Suitable macs for final cut pro?

Hello everybody,
I decided to switch to a MAC, in order to learn Final Cut Pro, but I need a clarification.
I'm interested in an iMAC 21.5inch, base model, so with a graphic card "NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory" (taken from the site).
I'm afraid that final cut pro is not supporting such a system, can you please confirm (or not) my impression?
Thank you very much!

Final Cut Pro will work perfectly on the cheapest iMac.
The graphics card may impinge on the performance of Color (one of the apps included in Final Cut Studio) but if you are an amateur you are unlikely to be too bothered about that.

Similar Messages

Ok I am looking at macs for final cut pro

I want to find the best option to run final cut pro x and motion, can anyone give me any advice...
the iMacs are simply not powerful enough
I am waiting for the next edition of MacPros from Apple in Europe
and the other option is looking at Hackintosh
can anyone suggest the following
RAM?
Disk?
Graphics Card?
Sound Card for Logic?
Thanks

Hi there
Your characterization that "iMacs are simply not powerful enough" is not accurate. You can customize the iMac to be very powerful if you want to spend the money.
Processor
Get amazing performance from the quad-core Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, which features four processor cores on a single chip. Choose the speed and processor you want.
Processor
3.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz [Add $200.00]
Memory
More memory (RAM) increases performance and enables your computer to perform faster and better. Choose additional 1600MHz DDR3 memory for your iMac.
Memory
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X8GB [Add $200.00]
32GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x8GB [Add $600.00]
Storage
Configure your iMac with a large Serial ATA hard drive. Or choose flash storage for greater performance. Or get the best of both worlds and select Fusion Drive.
Storage
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
3TB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm [Add $150.00]
1TB Fusion Drive [Add $250.00]
3TB Fusion Drive [Add $400.00]
768GB Flash Storage [Add $900.00]
Graphics
Your iMac features next-generation NVIDIA graphics based on the Kepler architecture. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX with 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 video memory comes standard for superior graphics performance. For even better graphics response, configure your iMac with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX with 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 video memory.
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX 1GB GDDR5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5 [Add $150.00]
In fact I'm using a late 2007 model iMac and it seems to work fine with FCPX.
See here for specifications. http://support.apple.com/kb/SP624
IMHO buy the best equipment you can afford rather than waiting for some undetermined time for a product update that may or may not come. And, I'd stay away from the Frankentosh. You may end up spending a lot of time and money not to mention frustration using one of those machines.
Carl

Anyone use a 2012 mac mini for final cut pro x?

I am considering buying a 2012 quad core mini to use for Final Cut pro X. I've looked everywhere on the web, and can't really find an answer as to whether or not this is a good idea. The main reason I'd do this over a 2011 refurbished iMac is for the USB 3.0 ports. I'm currently using a 2010 mid-level iMac, and find that I need to use proxies if I do anything multi-cam. I do know that buying the mini, thunderbolt display, and mouse/keyboard costs about as much as buying a new 27" iMac. Would the ivy bridge mini be faster than the 2011 refurbished quad core iMac for rendering and exporting, or slower because of the intel 4000 graphic chip?
Thanks

OK...here's an interesting tidbit...320M is supported by OpenCL according to The Oracle, aka Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCL
However, a look at the official Apple Snow Leopard docs suggests that they withdrew support for 320M.
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP575
Sometimes The Oracle is wrong.
Message was edited by: S. Michelle Klein-Hass to note differences between what is up on Wikipedia and the most recent version of the Apple Knowledge Base article.

Canon EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro Now Available...

There's been so much talk about the 5D, 7D, 550D on this board that I'm going to point to the EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro. This is supposed to speed to transcode of Canon Camera H.264 to FCP-friendly formats and let you add more metadata along the way.
Enjoy!
Canon webpage. Under Drivers & Downloads. Once you select your OS, "Mac OS X", the download should appear near the top of the "Software" list.
Note: (from Quickstart Guide)
This plug-in software allows you to convert MOV movies shot with an EOS Digital camera into ProRes files at high speed in the (Log & Transfer) window of Apple's Final Cut Pro.
FWIW: The quick start guide says cameras involved are 7D, 5D, 1D, no mention of 550D. Sort of odd.

