Advice from Mac users please...

[Zab]

Hey C'MON,
It’s almost time for me to replace my home laptop. I am seriously considering switching back to MAC. After decades of dealing with Windows I just can’t put up with their half assed updates and shoddy programs. Every time there is an update to their OS something doesn’t work thus prompting a new round of updates to fix the problems they created. I am not a happy camper for this alone. But recently I got back into shooting and cutting video – you know all those things that make Avid and Final Cut great? Take them all away and you have Adobe Premier :disdain: How can the same company who puts out Photoshop - which is the best photo software I have ever used, hands down - put out a piece of crap like Premier?!
***RANT ENDS HERE***

So, it’s been decades since I used a MAC. I know I want a laptop not a desktop. I take a lot of photos for my blog and I need to stay current with video for my job (videos would be great for the blog too). What would you guys recommend based on your experience? Photoshop is a no brianer, what version of final cut are they on now - i heard its crap compared to Final cut 7? Is there a better video cutting software for MAC now other than Avid Media Composer, cause that is a steep price (oh I'd use it professionally, but god it's a steep price)? Is there anything else you view as a must have program for MAC ownership like say, virus protection norton vs mcafee?
No rush. Thanks for your help

Neil "Zab" Szabo

 

[Avelorn]

I work part time with movies but I don't edit a lot myself as I mainly work with sound (or with producing) but when I do it has been Premiere or final cut 7. So this is more opinions I've picked up from friends and a recent thread on the subject.

What do you mean by better? Easier to use?

They are on final cut X. For quick and basic editing it is nice, but for more advance stuff it seems to be lacking. The latest edition of Premiere has a lot of nice little feature that even Avid doesn't have but is more of a hassle to use. Avid is nice but yes... expensive.

Most people I know use FC7 or Premiere... most are switching to Premiere.

Then there's Sony Vegas that is also good for quick jobs apparently. Never used it.

 

[Zab]

Thanks for the reply. I'm using premiere elements 7 - a hassle to use - yes that is it, I feel like i am fighting my instincts when i use it. Here in TV everybody seems to want final cut or avid. I produce promos weekly, but it's looking more and more like companies are moving away from the editor/producer combo to preditors. I'm less than thrilled by that, but to stay employed I'll follow the herd :sheep: I have heard FC x is a complete revamp on FC and people hate it. I guess my problem is that since avid and FC are to industry standard i want to be familiar with them but premier is set up different and now so is FC x so using them doesn't make me more familiar with what is being used in the industry. Regardless i'll switch to mac and then decide if i have to find an old version to final cut or maybe somehow get the student version of avid.

 

[Legacy Account]

There's no way you can compare Elements to the full version of Premiere. Completely different app. I use the latest version of FCP and AP. AP thrashes the pants off of FCP for me. Integration with Photoshop, Illustrator, AE etc shouldn't be underestimated. If you're serious about multimedia production just subscribe to CC and worry no more about software.

I own PCs but rarely use them - easier to just flick open whichever version of Windows I need in Fusion. Again, if you're serious about multimedia production, a maxed out MacBook Pro is the only way to go with Apple. You'll get an equivalent PC lappy for a whole pile of dosh less. But Retina displays are very nice for editing photos on

 

[Legacy Account]

If you're a student, then a CC subscription is cheap as. Costs me $15 a month. You couldn't stay up to date with one Adobe app for that amount, let alone all of them!

You don't really need antivirus on a Mac, but there are decent freebies if you want to put your mind at rest. Apple are also now offering OS updates and iWorks as freebies too. Apple hardware is extortionate and not without issues on occasion (MBP Retina display ), but they do try some of the time still

 

[Zab]

Thanks man! The only reason I can't commit fully to Premier is that no one in TV up here uses it so I really have to stay with either an older version of FC or Avid. No sense in becoming proficient in Premier if I only ever use it at home

 

[Wombat85]

So just to clarify some points, you absolutely do need malware protection on Mac's these days. It used to be they were such a small segment of the market people wouldn't bother writing the malware for them, but it turns out that young people with macbook are incredibly un-tech savvy as a group and phishing success rates are around the 25% mark, compared to 10-15% on pc. Long story short, get protection!

 

[Zab]

Thanks. I'm shocked at how cavalier the youth are with their online footprints these days. I would always get protection. Especially if i am going to be bringing stuff home from work. Nothing but filthy files there - unclean...unclean!

 

[Dragonsreach]

Thanks. I'm shocked at how cavalier the youth are with their online footprints these days. I would always get protection. Especially if i am going to be bringing stuff home from work. Nothing but filthy files there - unclean...unclean!

Youth!!!!!!!
Try the so called "Educated professionals" for carelessness and bad behaviour, such as the recent issue of one of our 'social care team' having 1800 Malware infections on their works laptop as well as letting their 10 year old play on it, and having changed the local administrator password so that We (IT Services) couldn't clean it.
Not the first instance and won't be the last of the attitude of 'Well I have a degree and you're a Technician' so there's nothing you can do about it....... WRONG!

 

[Zab]

DR, I think that is just some one being ignorant and lazy with a work computer. I've met the ilk many times. "Who cares. It's not my computer." Just because some one has a degree doesn't mean they have the EQ to actually consider consequences. Tons of book smart/ life stupid people out there

 

[RuneBrush]

I tend to be completely militant with the machines at work. If somebody does something stupid they know that I'll be thoroughly disapproving and be backed up by the bosses I've actually got a couple of pc's where I've locked the desktop and My Documents down so people can't save files there and have to use the server

 

[Dragonsreach]

Backing of the bosses.................DOES NOT COMPUTE!