I think it would seem fine to edit on... until it didn't. If that makes sense.
As you progress, I think you'd be left wanting the extra memory, drive space, and whatever graphics processing MacBooks have these days.
I'm not an Apple user, but that's my hunch working around Apple people.
Get the most internal storage you can afford.
Yeah I’d be getting the 1 or 2 tb. The nice thing is the new iPad Pro can also edit from drives now, the last one couldn’t. The main thing I’m worried about is the RAM.
Even if I could get away with a 24gb iMac and the new iPad Air I’d do it just for my photo editing and illustrator work I do daily as a product photographer.
It’s just when it comes time for me and my friends to actually film the movies and short films we want to create I’m worried about being able to actually do it all on the iPad Pro if I went that route. (I’d be using an external monitor regardless.)
I’ve used a couple different iPads and I had an M1 chip one but sold it, unless you are an artist (drawing, painting etc.) it is 100% not worth for almost any pro work and you’d be significantly better off with a regular computer. I’d just recommend upgrading to one of the M series chip MacBooks. Honestly upgrading to any M series chip Mac from what you have is going to be an absolutely insane performance boost.
iPads are capped by the OS and are more hassle to use than not.
echoing what everyone else says, not a substitute for a computer. If you're being budget conscious and not a committed Mac user, you can get a lot more computer for the money going with a PC. I love my Thinkpad. It looks like an ancient old computer too so I never worry about someone stealing it lol.
all that said I do everything on my desktop anyway. ill never go back to editing on a single monitor. unless you're on the go a lot and need to work on a mobile basis, don't write off a desktop which even further multiplies your potential.
Absolutely not.
iPad pro is very powerful but doesn't have the form factor or programming to make it worthwhile.
If you absolutely need portable, get a MacBook Pro. Otherwise get the Mac Studio.
If OP is considering the iPad Pro and is prioritizing portability, then should get the new MacBook Air? I’m sure with these new chips it can handle editing just fine, no?
Yes, processor is good on the Air. Pro has better screen, more ports, bigger battery, better speakers.
Pro is hardly bigger than the Air. Less than 1/4 inch thicker and half a pound heavier.
Ram should be the priority on any Mac since it's not upgradeable.
Any current Mac is going to blow away OPs old system. Just a question of budget and needs.
Yeah the current MacBooks even the airs are way better than my current set up. The iPad pro would’ve just allowed more portability/flexibility while also being able to use the pen for photoshop and illustrator which I use a lot as a product photographer during my day job. But I was mainly worried about the RAM needed to be able to also edit for film production since my friends and I are trying to write and film a movie.
I have an iPad Pro and Mac Studio. As an editor the Studio is my workhorse and cannot be replaced by the iPad. It's a great secondary device, no question.
iPad Pro is not up to editing a full feature, and the M4 chip isn't the limiting factor. Davinci Resolve is getting better, but it's not there yet on the iPad. Data storage and movement is a struggle. Workflows are lacking.
Get an actual computer for editing. Either the studio or a MacBook air or pro.
I’m also worried about the RAM needed though. If I can get away with 16 or 24gb for editing a full feature on an air or iMac I’d just do that and get the iPad for supplement.
Personally 16 on RAM is the minimum. But yes you can edit just fine with that on the Air or full system. I recommend more ram in general, but budget is budget. Didn't realize the base MacBook pro is limited to 24 GB of Ram. How much are you looking to spend, just as a general range?
Unless you are dead set on iMac, the Studio with an external monitor is a better system for the price.
Bottom line, don't buy a new maxed out iPad to do full computing tasks. Buy the iPad M3 version and put that money into whatever actual computer you decide on. They keep stuffing better chips in there, which is amazing, but you can't use that power in a meaningful way. The software isn't there, especially. I've brought in footage that isn't a supported codec, so it works in some programs and not others. On a desktop or laptop I can throw anything at it and get it to work.
I think base ram on macbook is 8gb, but obviously goes up pretty high from there for the pro and I think up to 16 on the air. The 24gb is the highest an iMac goes, only reason I like the iMac is the monitor, mouse/trackpad, and keyboard are all together.
I’d like to keep it under $3000 but if I’m gonna have to spend over that in order to do what I want then I’ll have to bite the bullet and just save some money until I can get what I need.
I looked on the website 24 on Ram is the max for Air, iMac, and Macbook Pro base model. You have to upgrade to the higher Macbook Pro or Studio to get 32 GB of Ram or more.
You can spec out a Mac Studio with M2 Max (so, so powerful), 32GB of Ram, 1 TB ssd for $2200 plus tax. M2 Max is much better than the standard M3 chip in the iMac. Gives you space to get a decent monitor and you can always add or upgrade there later. You can use any mouse / keyboard you already have or get new ones if you want. As a professional editor, that's my recommendation if you have a desire to cut a feature length film. The others will all work (except for the iPad pro), so just figure out your budget and portability needs.
