DaVinci Resolve 17 Computer requirements/Nikon z6ii/iMac 2017 (Page 2): Thanks, Bill. I’ll have to find a program that will allow me to take advantage of my camera, yet will work on my...

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

bsprague wrote:

I used B&H to check the Z6ii video specs. The basics are covered. But "N-Log gamma for capturing flat-looking footage that maximizes dynamic range and HLG (HDR) for recording HDR-ready footage" will need something on a higher level than Premiere Elements. "Log" video is an upper end workflow requiring significant computer power and software to match.

Thanks, Bill. I’ll have to find a program that will allow me to take advantage of my camera, yet will work on my somewhat limited computer. I’m becoming skeptical that there is such an animal.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

StevenG wrote:

I have a Nikon Z6ii. I have used it only for still... (show quote)

It should work fine for 1080P, perhaps a little slower for 4K.

Download and try it. It can’t hurt to try.

You can always drop back to Apple iMovie, which is supplied with MacOS. I used it for 15 years before switching to Final Cut Pro.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

burkphoto wrote:

It should work fine for 1080P, perhaps a little slower for 4K.

Download and try it. It can’t hurt to try.

You can always drop back to Apple iMovie, which is supplied with MacOS. I used it for 15 years before switching to Final Cut Pro.

Thanks Bill. I will give it a try. Will Apple iMovie work with all the features provided with the Z6ii? Will my computer support Final Cut Pro?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

StevenG wrote:

Thanks Bill. I will give it a try. Will Apple iMovie work with all the features provided with the Z6ii? Will my computer support Final Cut Pro?

The core Apple video technologies are in the operating system itself. iMovie will edit 4K 60P video. More info here:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205345

Minimum System Requirements for Final Cut Pro

macOS 11.5.1 or later
4GB of RAM (8GB recommended for 4K editing, 3D titles, and 360° video editing)
Metal-capable graphics card — see note below.
1GB of VRAM recommended for 4K editing, 3D titles, and 360° video editing*
4.5GB of available disk space

Some features require Internet access. Blu-ray recorder required for burning Blu-ray discs.

https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/specs/

*Performance of projects containing 3D text may be adversely affected on systems with less than 1GB of VRAM.

You can check the System Report from the Apple Menu > About This Mac. In the dialog that appears, click System Report. Then click Graphics/Displays. Look for information about Metal support.

If you have never edited video before, start with iMovie. It is quite capable. If you decide to buy Final Cut Pro, your iMovie projects can be opened in and converted to Final Cut Pro.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

burkphoto wrote:

The core Apple video technologies are in the opera... (show quote)

Thanks Bill. This info and the links you provided are very helpful. iMovie seems appropriate. One final question, if you don’t mind. (Please forgive my ignorance, but as I said I have no experience with shooting/editing video.) Apparently I can shoot in N Log, which will allow for color grading in post processing. Does iMovie allow for this? If not, just don’t shoot in N Log? Sounds simple enough, I suppose.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Bill B may disagree, but my view is that "log" shooting is an advanced, extra process that requires skilled color grading. My understanding is that primary uses are where the dynamic range of a scene is beyond normal or to provide a trademark color style to a hollywood type production.

If your are starting to learn video shooting and editing, log workflows might be the last thing on your list to conquer.

I don't have any cameras that shoot log footage so have never tried it. Bill B may have and I hope will correct me if I'm wrong.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

bsprague wrote:

Bill B may disagree, but my view is that "log... (show quote)

Thanks, Bill S. I appreciate your input! Let’s see what Bill B has to say. Hopefully with expert advice from both of you I will be able to settle on a suitable program that will work in my computer and allow me to take advantage of most of my camera’s features. Then I just have to learn how to shoot video!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

StevenG wrote:

Thanks Bill. This info and the links you provided are very helpful. iMovie seems appropriate. One final question, if you don’t mind. (Please forgive my ignorance, but as I said I have no experience with shooting/editing video.) Apparently I can shoot in N Log, which will allow for color grading in post processing. Does iMovie allow for this? If not, just don’t shoot in N Log? Sounds simple enough, I suppose.

The log formats are for extended dynamic range work. iMovie is not going to give you all the features of log format, as Bill S. mentions. I have worked in log, but it does require advanced knowledge and software (Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve, or Apple Final Cut Pro) for best results.

You can still do limited color/contrast/brightness adjustments in iMovie.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

burkphoto wrote:

The log formats are for extended dynamic range work. iMovie is not going to give you all the features of log format, as Bill S. mentions. I have worked in log, but it does require advanced knowledge and software (Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve, or Apple Final Cut Pro) for best results.

You can still do limited color/contrast/brightness adjustments in iMovie.

Thank you, Bill. Both you and Bill S have been extremely helpful. Ok, so N log is out. I read reviews comparing iMovie and Premiere Elements. More or less a toss-up. Elements seems to be a bit more user friendly; iMovie is free. I’ll obviously try iMovie as it is free. Thanks again. Steve

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

StevenG wrote:

Thank you, Bill. Both you and Bill S have been extremely helpful. Ok, so N log is out. I read reviews comparing iMovie and Premiere Elements. More or less a toss-up. Elements seems to be a bit more user friendly; iMovie is free. I’ll obviously try iMovie as it is free. Thanks again. Steve

User-friendly is relative to your computing habits. Mac users may find iMovie more appealing because Apple created it for MacOS. Windows users obviously will like Elements, because iMovie is Mac only.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

burkphoto wrote:

User-friendly is relative to your computing habits. Mac users may find iMovie more appealing because Apple created it for MacOS. Windows users obviously will like Elements, because iMovie is Mac only.

My computer skills leave a little to be desired. But, I have downloaded iMovie. I’ll check out a couple of videos and give it a go. (I have to first learn how to take movies with my camera! I do have a few old videos to practice with.). Thanks again!
Steve

chris in nz Loc: New Zealand

I use Resolve on an iMac with 24gb RAM and only 2gb VRAM and it works fine for me doing basic editing. There is a feature that allowed it to render the timeline into cache while you're editing which speeds it up. I would also recommend using Optimised Media, that transcodes your video files to something easier to work with, but it does take a significant amount of disk space. I would be quite comfortable editing (maybe not color grading) on your machine in resolve.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

chris in nz wrote:

I use Resolve on an iMac with 24gb RAM and only 2gb VRAM and it works fine for me doing basic editing. There is a feature that allowed it to render the timeline into cache while you're editing which speeds it up. I would also recommend using Optimised Media, that transcodes your video files to something easier to work with, but it does take a significant amount of disk space. I would be quite comfortable editing (maybe not color grading) on your machine in resolve.

Thanks. Good to know!

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

bsprague wrote:

I've been editing video for the fun of it for abou... (show quote)

My stuff lives on Elements. Both of them.
Standalone, no sub, no web needed.
Learn one, know the other.
Once or twice a year there's a sale to get both for under $100.
That's me. I'll skip a year. Or two. "WHAT!?!? $69 for both!?!?" I'm in.
Right now @ $116:
https://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements-2021-Premiere/dp/B08G9PGTGB
Add in the free Youtube University on top of genuine Adobes tuts and you're a pro.
BTW, osmosis doesn't work. You gots to do it to do it.

chris in nz Loc: New Zealand

That’s great. I used to use PS Elements as I refused to pirate the full version. But honestly once you’ve used the full version of PS or Prem it’s hard to go back to the cut down version