For users in North America to make the Canon EOS REBEL T2i work (550D for Europe):
1. Install the new Canon EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...nloadDetailAct)
2. Go to Library/Application Support/ProApps/MIO/RAD/Plugins/CanonE1.RADPLug/Contents/Resources/
2. Open up cameras.plist
3. After the 7D info add the following lines of code (keeping to the coding structure):
<key>T2i</key>
<array>
<string>Canon EOS REBEL T2i</string>
</array>
4. Save the text file. Close it. Everything should work now.
Cheerz.

Which firewire interface for Final Cut Pro on MacPro?

I currently own a Presonus Firepod, and it seems to work pretty well, but may sell this when I upgrade from a MacMini to a MacPro. I use my Mac for Logic Pro currently.
I anticipate running Final Cut Pro in the near future, so I'm wondering about the ability to read/generate SMPTE time code that the MOTU traveller supplies?
There will be no external mixer, so this interface will connect directly to speakers & headphones. (would be nice to be able to mute speakers and control headphone mix using just the firewire interface).
I don't anticipate needing more than 2 Mic inputs - and my current mike is a Rode NT1. (As the NT1 is not a top-of-the-line mic, unsure if I should place a lot of emphasis on worrying about the pre-ams?)
I would like decent mic preamps, and ability to graphically monitor input and output levels (is this graphic monitoring necessary, or is just the single overload indicator sufficient?).
Which interfaces in $600-$1500 range would work best with Final Cut Pro - and Logic Pro?

I saw the Traveller ads in Videography mentioning
time code, so I presumed it had an advantage over
other interfaces.
I found this in some ad copy:
"""The Travler provides on-board SMPTE time code synchronization features that allow you to slave your Traveler system to SMPTE time code without a synchronizer. The Traveler provides a DSP-driven phase-lock engine with sophisticated filtering that provides fast lockup times and sub-frame accuracy. The included MOTU SMPTE Console software provides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer."""
So it likely uses an audio port for timecode I/O. However, unless you have external equipment that you want to slave to Logic Pro, (or have Logic slave to) e.g. a timecode DAT, then this really is not necessary. FCP would not see the Travaller as a "controllable" device.
For Final Cut Pro use, I'd probably shoot in HDV.
When shooting a green screen near my computer (or
maybe even on-site), I wondered if there would be an
advantage to recording the audio thru an interface
like the traveller.
The advantage is that you could capture additional mics and audio tracks with your mac while the cameras shoot. Just slate your takes and sync up later.
Do I actually need an interface that provides time
code, or is that only needed for movie work?
I have SMPTE I/O on my Unitor8, directly accessable in Logic Pro. In 8 years I've probably used it twice to capture audio from some modular digital multitracks. So, unless you have some specific need.....
Maybe it is simpler just to connect to the mic
directly to the camera's input?
Indeed. You should always have camera audio available. Anything else is supplemental. Alternatively, you could use the Travaller or RME, etc. as a "live to camera" mixer in a studio situation. Plug your mics into the interface, create a submix and send it to the camera while simultaneously capturing each mic to an individual track in Logic Pro. There are many possibilities.
G5 QuadPPC2.5, Ram:12.5g, Magma PCIe-PCI expansion Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2X Hammerfall DSP Digiface+Multiface, Digi 002r, 4X UAD-1

Student Help advice! what is best iMac model for Final Cut Pro and logic pro

Hi
I am currently looking into getting a iMac, but is toggling to device if I need a 27inch or a 21inch(top model),which will be used for Final Cut Pro and logic
There is a lot of money being invested iMac, and I really not want to be stu k with a computer that not going to keep up with the amount of work load in the future.
The specs that I have on mine are..
21inch
Upgrades include
Sdd drive 512gb
Intel core i7
16gb of ram
Or
27 inch
Upgrades
Fusion drive or sdd 250gb
Intel core i7
(Possible graphic card) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5 [+ £105.60]
(Ram is way to expensive so will buy from second party)
Anyone who has brought a iMac for final cut or logic what would you likely buy?..Am really stuck on the hard drives between the 27inch fusion and 512gb on the 21inch
My budget is £1900
My fear is that the 21inch top model's graphic card may not be good enough for advance editing on Final Cut Pro In the future when I start to get more deep into editing..logic really only needs 8gb to run smoothly..buts its the final cut specs that am having problems deciding. I know iMacs are not future proof or technology lasts for that matter, but I do expect to have it run good for a number of years before I upgrade again.
If anyone can give me some advice, or even tell me about there set up they have for media work please let me know.

