NEW MAC USER needing advice

bp4life71

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Can others edit my Photos
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I have no interest in using imovie or iphoto.

Ive used Photoshop and premiere elements on my windows based computers for years. I recently bought a Mac and want to use programs to video edit and photo edit on my mac. What software do you think I should buy to fill my photo and video needs? I intend to do this as a serious hobby and want more than the basic imovie/iphoto. Price isnt of real concern, but I do like good value.

Thanks!

BP
 
Can't you get Adobe to issue a Mac version of PS? Don't know what they would charge on an exchange.
 
Adobe makes Photoshop and Lightroom for Mac. As far as video goes, how about Final Cut Pro?
 
I have no interest in using imovie or iphoto.

Ive used Photoshop and premiere elements on my windows based computers for years. I recently bought a Mac and want to use programs to video edit and photo edit on my mac. What software do you think I should buy to fill my photo and video needs? I intend to do this as a serious hobby and want more than the basic imovie/iphoto. Price isnt of real concern, but I do like good value.

Thanks!

BP

You have a few different options here.

For photo:

  • Photoshop is the most popular choice for pretty much any sort of image editing.
  • If you don't do any retouching, cloning, etc, then Lightroom will do fine on its own.
  • If you don't find yourself using any of Photoshop or Lightroom's exclusive tools then even GIMP would work, but it may miss out on some of the more advanced features and support of the paid programs.

For video:
  • Final Cut Pro was promising, but Final Cut X (the newest version) is not a professional program and it is more like iMovie than anything. If you want Final Cut Pro then stick to version 7.
  • Premiere Pro would probably serve you best if you also use Photoshop or Lightroom. It's professional and it integrates well with the rest of the Creative Suite. One thing to keep in mind is that Adobe is moving to a new licensing scheme that many are not pleased with. Premiere, Photoshop, and Lightroom may soon become subscription-only.
  • Media Composer is what a lot of large production houses use. It will do whatever you need it to do, but it may be overkill.
  • Lightworks is a free alternative that I don't have much experience with. It's free forever with an option to upgrade to a paid version for a few extra useful features.
 
I have no interest in using imovie or iphoto.

Ive used Photoshop and premiere elements on my windows based computers for years. I recently bought a Mac and want to use programs to video edit and photo edit on my mac. What software do you think I should buy to fill my photo and video needs? I intend to do this as a serious hobby and want more than the basic imovie/iphoto. Price isnt of real concern, but I do like good value.

Thanks!

BP

You have a few different options here.

For photo:

  • Photoshop is the most popular choice for pretty much any sort of image editing.
  • If you don't do any retouching, cloning, etc, then Lightroom will do fine on its own.
  • If you don't find yourself using any of Photoshop or Lightroom's exclusive tools then even GIMP would work, but it may miss out on some of the more advanced features and support of the paid programs.

For video:
  • Final Cut Pro was promising, but Final Cut X (the newest version) is not a professional program and it is more like iMovie than anything. If you want Final Cut Pro then stick to version 7.
  • Premiere Pro would probably serve you best if you also use Photoshop or Lightroom. It's professional and it integrates well with the rest of the Creative Suite. One thing to keep in mind is that Adobe is moving to a new licensing scheme that many are not pleased with. Premiere, Photoshop, and Lightroom may soon become subscription-only.
  • Media Composer is what a lot of large production houses use. It will do whatever you need it to do, but it may be overkill.
  • Lightworks is a free alternative that I don't have much experience with. It's free forever with an option to upgrade to a paid version for a few extra useful features.

I was looking at the Final Cut Pro X.....you said it was about comparable with iMovie though? That would not be good value if thats the case. Do you think that Premiere elements #, and photoshop elements would be a good in-between editing route? thanks for any and all advice.

My initial impression with imovie and iphoto is that they are sub standard very low grade software packages although admittedly, I have not tried them even though they came installed on my mac. I would like a medium to high grade editing program/programs. I am somewhat familiar with the windows version of premiere elements and photoshop elements. However, I'm quite surprised that you stated Final Cut Pro X, at 200-300.00 is similiar to imovie. Is Imovie that good, or Final Cut Pro X that overpriced? Hmmmm.....
 
I was looking at the Final Cut Pro X.....you said it was about comparable with iMovie though? That would not be good value if thats the case. Do you think that Premiere elements #, and photoshop elements would be a good in-between editing route? thanks for any and all advice.

My initial impression with imovie and iphoto is that they are sub standard very low grade software packages although admittedly, I have not tried them even though they came installed on my mac. I would like a medium to high grade editing program/programs. I am somewhat familiar with the windows version of premiere elements and photoshop elements. However, I'm quite surprised that you stated Final Cut Pro X, at 200-300.00 is similiar to imovie. Is Imovie that good, or Final Cut Pro X that overpriced? Hmmmm.....

Final Cut Pro X (at least at the time that I used it) lacks many of the features that Final Cut Pro 7 had. Supposedly some of these things have been fixed with updates, but I still don't think it would be up to scratch with Premiere or Media Composer. If you think it would suit you best then go ahead and use it. The end result is more important than the tool and the tool you use is all dependent on what works best for you.

I don't have enough experience with Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements to give you a fair opinion on them. I've only had opportunities to use the full versions. If they're within your budget and they're what your comfortable with then there's nothing wrong with using them. If you ever run into a roadblock in the future where there's something you can't do then you then you could always upgrade to the Pro version and pick up where you left off.
 
I was looking at the Final Cut Pro X.....you said it was about comparable with iMovie though? That would not be good value if thats the case.

LOL no far from it. Yes Apple simplified the interface but is is still MUCH MUCH MUCH more powerful then iMovie.

My initial impression with imovie and iphoto is that they are sub standard very low grade software packages although admittedly, I have not tried them

How do you have an initial impression without having used them?
 
Imovie is a pretty capable video editing software, and unless you're extremely serious and expect really high end results, it should be enough for your needs. It has the capability to do pretty fine edits, transitions, and do voice overs, and control audio decently. For most video editing purposes, that should be plenty to achieve your results.

There's definitely a perception that imovie isn't that great and is under-powered (and for a pro-user it is), but for a serious hobby, it should suffice. I'd say it is definitely worth taking the time to give it a shot and save some money. If it doesn't live up to your needs, Final Cut X is certainly more powerful (although, I've never used it).
 

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