Mac For Video Editing

The best video-editing Mac for portability is the 15in MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro was updated in July 2019. It offers powerful processor chipsets and, in the case of the 15in models, decent. The movie maker for Mac by Movavi will help you create awesome video clips with music, fades, and special effects. Try Mac video-editing software for free. For the ultimate editing experience, run Final Cut Pro on the world’s fastest Mac, the new Mac Pro. Final Cut Pro takes advantage of all the GPUs in Mac Pro and uses multithreading to spread tasks across up to 28 cores. And when equipped with the optional Afterburner card, Mac Pro delivers the fastest ProRes performance ever. Part 2: Best Free Video Editing Software for Beginners: Wondershare Filmora9 for Mac (Video Tutorial) Wondershare Filmora9 for Mac offers some persuasive advantages over other video editing tools available for Apple Mac. It not only includes basic video editing tools but also provides various advanced video effects for you to apply.

Work at a faster clip.

With its modern Metal engine, Final Cut Pro allows you to edit more complex projects and work with larger frame sizes, higher frame rates, and more effects — all at blazing speeds. And it’s built to harness the extreme power of the new Mac Pro for next-level performance.

Accelerated performance with Metal

Metal dramatically accelerates graphics tasks like rendering, real-time effects, and exporting. Video editors on 15-inch MacBook Pro will benefit from render performance that is up to 20% faster while editors using iMac Pro will see gains of up to 35%.1 And when you’re working on a system with an eGPU attached, you can select which GPU to use — internal or external — for peak performance.

Optimized for the all-new Mac Pro

For the ultimate editing experience, run Final Cut Pro on the world’s fastest Mac, the new Mac Pro. Final Cut Pro takes advantage of all the GPUs in Mac Pro and uses multithreading to spread tasks across up to 28 cores. And when equipped with the optional Afterburner card, Mac Pro delivers the fastest ProRes performance ever. So you can do things like edit video, create motion graphics, and color grade in groundbreaking 8K resolution. All at maximum velocity.

The tools you need. From start to finishing.

With innovative features and an intuitive design, Final Cut Pro accelerates post-production. So editors can create and deliver at the speed of thought.

The Magnetic Timeline allows you to easily experiment with story ideas by moving and trimming clips without collisions or sync problems. Use Compound Clips to bundle separate video and audio clips into a single movable package, create Auditions to try out multiple takes in the timeline, and use Synchronized Clips to align video with second-source audio automatically. Color coding makes it easy to identify different types of content, with the ability to customize the look of your timeline while you edit.

Final Cut Pro offers the most advanced organizing tools of any professional video editing application. Easily tag entire clips or clip ranges with metadata for searching, and create Smart Collections that automatically collect content according to a set of custom criteria. Skimming lets you efficiently browse hours of material in a more visual way, so you can identify what you want in seconds.

Create 2D and 3D titles right in Final Cut Pro, apply and modify filters, and use the built-in chroma key for high-quality green- and blue-screen effects. Expand on the built-in effects with thousands of third-party tools and templates. And for even more control, use Motion to create stunning titles, transitions, generators, and effects you can access from Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro lets you edit multichannel audio using built-in tools for removing background noise and optimizing levels. Adjust multichannel audio files in the timeline or open the inspector for more information and options. Choose from dozens of bundled plug-ins for audio compression, EQ, and more — or send to a professional audio application like Logic Pro X for advanced audio mixing.

Quickly encode video using the power of multicore CPUs and high-performance GPUs. Take advantage of presets to deliver ultra-high-quality masters or files optimized for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and websites like YouTube and Vimeo. And batch exporting makes it fast to deliver multiple files or projects in multiple formats. You can also use Compressor to create custom export settings that appear right in Final Cut Pro.

Multicam

The industry’s most advanced multicam editing lets you automatically sync up to 64 angles of video with different formats, frame sizes, and frame rates. View up to 16 angles at once in the Angle Viewer. And open the Angle Editor timeline to move, sync, trim, add effects, or color grade individual clips.

Video noise reduction

Improve the look of archival and low-light images with powerful noise reduction tools that reduce or eliminate grain and video noise. Simple controls let you quickly adjust intensity, and it’s easy to change processing order by dragging the effect in the inspector.

