Final Cut Pro For Mac Mini

Work at a faster clip.

Final Cut Pro For Mac Mini Computers

And Final Cut Pro is optimized for macOS and the latest Mac hardware, so you can enjoy incredible performance on portable and desktop systems from import to delivery. Languages: English, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish. Learn more about Final Cut Pro X Opens in a new window Final Cut Pro X Licence Agreement Opens in a new.

Mac mini has some of the most versatile ports and connectivity options of any Mac, allowing it to serve and adapt to a wide variety of situations and workflows. Mac mini comes standard with 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit (1Gb) Ethernet using an RJ-45 connector. For network connections that are up to 10 times faster, Mac mini has a 10Gb Ethernet option. In this video I demonstrate how well the Mac Mini 2018 (i5 with 8GB of ram) can work with Final Cut Pro X. Common tasks are performed, such as working with t. ‎Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Final Cut Pro X. Download Final Cut Pro X for macOS 10.14.6 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. ‎Redesigned from the ground up, Final Cut Pro combines revolutionary video editing with powerful media organization and incredible performance to let you create at the.

With its modern Metal engine, Final Cut Pro allows you to edit more complex projects and work with larger frame sizes, higher frame rates and more effects — all at incredible speeds. And it’s built to harness the extreme power of the new Mac Pro for next-level performance.

Accelerated performance with Metal

Metal dramatically accelerates graphics tasks like rendering, real-time effects and exporting. Video editors on 15-inch MacBook Pro will benefit from render performance that is up to 20 per cent faster, while editors using iMac Pro will see gains of up to 35 per cent.¹ And when you’re working on a system with an eGPU attached, you can select which GPU to use — internal or external — for peak performance.

Optimised for the all-new Mac Pro

For the ultimate editing experience, run Final Cut Pro on the world’s fastest Mac, the new Mac Pro. Final Cut Pro takes advantage of all the GPUs in Mac Pro and uses multi-threading to spread tasks across up to 28 cores. And when equipped with the optional Afterburner card, Mac Pro delivers the fastest ProRes performance ever. So you can do things like edit video, create motion graphics and colour grade in groundbreaking 8K resolution. All at maximum velocity.

The tools you need. From start to finishing.

With innovative features and an intuitive design, Final Cut Pro accelerates post-production. So editors can create and deliver at the speed of thought.

The Magnetic Timeline allows you to easily experiment with story ideas by moving and trimming clips without collisions or sync problems. Use Compound Clips to bundle separate video and audio clips into a single moveable package, create Auditions to try out multiple takes in the timeline, and use Synchronized Clips to align video with second-source audio automatically. Colour coding makes it easy to identify different types of content, with the ability to customise the look of your timeline while you edit.

Final Cut Pro offers the most advanced organising tools of any professional video editing application. Easily tag entire clips or clip ranges with metadata for searching, and create Smart Collections that automatically collect content according to a set of custom criteria. Skimming lets you efficiently browse hours of material in a more visual way, so you can identify what you want in seconds.

Create 2D and 3D titles directly in Final Cut Pro, apply and modify filters, and use the built-in chroma key for high-quality green- and blue-screen effects. Expand on the built-in effects with thousands of third-party tools and templates. And for even more control, use Motion to create stunning titles, transitions, generators and effects you can access from Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro lets you edit multi-channel audio using built-in tools for removing background noise and optimising levels. Adjust multi-channel audio files in the timeline or open the inspector for more information and options. Choose from dozens of bundled plug-ins for audio compression, EQ and more — or send to a professional audio application like Logic Pro X for advanced audio mixing.

Quickly encode video using the power of multi-core CPUs and high-performance GPUs. Take advantage of presets to deliver ultra-high-quality masters or files optimised for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and websites like YouTube and Vimeo. And batch exporting makes it fast to deliver multiple files or projects in multiple formats. You can also use Compressor to create custom export settings that appear directly in Final Cut Pro.

Multicam

The industry’s most advanced multicam editing lets you automatically sync up to 64 angles of video with different formats, frame sizes and frame rates. View up to 16 angles at once in the Angle Viewer. And open the Angle Editor timeline to move, sync, trim, add effects or colour grade individual clips.