All kinds of things affect system & HD performance, I can't tell you why your 4 year old Mac is slow. Just because your old Mac is slow doesn't mean that a new iMac will be equally slow.
You are correct about the issue with the smaller fusion drives. It's one of the reasons I am not high on recommending them. Everyone thinks they want power & performance but don't understand the gap between marketing and real life performance. The 1TB fusion drive however should give you a good combination of rapid access and sizeable storage capacity.
I have used external FW800 / 7200rpm drives for years and have never had a problem with any of them. I consider them very reliable but admittedly I DO NOT use consumer drives like the WD MyBook that the big-box stores sell. For the most part I assemble my own with OWC Mercury Elite enclosures. In the past few years I have centered on WD Caviar Black and WD Scorpio Black drives. I also have some Seagate Barracuda 7200.xx drives. They all perform excellently and reliably.
Pls. refer to my earlier post for what i recommended to you.

Plugins for Final Cut Pro X

It looks like Final Cut Pro X does not support import or export of FCXML. My company wrote a plugin that appears under the import,export menu using a Final Cut Pro provate API we had to sign an NDA for.
We now need to rewrite for Final Cut Pro X. Who can we contact to answer our questions?
ps: I'm part of both the Mac and iOS developer programs yet I don't see any forums or developer information for this...
best,
Tuviah

no it was another plugin API that I got from Apple to develop plugins such as the one by YouSendIt, or EVS, or Automated Duck which allows adding a menu item to the FCP import and export menus.
Unfortunately the Apple contacts we had 3 years ago, such as Adam Green, who gave us these APIs no longer work there or are not responding.
I've actually tried using my technical incidents to get answers but keep getting told that I need to ask the final cut pro team without so much as an email or other link.
so I'm REALLY REALLY hoping someone at Apple is monitoring this list and can help out. Or perhaps another plugin developer.
I would think Apple would want to make it easy for 3rd parties to integrate..

Change for final cut pro HD from Pinnacle Studio 10

Hello,
After lots of problems with Pinnacle Studio 10 (windoooooows.....) I finally chose to change for final cut pro HD on Mac OS 10.3.9
So far so good, I did lots of tutorials to learn but there is one very remarkable thing I really miss. Maybe there is just a thing in my configuration to fix...
Is it possible to view a part of a movie without randering it after every simple change? It must be technically possible because studio does it for years now, even with overlays.
Because I just upgraded my ibook with lots of RAM just to try out final cut for the moment, everything runs fine but rendering does take a few minutes/hours.... Well it is ok just to try out maybe I would get a macbook pro if final cut would assure me.
I feel like cutting blind!
Studio renders right before exporting, this may take a few hours but I would do this during night...
As I said, maybe its all my fault and I just have to change some configurations....
thanks for help
Fabi

Make sure your RT settings (upper left menu in the timeline) is set to UNLIMITED RT. This means that the render settings will be adjusted to play back at the best resolution they can without rendering. You might get a green render bar or orange render bar. If you get a red render bar, that means that you have a filter or two that isn't RT and requires a render, or you have too many layers to allow for RT playback.
If you simply drop a raw clip into the timeline and have to render, that means something is wrong. Your clip settings and sequence settings don't match. You need to choose an Easy Setup that matches your footage, then create a new sequence.
Shane

Keyborads for Final Cut Pro

I am looking to purchase a keyboard for final cut pro, to make it easier for me to do my editing. I have been looking at LogicKeyboards:
http://www.logickeyboard.com/shop/mac-keyboards-801c1.html
does anyone use these?
Which ones are people using?
Thanks.
side note:
Spoke with the computer store on campus [carnegie mellon university], and they are expecting FCS 3.0 this week and he told me the student price will be $299
Message was edited by: cnolan0111 - spelling corrected

One of the coolest things I have seen on those is the shuttle control (in place of the arrow keys), but you can just buy one of those separately (USB) for a fraction of the cost. And then you still have the arrow keys. I agree that if you just print out the commands and learn them that is pretty much the same as paying a bunch of money for a keyboard that does the same thing. Pretty unnecessary.

Keyboard for Final Cut Pro

The new thin keyboard that comes with the Mac Pro is not to my liking.
It continually runs words together when I type because I'm not hitting the space bar effectively. I'm also having to hit the keys harder just to ensure that the keystroke is recognized.
I also miss my ps2 PC keyboard that had colour-coded keys for Avid when I was on a PC.
Can anyone please suggest a usb keyboard that has shortcut keys for Final Cut Pro (latest version) and has extra usb ports (at least one) on the keyboard for the mouse and other usb peripherals and works correctly with a Mac Pro and includes the eject key to open/close the dvd bay doors on the Mac Pro?
Thanks for any advice.

