The perfect Mac for video modifying in 2023 By Matt Hanson final up to date 6 March 23 Apple From laptops to PCs, these are the most effective Macs for video modifying.
The perfect Macs for video modifying, together with the most effective MacBooks for video modifying, are widespread with skilled editors and videographers in addition to with fanatics. As a result of not solely are these computer systems stylishly designed, they’re more and more succesful since Apple began making its personal M1 and M2 processors. In different phrases, you are assured implausible efficiency, correct shows and stable design with a premium really feel.
So what’s the most effective Mac for video modifying general? Nicely, proper now we predict it is the MacBook Professional (M2, 2023), which is available in each 14- and 16-inch variations. However it’s fairly costly, so we have additionally included different choices on the record that are a little bit older (and due to this fact cheaper), however nonetheless present loads of energy. Plus, it is not nearly laptops: you will additionally discover some very spectacular desktops from the iMac and the Mac Studio strains within the record under.
We have evaluated Apple’s present vary to decide on the most effective Mac for video modifying relying on totally different necessities. We have ensured that every system has the specs required for video modifying, and our reviewers have examined the machines particularly for this function. We have additionally taken on suggestions from our contributors (to be taught extra, learn how we take a look at laptops, PCs and workstations).
In all honesty, Macs aren’t low cost, however the most effective Apple offers would possibly make them extra reasonably priced. If you cannot discover one that matches your finances, although, take a look at our choose of the most effective laptops for video modifying general, which additionally contains some Home windows options.
In the meantime, whichever laptop computer you find yourself selecting, you will wish to use the most effective video modifying software program that most closely fits your necessities. Audiophiles also can take a look at our information to the most effective laptops for music manufacturing.
The perfect Mac for video modifying in 2023
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If you wish to do video modifying on the transfer, then this is our prime choose from Apple proper now. It comes with the selection of an M2 Professional or M2 Max chip, each of which knock the socks off something beforehand provided by a MacBook when it comes to sheer processing energy. Which means they’re going to breeze via resource-hungry duties like video modifying, picture modifying, 3D rendering and 3D modelling.
The M2 Professional chip contains a 10- or 12-core CPU with as much as eight high-performance and 4 high-efficiency cores, which Apple claims delivers 20 per cent higher efficiency over its predecessor, the M1 Professional. The M2 Max chip has a GPU with as much as 38 cores and, Apple say, provides 30 per cent higher graphics than the M1 Max.
So what does that every one imply in follow? Nicely, we road-tested the 14-inch MacBook Professional (2023), with a M2 Professional chip, 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD, and its efficiency was blisteringly quick. Our reviewer spent a while engaged on a 3D title sequence in After Results, whereas concurrently operating Photoshop and Premiere, and it did not bat an eyelid. Our benchmark checks kicked up some actually spectacular numbers too, confirming that this efficiency increase wasn’t simply in our minds.
You get a good vary of ports for a MacBook, too – one HDMI, three Thunderbolt 4, an SDXC card slot, an audio jack and one MagSafe 3. The 14.3-inch show can be beautiful and able to delivering top-notch color accuracy, in addition to as much as 1,000 nits of sustained, full-screen brightness, and 1,600 nits of peak brightness. Word that there is additionally a 16-inch model (opens in new tab) of the MacBook Professional (M2, 2023), which we have put at quantity three on our record.
For extra particulars, learn our Apple MacBook Professional 14-inch (M2, 2023) overview.
When you’re on the lookout for uncooked energy – and likewise effectivity – you would possibly think about a Mac PC. In response to Apple, the Mac Studio with the M1 Extremely provides 3.8 instances quicker CPU efficiency in comparison with the most costly 27-inch iMac and 90% quicker than the Mac Professional with a 16-core Intel Xeon processor. It is also extra environment friendly, outpacing even the very best finish PC GPU whereas utilizing 200W much less.
Nobody’s going to counsel shopping for a Mac Studio to save cash, however that power saving is price taking into consideration contemplating the present value of energy. Testing it out, we discovered that it was nearly silent in use because it does not want followers to maintain it cool. We additionally love the truth that it is so compact.
It makes super-light work of complicated video with a number of 8K sources in Last Reduce Professional, however even utilizing different non-Apple software program, we had been capable of have a bunch of information operating all on the similar time in a single SSD with no indicators of a bottleneck. The Mac Studio is vastly costly, beginning at $2,000 for under the bottom configuration with the M1 Max, however contemplating the efficiency it offers, this may very well be thought of worth for cash for those who want it.
