Computer and editing question at DVinfo.net

Anas El-Biad · May 11th, 2010, 08:20 AM

Hi guys, I'm new to these forums and I have 2 questions.

First of all, this summer I'll buy a new computer and a Canon Rebel T2i. The main purpose of the computer will be doing post production with the t2i footages (editing, color correction, effects etc..).

I plan on buying a Macbook pro 13.3" screen, Core 2 duo, 2.53 GHz, 4gb of RAM, 250gb HDD (I will probably buy an external hdd as well).

My first question is: Is this machine powerful enough to do post with t2i footages?

And my second question is: What is the best codec to use to get the best possible quality (with this computer)? I'll most likely use FCP for editing.

Thanks for your help!

Terry Gray · May 11th, 2010, 10:15 AM

I just picked up a MBP 17" i5 and am running FCS3 just fine, so I don't think you'll have a problem running it. I would say the external drive should be a requirement. Only the MBP 17 has the expresscard slot for esta drives, so you'll have to daisy chain from the single FW port if using multiple drives.

I've found that ProRes LT works extremely well with the footage I've shot with my 550D.

Best of luck...

tg

Anas El-Biad · May 11th, 2010, 01:50 PM

Thanks for your answer Terry. Sure I will buy an external hdd, since 250gb might not be enough. As for the card reader, I think I'll be fine with the one on the 13". I'll buy an external reader if I ever need one.

Anybody else?

Jon Rule · May 11th, 2010, 03:16 PM

Unless you need a laptop you would be better spending the money on an i7 or whatever the Mac equivalent is. I've got a Core 2 extreme (2.8ghz) and the render times are fairly slow.

David St. Juskow · May 11th, 2010, 04:16 PM

I don't know if how well you can edit that footage natively on a new mac, though I'm sure it's theoretically possible as computers get faster. On mine, I definitely have to transcode; I used prores in the past with FCP 6, and that works great but the files are large. ProRes LT seems to be a popular and more economic choice, but I can't say for sure. However, as for using final cut pro, that works great- be sure to download the free canon FCP plug-in that lets you log-and-capture your footage with timecode! there's a link on a previous thread somewhere on here!

Also, the 5D had sync problems because it ran at 30 instead of 29.97 and there was a bug with final cut, but since this is true 29.97 / 23.97, I assume that's no longer the case? I just got my rebel so I haven't had a chance to cut a project with it yet- still learning the camera itself. I can't say for sure about the sync issue, but it's something to look out for.

David St. Juskow · May 12th, 2010, 06:28 PM

just wanted to let you know i've been doing tests with the ProRes LT and it's more than adequate for the t2i footage. It's a little more than 1.5 x the file size and looks just as good- I can't find any compression artifacts yet that weren't there in the original footage.

Anas El-Biad · May 13th, 2010, 11:15 AM

Great, thanks guys. I'll look up for Prores LT. Is there anybody else using the same kind of computer who can share their experiences?

James Donnelly · May 13th, 2010, 03:54 PM

My laptop has the same CPU and RAM, although it's a PC running windows 7.

The files as they come out of the camera are just about playable, but forget editing them directly in Vegas. I'm pretty sure you'll want to use an intermediate format for editing, as h264 is just not the best format to edit. If you do, you'll find editing is a piece of cake for that machine. Be prepared to put some time aside to transcode to intermediate and do your final render though.

I use Cineform Neoscene, which I love. The files are about 1.5 times the size of the originals, so think about getting a couple of mirrored 1TB drives, they are dead cheap.

I can't speak for Prores, but I know that using Cineform means you lose less fidelity through processing, which is another benefit.

Brian Gotts · May 20th, 2010, 07:41 PM

Pretty sure Color and Motion won't work on the 13" MBPs because they don't have a discrete graphics card like the 15" and 17" do. The graphics chip is integrated with the logic board.

Rusty Rogers · May 20th, 2010, 08:54 PM

My PC struggles a bit with native 29.97p using Edius.
It's a real pleasure mixing with native 24p EX Cam footage. Sync is right on!

Anas El-Biad · May 26th, 2010, 02:31 PM

Ok so I'm finally buying a Macbook pro 15.4" screen, Intel Core i5, 2.4 GHz, 4gb of RAM, 350gb HDD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M. What do you think of the upgrade?