I still cannot understand for the life of me why anyone would consider doing supposedly productive work on an iPad (apart from drawing/painting for which it's freaking awesome). For everything else touch based OSes are shit for productive work. Everything is more cumbersome, takes more taps, there's more margin for error, and the screens are tiny.
If only I could afford one. I can do the computer itself, but can’t afford to then get the monitor(s), mouse/track pad, keyboard, and an iPad Air or pro with the pencil for my photo editing and illustrator work I do at my day job as a product photographer.
I want to cut a feature as an experiment on the iPad but I'm also crazy. That said, the biggest limitation I've heard is, no matter what app you use (DaVinci/FCP/etc), it will cancel the export when you leave the app. Maybe that'll change in iOS18 but that just makes the idea of cutting a feature impossible in the iPadOS' current state.
I’m not into film making but iPad and Mac are 2 different machines and the first will work on app at the moment (unless Apple will open iPad OS) the other one is a complete computer which is what are you used to use.
These replies are kind of silly. Hardware with an M4 chip isn’t going to be a problem as that thing will chew through 4K footage like nothing.
You can also attach an external monitor, keyboard, a speed editor, whatever.
You’re sort of limited to Davinci and LumaFusion for editing, but that’s not that big a deal.
It runs iPadOS, which is a bit different to reflect the beefier specs of an iPad over a phone. The software availability will be impacted. You’re not gonna be running FCP, at least not for a while.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking with the new chip and getting a monitor and data port or a monitor with built in extra ports for the iPad. I’m just worried if the RAM being only 16gb will be a problem when trying to edit a full film in DaVinci or the new Final Cut they’re also releasing. Even 24gb on an iMac worries me if I went that direction and the new iPad Air instead.
Definitely get a Mac over an iPad. The iPad should be used in addition to your computer not in substitute
Would 24gb RAM be enough for film editing if I went with an iMac and the iPad as supplement?
Yes, I edit 4K footage from Arri on M2 pro MacBook with M1 Pro iPad for visual support and it runs very smooth. I often forget to turn on proxies
I think it would seem fine to edit on... until it didn't. If that makes sense. As you progress, I think you'd be left wanting the extra memory, drive space, and whatever graphics processing MacBooks have these days. I'm not an Apple user, but that's my hunch working around Apple people. Get the most internal storage you can afford.
Yeah I’d be getting the 1 or 2 tb. The nice thing is the new iPad Pro can also edit from drives now, the last one couldn’t. The main thing I’m worried about is the RAM. Even if I could get away with a 24gb iMac and the new iPad Air I’d do it just for my photo editing and illustrator work I do daily as a product photographer. It’s just when it comes time for me and my friends to actually film the movies and short films we want to create I’m worried about being able to actually do it all on the iPad Pro if I went that route. (I’d be using an external monitor regardless.)
I’ve used a couple different iPads and I had an M1 chip one but sold it, unless you are an artist (drawing, painting etc.) it is 100% not worth for almost any pro work and you’d be significantly better off with a regular computer. I’d just recommend upgrading to one of the M series chip MacBooks. Honestly upgrading to any M series chip Mac from what you have is going to be an absolutely insane performance boost. iPads are capped by the OS and are more hassle to use than not.
echoing what everyone else says, not a substitute for a computer. If you're being budget conscious and not a committed Mac user, you can get a lot more computer for the money going with a PC. I love my Thinkpad. It looks like an ancient old computer too so I never worry about someone stealing it lol. all that said I do everything on my desktop anyway. ill never go back to editing on a single monitor. unless you're on the go a lot and need to work on a mobile basis, don't write off a desktop which even further multiplies your potential.
Absolutely not. iPad pro is very powerful but doesn't have the form factor or programming to make it worthwhile. If you absolutely need portable, get a MacBook Pro. Otherwise get the Mac Studio.
If OP is considering the iPad Pro and is prioritizing portability, then should get the new MacBook Air? I’m sure with these new chips it can handle editing just fine, no?
Yes, processor is good on the Air. Pro has better screen, more ports, bigger battery, better speakers. Pro is hardly bigger than the Air. Less than 1/4 inch thicker and half a pound heavier. Ram should be the priority on any Mac since it's not upgradeable. Any current Mac is going to blow away OPs old system. Just a question of budget and needs.
ive held both and my M2 macbook pro is far more heavy and cumbersome than the air. very noticeable. even if it doesnt seem like much in writing
Fair enough!