Motion and Compressor

Create stunning effects and sweeping graphics with Motion, including studio-quality 2D and 3D titles you can open and adjust in Final Cut Pro. Use Compressor to create custom export settings and streamline delivery of your movie to the iTunes Store. And because Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor all share the same Metal architecture, you’ll experience blazing performance and consistent rendering across applications.

Compressor

Advanced color grading.
Every pixel closer to perfection.

Professional color grading tools are built into Final Cut Pro, including a dedicated color inspector with color wheels, color curves, hue/saturation curves, and keyframes to adjust corrections over time. You can work with High Dynamic Range footage on recent Mac systems that display an extended range of brightness. Or connect the all-new Pro Display XDR for the ultimate HDR experience.

Unique color wheels improve on traditional controls by combining hue, saturation, and brightness into a single, simple interface.

Color and luminance curves allow ultrafine level adjustments with multiple control points to target specific color and brightness ranges.

Sample a color with an eyedropper and change just the hue, saturation, or luminance of a specific color within the image.

Work closer to reality than ever before with HDR video. Import, edit, grade, and deliver incredibly lifelike images with Final Cut Pro. High-resolution scopes reflect HDR brightness levels as you edit, and tone mapping lets you easily convert HDR to Standard Dynamic Range output for broadcast. You can view beautiful HDR content on a wide range of Mac computers that use the reserve brightness of the display to show an extended range of light levels.

HDR on Pro Display XDR

View High Dynamic Range video the way it was meant to be seen. The gorgeous new Pro Display XDR delivers 6K resolution and 1000 nits of sustained brightness for HDR editing, grading, and delivery with Final Cut Pro. And setup couldn’t be simpler — just connect a single Thunderbolt cable from your Mac to Pro Display XDR to use it as an additional display or video monitor.

ProRes RAW. The flexibility of RAW with the performance of ProRes.

Import, edit, and grade pristine video with RAW data straight from your camera sensor. Work with ProRes RAW files and experience all the creative advantages of RAW with the seamless performance of ProRes. And with Mac Pro and the Afterburner card, you can edit in ProRes RAW faster than ever before.

ProRes performance

Remarkably smooth playback and real-time, multistream editing are part of the ProRes RAW package. The format is optimized for macOS and the latest Mac computers, allowing you to render and export faster than with other RAW formats. And if you’re working on Mac Pro, the optional Afterburner card accelerates ProRes RAW performance so you can edit at 8K resolution in real time. Since ProRes RAW files are smaller than standard formats, you can fit more footage on every card.

View the Apple ProRes RAW White Paper

RAW flexibility

Work with untouched image data directly from your camera sensor. RAW files provide maximum flexibility for adjusting the look of your video while extending brightness and shadows — an ideal combination for HDR workflows. And ProRes RAW preserves more of the original image data, making it a great format for archiving.

Workflow extensions. Extend the power of Final Cut Pro.

Work directly with powerful third-party applications — without leaving Final Cut Pro.

Use the Frame.io extension to simplify review and approval. Drag and drop clips and timelines, jump between markers, and review comments and annotations in real time from your Frame.io collaborators.

The Shutterstock extension lets you browse stock photos, videos, and music while you edit. Drag and drop watermarked files into the timeline and easily replace them later with licensed, high-resolution versions.

Connect directly to CatDV and KeyFlow Pro media asset management systems so you can browse, mark, and transfer files from within the Final Cut Pro interface.

Transcribe audio and translate the text to over 50 languages for use in subtitles and captions.

360° video. Take your work further. In every direction.

Final Cut Pro includes a complete toolset for importing, editing, and delivering both monoscopic and stereoscopic 360° video.

360° editing

Import and edit 360° equirectangular footage in Final Cut Pro. Open the 360° viewer to see a headset view of your footage, and take advantage of simple tools for changing orientation, straightening the horizon, removing camera rigs, and more.

360° graphics and effects

Mac Pro For Video Editing

Easily add 2D and 3D titles to your 360° video and apply blurs, glows, and other 360° effects. Or create more advanced 360° motion graphics in Motion, then add them directly to your Final Cut Pro project. You can even add 360° video to non-360° projects, using the Tiny Planet effect to create interesting spherical looks and animations.

