont be on your boot drive and stop your computer working. Make sure its a firewire external drive if you do go for one- faster sustained data rates than usb, so works much better for video.

[satans worm]

Fordo said:

I'd echo everything said above- very good advice.


Like he said, spec isnt too much of an issue these days. Imacs are very good, just spec up the ram.

I edit using final cut pro on a specced up 3 year old macbook, and produce things like this (shameless plug): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One6BFdC-HA

So a modern imac will fly through most things. Imovie is pretty good, for what it is.

I'd be tempted to get an external drive to use as your video drive, if you intend to do a lot of video editing. Editing video is very intensive on the hard drive- lots of data being written and read constantly. Its generally best practice to have a separate drive to house your video on, so if there ever is a failure, it wont be on your boot drive and stop your computer working. Make sure its a firewire external drive if you do go for one- faster sustained data rates than usb, so works much better for video.

Hi

Just looked at your clip that you produced with FCP, would this be possible with Imovie?
I like the ability to separate the sound form the pictures and then roll the sound on over other shots, if you know what i mean?

I have used 'Pinacle video editing' before which was ok, but i struggled with controlling the sound and other issues, not sure iof the programme was bugged, PC not powerful enough (over 8 years ago) or just me

Over laying subtitles is def something I need to do.

will take a look at those tutorials when i get a chance too.

As to which iMac to buy, if £999 can do it just as well, perhaps I will save the extra £600, but then again, I do believe in buying the best and keeping it longer, a spontaneous decision I feel will be required when i walk into the Apple shop on Monday

[...Mole...]

Can get extra RAM from Crucial at a much more reasonable price than Apple will charge you to add extra when you spec it.

0_0 Jesus, just looked at the apple store and realised how much they were asking for an iMac with the i7 processor and 8GB of RAM. My wallet is so glad I switched back to using PC's.

[Bacardi]

You could do quite a lot of what Fordo did in his clip in iMovie. You can detach audio but trying to do J and L cuts will drive you mad. You'd be much better off budgeting another £66 for Final Cut Express: http://www.apple.com/uk/finalcutexpress/#editing Much better for ripple, slip and slide edits, etc.

As Fordo says, iMovie is good for what it is and you can achieve a nice simple edit, elegantly, with it's built in templates, but if you want to do anything complicated, it's just not up to the job and will frustrate you. FC has a steeper learning curve, but if you've used Pinnacle it may be more familiar anyway, with a traditional timeline rather than iMovie's quirky interface.

Re how much to spend. Personally, I've learnt that buying the cheaper option doesn't save me money, as I'm always disappointed and end up buying the one I should have bought in the first place, so it ends up costing me more! Just remember, the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten .

[satans worm]

Bacardi said:

Just remember, the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten .

Mmake note to self to advise wife of this when in the shop.....

[GetCarter]

Slightly O/T but I was discussing Mac spec with a mate the other day and we decided that every 6 years you have to throw away and start again (this is for top end apps). Bugger... my G5 duel is 5 years old (and is really creaky - starting to object to my mouse clicks when running flat out).

Agree chaps?

I feel a big wallet moment after the current project ends. And the really annoying thing, it'll take 3 days of installing to get the new one to where I am now!

Love/Hate computers me. Can't live with 'em... etc.

[satans worm]

Dont suppose you have any of your VAT return money left from your build to allocate

Also, I have a nice Epsom scanner for prints and negatives, as I dont have a DSLR (I bought a Canon EOS3 just as they started coming out but were not good enough to challange film)I need the scanner for my picts, will I be able to just connect it to the Mac and it will work, or is this just wishful thinking?

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

GetCarter said:

...and we decided that every 6 years you have to throw away and start again

That's exactly the conclusion I've come to. I've got one of the last PowerPC G5s, and as well as getting a bit temperamental, it won't run the latest versions of Capture One and Photoshop. That's a quite a big issue, doing what I do, so it's time to bite the bullet and get a new one.

It's just a shame that the latest upgrade doesn't appear to offer a huge improvement. As it'll be five more years before I upgrade again, it'd be nice to get a really good one.

[Bacardi]

GetCarter said:

Slightly O/T but I was discussing Mac spec with a mate the other day and we decided that every 6 years you have to throw away and start again (this is for top end apps). Bugger... my G5 duel is 5 years old (and is really creaky - starting to object to my mouse clicks when running flat out).

Agree chaps?

Yes, although I usually replace every 3 years. Upgraded my G5 to a Mac Pro Quad Core Xeon last year, principally because the new version of Capture One wouldn't run on the old chip. The new machine is much faster and quieter though, with no hesitations with whatever I throw at it.

This upgrade thing is the same with any computer/platform/OS I was just thinking about upgrading to Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection but notice After Effects and Premiere are only compatible with 64 bit operating systems, not a problem for me, but just another example of computing facts of life.

GetCarter said:

And the really annoying thing, it'll take 3 days of installing to get the new one to where I am now!

Well, you're in luck with a mac you can just firewire them together and copy everything across when you first start up the new machine. I did this with the G5 to Mac Pro, clicked the appropriate button when starting up the machine for the first time and 45mins or so later had a facsimile copy of the everything, apps, email. desktop junk etc. on the new machine. Job done .

satans worm said:

Also, I have a nice Epsom scanner for prints and negatives, as I dont have a DSLR (I bought a Canon EOS3 just as they started coming out but were not good enough to challange film)I need the scanner for my picts, will I be able to just connect it to the Mac and it will work, or is this just wishful thinking?

Depends on the connection. USB or Firewire and an update to the driver, it might be possible. SCSI, forget it.

[Scho]

S. Gonzales Esq. said:

GetCarter said:

...and we decided that every 6 years you have to throw away and start again

That's exactly the conclusion I've come to. I've got one of the last PowerPC G5s, and as well as getting a bit temperamental, it won't run the latest versions of Capture One and Photoshop. That's a quite a big issue, doing what I do, so it's time to bite the bullet and get a new one.

It's just a shame that the latest upgrade doesn't appear to offer a huge improvement. As it'll be five more years before I upgrade again, it'd be nice to get a really good one.

x3.

Nowt wrong with my G5, really well specced machine BUT not being able to run the stuff designed for intel machines is becoming a ball ache.

[GetCarter]

It's the intel thing that is giving me some worries. I have hardware & software (x about 10) that all talk to each other at the moment. As soon as I upgrade one the rest will all fall apart I'm sure. (All music software mind, I use a PC for pics).

It's the 'chair leg' theory. Shave one down to level it up and the next one will need to be shaved.... etc