If I Give You a $1200 budget !

You could get a 600 dollar laptop or pc that will run fine with programs (make sure they have good processor and good graphics card), after effects you will definatley need but ae isn't much without the plugins so save money for that to.

then photoshop, you should get a 3D program to lightwave is a great start or 3D studio max

thank you to everyone who gave me an answer in here. i decided to go the custom build way after i was considering a mac. the mac like most of you guys said is good but you more bang for your buck with a custom pc.i was considering an iMac but i don't see myself spending 1200+ for an iMac just to be able to use final cut when i can get a monster of a computer and use Premiere and AE. i probably will be start shopping for the parts in around Feb. 2012 or March 2012 , since technology is moving so fast now days , is there anything coming out that i may not know about that you guys may recommend me waiting for.computer parts are improved very quick now days so i just want to make sure that when i buy all my parts i have the best of the best.

SpProductions said:

HI Guys, i am new to the whole filmmaking scene. i recently bought a canon t3i which i am using with the kit lens.my biggest concern right now is what computer i will need to edit my videos from the t3i. i currently own a pc but if i try to edit the videos on vegas OMG i cant even play them back.i will be in the market to buy a computer for video/photo editing in the next 2 to 3 months.I am getting serious about doing short films with effects and color corrections and all that.my question is, if i was to give you a budget of $1200 to go out and get the best computer for video/photo that those $1200 can get you:
<P>
1. what would you go with PC or MAC ?- MAC, Mac is amazing for creative design.

2. Laptop or desktop ? DESKTOP: iMac!

3.would you go with a custom build or buy from one of the big box stores - Just buy an iMac at the Apple store!
4.what editing software would you go with (FINAL CUT,PREMIER,AFTER EFFECTS....)- Final Cut absolutely. I also do love After Effects if your filming action films and need to do cool effects. Both work great on Mac.
5.what would you do if you was in my shoes right now.- Buy a 21'' iMac for 11 hundred. Just at your budget.
6.what are the specs for a machine you would recommend ? - A good graphics card, lots of RAM. Luckily, iMac has both more that suitable to edit on.
<P>
any suggestions are greatly welcome , i am here to learn so please help me out !

Click to expand...

I updated the quote with my thoughts..

SpProductions said:

thank you to everyone who gave me an answer in here. i decided to go the custom build way after i was considering a mac. the mac like most of you guys said is good but you more bang for your buck with a custom pc.i was considering an iMac but i don't see myself spending 1200+ for an iMac just to be able to use final cut when i can get a monster of a computer and use Premiere and AE. i probably will be start shopping for the parts in around Feb. 2012 or March 2012 , since technology is moving so fast now days , is there anything coming out that i may not know about that you guys may recommend me waiting for.computer parts are improved very quick now days so i just want to make sure that when i buy all my parts i have the best of the best.

Click to expand...

For both hardware and software, there is a delicate balance between getting the new-awesome-best stuff, and getting stuff that has been tested sufficiently and is reliable (and compatible). With PC's, when you get something hot off the press, there are going to be at least minor compatibility issues that need to be resolved with updates. So, my personal opinion, and maybe I'm just a pansy in this respect -- it might be better to go with hardware that is basically the most current and best-available, but not necessarily the most super-cutting-edge (and therefore incompatibility-prone).

1, Mac (you can install Windows on it, too. Keep reading for link for 'lower cost' option on getting a Mac)

2, Desktop for power, laptop for mobility... Depend on your life style. I have a Mac notebook, I will have a desktop

3, Custom if you're a tinkerer, Store if you "just want to get work done" attitude. I'm planning to build my next Mac

4, Final Cut, Premier, Avid (even iMovie) are film editing. After Effects is special effects and compositing...the result will need to be put into a film using FC, Pr or Avid.

Today, if you're working solo, any of these software will work...even Vegas. Working solo mean you will, most likely, not need to integrate your skills with an established production house or team (who may had gone to school and learn on Avid/FinalCut).

Trivia:
The historical standard is Avid, early non-linear editing system, built around Macs, (sold only as a system from Avid) will cost you 10-40k U.S. dollars. I believe Microsoft invested in Avid and so Avid ported a version for Windows and Avid is offering a sub 300.00 software since FinalCut is killing them.

