video editing apple computer?

[Alphaville]

Windows 10 on desktop for gaming and videos. Linux on laptop for everything else.

aaaah....

yeah windows sort of a must for games (you edit video on windows too?)

never apple?

[Alphaville]

Windows is just terrible. And video editing on linux is terrible, while picture editing on linux is ok. I prefer the never ending headaches of linux circa 2006 to any Windows.

“the never ending headaches of linux circa 2006”

yes that is about when i gave up on it.

(though i used to run a specialized one off a thumb drive for my NAS... strictly for that though, boot up, no interaction... FreeNAS??)

so... any linux flavor you’d recommend trying these days?

[daylen]

@Alphaville

I have used apple in the past, but I suppose I prefer more control over hardware. I do not edit videos on any system.

In general, I would say it probably does not matter what Linux distribution you use unless you have a specific purpose in mind. Not much harm in trying several in a virtual machine.

[Alphaville]

@Alphaville

I have used apple in the past, but I suppose I prefer more control over hardware. I do not edit videos on any system.

In general, I would say it probably does not matter what Linux distribution you use unless you have a specific purpose in mind. Not much harm in trying several in a virtual machine.

aaaah! ok...

macOS is my favorite unix distro ha ha ha ha

so, for linux, user-friendly would be good for starters

[5ts]

Ah, the days of linux when you couldn't even reliably boot to a GUI. It did improve rapidly and now it's pretty much rock solid. I really enjoy using linux. It's just not good for video or audio. Ubuntu is one of the more user friendly and has a good support.

[Alphaville]

Ah, the days of linux when you couldn't even reliably boot to a GUI. It did improve rapidly and now it's pretty much rock solid. I really enjoy using linux. It's just not good for video or audio. Ubuntu is one of the more user friendly and has a good support.

the nightmare i recall was having to install drivers for everything. e.g. i used to have a plextor dvd burner. trying to make it work on linux was either impossible or a nightmare. really i can’t make the details anymore (is it ptsd?).

i keep hearing ubuntu for aaaaaaaages. thanks. will see if it works on the old mbp.

[daylen]

Driver support on Linux is probably better than Windows these days because of super computer, server, and embedded device support.

[Alphaville]

Driver support on Linux is probably better than Windows these days because of super computer, server, and embedded device support.

oh, different type of device altogether

with video it’s mostly about compatibility with cameras and codecs/wrappers for import/export

e.g.
at the lower end
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204202
or
at the higher end
https://community.avid.com/forums/p/197734/885679.aspx

[Alphaville]

oh! RESOLVE seems to be the real gooder (lol) for linux

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DaVinci_Resolve

$$$$$ though...

and only on centOs
https://www.linuxuprising.com/2018/06/h ... 15-in.html
https://forums.centos.org/viewtopic.php?t=62374 ayayay...

[5ts]

oh! RESOLVE seems to be the real gooder (lol) for linux

I seriously looked into Resolve, but decided it was a NoGo due to reasons you listed.

Back then, Driver Hell on linux was second only to Dependency Hell. It's mostly solved now. If you get a machine with at least 1 year old hardware then driver support is very good and mostly baked in. Bleeding edge stuff could be troublesome still.

[Alphaville]

Dependency Hell.

the d-word still gives me spasms to this day

—

anyway, sticking to apple now for sure with other OS options exhausted.

which model? still open. the imac looks the strongest contender but have not discarded the mini option just yet... external gpu port is promising and i still need to check what other hardware might be swappable in the imac because the shopping cart upgrades add up to a lot.

[jacob]

I run a linux system (ubuntu LTS) from system76. The advantage of buying a full/pre-installed system is that you know everything works together plus if something breaks, there's support because the company knows what they sold you. In a way, it's like buying a mac minus the software rot/planned obsolescence

Installing blender was a simple matter of apt-getting something IIRC. The biggest issue I've had in the 5 years, I've been running the system was having to upgrade the BIOS. (Using the power button to put it into sleep mode would brick the unit ... so either you just didn't or you fixed it. So I fixed it.) However, the company provided detailed instructions for how to do this. You would still have to be comfortable with some occasional sudo'ing (and of course remember how to exit from vi ). However, screwing around with drivers, unresolved dependencies, and using ten different flavors of package managers (WHYYY???) is no longer required unless you like bleeding edge stuff.