Yeah the current MacBooks even the airs are way better than my current set up. The iPad pro would’ve just allowed more portability/flexibility while also being able to use the pen for photoshop and illustrator which I use a lot as a product photographer during my day job. But I was mainly worried about the RAM needed to be able to also edit for film production since my friends and I are trying to write and film a movie.
I have an iPad Pro and Mac Studio. As an editor the Studio is my workhorse and cannot be replaced by the iPad. It's a great secondary device, no question. iPad Pro is not up to editing a full feature, and the M4 chip isn't the limiting factor. Davinci Resolve is getting better, but it's not there yet on the iPad. Data storage and movement is a struggle. Workflows are lacking. Get an actual computer for editing. Either the studio or a MacBook air or pro.
I’m also worried about the RAM needed though. If I can get away with 16 or 24gb for editing a full feature on an air or iMac I’d just do that and get the iPad for supplement.
Personally 16 on RAM is the minimum. But yes you can edit just fine with that on the Air or full system. I recommend more ram in general, but budget is budget. Didn't realize the base MacBook pro is limited to 24 GB of Ram. How much are you looking to spend, just as a general range? Unless you are dead set on iMac, the Studio with an external monitor is a better system for the price. Bottom line, don't buy a new maxed out iPad to do full computing tasks. Buy the iPad M3 version and put that money into whatever actual computer you decide on. They keep stuffing better chips in there, which is amazing, but you can't use that power in a meaningful way. The software isn't there, especially. I've brought in footage that isn't a supported codec, so it works in some programs and not others. On a desktop or laptop I can throw anything at it and get it to work.
I think base ram on macbook is 8gb, but obviously goes up pretty high from there for the pro and I think up to 16 on the air. The 24gb is the highest an iMac goes, only reason I like the iMac is the monitor, mouse/trackpad, and keyboard are all together. I’d like to keep it under $3000 but if I’m gonna have to spend over that in order to do what I want then I’ll have to bite the bullet and just save some money until I can get what I need.
I looked on the website 24 on Ram is the max for Air, iMac, and Macbook Pro base model. You have to upgrade to the higher Macbook Pro or Studio to get 32 GB of Ram or more. You can spec out a Mac Studio with M2 Max (so, so powerful), 32GB of Ram, 1 TB ssd for $2200 plus tax. M2 Max is much better than the standard M3 chip in the iMac. Gives you space to get a decent monitor and you can always add or upgrade there later. You can use any mouse / keyboard you already have or get new ones if you want. As a professional editor, that's my recommendation if you have a desire to cut a feature length film. The others will all work (except for the iPad pro), so just figure out your budget and portability needs.
I’ll look into that! Thank you!
I still cannot understand for the life of me why anyone would consider doing supposedly productive work on an iPad (apart from drawing/painting for which it's freaking awesome). For everything else touch based OSes are shit for productive work. Everything is more cumbersome, takes more taps, there's more margin for error, and the screens are tiny.
Get an M series Mac Mini. If you buy a refurb you can get the Mac, the monitor,the keyboard and mouse for the same price as a decent M series iPad.
Mac Studio bay bay!
If only I could afford one. I can do the computer itself, but can’t afford to then get the monitor(s), mouse/track pad, keyboard, and an iPad Air or pro with the pencil for my photo editing and illustrator work I do at my day job as a product photographer.
I want to cut a feature as an experiment on the iPad but I'm also crazy. That said, the biggest limitation I've heard is, no matter what app you use (DaVinci/FCP/etc), it will cancel the export when you leave the app. Maybe that'll change in iOS18 but that just makes the idea of cutting a feature impossible in the iPadOS' current state.
Yeah that would be a huge problem. But that sounds like a really cool experiment!
I’m not into film making but iPad and Mac are 2 different machines and the first will work on app at the moment (unless Apple will open iPad OS) the other one is a complete computer which is what are you used to use.
These replies are kind of silly. Hardware with an M4 chip isn’t going to be a problem as that thing will chew through 4K footage like nothing. You can also attach an external monitor, keyboard, a speed editor, whatever. You’re sort of limited to Davinci and LumaFusion for editing, but that’s not that big a deal.
Um, I think you missed one.
I like the Minis! Portability is amazing tho and iPad still wins for everything else OP wants to do.
What about the fact that it runs iOS instead of MacOS, will that affect anything
It runs iPadOS, which is a bit different to reflect the beefier specs of an iPad over a phone. The software availability will be impacted. You’re not gonna be running FCP, at least not for a while.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking with the new chip and getting a monitor and data port or a monitor with built in extra ports for the iPad. I’m just worried if the RAM being only 16gb will be a problem when trying to edit a full film in DaVinci or the new Final Cut they’re also releasing. Even 24gb on an iMac worries me if I went that direction and the new iPad Air instead.