If you're planning to work in a formal Hollywood company, it's my presumption that you will need to know Avid (and/or FinalCut). Avid's priced itself out of the market for new editors, directors and producers; so, Final Cut wormed it's way into the industry. Finalcut became the unspoken answer among students, semi pro editors/producers...

Personally, soloing (not in Hollywood) I go with Final Cut or Premier. The above is just my opinion on what I read on the FinalCut vs Avid debate 5yrs ago.

5, Build my own "Hackintosh" Built from common, off the shelf, hardware. Install Mac OS...a commercially bought, legal copy, of the OS. Read: http://nofilmschool.com/build-a-hackintosh For 600-800.00, you can have a killer system. You have 400-600.00 left over for software, extra hard drives, etc, etc... BTW, do NOT buy lots of HD now, due to Thailand's flooding Hard Drive prices exploded (+80% of HD are made there). By HD in a few month...like Spring or so.

6, Budget minded:

Approximately under 450.00 Mother board, i3 dual core intel, highest gigahertz, 4gig ram TODAY (making sure mother board allow you to add more later when you can afford it...like 8gig ram or more), basic video card, single 19" monitor, 2 hard drives: 1 used one from friend or old machine, small, for OS and software. 1 larger HD for your projects (Living dangerously with out a back up)

Mid level: Approximately 700-800.00 MoBo, i5 or i7, duel or quad core, 4-8gig ram (expandable to 16 or 32 in future), 2 graphics card, 2 +20" monitors, 3 or 4 Hard drives: 1 for OS/software. 1 (2terabyte) for project, 1 that mirror first project drive, 1 external for back up or transport.

High end: Approximately 800-1200 Same as above. 16g ram, Add in graphics card with dedicated 'in-hardware' effects and rendering. Build a NAS...network attached storage. http://youtu.be/BatakM9iAik


any suggestions:
The above approximated price can be cheaper if you're willing to use an older generation board. My notebook is almost 4yrs old...so, an "older generation" motherboard from today is 1.5 generation FASTER than my notebook. It's relative. I have a Core2Duo 2ghz, 4g ram... Any "old" motherboard today, will give me a faster system...

Moore's Law: computer power double ever 18mo or 2x/18mo. my notebook, 4yrs ago... a new "older" desktop motherboard will be 4.5x my speed for less (under 500.00) than what I paid for my laptop (799.00) with more ram slots.

BTW, with the Mac and "Hackintosh", if you don't like Mac, you can delete it and throw on Windows. You can have both, if you like. You an run Windows ontop of MacOS. You an Dual Boot....booting into either Win or Mac at start up....switch as often as you like or not. Run both OS at the same time if you like. Run neither if you want to install Linux, if you like.

Good luck

http://nofilmschool.com/build-a-hackintosh Follow the links and research for the most modern options since this article was written.

http://youtu.be/BatakM9iAik almost 2yr old video of a guy custom building his own NAS. You can build a NAS from an old computer case....just something to mount HD to.

SpProductions said:

HI ..........my question is, if i was to give you a budget of $1200 to go out and get the best computer for video/photo that those $1200 can get you:
<P>
1. what would you go with PC or MAC ?
2. Laptop or desktop ? even tho i dont like the laptop idea becuase you cant do much of upgrades down the line on a laptop like you can on a desktop.
3.would you go with a custom build or buy from one of the big box stores ?
4.what editing software would you go with (FINAL CUT,PREMIER,AFTER EFFECTS....)
5.what would you do if you was in my shoes right now.
6.what are the specs for a machine you would recommend ?
<P>
any suggestions are greatly welcome , i am here to learn so please help me out !

Click to expand...

At the moment Final Cut seems a dead-end street for Pros. Lots of people are switching (back) to Premiere Pro (which can open FCP projects).
You can run Premiere on both PC and Mac, but buying Premiere will take all or most of your budget, unless you subscribe to the software, but then you can only use it for a certain amount of time.

Btw, Macs are no longer safe from virusses, trojans and other malware without protection.

