Are Macs better at desktop publishing and video editing?? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Pug]

I was given the task of setting up a couple of new G5's and each person that walked by either said "Macs sucks"(mostly the tech staff I am a part of) or they said "oh man these are great for video editing or designing". I am not any type of artist or designer , so I dont have a frame of reference. It is my opinion that there isnt anything you can do on a mac that cant be done on a pc just as well. I think that it comes down to preference of Operating system choice of user and there isnt a technical reason that one is better than other.

BTW please state facts and opinions to the question and do not use this to say macs or pc sucks just cause you dont like them.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

I think the "popular" opinions on Mac are a leftover from a time gone by... people just accepted that mac was used more often in creative environments and PC in business-- but there is nothing specific about the hardware that would dictate this division.


The main issue being that there are some programs that ONLY run on Mac, or run "better" (more widely supported) on Mac related to artistic persuits.

For example, FINAL CUT, which is a Mac exclusive application is becoming the #2 standard for video editing in the professional world. PC has Premiere, but if you want to run FC, you have to have a Mac.

Recently, one of the more widely used audio/midi platforms, LOGIC, went to Mac only.

Also, the number one audio recording and production suite, PRO TOOLS, while being avaialble for both Mac and PC tends to be run on MAC in the professional world (probably more of an issue of standardization at this point).


But there are tools on both platforms to achieve whatever- it's just a question of which apps you specifically want to run and which ones are better supported on which platform.

-V

 

[Max Leung]

There is no appreciable difference in what you can do on either platform. It boils down to personal taste and nothing more.

I'd give the edge to the PC for home theater applications in terms of customisation and enthusiast support, however. But this is pretty minor.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

I've never used a Mac except in passing, but apparently the way they handle fonts is a lot better than Windows, especially if you have to take your work to a publishing or printing outlet. Not sure on the hows or whys though.

 

[Seth--L]

If you're running Windows XP, then no.

I use my PC laptop to digital edit with Avid Xpress Pro. Works perfectly fine. I also use it extensively with programs like Adobe Phootoshop, PageMaker, and various Macromedia programs.



Avid now owns Pro Tools, so if Mac had any advantage there, that will no longer be true. (Pro Tools also didn't work on G5s until November.) I expect that they are also working on better integrating Pro Tools into Avid.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Premiere is for consumers? Sorry dude, Premiere is being used to make revenue-generating broadcast content at the company I work for.

 

[KylePete]

I agree with Wayne. Premiere Pro (version 7.0) sells for $650. There's no way that can be considered a consumer application.

Plus.....I, too, use Premiere Pro for my company's video business.

Final Cut is supposed to be a great program.....I'm quite sure no one can say that Macs are "weak" on the desktop publishing or video editing side.


Kyle

 

[Seth--L]

In the world of digital video editing software, $650 is not that much. Avid Xpress Pro is $1,695 MSRP. FCP is $999.

Your companies should upgrade to Avid, it's worth the money. Far, far more powerful, more intuitive, more functions/features, easier and faster to use.

 

[KylePete]

Seth, I agree that in the "business" DV editing world, $650 is not that much. However, most consumers will still only use the editing software that cam with their $500 PC's (Windows Movie Maker) or go with Arcsoft Showbiz, etc. I don't know too many "consumers" who are willing to drop $650 on an editing program that will just be used on their family vacations and requires an intermediate learning curve.

Besides, the GREAT editors are the ones who can do an amazing job with cheap software. (And, no, I am definitely not referring to myself.)

I've been looking at Avid, though. Are you using it right now, Seth? If so, what exactly do you like about it besides being more intuitive, powerful, etc.?

Sorry if I am getting off-topic.


Kyle

 

[Benson R]

I think some people don't understand what software costs. I dont know much about the cost of AVID but in the engineering world many programs cost tens of thousands and some even much more.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

The original poster is correct in stating that there is basically little difference between platforms. The choice really comes down to with operating system interface you prefer.

For consumer DV editing, Apple may have an edge when you include the free iMovie and iDVD software.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Yep, which is why I said #2. I dont need to ask Mac for hype, this is the industry i work in- and I am close with dozens of post people who work on film and music videos. FCP is absolutely professional, and Premiere is also used in some LA houses. But I see FCP more and more everyday.

 

[Seth--L]

I own Avid Xpress Pro. Without generating a long shopping list, in brief, what makes Avid great is Avid's interface (the Xpress series basically makes the interface available at a prosumer price). Avid is unbelievably easy to use. Everything works they way you think it should work. When you're editing, everything works so fluidly that it doesn't feel like there's computer software separating you from your footage. I guess you really have to experience it to fully understand it, but in short, it's all about the interface.

I use FCP a good bit because all the computers in my college have them, and whenever using them, I'm always like, "wow, I can do that so much easier in Avid."

Getting back down to price/consumer issues, every once and a while I see people post on this forum that they're having frames dropped when capturing with their 'consumer' level software. That doesn't happen with Avid.

While Avid is probably overkill for splicing together home movies and outputting them to DVD, in the professional world where time is money, I would not want to using anything less than Avid.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Mac OS X supports what is essentially a PDF imaging model, as part of the Quartz drawing layer. I would assume that for desktop publishing applications, being able to draw to the screen and printer in PDF-like terms is a significant advantage.

A useful side effect is that you can turn documents into PDF files without the commercial version of Adobe Acrobat (or other tools). Just print and "Save As PDF".

As for classic MacOS, I don't recall details offhand.

 

[KylePete]

Thanks for the comments about Avid Express pro, Seth. I appreciate hearing users' experiences.



I think the exact same about Premiere Pro. I don't know anyone who bought Premiere Pro (unless they pirated it) just to edit their home movies. Remember, the statement in question dealt with whether or not Premiere Pro was considered a "prosumer application"...not how little it costs compared to software used in broadcast stations or post houses. Of course there are software applications that will cost in the multiple of thousands of dollars, but we are talking "prosumer", not all-out "professional".

But I do agree that both the PC and Mac platforms are great for video editing. Neither one really stands out.

Seth, what are your current system specs for your Avid Express machine? Sorry for all my questions....I am really thinking about taking a look at that software.


Kyle

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

The gap between consumer products and professional products has closed so much in the past ten years that I don't think there still exists a "prosumer" category in between. Consumers have available to them digital video cameras, lossless transfer into the computer using Firewire, nonlinear editing, and DVD burners. There is now no difference in the technology between consumers and professionals, only a difference in the quality of the components.

 

[Seth--L]

Kyle,

Here's what I'm running Avid Xpress Pro with:

Dell Inspiron 4150
Windows XP Pro, Service Pack 1
2.20 GHz P4
1 GB RAM
I capture video/audio to a 200 GB Maxtor HD, 7200 RPM
32MB ATi Mobility Radeon 7500
SIIG Firewire Dual Port Card Bus

 

[KylePete]

Thanks, Seth. I greatly appreciate the info.


Kyle

 

[Brian E]

Can't speak on video use, but I've been in the publishing industry for going on 10 years now. Macs used to be ahead of PCs in our industry, but not anymore.

IMO it makes no difference what platform you use. My department outputs some fairly large directories (kinda like the yellow pages, but not really) and does about 10,000 ads of various sizes a year among other things. All of our work is currently done on PCs using InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. All of our output is now ftp'd directly to our printer as print ready PDFs.


I'd agree with that. Either can make a great system.

 

[Mike Sogge]

I've noticed that the Mac counterparts of the major graphics programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc) tend to have interfaces that are laid out much better and are less time consuming to use, which in turn increases productivity and revenue.