Video noise reduction

Improve the look of archival and low-light images with powerful noise reduction tools that reduce or eliminate grain and video noise. Simple controls let you quickly adjust intensity, and it’s easy to change processing order by dragging the effect in the inspector.

Motion and Compressor

Create stunning effects and sweeping graphics with Motion, including studio-quality 2D and 3D titles you can open and adjust in Final Cut Pro. Use Compressor to create custom export settings and streamline delivery of your movie to the iTunes Store. And because Final Cut Pro, Motion and Compressor all share the same Metal architecture, you’ll experience incredible performance and consistent rendering across applications.

Compressor

Advanced colour grading.
Every pixel closer to perfection.

Professional colour grading tools are built into Final Cut Pro, including a dedicated colour inspector with colour wheels, colour curves, hue/saturation curves, and keyframes to adjust corrections over time. You can work with High Dynamic Range footage on recent Mac systems that display an extended range of brightness. Or connect the all-new Pro Display XDR for the ultimate HDR experience.

Unique colour wheels improve on traditional controls by combining hue, saturation and brightness into a single, simple interface.

Colour and luminance curves allow ultra-fine level adjustments with multiple control points to target specific colour and brightness ranges.

Sample a colour with an eyedropper and change just the hue, saturation or luminance of a specific colour within the image.

Work closer to reality than ever before with HDR video. Import, edit, grade and deliver incredibly lifelike images with Final Cut Pro. High-resolution scopes reflect HDR brightness levels as you edit and tone mapping lets you easily convert HDR to Standard Dynamic Range output for broadcast. You can view beautiful HDR content on a wide range of Mac computers that use the reserve brightness of the display to show an extended range of light levels.

HDR on Pro Display XDR

View High Dynamic Range video the way it was meant to be seen. The gorgeous new Pro Display XDR delivers 6K resolution and 1,000 nits of sustained brightness for HDR editing, grading and delivery with Final Cut Pro. And setup couldn’t be simpler — just connect a single Thunderbolt cable from your Mac to Pro Display XDR to use it as an additional display or video monitor.

The flexibility of RAW with the performance of ProRes.

Import, edit and grade pristine video with RAW data straight from your camera sensor. Work with ProRes RAW files and experience all the creative advantages of RAW with the seamless performance of ProRes. And with Mac Pro and the Afterburner card, you can edit in ProRes RAW faster than ever before.

ProRes performance

Remarkably smooth playback and real-time, multi-stream editing are part of the ProRes RAW package. The format is optimised for macOS and the latest Mac computers, allowing you to render and export faster than with other RAW formats. And since ProRes RAW files are smaller than standard formats, you can fit more footage on every card.

View the Apple ProRes RAW White Paper

RAW flexibility

Work with untouched image data directly from your camera sensor. RAW files provide maximum flexibility for adjusting the look of your video while extending brightness and shadows — an ideal combination for HDR workflows. And ProRes RAW preserves more of the original image data, making it a great format for archiving.

Learn about ProRes RAW partners

Workflow extensions. Extend the power of Final Cut Pro.

Work directly with powerful third-party applications — without leaving Final Cut Pro.

Use the Frame.io extension to simplify review and approval. Drag and drop clips and timelines, jump between markers, and review comments and annotations in real time from your Frame.io collaborators.

The Shutterstock extension lets you browse stock photos, videos and music while you edit. Drag and drop watermarked files into the timeline and easily replace them later with licensed, high-resolution versions.

Connect directly to CatDV and KeyFlow Pro media asset management systems so you can browse, mark and transfer files from within the Final Cut Pro interface.

Transcribe audio and translate the text to over 50 languages for use in subtitles and captions.

360° video. Take your work further. In every direction.

Final Cut Pro includes a complete toolset for importing, editing and delivering both monoscopic and stereoscopic 360° video.

360° editing

Import and edit 360° equirectangular footage in Final Cut Pro. Open the 360° viewer to see a headset view of your footage, and take advantage of simple tools for changing orientation, straightening the horizon, removing camera rigs and more.