May 11th, 2010, 08:20 AM	#1
Anas El-Biad Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Montreal Posts: 33	Computer and editing question Hi guys, I'm new to these forums and I have 2 questions. First of all, this summer I'll buy a new computer and a Canon Rebel T2i. The main purpose of the computer will be doing post production with the t2i footages (editing, color correction, effects etc..). I plan on buying a Macbook pro 13.3" screen, Core 2 duo, 2.53 GHz, 4gb of RAM, 250gb HDD (I will probably buy an external hdd as well). My first question is: Is this machine powerful enough to do post with t2i footages? And my second question is: What is the best codec to use to get the best possible quality (with this computer)? I'll most likely use FCP for editing. Thanks for your help!

May 20th, 2010, 08:54 PM	#10
Rusty Rogers Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 177	Native 24p is a breeze. My PC struggles a bit with native 29.97p using Edius. It's a real pleasure mixing with native 24p EX Cam footage. Sync is right on! __________________ *Rusty* Rusty Rogers \| Films

May 11th, 2010, 10:15 AM	#2
Terry Gray New Boot Join Date: May 2010 Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota Posts: 8	I just picked up a MBP 17" i5 and am running FCS3 just fine, so I don't think you'll have a problem running it. I would say the external drive should be a requirement. Only the MBP 17 has the expresscard slot for esta drives, so you'll have to daisy chain from the single FW port if using multiple drives. I've found that ProRes LT works extremely well with the footage I've shot with my 550D. Best of luck... tg

May 11th, 2010, 01:50 PM	#3
Anas El-Biad Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Montreal Posts: 33	Thanks for your answer Terry. Sure I will buy an external hdd, since 250gb might not be enough. As for the card reader, I think I'll be fine with the one on the 13". I'll buy an external reader if I ever need one. Anybody else?

May 11th, 2010, 03:16 PM	#4
Jon Rule Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: UK Posts: 37	Unless you need a laptop you would be better spending the money on an i7 or whatever the Mac equivalent is. I've got a Core 2 extreme (2.8ghz) and the render times are fairly slow.

May 11th, 2010, 04:16 PM	#5
David St. Juskow Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: new york city Posts: 113	I don't know if how well you can edit that footage natively on a new mac, though I'm sure it's theoretically possible as computers get faster. On mine, I definitely have to transcode; I used prores in the past with FCP 6, and that works great but the files are large. ProRes LT seems to be a popular and more economic choice, but I can't say for sure. However, as for using final cut pro, that works great- be sure to download the free canon FCP plug-in that lets you log-and-capture your footage with timecode! there's a link on a previous thread somewhere on here! Also, the 5D had sync problems because it ran at 30 instead of 29.97 and there was a bug with final cut, but since this is true 29.97 / 23.97, I assume that's no longer the case? I just got my rebel so I haven't had a chance to cut a project with it yet- still learning the camera itself. I can't say for sure about the sync issue, but it's something to look out for.

May 12th, 2010, 06:28 PM	#6
David St. Juskow Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: new york city Posts: 113	just wanted to let you know i've been doing tests with the ProRes LT and it's more than adequate for the t2i footage. It's a little more than 1.5 x the file size and looks just as good- I can't find any compression artifacts yet that weren't there in the original footage.

May 13th, 2010, 11:15 AM	#7
Anas El-Biad Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Montreal Posts: 33	Great, thanks guys. I'll look up for Prores LT. Is there anybody else using the same kind of computer who can share their experiences?

May 13th, 2010, 03:54 PM	#8
James Donnelly Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Chelmsford England Posts: 287	My laptop has the same CPU and RAM, although it's a PC running windows 7. The files as they come out of the camera are just about playable, but forget editing them directly in Vegas. I'm pretty sure you'll want to use an intermediate format for editing, as h264 is just not the best format to edit. If you do, you'll find editing is a piece of cake for that machine. Be prepared to put some time aside to transcode to intermediate and do your final render though. I use Cineform Neoscene, which I love. The files are about 1.5 times the size of the originals, so think about getting a couple of mirrored 1TB drives, they are dead cheap. I can't speak for Prores, but I know that using Cineform means you lose less fidelity through processing, which is another benefit.

May 20th, 2010, 07:41 PM	#9
Brian Gotts Tourist Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Saginaw, MI Posts: 1	Pretty sure Color and Motion won't work on the 13" MBPs because they don't have a discrete graphics card like the 15" and 17" do. The graphics chip is integrated with the logic board.

May 26th, 2010, 02:31 PM	#11
Anas El-Biad Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Montreal Posts: 33	Ok so I'm finally buying a Macbook pro 15.4" screen, Intel Core i5, 2.4 GHz, 4gb of RAM, 350gb HDD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M. What do you think of the upgrade?