Moving from MacBook to Windows. Help.

[Brojon]

Corel has some decent "starter" apps for both video and photos.
ON1 also has a little better software for both. In fact the IN1 Photo RAW is comparable to Photoshop and in some ways superior as it blends in some features that are in Lightroom.
Their video app is supposed to be pretty good as well.

ON1 Video 2020 - ON1

www.on1.com

 

[GFields]

One of the biggest complaints with Premiere is the numerous crashes which can cause headaches and of course lost work. I haven’t run into that too much because I only used Premiere for a bit before switching, but lots of bigger content creators mention that frequently in their videos about switching.

I would suggest that might be the case if they are using very outdated equipment. If so, crashes would occur with just about any video editor working with larger video files. Especially those recorded in 4k and upward. Adobe takes pride in keeping its software up to date.

 

[anotherlab]

One of the biggest complaints with Premiere is the numerous crashes which can cause headaches and of course lost work. I haven’t run into that too much because I only used Premiere for a bit before switching, but lots of bigger content creators mention that frequently in their videos about switching.

Your mileage may vary. I would consider myself a light user of Premiere, but I haven't had any issues with it crashing. I run the latest version but stay away from the beta versions.

 

[vindibona1]

I'm going to agree and disagree with some of the previous replies. I think going from Mac to Windows is one of the best things you can do for a lot o reasons that I won't go into. I ran a profesional brick and mortar photography studio that was at one time all Mac. The two brands that I like to stay away from: Apple and Adobe, but for different reasons. But since you're already on a PC, that's cool.

There is nothing wrong with Adobe Premier... if you don't mind having your pocket picked every single month from now until eternity. I wouldn't say that if there weren't an equally good (perhaps better) and WAY cheaper alternative (mentioned in earlier replies): Davinci Resolve. The standard FULL FEATURED program is ***FREE***. The "Studio" version with all the extra bells and whistles costs all of $300 THAT YOU ONLY PAY ONCE. Most folks don't need the studio version. *I* don't need the studio version, but have it because it came with a promotional piece of hardware. A lot of folks are moving from Premier to Davinci. That's a fact.

But here's the thing...
ONCE YOU START USING A PLATFORM IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE because you get into a routine. You begin to learn what the icons mean and where stuff resides. They all pretty much do the same thing. So my advice is to pick the platform you want to stay on for almost for life.

Second thing...
The very basics of learning video editing are pretty much equal no matter which program you begin with. Once you get to a certain point, starting to do fancier stuff it becomes a little more complex. I would advice anyone to choose an editing program they can grow into rather than grow out of. You will never outgrow Davinci. Just take things in bite sized pieces. I did my first 3 minute video done 3 weeks after receiving my first drone (Mini 1) never having done computer video editing (and I'm very slow at learning new apps).

Photo editing: While I'm not a fan of Adobe, Photoshop and Lightroom are $10/mo. Not nearly as costly as Premier. I used Photoshop because I've been using it since 2001. I don't recall ever using Lightroom. I prefer On 1 Photo Raw. With current discounts you can buy the license for $80. Upgrades down the road are optional. It's got some super easy features and can be used in conjunction with Photoshop. But if you're going to spring for Photoshop, you might as well use Lightroom too as it's included in the subscription. While I'm not promoting it, having only tested it briefly, Affinity Photo is a good alternative to Photoshop, costing a flat rate of $70. It is very similar to Photoshop in a lot of ways, but just absent some bells and whistles... and month payments. FWIW, I would be perfectly happy with decade++ old Photoshop CS3, except Adobe would no longer activate my license (that wasn't ever supposed to expire) . On v CS3- if I could think it- I could do it. I guess they figured out that software license rental was more lucrative. That's my beef with Adobe. They effectively canceled a non-cancelable license by deactivating all activation methods.

To reduce all the above verbiage... Get free Davinci and buy a subscription to Photoshop/Lightroom, unless On 1 Photo Raw can help you get started (easier than LR IMO).

 

[jmaganaski]

I am beginning to dive into the realm of simple aerial real estate photography and video. I was told by a few experienced operators that my older MacBook would not even come close to being usable for what I needed to do, so I bought a prett high performance Windows machine with decent storage and speed as well as a pretty good graphics processor. Please give me some suggestions on some decent but relatively user friendly processing software for video and photos. Take it easy on me. I’m just beginning this venture and I’m starting out slow so that I fully understand each step of the process. Once I’m comfortable, I will begin more complicated tasks. My eventual goal will be to replace my Mavic 3 Classic with a Mavic 3 Thermal set up.