See our full Mac Studio overview for extra particulars.
When you just like the look of the primary MacBook on our record, the M2 (2023), however desire a larger display screen, you then’ll be happy to know there’s one which’s two inches larger in diameter. Which means you get an enormous, lovely 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR show, with the identical super-high decision of 254ppi, making 3456 x 2234 pixels in complete. That makes it larger general, at 14.0 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches to the 14-incher’s 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches, and heavier at 4.7-4.8 lbs versus 3.5 lbs.
So far as processing velocity, you’ll be able to configure your laptop computer with both the M2 Professional (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU) or the M2 Max (12-core CPU, 38-core GPU). The latter goes to get you quicker efficiency however in reality each will deal with video modifying magnificently.
In any other case, the principle distinction between the 14 and 16 inch variations of the 2023 MacBook Professional lies within the battery: this one provides 100Wh to its smaller sibling’s 70Wh. For these superior specs, you will pay an additional $500 so on stability, we would say the 14-inch model provides the higher worth general, however this one is unquestionably extra highly effective.
It could not be the newest or strongest laptop computer Apple has to supply. However the 2021 MacBook Professional 16, with both its M1 Professional or M1 Max chip, remains to be a superb selection for video modifying on the go.
Each chips are highly effective, however in our overview we discovered that the M1 Max makes notably lighter work of the extremely demanding GPU workflows concerned in video modifying, in addition to issues like 3D modelling. The unique M1 chip debuted on the 2020 MacBook Professional 13, and the M1 Professional and M1 Max double and quadruple that efficiency.
This implies it may assist modifying a number of streams of 8K video in real-time with out rendering. The ProRes accelerator within the chips’ media engineers additionally implies that video processing is extra environment friendly, and so will not be as punishing on battery life. And talking of battery life, we acquired 17 hours for normal use and eight hours of modifying in Last Reduce Professional.
As for the display screen, the mini-LED show is vivid, and we discovered color accuracy to be wonderful out of the field. There’s additionally a greater number of ports than on earlier MacBooks, and storage might be configured as much as 8TB of storage. A lot of those specs stay the identical with the smaller MacBook Professional 14, however when you have the finances, the bigger display screen ought to offer you a neater time (although alternatively, you may simply hook up among the finest 4K screens).
Once we examined this MacBook, we discovered the one actual draw back (aside from its value) is that it’s fairly heavy, at 2.1kg for the Professional model and a pair of.2kg for the Max model. If you are going to be carrying your video modifying laptop computer round all day, one thing just like the 14-inch model could be a greater guess.
See our full MacBook Professional 16-inch 2021 overview for extra particulars.
As we talked about above, the 14-inch MacBook provides configurations with just about the identical specs because the bigger 2021 MacBook above, and our testing discovered efficiency was on a par. Once more, you get the selection of the M1 Professional or the M1 Max, providing spectacular velocity from chips which are optimised for working with even ultra-high-resolution video. When you do very demanding work, then go for the Professional Max chip in case you can: it is able to rendering 4K video in Last Reduce Professional a whopping 13.4x quicker than the Mac Professional.
So actually it is a query of priorities. The MacBook Professional 14 will value you much less, and it is half a kilogram (1.2 kilos) lighter than the 16. The query is whether or not you’ll be able to reside with that smaller display screen. It may not be a difficulty in case you’re planning to hook up an exterior monitor anyway, however in case you’re not, it makes the modifying really feel noticeably extra cramped.
For extra particulars, see our Apple MacBook Professional 14-inch (2021) overview.
When you’re on a tighter finances, then Apple’s least expensive MacBook, the MacBook Air is not in any respect a nasty possibility for video modifying, particularly for fanatics and social media content material creators. The 2022 mannequin will get a lift in efficiency due to Apple’s personal M2 chip. Efficiency is not as spectacular as MacBook Professionals packing the M1 Professional or Max, however it does outperform the 2020 M1 MacBook Air.
In truth, we discovered efficiency to be very a lot on a par with the marginally costlier 2022 MacBook Professional 13-inch when operating the identical configuration of the M2, in accordance with benchmark scores in Cinebench R23, though it may warmth up extra rapidly attributable to its fanless design. We additionally discovered that the M2 Neural Engine did a terrific job of dealing with primary video modifying.
