As a follow up to our rather controversial article on FCPX on a MacBook Air, we thought we would do a roundup of FCP.co readers' real life editing experiences on the combination.
The article that we published on the rendering problem with FCPX running on a MacBook Air certainly stirred up quite a bit of feeling in the community. It was interesting as the mail we received was split down the middle. Half criticised us for bashing the MBA and the other half praised us for not being 'complete Apple fanbois.' (Not our words or spelling we hasten to add!)
It lags and glitches horribly and I think if I can get a new computer it will decrease my editing time by almost half. I was wondering how the macbook air is for video editing, specifically premiere pro, however I could probably switch to iMovie. I would mostly use it to edit video. . For occasional video editing: Yes, it's fine. It'll probably do everything, just a little bit slower than a machine could do the job. For regular video editing: No, get the MBPro (15/Retina 15' —or the just removed 17'— models which have much better CPU's and dedicated graphics chips, and would regularly outperform the Air's. Tips from one videographer on how 4K editing on a baseline MacBook Air actually works. Just because something is possible, doesn’t mean you have to do it. Yet, here we have video proof that not only can a 15.6mm thin MacBook Air edit 4K footage, but one Youtube videographer actually prefers it! So I have been using the MacBook Air as my main editing machine for almost 2 years now and it has been a great companion. Well at least for 1080p video editi. Hopefully that 13-inch MacBook Pro will have a second-generation Intel Core Series CPU that allows for better video editing. Be In the Know Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews.
So we decided to contact everybody who had posted a comment or had emailed in saying they were editing on a MBA and asked them to share their thoughts and experiences.
First up is Tracy Evans from Tracy Evans Productions based in Houston, Texas.
I had been editing for several years on a Mac Pro. Last summer I started a Motion project on my MacBook Air and found it quite capable. Checking some benchmark results online, I was surprised to see that my 'little 11” exceeded the performance of my Pro in several categories.
Like many, I have struggled over the last year (or more) with the decision to buy or not to buy a beefier Pro. But even the crazy priced top-of-the-line ones did not benchmark fast enough to justify the cost. I would wait (and wait, and wait) for the next Pro.
So I switched my system, software, and hardware all at once over to the Air, leaving my old Mac Pro/Final Cut 7 system intact. I have never looked back.
My backpack-friendly editing system is now an 11” MacBook Air (Mid 2012, 2GHz i7, 8 GB RAM) and a few USB3 bus-powered drives. Editing 720p, and even 1080p, from those tiny little drives is a breeze. If the project is small enough, working straight from the flash drive is a dream. I don’t get much more than an hour or two of battery when pushing the system hard, but I'm usually plugged in so I am fully charged when need be.
My work desk is a constantly shifting spiderweb of USB3 cables and portable drives. When I am in the office I plug into a hub, a speaker system and a monitor. For a while I tried using a USB to HDMI for a third monitor. It works for the most part, but due to the processor hit I only use it for client meetings.
There is something satisfying about projects living on portable drives. It's a stress reliever just knowing I can grab a little box on the go that contains everything I might need for that client or project. Back-ups are easier too. I use SuperDuper to keep sparse disc images up to date on a desktop drive, then sneaker net the portable drive to our central Mac/Drobo system for on-line archival. At the end of the project I just pop the portable drive on the shelf, et voila; three redundant backups. Once every month or so, we backup the Drobo and move that disc offsite.
I have been so happy with the MBAir that I recently sold my giant home iMac. It was a great machine, but since my Air is always with me in my backpack, I stopped using the iMac. That's another plus; maintaining one mac instead of three (work, home, Air.)
Sure, I will likely buy the new Mac Pro in December (or whenever), and it will be awesome working at super speed. The dual GPU setup is very exciting. The lack of internal drives? Doesn’t bother me. It will feel right at home in my spiderweb.
Matthew Celia has had a good experience editing music videos on his MacBook Air
I BTO'd my machine. It's a 13' MBA with 8GB ram (because you can't update later) and the i7 processor. The i7 is a good upgrade because it effectively doubles the cores because it supports hyperthreading. Great for churning through video. The HD is the 256GB SSD.