360° graphics and effects

Easily add 2D and 3D titles to your 360° video and apply blurs, glows and other 360° effects. Or create more advanced 360° motion graphics in Motion, then add them directly to your Final Cut Pro project. You can even add 360° video to non-360° projects, using the Tiny Planet effect to create interesting spherical looks and animations.

VR headset playback

Watch your 360° video in real time with a VR headset like the HTC Vive Pro. Choose to mirror the headset view in Final Cut Pro, or turn off mirroring to watch video in the headset while independently controlling a separate view on your monitor.

Closed captions.
Open to all.

Final Cut Pro includes an intuitive, comprehensive set of tools for closed captioning in a variety of formats, without the need for expensive third-party software or services. You can create, view and edit captions within Final Cut Pro, and deliver them as part of your video or as a separate file.

Add an existing caption file to your project and Final Cut Pro automatically connects each caption to the corresponding video or audio clip in your timeline.

Type captions from scratch — in multiple languages and formats — and watch the text play back in real time directly in the viewer.

Attach captions to connected audio or video clips in the timeline so they move in sync with your edit. It’s easy to adjust text, colour, location and timing in the captions inspector. And the enhanced Timeline Index lets you quickly search and select captions, or use captions roles to instantly switch between different versions.

Export captions in the industry-standard CEA-608, iTT or SRT formats. Or burn them directly into your video. When delivering, you can choose to embed caption metadata in your video file or create a separate sidecar file. Captioned videos can be shared directly to YouTube and Vimeo. And you can send your project to Compressor to include captions in a batch or an iTunes Store package.

Step up from iMovie to Final Cut Pro.

iMovie is the easiest way to start making movies. And when you’re ready to ramp up production, it’s effortless to switch to Final Cut Pro from iMovie for iOS or iMovie for Mac. You’ll cut faster and more precisely with advanced editing tools, improve the look of your projects with third-party plug-ins, and easily integrate video recorded with professional cameras from RED, Sony, Canon and more. You can import your iMovie projects straight to Final Cut Pro, so you won’t miss a beat — or a cut — when you upgrade.

Third-party tools to make your workflow flow.

Choose from thousands of custom transitions, titles and motion graphics. Work directly with powerful applications through workflow extensions in Final Cut Pro. And take advantage of other third-party tools for advanced tracking, EDL and AAF interchange, and more.

Five amazing apps.
One powerful collection.

Unleash your creative potential with the Pro Apps Bundle for qualifying university students, teachers and education institutions. Get all five professional applications for video and music creation at a special price — including Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor, along with Logic Pro X and MainStage.

[ Updated Dec. 16, 2018, with revisions to my recommendations based on additional personal experience. ]

Last week, Apple announced upgrades to the venerable Mac mini. And this upgrade turned a diminutive system into a powerhouse. So much so that I’m getting a ton of email about whether we can use the Mac mini for video editing.

The short answer is: Yes.

NOTE: Here’s a hands-on article on using the Mac mini for video editing with Final Cut Pro X. This provides real-world performance data.

Like all computers, you get the best possible performance by buying a fully-tricked out, top of the line system. And, like all computers, that may require more money than you have to spend.

So the purpose of this article is to help you prioritize balancing cost vs. performance.

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

(All images courtesy of Apple.)

Based on my research, the new Mac mini is a solid machine for video editing, with the ability to configure the system with up to 64GB of RAM, a 6-core Intel i7 desktop-class processor, and a 10Gigabit Ethernet port. The I/O available on the new Mac mini allows users to connect a number of devices through its 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, 2 USB-A ports, HDMI 2.0 port, and analog audio output jack. With these ports, you can connect a 5K display plus a separate 4K display, or up to three 4K displays.

NOTE: The system offers Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, this means that you’ll need to purchase an adapter to connect any Thunderbolt 2 devices. These adapters are readily available from a number of vendors, including Apple, for about $50.

Links

Mac mini Overview: www.apple.com/mac-mini/
Mac mini Tech Specs: www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs/

The system also natively supports:

Up to three 4K displays:

Two displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0.