VR headset playback

Watch your 360° video in real time with a VR headset like the HTC Vive Pro. Choose to mirror the headset view in Final Cut Pro, or turn off mirroring to watch video in the headset while independently controlling a separate view on your monitor.

Closed captions. Open to all.

Final Cut Pro includes an intuitive, comprehensive set of tools for closed captioning in a variety of formats, without the need for expensive third-party software or services. You can create, view, and edit captions within Final Cut Pro, and deliver them as part of your video or as a separate file.

Add an existing caption file to your project and Final Cut Pro automatically connects each caption to the corresponding video or audio clip in your timeline.

Type captions from scratch — in multiple languages and formats — and watch the text play back in real time right in the viewer.

Attach captions to connected audio or video clips in the timeline so they move in sync with your edit. It’s easy to adjust text, color, location, and timing in the captions inspector. And the enhanced Timeline Index lets you quickly search and select captions, or use captions roles to instantly switch between different versions.

Export captions in the industry-standard CEA-608, iTT, or SRT formats. Or burn them directly into your video. When delivering, you can choose to embed caption metadata in your video file or create a separate sidecar file. Captioned videos can be shared directly to YouTube and Vimeo. And you can send your project to Compressor to include captions in a batch or an iTunes Store package.

Step up from iMovie to Final Cut Pro.

iMovie is the easiest way to start making movies. And when you’re ready to ramp up production, it’s effortless to switch to Final Cut Pro from iMovie for iOS or iMovie for Mac. You’ll cut faster and more precisely with advanced editing tools, improve the look of your projects with third-party plug-ins, and easily integrate video recorded with professional cameras from RED, Sony, Canon, and more. You can import your iMovie projects right into Final Cut Pro, so you won’t miss a beat — or a cut — when you upgrade.

Third-party tools to make your workflow flow.

Choose from thousands of custom transitions, titles, and motion graphics. Work directly with powerful applications through workflow extensions in Final Cut Pro. And take advantage of other third-party tools for advanced tracking, EDL and AAF interchange, and more.

Five amazing apps.
One powerful collection.

Unleash your creative potential with the Pro Apps Bundle for qualifying college students, teachers, and education institutions. Get all five professional applications for video and music creation at a special price — including Final Cut Pro X, Motion, and Compressor, along with Logic Pro X and MainStage.

If you can’t choose which Apple’s model is the best Mac for video editing, read more about these top 6 laptops that will run Premiere Pro and Final Cut without lags.

What Is the Best Mac for Video Editing?

Defining the best computer for video editing and multimedia from the Apple line is not easy. Numerous variants need to be analyzed, each of them can have different hardware pieces, additionally, several received updates this year.

Regardless of your position and degree of financial freedom, I’ve gathered top 6 Macs that are good for basic and experienced video editing.

Best Macs for Video Editing In 2019

Look through these laptops and choose the one for your budget and video editing.

1. Apple iMac 27-inch Retina 5K Display

  • Powerful 6-core i5 processor
  • Clear 5K retina display
  • Corporate ultra-thin design
  • 2 Thunderbolt 3 high-speed ports
  • Keyboard and mouse included
Mac For Video Editing
  • Haven’t been found

Apple regularly updates its older versions, so the new iMac for video editing is nearly flawless, even comes close to what the Pro can do. The clear screen with awesome color rendition and high contrast ratio is worth a lot.

It almost fully reproduces the DCI-P3 color space used in the movies. The built-in Retina Display works at 60 MHz.

Google drive plugin for mac You acknowledge and agree that the form and nature of the Services which Google provides may change from time to time without prior notice to you.4.3 As part of this continuing innovation, you acknowledge and agree that Google may stop (permanently or temporarily) providing the Services (or any features within the Services) to you or to users generally at Google’s sole discretion, without prior notice to you. Sometimes, these companies will be providing the Services to you on behalf of Google itself. You may stop using the Services at any time. You acknowledge and agree that Subsidiaries and Affiliates will be entitled to provide the Services to you.4.2 Google is constantly innovating in order to provide the best possible experience for its users.

