Capitalist

Lion

Essay

Computers and Software

A computer to perform editing and post-production will be another significant expense, much as cameras. Luckally, it'll pretty much be the last major one covered in this series. The long and short of Non-Liner Editing is thus: You need a Mac. If you already have one, then lucky you, you're probably ready to rock and roll as it is. If not, it's time to start shopping.

A lot of people ask me why it's necessary to use a Mac for editing. They tell me about the 12Ghz Dell they just bought for $999 and how it's so much faster than those darn Macs. Well, from a hardware standpoint, they would be correct. However, the problem isn't with the hardware, the problem is with the Operating System. Microsoft Windows is just plain useless for any number of reasons, the most significant being Reliability and the User Interface.

Video Editing is very tedious, repetitive work. Being faced with downright stupid UI quirks or a Blue Screen of Death after compositing video effects for four hours is a very quick way to become discouraged and lose interest in your project. The Windows UI just isn't good enough for these tasks. MacOS X, however, is.

Another major issue is software. MacOS X runs Apple's free iMovie software, which is the absolute best consumer-level editing application made. They also offer a cost effective upgrade path with Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro. On a Windows platform, you're either stuck with crap (Movie Maker), or paying a large chunk of money for software. Adobe Premiere, pretty well the only halfway decent mid-range editing suite for Windows, runs around $600 bucks and has no where near the features of Final Cut Express, which only has a $300 price tag.

As well, there are several must-have Mac specific pieces of technology that one needs for video editing. The major one is ColorSync, which allows one to know exactly how their finished project will look when written out to tape, CD, or DVD. I can not stress how important ColorSync is to a video editor, especially when doing color correction.

So, what kind of Mac do you need? Well, you won't have to run out and buy a new PowerMac or PowerBook if your budget is limited. Often, you can get away with a less than top of the line machine for as little as $1000-$1500 bucks. You'll need the following features:

In a nutshell, you'll need enough horsepower to run MacOS X 10.2 and your editing software, be it iMovie or Final Cut. This means that pretty much any 500Mhz or faster PowerMac, most all Titanium Powerbooks, the G4 Cube, and the new iMac are all perfectly usable editing machines. Often, these can be had used for as little as $1000 bucks, in need of only a little extra ram or an update of the OS. A little snooping on eBay or at a local Mac Dealer can often result in a very reasonable price.

If your budget warrants a new Mac, pretty well any of the current machines make for excellent editing platforms.

On To: Camera Platforms...

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