– OR –

Up to two displays:

One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0

LARRY’S PRIORITIES

When it comes to optimizing a computer system for video editing, when you can’t purchase the top of the line, here are my spending priorities:

GPU
RAM
Storage speed and capacity
CPU speed

Increasingly, both Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro CC are leveraging the GPU for effects, rendering and export. However, the Mac mini does not give us an internal choice for GPU.

When it comes to optimizing a computer system for video compression, my priorities shift:

CPU speed
Storage capacity and speed
RAM
GPU

While some video transcoding and compressing codecs are multi-threaded (which means they take advantage of multiple cores in a CPU), many others are not. These single-threaded codecs take advantage of pure CPU speed more than the GPU.

Final Cut Pro For Mac Mini Screen

UPDATE: I’ve been using the Mac mini outlined here for about two weeks, and running a series of media compression tests with it. Based on this, I’ve changed my recommendations for both RAM and SSD capacity.

THOUGHTS ON THE GPU

Here’s the key point behind deciding which GPU to get. A graphics processing unit is optimized for pixel manipulations: texturing, rendering, color grading, exporting… anything that involves manipulating the colors of pixels. All you are getting when you purchase a “higher-grade” GPU is more speed. Not better quality, just speed.

If you are a student, a hobbyist, or someone with indeterminate deadlines, there’s no compelling reason to get a faster GPU; the faster speed doesn’t justify the cost. If you are someone living with constant deadlines, who does a lot of effects and color grading, and needs projects exported “yesterday or sooner,” then a faster GPU makes sense.

One of the big limitations of the original Mac mini was its reliance on an Intel Iris graphics card. This was woefully underpowered for any serious graphics work, such as video editing.

That changed with the latest release. All configurations of the new Mac mini use the Intel UHD Graphics 630 card. For editors who are working primarily in HD with limited motion graphics and effects, or who have deadlines that are flexible, the Intel UHD Graphics 630 will work well.

For users who need faster performance, for example, working at higher resolutions such as 4K, with RAW video, or with more complex graphics and effects, the Blackmagic eGPU or newly announced Blackmagic eGPU Pro are great options for these types of graphics-intensive tasks. The updated eGPU Pro includes a Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics card with 8GB of high bandwidth memory. The card offers similar performance to the graphics card in iMac Pro.

Links

Here’s a link for more information on the Blackmagic Design eGPU: www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicegpu/
Here’s an Apple KnowledgeBase article on how to setup FCP X in macOS Mojave for an external eGPU: support.apple.com/en-us/HT209134

My recommendation is to go with the internal GPU, until you find yourself spending too much time waiting. A slower GPU does NOT mean you can’t edit, it simply means that tasks like rendering and exporting may take a little longer. If you need more speed, add an external GPU as your budget allows.

THOUGHTS ON RAM

The Mac mini ships with a minimum of 8 GB of RAM, which can be user-upgraded to 16, 32, or 64 GB. The good news here is that you can upgrade the RAM at any time, without needing to make a decision at the time of purchase.

8 GB of RAM is fine for HD editing in both Final Cut and Premiere. 4K and above frame sizes benefit from 16 GB of RAM. I have not found a compelling reason to install more than 32 GB of RAM. While the extra RAM won’t hurt, you won’t see as big a performance boost as you will by going from 8 to 32 GB of RAM. (As a note, all my iMac systems have 32 GB of RAM.)

While you can buy RAM from Apple and have it factory-installed, you can save hundreds of dollars by buying RAM from reputable third-party companies like Crucial or OWC.

UPDATE: My revised recommendation is that for a video compression system, 8 GB of RAM is fine. For video editing, more RAM is better. To keep costs low, you can purchase the minimum 8 GB configuration, then upgrade to at least 16 GB from a third-party source as you need more. If your workflow feels fast enough, you have enough RAM. If you are spending too much time waiting – add more.

