Video editing help.

[Chris Rees]

Apologies if this is not acceptable in this forum, but where can I find info on system requirements for editing 4K/2.7K 30fps files from my Mini 2 of say 4 to 5 mins long? I want to buy a secondhand Apple Mac for simple hobby editing and then save to possibly an SSD Drive. Thank you in advance.

 

[brett8883]

Apologies if this is not acceptable in this forum, but where can I find info on system requirements for editing 4K/2.7K 30fps files from my Mini 2 of say 4 to 5 mins long? I want to buy a secondhand Apple Mac for simple hobby editing and then save to possibly an SSD Drive. Thank you in advance.

Editing is more of a spectrum than a minimum requirement kind of thing. More power you have the better and easier to work with.

The new M1 Mac Mini is gonna be the best bang for your buck. Buy Mac mini

 

[Skybuyer]

If you're committed to the Mac system there is a combination of Mac and editing program that I think would be up your alley... and you won't have to buy a used Mac: Davinci Resolve 17 and the Mac Mini M1 (I just saw that @brett8883 just recommended this same Mac).
Davinci Resolve 17
Mac Mini- Apple

It may sound crazy, but Davinci Resolve 17 has a full featured editor that you can download and use FOR FREE, unlimited! They do have a "studio" version for $300, but the free version has 90% of the features of the$300 version which just expands its capabilities. The Mac Mini starts at $700. And for some crazy reason Davinci Resolve is optimized for this cheap little computer. So you can have a full editing setup, with monitor for possibly under $1000!

There are thousands of great tutorials for Davini Resolve on YouTube in small bite-sized lessons so you can learn it piece by piece. I'd never really edited digital video before, and started around July 1st. By July 15th I had completed my first project with just the basics, but still not terrible (shot with my Mini 1). Just to show you what can be learned and accomplished from ground zero in just a couple of weeks (new to drones too!), here is a link to that first video...
First video project

 

[brett8883]

Yea I would avoid buying an older Mac. These new ones are light years better at lower cost

 

[Paul B]

I've used a MacBook Pro for years. Tried DaVinci Resolve, couldn't make head nor tail of any of the instructions/videos. Went back to iMovie, which comes pre-loaded on the Mac. Piece of cake ?!

 

[Karlewski]

All this advice is very solid, I'd take it. . . on the video editor front, learn basic editing on I movie and if you feel you are out growing it definitely get DaVinci. It is light years more powerful but does take a while to learn. Once you do, it is AWESOME.

 

[MiragePro]

We have been using Premiere for the last 20 years. Prior to that it was Avid. All our machines are PC and extremely beefy. Premiere, along with After Effects can be pricey. We also use DaVinci for color grading. A year ago I needed to come up with a system that I could put on a laptop and edit on location for a client. Premiere requires a separate license for each computer and also you need a lot of power. I found this great inexpensive program that works great, and can do most of the things you would require, not break your bank account and will probably run great on your used Mac.
[OFFICIAL]Filmora Video Editor(Win&Mac) | Free Download Video Editor

 

[EricJT]

All this advice is very solid, I'd take it. . . on the video editor front, learn basic editing on I movie and if you feel you are out growing it definitely get DaVinci. It is light years more powerful but does take a while to learn. Once you do, it is AWESOME.

Good advice...DR17 has a steep learning curve, but as another post said there are many YouTube tutorials in bite size chunks.

I got into NLE's many years ago so while DR17 is even more feature laden than what I used, I have been catching on to DR17 fairly quickly.

Start with a basic NLE (Cessna) and when you are comfortable with the terms and concepts, graduate to the advanced NLE (F35).

 

[SpitFire]

Welcome to the forum from Chicago the Windy City.
I use iMovie on my Mac Book Pro, like free better.

 

[Little bird]

If you're committed to the Mac system there is a combination of Mac and editing program that I think would be up your alley... and you won't have to buy a used Mac: Davinci Resolve 17 and the Mac Mini M1 (I just saw that @brett8883 just recommended this same Mac).
Davinci Resolve 17
Mac Mini- Apple

It may sound crazy, but Davinci Resolve 17 has a full featured editor that you can download and use FOR FREE, unlimited! They do have a "studio" version for $300, but the free version has 90% of the features of the$300 version which just expands its capabilities. The Mac Mini starts at $700. And for some crazy reason Davinci Resolve is optimized for this cheap little computer. So you can have a full editing setup, with monitor for possibly under $1000!

There are thousands of great tutorials for Davini Resolve on YouTube in small bite-sized lessons so you can learn it piece by piece. I'd never really edited digital video before, and started around July 1st. By July 15th I had completed my first project with just the basics, but still not terrible (shot with my Mini 1). Just to show you what can be learned and accomplished from ground zero in just a couple of weeks (new to drones too!), here is a link to that first video...
First video project

Very Very entertaining to watch, good music choice.

 

[Skybuyer]

Very Very entertaining to watch, good music choice.

Thank you.
People say Davinci Resolve is hard to learn or intimidating. The only video I'd done in any recent time is a few short instructional videos. I'd tried a few "easier" editing programs and gave up in frustration. Davinci Resolve is the first one that not only has both simplicity and complexity, but the immense educational/tutorial resources of virtually no other program. And somehow the programmers at BMD (not to be confused with BLM ? ) managed to code it in such a way that it is optimized for the Mac Mini M1.

 

[DroneToJoy]

Im using the mac mini 1 with a 4K screen (Dell U2720Q) and Da Vinci Resolve set up, but have started rather with Power Director 19 (which few people seem to talk about) after much trial and testing. Quite impressed, but it's an art and will take time to learn, no matter what set-up you have - if you want to produce full spectrum video (video with cuts, music, tlak in, PIP, etc)...