I've been editing a series of short 'music videos'. 10 bands, over 400 clips. I've been on the go, so I needed something portable to at least get a 1st pass done. I converted the footage to ProRes Proxy and work off a Seagate Backup Plus drive (1tb) connected via USB3.0. Far from the ideal hard drive, but fast enough. So far the program is quite snappy, with the skimming very responsive. The biggest downside (as has been mentioned) is the small screen size. But it's not the end of the world.
I did a quick test outputting one of the videos that was over 4 minutes. No rendering had been done. Switched the files back to original (all shot with Canon DSLRs) and hit output. From the time I hit save until the time the master file appeared it took 3:49. Not too shabby.
I was initially quite concerned that the machine would not be powerful enough for an FCPX edit, but I did not have the budget to afford the 15' MBP with the discrete graphics. The 13' MBP would be an option but it too doesn't have discrete graphics. Since FCPX is a graphics card hungry program, it made more sense for me to go with something that would also double as a field machine with it's insane battery life. So far, I have been pretty thrilled and surprised that this little laptop sometimes feels snappier than my 27' iMac!
And finally Ken Kreshtool told us about his rendering experiences.
I have an older Macbook Air 4GB (first of the 'wedge' generation, I think), so I decided to try your 'Far Far Away' test. (FCPX 10.0.8). I use the Air for all kinds of very-small-project edits, and never had it take very long to render anything.
I had a similar — but fundamentally different — experience from you. I started the 'Far, Far Away' render. It got bogged down somewhere between 50% and 60% done after about 5-10 minutes, with the rainbow pinwheel starting to happen everywhere. So I quit FCPX, which took about 2-3 full minutes (!), and restarted it. The render completed quickly, faster than 1% per second, so this second effort was under a minute. The whole process might have been quicker if I had quit and restarted FCPX when it first bogged down, but hey, it's hard to tell when exactly to give up and do a quit-and-restart.
The symptoms sound to me like FCPX is trying to do the whole danged render in RAM and it's just getting full. So then FCPX or the OS attempts a painfully slow form of memory swapping in order to try to keep going, or something. But when I asked FCPX to quit, the symptoms seem like FCPX is taking time to write whatever it has already rendered to disk, and is then ready to start with a fresh and open mind.
Now, quitting and restarting FCPX in the middle of a render is a pretty crude way of getting responsiveness. But it works on my Air. Allow users to edit ranges in excel for mac. And in my very-small-project editing on my Air so far, I've never run into this before. The 'Far Far Away' render must be a whale!
We had other people comment that stopping and then restarting the render sped things up enormously. Also many people with 8GB of RAM experienced no problems at all.
As always, please feel free to add your MacBook Air editing story in the comments below.
Using Macbook Air For Video Editing Software
Apple didn’t get its reputation for performance and accuracy from nowhere.
Everything from phones to paper-thin notebooks are engineering to work efficiently, and this makes their MacBooks ideal for all levels of video editing.
Besides integrating extremely well with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and many other third-party photo/video editing software, they offer a streamlined experience that will work well in any freelance or industry position.
In this guide, we’ll point out some key points for choosing the best MacBook Pro that will most effectively work for video editing at various levels, and showcase some of our own recommendations as well.
Quick Summary
For the casual creative, we recommend the 13-inch MacBook Pro with 256GB SSD, which offers quality performance without unnecessarily bulking up the specs. It doesn’t offer touch bar, but it is portable and sturdy.
If you certainly aren’t a hobbyist but not a pro either, 13-inch MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD is a better choice. The storage has been beefed up a bit, and the touch bar offers a new dimension of functionality.
Lastly, the professional creative looking to max out their performance power would be best served with a 15-inch MacBook Pro with i9 Processor and 512GB SSD. This model offers insane amounts of processing power, though you’ll likely still want an external monitor for the sake of screen space.
Is MacBook Pro Good for Video Editing?
Using Macbook Air For Video Editing
In this case, it isn’t about whether or not a Mac will be effective for video editing, but a matter of how much power you really need.
If you just plan on doing minor work for youtube, you won’t be troubled by extensive renders or clamoring for screen restate, so it doesn’t make sense to pay for specs built for something ten times as processor-intensive.
However, if you plan on doing digital animation or working in 4K, it’s definitely time to look at higher-end machines that will be able to handle what you’re throwing at them.
Using Macbook Air For Video Editing Video
If you’re not planning on editing videos in some way, you should not treat this article as a collection of the most powerful MacBooks overall.
