Using a mac mini for audio and video editing

[glacava]

I am a PC user who has been trying to edit videos for a few years now. It has been a challenge with roadblock after roadblock thrown up at me by the Windows OS. I recently saw a presentation of using the Mac to edit video. I couldn't belive my eyes! I was immediatly converted! Since I already have a computer, and cannot afford to purchase another, I became interested in the Mac Mini. When I went to the Apple Store to purchase one, the salesmen told me that a Mac Mini did not have enough memory for the heavy I-O of videos and he predicted that if I purchased it, I would probably be returning it a short time later.

Is this true??? Even the most loaded of the three Mac Minis available?

Thank-you, and I look forward to reading your comments!

[Pleiades]

Like most things, it's all relative. Saying you "edit videos" can mean you cut 15 minute videos of your family's vacation, or it can mean you're a hollywood producer, working with thousands of hours of high definition footage to create a 2 hour feature film.

If, for example, you were to use iMovie and create relatively simple movies, a stock Mac Mini would probably suffice, although you'd get a lot better performance with more RAM (1GB minimum, 2GB is even better).

However, if you're a mid to high end editor, and using something like Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro to do more complex movies, the Mini may be a little limited, as storage is used up quickly by video, the Mini's 2.5" hard drive is a bit slower than a high-end 15,000rpm 3.5" SATA drive, and it maxes out at 2GB of RAM.

It's unfortunate that the salesperson didn't explore your intentions with you, because I'm sure with some simple questions he could have targeted exactly what machine and software package would meet your needs. The Mac Mini is certainly a low end machine, but it's quite capable depending on your usage.

So now that the fine folks on the 123macmini forum are going to help you, let's get some more information. What type of videos are these that you're planning on doing? Home movies? Independent short films? Full features? Are you shooting in standard DV, analog, or HD? How much raw footage do you generally have? How many audio tracks do you generally use? How many layered-on effects? Do you use color adjustment? If so, 2 way or 3 way? Have you successfully used any video editing software on your PC? If so, which one? Anything else we should know?
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[glacava]

I have used a PC wit h Pinnacyle and Sony Vegas. I use DV as my input. I have captured one hour or less at a time. It might take 2-3 hours on the pc to do the capture.

My longest video was a tribute to my mother with interviews, slides, and about 4 different audio tracks. I used the typical transition techniques, but I sure wouldn't mine using more.

The 20 minute movie proved to be to long for the PC. Pinnacyle started to freeze up my computer until I had to break down the movie and edit it in pieces, putting it back together with a simpler Windows Video editor.
I used a separate software to create a slide show with zooming in on a face, panning the photo, then fading into the next image. It was very clunky to use different software to do this, and I saw that the iMovie includes this!

I was under the impression that the architecture of the mac would mean you can do these things so much easier on a standard (not loaded) Mac.

Thanks for you help.

Oh, and which of the three mac minis then do you think I would need to do this kind of video making?

[Pleiades]

Based on your description, a Mac Mini would probably do the job fairly well, although you might get a little better performance from an iMac. However, if you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse, the Mac Mini is certainly attractive.

Regardless of if you choose an iMac or a Mac Mini, be sure you have at least 1GB of RAM (2GB preferred), and a Superdrive (DVD burner). It may be worth your time to consider some external storage since raw DV footage takes about 12GB per hour.

I have not used Sony Vegas, but I have used Pinnacle Studio, and it was very similar in capability and user interface as iMovie, which comes bundled with all Macs. It will probably meet your needs.

However, Apple does have a promotion going on right now, where they're offering Final Cut Express for $99 (regularly $299) with the purchase of a new Mac (either via instant or mail in rebate). FCE is a lot more advanced than iMovie, but a lot more powerful. It might be worth it to buy FCE, even if you don't use it much for a while, simply because the $200 off promotion is pretty strong.
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MacBook Pro 1.83GHz Core Duo, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, Dell 802.11n card, 1.4TB external
MacBook 1.83GHz Core Duo, 2GB RAM, 60GB HD
iMac 1.83GHz Core Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 1TB external, EyeTV Hybrid

[aquaman]

I've had no issues whatsoever editing video with iMovie on the Mac mini or MacBook. I think there are two things you need consider, both of which CluckCluck brought up. The first would be memory. Plan on maxing it out to at least 2GB. The second would be storage. If you go with the Mac mini, MacBook or even the MacBook Pro for that matter, you are going to need an external storage device. And, preferably one with a firewire interface.

[Bobaloo]

I would do video editing on my G4 tower. I have an analog Hi8 video camera that I run through a Sony media converter. It worked with my G3 iMac and my G4 tower, but for some reason, it didn't pick up the camera with my mini. I probably will get a digital camcorder later this year and I will be back to editing video on my mini.
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