Computer Help!

[Dustin]

I'm on a 2012 MBPR with 8gb of ram, i7 quadcore and the GT650M graphics card. Using Premiere Pro CC here. I use a usb3.0 hard drive to work on and store all my projects. I leave the graphics card enabled all the time as I was experiencing insane glitches until an Adobe Rep prompted me to do this. My d5300 produces h264 files and editing is pretty easy and fast on my laptop. Sometimes I drop it to 1/2. The issue is when color grading or doing anything with alot of clips, premiere gets bogged down. Not enough that I can't work through it but enough that it's a bit annoying! Should I be having this trouble due to only 8gb of ram (soldered to the board so no upgrading it) and the age of my i7 processor?

 

Was doing some color grading with a m31 lut last night and it really slowed down.  Do I need to do anything to my files, computer, or storage for better premiere pro performance or am I on par with what to expect from the 2012 MBPR with 8gigs of ram and i7? I am pretty handy with computers and would love to spend around 1500 or less to build a decent video machine. (Although I would miss Mac OS i'm sure! ) Currently dont work on 4k but in the next year or less I think i'll be upgrading to a 4k camera I'm sure.

[Davey]

How do the same projects work with FCPX?

[mkabi]

Google Transcoding h.264 to Pro Res and follow the steps.

Yes, its an extra step that most people feel is redundant and mundane... but if you want mac friendly files... then this is the route you must take. Enjoy.

P.S. what you have hardware wise is good enough.

[Don Kotlos]

3 hours ago, Dustin said:

The issue is when color grading or doing anything with alot of clips

These point to two different limitations.

Color grading when using CUDA enabled filters is GPU dependent and dropping the resolution helps A LOT. 

Editing with many clips can be both CPU & RAM intense, lowering the resolution will not have much of an effect but as already suggested transcoding might help. 

Quote

I am pretty handy with computers and would love to spend around 1500 or less to build a decent video machine. (Although I would miss Mac OS i'm sure! ) 

A new system can save you a lot of time in the long run so not a bad idea especially since you are planning to move to 4k (better be ready for those system unfriendly files). Don't worry about the macOS, for premiere it won't make a difference and you can still use your macbook for everyday stuff. 

[Dustin]

I was under the impression transcoding can reduce quality though, when it comes to h264 and that premiere is supposed to natively handle it fine? Is this incorrect 

2 hours ago, Davey said:

How do the same projects work with FCPX?

Sorry I don't use FCP X.  

[mkabi]

41 minutes ago, Dustin said:

I was under the impression transcoding can reduce quality though, when it comes to h264 and that premiere is supposed to natively handle it fine? Is this incorrect 

From a long time transcoder, I will vouch that its not losing quality.

How about you do a little test and report back your findings (try it out for yourself), what harm can come from it?

 

[Don Kotlos]

1 hour ago, Dustin said:

I was under the impression transcoding can reduce quality though, when it comes to h264 and that premiere is supposed to natively handle it fine? Is this incorrect   

It can yes but if you choose a low compressed one the information loss is imperceptible. 

The other option is to use the built in proxy function of premiere. 

While decoding h264 is supported, moving to a lower compressed codec can give some headroom to the CPU in case it is your bottleneck.

[Dustin]

I will give it a shot soonish and report!

 

I think in the semi distant future a video pc build is in order but I just love the portability of my MBPR. I'm sure 1500pc could probably kick ass but I have checked on eBay and I could get a maxed out 2014 mbpr for below that. Might be another option in the future. 

[fuzzynormal]

1 hour ago, Don Kotlos said:

It can yes but if you choose a low compressed one the information loss is imperceptible. 

The other option is to use the built in proxy function of premiere. 

While decoding h264 is supported, moving to a lower compressed codec can give some headroom to the CPU in case it is your bottleneck.

FWIW, I've been doing proxies with Premiere (CC 2015.3) and it's been breezy.  Attempted it with Resolve, had to give up; not ready for PrimeTime. 

Testimony I hear from FCPX says that proxies work well.

Basically, proxies allow me to edit documentary work easily.  Makes the editing interface snappier.  I can do everything I need to do quickly.  Upon final export, the renderer uses the 4K source files, so it's really a good way to go.  No need to transcode to a mezzanine format.  I just use the default low-res cineform template when importing footage into my project. 

BTW, even with a snappy PC loaded with ram and Navidia1080, I use proxies.  I can absolutely edit h264 4K on my machine, but it will get laggy with longer edits, so why bother?  Just let Premiere make proxies and get to work. 

In fact, the assistant editor accesses the proxies across the LAN and works on the same Premiere project as me using an 8 year old iMac.

On the other hand, I'm not comfortable on Premiere quite yet.  It does the job, but it feels slightly clunky interface-wise.  Not fond of the way it handles media in projects.  Whereas on FCP7 I could import sequences from project to project without importing the corresponding media used in those sequences.  You can't do that with Premiere.  If you bring in a sequence it needs to have the media clips residing independently inside the project.  It's been a hassle with adding steps to my workflow.  Nothing I can't handle, just a nuisance. 

45 minutes ago, Dustin said:

I could get a maxed out 2014 mbpr for below that. Might be another option in the future. 

I'd suggest you could edit 4K footage via proxies on a machine like that for years to come.  Sure, you'll need more time on the output render, but at that point I usually like to get away from the project.  Still, a scraming machine will crunch the numbers faster.  Sometimes that's required.

BTW, the GUI works better with Premiere and OSX than Premiere and Win10.  I often have to double or triple click the "triangles" to activate them.  Keyframing with Premiere for Win10 isn't as smooth as OSX.

So yeah, GUI responsiveness, never really something on a spec sheet, but take my word for it, they aren't equal.  OSX (even an old Mac computer with OSX) works better.  

[Dustin]

I've never worked with proxies but also need to try this! I'm not really tied to anything but when I took up this a few years ago fcpX wasn't popular and my school had premiere so that's what I learned and am comfortable with using. If the tides change though, I know how to edit video in final cut as well or any other software but premiere is where it's at for me right now.