Either way, just throwing the "linux company" suggestion out there in case it wasn't considered.

[Alphaville]

Either way, just throwing the "linux company" suggestion out there in case it wasn't considered.

it wasn’t—interesting twist! will look into.

[5ts]

System76, or some other solution like Dell's line of linux models, are interesting because it's similar to the Apple model. The software is designed for the hardware. I would say Apple developed software is much more optimized for the hardware, but it should be a good experience either way. Hardware/software incompatibility is just a nightmare.

I'm not sure why you are considering the Mini. Do you really want to fork over the mega bucks for an Apple monitor or muck around with some other monitor and color calibration? I would understand a Macbook for the portability vs the iMac, but I don't understand the Mini. I don't think you can really upgrade the hardware on any current Apple product, minus the RAM. And even that's soldered into the motherboard on a Macbook so you aren't upgrading that anytime soon.

What upgrades are you considering for the iMac? I know what exact specs I would get for maximum longevity, but if you have a hard price cap I can give suggestions if you would like

[Alphaville]

i looked at the system 76 mini and it’s cool! love the scalability of it. https://system76.com/desktops/meerkat

i think linux video editing has a future, and i need to start learning about it, but not today.

today i have projects in the pipeline that are already in the apple workflow and i need to finish them, and the projects are paying for the hardware, so it should be all about the projects.

ultimately i guess it’s about what i want to do with my life: make videos? or finally get the system to read the old P2 cards?

(also, this work is done outside of “money” work, so hours are limited, which means system readiness is paramount.)

I'm not sure why you are considering the Mini. Do you really want to fork over the mega bucks for an Apple monitor or muck around with some other monitor and color calibration?
[...]
What upgrades are you considering for the iMac? I know what exact specs I would get for maximum longevity, but if you have a hard price cap I can give suggestions if you would like

budget:

so, the ceiling is about $3k, which is great for a nicely configured imac retina, but not an imac pro (saw the imac pro: a beauty! but absolute overkill). would like to spend more like $2k however as there are other areas that need care.

hardware:

my experience with the type of work that i do is it’s not very cpu intensive, a lot of the processing is done at gpu these days, and the default 27” imac radeon card can probably handle it for ages to come. i’ll never do 3d or compositing or particle modeling, so don’t think i need the $450 vega card

the mini’s intel uhd graphics being integrated are not ideal, but i’m sure they can handle a lot more than my 2012 mbp and should the need arise, and for future proofing, the external gpu port offers options. (maybe, i have to look into prices, options, etc)

ram: 16gb should be plenty for now, especially using apple’s software. imac lets me diy upgrade ram right away, mini lets me diy upgrade with a little more work but only after the warranty expires (not “official,” but doable)

i also work with airdrop/icloud transfers and backups, and no raw video is used anymore, plus all projects are short form, so no large onsite storage is required- a 1TB fusion drive should be plenty. right now i’m working on a 256ssd

also i don’t really need 5k retina right now— i mean, it looks great, but a dual monitor setup would give me plenty horizontal space to look at the timeline and arrange windows, control panels, etc., to do the “mechanical” work of dragging clips around and moving faders etc. currently i have one 24” monitor, adding a second would be *cheep*.

but if retina was needed down the road: i believe lg makes the apple displays? e.g. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... _16_9.html

color grading would be another story, so i gotta place an asterisk on that. but since everything passes through an ipad pro first (assembled on imovie) maybe... o wait wait wait.... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XzCrZXqEhIQ

....

SIDECAR!!!

—

@bigato: i’ll take a look at openbsd—thanks!

