Final Cut Express is really very good and a good place to start. You might want to check to see if Apple is still offering the deal where you get FCE for $100 when you buy a new Macbook or Macbook Pro. Thats a really good deal--that is ... if they are still offering it.
The biggest difference between the MacBook and the MBP is the graphics card which is usefull when doing stuff in programs like Motion where a lot of the video rendering is done by the graphics card. If you aren't doing a lot of work that requires Apple Core image processing then a Macbook with FCE will do you just fine. Apple says that Finalcut Studio isn't compatible with the Macbook but thats mainly because Motion won't run on it. Most of the other programs in the package will run just fine on the Macbook. Bill Streeter LO-FI SAINT LOUIS http://lofistl.com http://billstreeter.net --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Chuck Leggett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Laura Moncur" <lauramoncur@> > wrote: > > > > I am switching from my PC to Mac and I'm trying to decide if the new > > MacBook Pros with the NVidia video chips are worth an extra $1000. > > Have any of you noticed a big difference between the MacBook Pros and > > the normal MacBooks? > > The MacBook uses VRAM that is shared with the system's memory, so I > would consider maxing the RAM on the MacBook. Otherwise, the Pro has a > FW800 connector, DVI output, a bigger screen, etc. Either computer is > a winner. > > > > > It takes forever to render a DVD on my PC using Adobe Premiere > > Elements and I'm hoping to streamline the process. > > Rendering time depends on different things, the processor speed being > one of the important ones. Any new computer with a Core 2 Duo chip > will speed up the process. > > > > > Additionally, is Final Cut Pro worth the extra $600 or should I just > > go with Final Cut Express or even iMovie/iDVD? I am having a hard time > > justifying the expense to my husband. Can you give me any ammunition? > > > > Start with iMovie and see if it meets your needs. It worked great for > me until I wanted to layer video tracks, so I bought FC Express. For > my needs, I could not justify the cost of FC Pro. > > > BTW: the following link is for a humorous video I made when I first > got my MacBook Pro. http://tinyurl.com/2urbco > > > Chuck > > Chuck's Vlog > http://runchuckrun.blogspot.com >