As far as 'color coding' your keyboard, I have had great success with a sticker set from
www.editorskeys.com
I know some people want the 'official' color coded keyboard, but the cost of that compared to $20 for a sticker set is something to consider. I have had my set on my keyboard for over two years and have had no problems ... and I edit 5 days a week, eight hours a day so they have been 'put to the test'!!
good luck
Real McKoy

Is Adobe Lightroom compatible with Mac's Final Cut Pro & iPhoto?

Is Adobe Lightroom compatible with Mac's Final Cut Pro?
I have 27" Mac Pro and I'm a Fine Art Photographer. I need features similar to LR. But I need to know ~ is it is compatible with my Final Cut Pro & iPhoto?

What kind of compatibility are you looking for?

Why is there no disc for Final Cut Pro X, is there one coming, and how do I transfer the program to a new machine from the download? Thanks!

Hello:
Why is there no disc for Final Cut Pro X?
Is there one coming?
Can and how do I move the downloaded application from my old machine to a new computer?
Thanks!

You purchase FCX in the Mac App Store, there is no disc. You can reload past purchases under your account within the app store. You should also be regularly backing up your system

Problems with Canon EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro

After about two weeks of using the Canon EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro, I've found some clips are cut short when they are transcoded to Prores and appear in the browser. Has anyone else had this happen?

Yes, just started using this and noticed pretty soon afterwards. Seems to happen when I start clicking around or doing anything that uses the processor more than just surfing the web, but that's just anecdotal. I immediately stopped and started using MPEG Streamclip, but I really want the timecode.
Most recently, I had Log and Transfer open, transcoding some 7D footage, and a few of the clips didn't come in—they were left with the red stop-sign symbol/exclamation point. When I clicked to "retry," it stopped importing the current clip and started on the clip I retried. I clicked "retry" on another unimported clip, and again, the clip import stopped and the new clip began processing. I let it go through and, after the checking the footage, I discovered it had been incorrectly named the first clip's filename! Needless to say, I hand-checked every file to make sure it was the right duration (a few weren't), deleted the files from the Capture Scratch folder, and reimported—making sure I didn't touch the computer.
I hope they fix this bug, whatever it is.
BTW, I've experienced it on two separate Mac Pros.

Where can I find a full manual for final cut pro 6?

I'm trying to learn final cut because I haver an amature film making contest I'd like to enter and that would give me quite an edge, considering most of the intries will be using movie Could someone help me find a full manual or something that would assist in this indevor? I do only have final cut 6 because I am using my schools imac and that is ther vertion they have. so, can anyone help?

You should ask your question in the Final Cut Studio forum.
This forum is for Final Cut Pro X.

Can I add a secondary location for Final Cut Pro Documents?

Hi Guys,
I'm working on a large project which has taken up most of my 2tb hard drive which I use for my final cut pro documents (capture scratch, render files etc). Is it possible if I plug in another hard drive to use that as a secondary location for final cut pro documents as I have other (smaller) projects which I could be uploading and working on in the mean time? If so, how is this achieved and what are the pros / cons?

Sure -- go to Final Cut Pro menu on your menu bar and select System Settings.
The first tab is SCRATCH DISKS -- that's the term too -- not secondary folder for FCP Documents.
Change it there.
Drawbacks...
It has been a while since I've had to deal with this, but FCP used to not remember (feature or bug??) a project's original scratch disk location and if you change it for ONE project it will be changed for ALL future AND past projects... until you change it back.
Now, that in itself isn't a BAD thing. All that that means is that if you continue to capture material into that old project it will now put it over here instead of over there. Also, other things like render files and such which won't really matter much unless they do... and now you've got stuff spread over a coupla drives.
FCP's projects don't care. They've already mapped where they need to go to get the video and render files it needs. Move your Scratch Disk 33 times... won't make a difference to the browser and timeline. -- UNTIL you remove one of the important drives. THEN red lines galore! Un renders, missing files... messy messy messy!
Much better to start and finish a project in scratch disk. Makes for easy cleanup. Kinda like cooking thanksgiving dinner (American??) in 5 houses at once.
Good luck,
CaptM

Suitable macs for final cut pro?

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