The brand new laptop computer additionally has a barely bigger 13.6-inch display screen (in comparison with the MacBook Air M1 Mannequin’s 13.3-inch show), with decision elevated to 2,560 x 1,664. The display screen’s brighter too at 500nits, and it now helps the P3 color gamut just like the MacBook Professionals, with assist for one billion colors. As for battery life, we looped a 1080p video for 16 hours – 5 hours longer than on the earlier MacBook Air. All in all, in case you’re doing mild video modifying, or at the very least, you are not a professional who wants sustained efficiency for all-day periods of heavy modifying, this can be a good stability between efficiency and value.
See our full MacBook Air (M2, 2022) overview for extra particulars.
If you would like a PC however do not want such superior energy, and you favor the keep away from having to fork out for a separate display screen, then the newest iMac may very well be the most effective MacBook for video modifying for you. Apple’s iconic iMac acquired an enormous new redesign in 2021 with a daring new look in numerous colors. It is thinner and lighter than its predecessor regardless of coming with a bigger 24-inch display screen in comparison with the 21.5-inch mannequin it changed. Better of all, it characteristic’s the Apple M1 chip.
The 2021 MacBook Professionals are extra highly effective than this PC, so the principle benefiti is that bigger display screen, which many individuals will discover it extra snug to work on than a laptop computer (we actually did). It is also extra reasonably priced, although you do miss out on the portability of a laptop computer, and even the Mac Studio, which is straightforward sufficient to pack away.
So far as desktop PCs go, we predict this is a superb system to edit movies on. It is all-in-one design means the pc is constructed into the display screen, so there aren’t any awkward wires or cables to plug in. Simply hook it as much as an influence supply, join the wi-fi keyboard and mouse, and away you go.
For additional particulars, learn our Apple iMac M1 overview.
The MacBook Professional 13in (M2, 2022) is essentially the most moveable MacBook, so it is a sensible choice in case you usually need to edit video on the go. It is considerably cheaper than the 14in and 16in MacBook Professionals, and it nonetheless provides respectable efficiency and a display screen that helps the P3 color gamut.
On the draw back, the M2 chip does not have the optimisation of the M1 Professional and Professional Max for extra environment friendly dealing with of video. And it is not likely a lot of a step up from the (barely) cheaper MacBook Air, which runs on the identical chip.
It does have the sting over the MacBook Air in sustained use in lengthy periods, because it has an energetic cooling system (followers), and it additionally has Apple’s contact bar, which some folks discover to be a productiveness booster. On the finish of the day, it is a powerful selection between these two, so that you’re determination would possibly come down as to if both of them has a deal on.
See our MacBook Professional 13-inch (M2, 2022) overview to be taught extra.
When you’re after a desktop Mac for video modifying, and do not want it to be moveable, the Apple Mac Professional (2019) is essentially the most reasonably priced possibility on our record up to now. Plus it is very upgradable, going all the best way as much as a 28-Core Intel Xeon W with 1.5GB RAM. That can deal with large skilled video modifying workflows.
There are many configuration choices, which helps you to choose the specs that finest fit your wants and finances. It is also acquired a modular design, which implies in contrast to Apple’s different units, just like the iMac above, it is simple to improve elements of the system afterward.
The 2020 Mac mini is a brilliantly compact Mac for video modifying. Simply pair it with among the finest screens for video modifying and you have a terrific setup that is succesful and appears implausible on any desk.
The bottom mannequin options the M1 chip with 8-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine, and there are 4 growth ports on the again for both USB or Thunderbolt exterior storage, plus HDMI 2.0 to concurrently assist two shows. Nevertheless, in contrast to older Mac minis, you’ll be able to’t add an exterior GPU, which is a disgrace, as that was a great way to spice up the video modifying chops of this tiny Mac.
This is similar {hardware} discovered within the iMac 24-inch (2020) – the subsequent on our record – and once we examined it, we discovered it provides very related efficiency, however with out the built-in show, and for fairly a bit much less cash. In different phrases, if you have already got a monitor you’re keen on utilizing, the Mac mini is a good various to the iMac, and may prevent a good amount of money.
See our full Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) overview for extra particulars.
When you’re after Mac for video modifying with a big show and stable construct high quality, than the 2020 27-inch iMac remains to be price contemplating. Apart from the massive display screen, a motive to contemplate this older iMac over the 2021 24in mannequin is the discrete graphics card, which may outperform the built-in graphics of the M1.
Once we reviewed it, we additionally appreciated the webcam and built-in microphone, which is useful for hybrid working. The design would possibly really feel a little bit outdated now, however see it as a Mac basic that is nonetheless impressively slim and trendy. Apple not sells the 27-inch iMac straight, however you could find it via different retailers, usually with a reduction on the RRP.
See our iMac 2020 overview for extra particulars.
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