Edit Software for Snow leopard 27" IMAC & 7D
 

Hello and thanks to everyone for many informative posts I have found while searching this forum. I'm new to video editing and would really appreciate opinions and suggestions on a choice of editing software. I'm using a 27" IMAC with Snow Leopard and have a Canon 7D. So far I've been editing in imovie and would like to upgrade to a more full featured package. I've looked at various packages and searched forum posts and recently I saw controversy in the reviews regarding the new Final Cut Studio release. It does look like a lot to learn and I know that it's more of package than I really need at this point, but I'd would rather learn on something that I could stay with for the long term than go through another learning curve at a later date. My main questions are: (1) Is the new Final Cut Studio Release "buggy" like some reviews have stated ? (2) Is it missing some capabilities that would be especially useful for the 7D? (3) Are there other packages that should be looked at closely. I would be ready to try the new FCS unless there is something "better" (for lack of a better word)." My main use would be for production of documentaries and short films. For now the 7D is the most acceptable camera for the environment I am currently working in. Thank you again, I really do appreciate this forum and your advice. Best regards, Bruce

If you're running Snow Leopard then the latest version of FCS should work just fine.

There are some things to be aware of:

-- Color and Motion have certain graphics cards requirements. Check to see if your Mac meets those minimums if you intend to use them in your workflow.

-- Check to see how much RAM you have. I don't know what the minimum is but I've run FCP on a MacBook Pro with only 2 GB of RAM. My editing system has 16 but I'm also running After Effects.

-- You will want a fast external striped RAID.

-- You won't be able to determine accurate color because the color space used in TV production isn't properly displayed by FCP's monitor. FCP's monitor uses a different color space. You'll have to research how to get a reasonably accurate color display.

Just to echo Dean's post, Final Cut Studio is a very stable release. For the 7D workflow, it will do everything you need. I routinely travel with a Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz with 4GB of RAM. FCS works fine, the only program I don't fully use while traveling is Color, I usually wait until I can get to a desktop machine for that.

Your other options on the Mac are: Adobe CS5 Production Premium and AVID Media Composer. Final Cut Express and iMovie are also options, but they don't support 24p natively. The choice of editing software is a very personal thing, you need to try each one out and see which one works best for you.

Thanks for the info.