Being 1K bigger in size, it is an ideal 4K video editing computer, allowing you to change frames in full definition without hiding the controls. Its heart is the cutting-edge six-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost capability above 4GHz that can process nearly everything at high speed.

Dedicated AMD Radeon Pro graphics processor with 4-8 GB of video memory will handle any rendering software easy. Other cool features are the 8GB of RAM and a large 1TB SSD Fusion drive. Memory can be extended too.

Considering Apple's brand industrial design, updated fillings, price-quality relationship, I can recommend this device as the best iMac for video editing.

  • Read more about the best monitor for video editing.

2. Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch

  • Retina display of increased sharpness
  • New processor
  • Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • Long battery life
  • Non-4K screen
  • SSD could be larger
  • No standard ports

In case your job requires combining portability with the capability to handle complex video processing, Apple MacBook Pro i9 is your choice. The 15-inch versions are advisable for their discrete video cards: video editing in 4K or photo editing in RAW is ensured by the AMD Radeon Pro powerful graphics processor.

It alternates with the integrated Intel UHD graphics processor when performance can be reduced. Video editing on MacBook flaws smoothly on the high definition Retina screen that is very sharp with incredible colors. Additional monitor can be joined easily, too.

It includes a branded track and touchpad to flip through the software timeline. You will also like optimized stereo speakers. It combines 16GB of RAM with a 512GB SSD drive.

The installed battery can run for about 10 hours, offering superior performance by laptop standards. The sturdy case protects the 9th generation 8-core Intel processor from overheating and throttling.

The 15-inch version would be the best MacBook Pro for video editing for those who need to balance portability with decent image and power.

  • Check out the best computers for video editing.

3. Apple iMac Pro

  • 5K resolution display
  • Powerful discrete video card
  • Ability to expand hardware
  • Double cooled case with 4 UCB-C ports
  • Branded keyboard and mouse included
  • High cost
  • SSD volume could be larger

It’s not surprising that the brand’s leader in my lit too due to its quick processing and low delay. With iMac Pro video editing is possible in 8K format, sound effects can be adjusted smoothly at the fastest speed.

The 27-inch screen is large and crisp with a 5120x2880 definition and renders colors naturally thanks to the Retina panel. The standard version includes 8 Intel Xeon W cores, the maximum is 18, with the possibility of overclocking.

You can install recent Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8GB or 64 with 16GB of memory. Either one performs great with software capable of GPU acceleration.

The 32GB of RAM and a voluminous 1TB solid state drive make video processing flawless. Numerous ports are very convenient, including Thunderbolt 3, plus Apple Magic keyboard and mouse.

  • Read more about how much RAM do you need for video editing.

4. Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch

  • Retina screen with True Tone feature
  • Ability to connect a separate eGPU
  • Ultra-compact design with 4 USB-C ports
  • Super-fast SSD
  • Could have more memory
  • The screen isn`t 4K
  • Integrated video card

When Intel engineered their 8th generation of processor, users got a new MacBook Pro 13 inch. This model has an outstanding True Tone Retina screen, famous for clear and natural picture, powerful speakers, and four fast Thunderbolt 3 inputs.

The Core i5 with 2.4 GHz base frequency is enhanced by 8GB of RAM. This should answer “Is the 13 inch MacBook Pro good for video editing” question, though 4K processing may be troublesome.

Despite the integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, the device can flawlessly run any modern video editing software. The CNC-Machined cover has a super-fast 512GB solid-state drive.

If work is mostly done not at home, you will benefit from Macbook Pro video editing with this mobile and portable but powerful machine that has 10-hour battery duration and a weight of 1.35 kg.

  • Check out what is the best Apple laptop.

5. Apple Mac Pro

  • Ability to connect up to 6 monitors simultaneously
  • You can expand hardware components
  • Connecting up to 36 peripheral units
  • Silent cooling system
  • Monitor required
  • Old CPU and GPU technologies
  • No FireWire Connections

Apple Workstation is a professional video editing computer designed for specialists, who consider the highest power combined with flexibility very important. It is suitable for applications that use the biggest amount of processing cores and rendering like video editors, image editing softwares, 3D programs, etc.