Intensive computer work demands different specs depending on what you plan on doing, so you can’t assume the best for editing will be the best for say, gaming.
Best MacBook Pro for Video Editing: What to Consider in 2020?
Graphics
The key to a fast render is a high quality dedicated graphics card, and while lower-level work will likely be fine using an integrated card, you’ll want a dedicated one for anything beyond the casual home video or Youtube vlog. Dedicated graphics allow your computer to utilize RAM (Random Access Memory) specifically for the high-quality visuals you’ll be rendering as effectively as possible.
Processor
The processor is going to be handling every detail of your video as you build it, so you’re going to want to look towards the latest generations of the Intel i5 and i7 lines. Since video software can make use of multiple threads as well, these will benefit you while creating your project.
RAM
The final element that will make or break the performance of your MacBook while working on video editing is RAM. It’s used in every aspect of your computer’s execution of processes, and you’ll want a minimum of 8GB for amateur work, with a goal of 16GB if you’re editing professionally.
Best MacBook Pro for Video Editing in 2020: Our Picks
1. Casual Video Editing: 13-inch MacBook Pro (2.4GHz, Intel Core i5 processor, 256GB)
If you’re going to be editing home videos and content for Youtube, you probably won’t be doing intensive 3D renders or completely utilizing heavy programs even if they are installed. This version of the 13″ MacBook Pro comes with the processing power to reach your goal without unnecessarily overcompensating.
Pros:
The 13″ model is extremely portable, so you’ll have editing power at your fingertips wherever you go.
RAM is the perfect amount for this type of user and should last several years.
SSD drive means that renders and saves will be completed faster than with a physical HDD disk.
Cons:
SSD is pricey, which is why this model only comes with 256 GB in disk space. You’ll definitely want to purchase an external drive to compensate for this when storing your videos.
Additionally, this model uses an integrated graphics card which will be fine for this level of editing but doesn’t offer room for growth.
2. For Amateur Movie Making: 13-inch MacBook Pro (2.4GHz, Intel Core i5 processor, 512GB)
Whether college student or budding short-film director, you need power and a modern flair without the expense of a professional setup. This model of MacBook is a great compromise, offering Apple’s latest touch bar and touch ID technology packed into a 13″ body powered by an integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655.
Pros:
Offering both portability and power, this modern masterpiece has all the specs to get you where you want to go without any unnecessary bulk.
The brand-new touch bar is also included and known to have great integrations when working in Final Cut Pro or the Adobe Suite.
Cons:
While offering more space than the aforementioned 256GB model, it’s still a bit on the small side for storing large video files.
It also has an integrated graphics card, which is slightly less than ideal.
3. For Professional Creatives: 15-inch MacBook Pro (2.3GHz, Intel Core i9 processor, 512GB)
Truly a top of the line machine, this MacBook Pro model was built for precision and nothing less. The 8-core i9 processor can stand up to just about anything you throw at it, it has a powerful graphics card UHD Graphics 630. The 15″ screen offers some more real estate than the smaller 13″ models.
Pros:
It has nearly unbeatable power between the mix of RAM, dGPU, and processor.
The beautiful screen will produce accurate colors and the touch bar will allow you to work even more effectively in your favorite editing programs.
You have the option to choose more storage space if needed.
Cons:
When editing professionally, you need all the screen space you can get, and no size laptop is going to be able to offer that. If you don’t have an external monitor, check out our recommendations.
Useful Mac Video Editing Resources
Just getting started with editing your own videos? LifeWire offers a great tutorial on getting started, from which software will be the most useful to whether you’ll fare better with some peripherals. Also, check out this complete video editing tutorial for non-editors on Mac:
A fan of iMovie? MacWorld has made a fantastic list of best tips on how to get the most out of Apple’s video editing software for macOS.
You could also check out this list of free and paid Mac video editing apps (TechRadar), which will let you experiment before deciding exactly what you need in a paid program.
Final Words
Video editing is a prime example of technical work that eats RAM and CPU power like no other. Luckily, a MacBook Pro was made to stand up to these things and is sure to perform if you’ve picked an adequate model.
Using Macbook Air For Video Editing Software
What set up do you currently use to edit videos? Let us know and share which specs you think are most important for productive work.