[Alphaville]

Alphaville: it will be no good for video editing though, I think. Just wanted to mention it because of people complaining about the issues they had with linuxes.

oh yeah, i got that. but i think that everyone should know how to operate unix the same way that everyone should know how to drive stick shift or ride a tractor. sort of like “basic life skill”. even for a “lazy” mac user.

for video, i’m realizing that people think apple is too pricey, but the level of care and dedication apple puts into making their products work for creatives (rather than creatives having to work for their products) rarely (don’t want to say never) comes without money. and it’s well worth it for the right use.

they really put a massive effort into making things intuitive and functional. e.g., in the youtube i linked,even though the plugin the man is demoing is feom a separate company, it’s all based on apple’s functionality.

that sidecar function with the ipad is just a thing of beauty... see, the way they make all their products mesh together is something else. it was truly shocking for me to see that youtube. it’s completely besides the point of cpu cores and power and ram and stuff. sure, some level of computing power is required, but what they do is totally about something else: it’s about making it easy to make things. they are geniuses at that. but yeah there is a cost and tradeoffs that come with it. for me, moving from iphone to ipad to mac and back to ipad is a huge money saver actually.

[5ts]

for video, i’m realizing that people think apple is too pricey, but the level of care and dedication apple puts into making their products work for creatives (rather than creatives having to work for their products) rarely (don’t want to say never) comes without money. and it’s well worth it for the right use.

I do not understand Apple hate. Just don't get it. People who have never used Apple hardware think the creative types are gullible and just like throwing too much money at Apple for no reason because they are gullible. Apple hardware lasts forever and their software support lasts even longer. They keep their phones updated with software for at least 5 years. Try getting 2 years of software updates for an Android phone, and you will have to beg to get that. Sorry, but I'm not carrying around a mini computer in my pocket with no security updates.

I look at amortized costs, so I just can't get on board with the Mini. I hate churning hardware so I get something and make it last. Here is what I would do for ultimate longevity ($2,999) or AT LEAST 5 good years ($1,799). For either one you can upgrade the RAM from 8GB to 40GB for around $200 aftermarket. The iMac Pro is a monster but the price is insane.

Customize your 27‑inch iMac with Retina 5K display. $2,999.00

3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory
1TB SSD storage


Customize your 27‑inch iMac with Retina 5K display. $1,799.00

3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
Radeon Pro 570X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
1TB Fusion Drive storage

[Alphaville]

I look at amortized costs, so I just can't get on board with the Mini. I hate churning hardware so I get something and make it last.

i hear you there, and that’s been working with my ipad pro, but my reasoning on the desktop is if somehow the imac suffers harm (e.g. falls off the table and literally breaks*) i basically lose everything in it, whereas if the mini craps out i can get another little box for $800 and keep whatever monitor and external gpu functional.

the modularity is appealing to me because parts can break without destroying the whole system.

it’s also appealing because in the future i could buy a *monster* egpu that would work with the next iteration of whatever. a bit like a system builder, but “outside the case” so to speak.

* eta: with the 5k retina i should probably be looking at upgrading my desk too

[daylen]

the modularity is appealing to me because parts can break without destroying the whole system.

This is why I built my PC from scratch six years ago. Once you know how to do it, this skill can save you repair money in the long run. Some parts are more likely to fail and others will last a lifetime.

There is a thread that talks about this somewhere.

[Alphaville]

This is why I built my PC from scratch six years ago. Once you know how to do it, this skill can save you repair money in the long run. Some parts are more likely to fail and others will last a lifetime.

There is a thread that talks about this somewhere.

yah i was a pc builder from 1997 to 2008 more or less

the focus on video ended that

-

eta: but it’s not really possible to keep things for a lifetime because component buses change, cpu sockets change, storage connectors change, ram modules change, requiring new motherboards, requiring new psus with new power connectors, requiring new cases to house all that, and so eventually you start from scratch again in spite of every best intention. so you end up with a small museum/junkyard of obsolete parts. i did anyway.