If you would give me a $1200,- budget I would be lost.... I spent a lot more on my desktop

Be careful if you intend to build your own machine... the lower cost components CAN bit you in the ass. Especially when you are on a deadline in an edit and you are pushing your machine a bit. If it overheats, you're toast as you'll spend more time fixing your computer than working. The "it just works" mentality (although scoffed at by many folks) of the macintosh community is based on the fact that the OS is specifically engineered to work with only one small subset of hardware. Apple doesn't have to account for all of the possible combinations of hardware that the OS could get installed on like MS does with Windows... same for your production software.

It's also a more stable hardware target for software vendors to hit than the ever changing Newest, Better, Faster upgrade cycle within the PC/Windows world. This leads to an initial setup time for your OS and software when you need to eliminate all of the drivers for hardware you don't have to make a stable SYSTEM (the software, OS and hardware together).

If your goal is to have a tool that you use to make stuff, the Macintosh is a more tool like implementation of a workstation.

If your goal is cost savings up front, a customer built PC with either Windows or MacOS on it will certainly fit that bill, but to get the savings, you generally take cheaper components than you would get in a pre-built boxed computer.

The reason I mention the savings being up front is that you will have lost production time due to computer crashes and problems due to the lower quality parts you're using to get the cost savings. Be sure to budget in extra time on your projects "just in case" as your odds of a failure go up substantially when building your own (the company has no quality control over the assembly process, so they generally won't provide any warranties for the "computer" either, and tracking down the problem will cost $85/hour minimum for a tech, and then figuring out which company to strong arm into sending you a replacement as it's nigh impossible to get them to agree that it's their component's problem.

I want to build a shelf. I use a nail and a hammer... I don't want to have to know metallurgy, I know how to build shelves.

I want to make a film. I use an editor and a computer... I don't want to have to know PC Repair, I want to know how to make a film.

What do you want to be doing while you're working? How much time will you set aside to repair you tools while you're working? The repairs are still needed on Macintoshes, but the quantity is much lower than on the PC/Windows side of things.

You pay for quality. You pay for portability. Time = Money, if you can't spend the money, plan on spending time on it.

I'm still holding out that Apple will do the same thing they did with all of their groundbreaking new things they've released in the past and are working toward a great platform in FCPX rather than thinking this release is the end gambit as so many final cut folks seem to think it is. I've seen exactly this same thing from Apple time after time, and it always ends up being a wonderful business decision, so long as you can ride it out a bit. They create/redesign things in a way that hasn't ever been done before. They release the paradigm, then spend a year or two molding it using user feedback to make a really strong product that is exactly what the customer wants. My copy of FCP7 that I just upgraded to will work just fine for the next 5 years, just like my previous copy of FCP5 did.

Apple plays a long game in business, unlike so many other manufacturers who are simply out for the next revision of what they're already doing - Apple's viability is based on brand loyalty, while the PC world is based on rapid upgrade cycles and low margin manufacturing - which seems a safer investment to you?

posible t3i editing computer

so i have been looking around for a few months now on a good computer build for editing my t3i footage. i came upon this configuration which states is good for running premier and after effects. just wanted to see what you guys think . now i havent check this completely so some components may not go well together or at all. but this setup can go for about $1300 .

I'd maybe hit up some Alienware desktop power house and also invest in a bigger better HD monitor.

It is an old debate of mac vs pc. ive used both for nearly 25 years and build gaming pc's for fun and for editing video with vegas pro and adobe. i agree with looking at Alienware models as any good gaming pc up to todays video games will handle video editing, you just need large storage.
ive been building custom pc's for a long time and never have issues with hardware failures. i like macs but you pay a lot more $$ for the name. nothing wrong with windows or linux but linux is for people who like to tinker with software more than use it imho.
im building a new pc that will rock video editing and games and for less than $900, not including the monitor ( have several of those )

$1200.00 ??? I will deliver you a feature. $400 canon SX40IS, $100 2 - Olympus VN8100 PC recorders, $50 2 - Audio Technica Lavs, $ 350 - 3 Smith Victor 600w lights w/ stands, $100 misc lights and clamp on reflectors, $200 for misc production expenses