Despite the updates being discontinued, it remains the best desktop computer for video editing with tremendous computational capability and speed. It has two AMD FirePro graphics processors.

You can install up to 64GB of RAM memory, up to 1TB of flash memory, update the graphics or up-level the processor (even to a 12-core one). This would let you effortlessly run a whole software set while simultaneously encoding a 4K video.

Doing professional work and being in need of extreme multiprocessing capabilities, undoubtedly purchase this best Mac for video editing considering its decreasing cost.

  • Read more about the best video editing softwares.

6. Apple MacBook Air

  • Retina screen
  • Processor Turbo-overclocking up to 3.6 GHz
  • Slim body and lightweight design
  • Excellent battery life
  • Built-in graphics processor
  • RAM could be bigger

Since Apple has updated the frame and internal components, added the desirable features, using MacBook Air for video editing has become quite realistic for simple video color grading operations.

The laptop is quite light (1.35 kg) with a familiar keyboard. The miniature body fits a 13.3-inch Retina screen. At 2560x1600 definition, it shows a sharp image with realistic colors.

The 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel i5 processor can be overclocked to double its speed. The video editing won’t be flawless. Still, it handles simple editing and normal administrative work great.

The integrated Intel UHD 617 video card, 8GB of RAM, together with 128 or 256GB SSD ensure that. It has 2 USB-C ports plus an SD card slot, so transferring photos is convenient.

This laptop for video editing is under $1000 and has the benefit of working for up to 14 hours on a battery charge. For people with limited budget who search for a portable and inexpensive version of the MacBook, this is the best choice.

Mac For Video Editing Reddit

Top 6 Best Macs for Video Editing

ImageNameFeatures
OUR CHOICE
  • Clear 5K display
  • 6-core i5 processor
  • Ultrathin design
Check Price
Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch
  • Increased sharpness
  • Double overclocking processor
Check Price
PROFESSIONAL
  • 5K display
  • Discrete video card
Check Price
Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch
  • Retina Screen
  • Connect a separate eGPU
Check Price
  • Can have up to 6 monitors
  • Can connect up to 36 peripherals
Check Price
Apple MacBook Air
CHEAPEST
  • Retina display
  • Processor turbo-overclocking
  • Thin body
Check Price

How to Choose Mac for Video Editing?

Video editing is a serious task for any OS. Certainly, this brand’s computers can do this job, but the difference is substantial between some vlog clips and a real movie.

Best Mac For Video Editing Mac Pro Vs Imac

Not working in the 4K format, you can afford to go around with a small laptop. For a specialist, the full-size desktop will forever remain superior in power.

CPU

For any video editing software, the processor plays the main role. My advice is to not go below the quad-core Intel Core i5 processor.

If you’re ready to invest, get a 6-8 core processor, because the expense greatly enhances performance. Being very limited in budget, you can still get a dual-core but performing complex jobs will be problematic.

Display

Those working with footage consider accurate color rendition of the highest importance and Apple Retina displays gained the best reputation in this. iMac and MacBook Pro have it and it’s a huge boost.

Such a display is known for crisp definition, natural colors, and wide viewing cones. Such features help to display the footage accurately and clearly, with no distortions, which ensures higher-quality video editing.

GPU

Mac Specs For Video Editing

The second most influential component is the video card. The software is mostly capable of rendering through a graphics processor.

Mac For 4k Video Editing

AMD hardware has gained popularity, so a middle- or higher-class Mac means a discrete GPU. Certain Pro models even have the AMD Fire Pro dual feature that concentrates on providing superior performance or combining integrated and discrete processors to optimize it.

RAM Capacity

The video editing process largely depends on the amount of RAM in your computer. The most time-consuming process is the export of the finished video.

For comfortable video editing on a Mac, you need at least 8GB of RAM (16GB is required for 4K editing, 3D work, and 360 ° video editing).

SSD Capacity

The speed and capacity of the internal drive will provide instant access to the material. Get at least a standard SSD drive. Better yet, the branded hybrid SSD. Its speed is several times higher than usual, both during recording and reading.

Ann Young

Hi there, I'm Ann Young - a professional blogger, read more