THOUGHTS ON THE CPU

Apple makes it hard to compare CPUs because one is an i3, another is an i5 and the third is an i7. In looking for an understanding of the differences, I found this recent PC Magazine article:

“If you want a plain and simple answer, then generally speaking, Core i7s are better than Core i5s, which are in turn better than Core i3s. Nope, Core i7 does not have seven cores nor does Core i3 have three cores. The numbers are simply indicative of their relative processing powers.

“The more cores there are, the more tasks (known as threads) can be served at the same time. The lowest number of cores can be found in Core i3 CPUs, i.e., which have only two cores. Currently, all Core i3s are dual-core processors.” [i5 CPUs are quad core, but] “they don’t support Hyper-Threading [which is the ability of] a single core to serve multiple threads.

“This is one of the many reasons why Core i7 processors are the creme de la creme. Not only are they quad cores, they also support Hyper-Threading. Thus, a total of eight threads can run on them at the same time.

“The upshot is that if you do a lot of things at the same time on your PC, then it might be worth forking out a bit more for an i5 or i7. However, if you use your PC to check emails, do some banking, read the news, and download a bit of music, you might be equally served by the cheaper i3.”

Here’s the link to the full article: www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/386100/what_difference_between_an_intel_core_i3_i5_i7_/

My recommendation is to upgrade to the 6-core i7. Video editing and compression, especially at larger frame sizes, requires a beefy processor. Also, it’s important to mention that these are all Intel 8th-generation 65W desktop-class processors — not mobile processors meant for notebook computers.

Final Cut Pro For Mac Mini Pro

THOUGHTS ON STORAGE

The Mac mini comes with up to 2 TB of internal SSD which, according to reports, is blindingly fast. The problem is that in today’s media environment, 2 TB is not enough storage.

I regularly shoot projects that take multiple terabytes of storage. So, even if I invested in a 2 TB SSD, I’d still need to buy external storage. Remember, also, as your frame sizes increase or you move to HDR or high-bit-depth media, a single spinning hard drive won’t be enough. You’ll either need to purchase a RAID or another SSD.

Frankly, for a full suite of editing apps, plus the macOS, you really only need 100 GB of storage. So if you are on a tight budget, a 256 GB SSD will be enough. Personally, I like having a bit more space for exports and working files.

UPDATE My recommendation is the 512 GB SSD and reserve it for the macOS, applications and general workspace. Then, store all your and projects on externally connected media using Thunderbolt 3; preferably a RAID. After using this system for two weeks specifically for video compression, I find that the 512 SSD is the sweet spot for storage. 256 GB is acceptable, but very limiting when you need to create high-quality work files.

THOUGHTS ON INTERCONNECTION

For the first time since the iMac Pro, the new Mac mini includes the option to install 10 Gb Ethernet port. This option is especially useful for users who keep media on shared storage or for configurations that require high-bandwidth networking today or in the future.

For comparison, a 1 Gb Ethernet connection can transfer data up to 128 MB/second. A 10 Gb Ethernet connection can transfer data up to 1.25 GB/second; ten times faster. However, there are several “gotchas” here, because to take full advantage of this high-speed connection you will also need:

Servers that attach to the switch using 10 Gb Ethernet or faster
A data switch capable of processing data at 10 Gb speeds
Cat 6 or 6e cabling between the switch and your computer.

I fully applaud Apple for adding this connection – it is valuable and needed! However, unless the rest of your network also supports 10 Gb Ethernet – or will be upgraded to do so – adding this option won’t make any difference in your data transfer speeds.

HERE’S MY RECOMMENDED CONFIGURATION

This screen shot illustrates what I recommend. Regardless of which Mac mini you start with, you’ll end up at the same configuration for the same price: $1,499 (US). Also, remember that the Mac mini is just the computer, you’ll also need to purchase a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

UPDATE: This is the system I purchased and I’m very happy with the system. It is a workhorse for media compression – which is my principle reason for buying the unit. I only use it as a back-up system for video editing. I’m also planning on using it as a media asset management server, I’ll have more on that after the first of the year.

EXTRA CREDIT

Best Mac Mini For Final Cut Pro

Here are two relevant articles that may also be of interest to you:

Final Cut Pro Mac Mini 2018

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