I’m very much in the same boat as you my friend. I’m assuming you also have your 107 if you’re working gathering RE photos?

 

[Grandpa]

Here is a video about Resolve’s Cut page that you might want to look at. Everything you need is on the Cut page and you can dive in more deeply at your own pace.

 

[aerovikings]

More bang for your buck with Windows? Apple makes their own chips now and has left Intel in the dust In both price and performance. Apple desktops now start at $599 and their laptops at $849. Those entry level machines destroy high end Wintel offerings that cost 3x as much. The idea that Macs are expensive niche products that are outperformed by cheaper Windows machines is so 1998.

There is no reason for anyone that even dips their toe into graphics, photography, motion graphics, video editing, etc to use anything but a Mac, assuming that things like time, money, performance, thoughtful design, durability, resell-ability, and ecosystem are important.

Think about your dilemma. Your machine was getting a little long in the tooth and it had become slow and you longed for greater performance. Better performance than your 2012 Mac. In 2023. Thats an 11 year old machine. Show me an 11 year old Windows machine and I’ll ask you “hey what are you doing poking around in that landfill?!?”

I recently upgraded my 2014 iMac to a newer Apple Silicon model. I was editing 4K 10 bit video with it up until the moment I sold it. I paid $3,000 for it at the end of 2013. I got $2,100 for it from a buyer that was stoked to get it. Almost 10 years later. They really hold their value because they are engineered to last, are well-designed, and when used with native software like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro Motion, and the iWork suite really can last 10 years without a single one of those years being “Urgh! I REALLY need a new computer“ years.

I only write all of this because it’s like talking to a unicorn, you don’t get many chances. It’s extremely rare to meet anyone who switches from Mac to Windows just like you don‘t hear about people digging tunnels INTO Shawshank. I really hope it works out for you and that you’re so pleased that in 2033 it’s an easy choice to get another one of whatever you bought. Just because a thing is incomprehensible to me doesn’t mean it’s all that weird.

 

[SDS]

I’m very much in the same boat as you my friend. I’m assuming you also have your 107 if you’re working gathering RE photos?

Yes, I do have my 107. I've got a full time career elsewhere, but have family and friends that are RE agents or brokers and I've discussed the possibility of doing some side work for them. I got some verbal encouragement to do so, so I passed the 107 exam first and then bought all of the equipment. I've been practicing with the photography and vid around my house and a local marina (great area for some fantastic shots). The flying is second nature to me since I used to have many RC aircraft. The biggest learning curve is going to be the processing of whatever I shoot.

 

[SDS]

Update: ok, that was a big mistake. I just reaffirmed why I hate Windows PC machines!!!!! The computer is going back and I will be getting into an Apple device of some sort. Any opinions on the Mini Macs? What monitor to recommend, accessories, etc. MacBook Pro or Air and minimum capabilities?

 

[anotherlab]

Update: ok, that was a big mistake. I just reaffirmed why I hate Windows PC machines!!!!! The computer is going back and I will be getting into an Apple device of some sort. Any opinions on the Mini Macs? What monitor to recommend, accessories, etc. MacBook Pro or Air and minimum capabilities?

I have a Mac Mini and it's been fine. I use it as a build server for iOS apps and it just does its job without complaints. I have an i9 and an M1 Pro MacBook Pros and for 99% of people, there is no reason to get an Intel-based Macbook.

The difference between the Air and the Pro will come down to the screen, RAM, and storage. The Air is going to be fast enough, unless you are doing video production work full-time. Then the Pro would make more sense.

I would max out the Air or the Pro with what you can afford. It's not like you can upgrade one of them after the fact. Given the choice, I would spend more on RAM than storage. You can always free up space by moving old projects off the machine, you can't change the RAM.

 

[SDS]

I would max out the Air or the Pro with what you can afford. It's not like you can upgrade one of them after the fact. Given the choice, I would spend more on RAM than storage. You can always free up space by moving old projects off the machine, you can't change the RAM.

That's the route I had decided but wanted some other opinions. Thanks for the input.

 

[Yaros]

I can recommend Adobe Photoshop, it can handle JPG editing, but you don't need that for drone, because you should shoot RAW photo. Adobe Photoshop has a free plugin called Adobe Camera Raw which opens a mini Lightroom inside Photoshop. It has 90% of the features of Lightroom. Of course, Photoshop isn't free software.

For editing, I would recommend Davinci Resolve, it is better than Premiere Pro in my opinion, and there's a free version (Yay!) the free version has everything necessary for starting to edit, and the studio version is a one-time payment, and it has some more advanced features like denoise, different effects, 3D camera tracking and can work with timelines higher than 3840x2160.