. The best video editing software for who wants to create professional tutorials or demonstrative content on Mac. Filmora Mac Video Editor. Filmora has gained quite a popularity with users, those who are looking for an easy-to-use video editing tool for Mac that doesn’t cost them hundreds of dollars and can get basic stuff done. C hoosing the best MacBook for video editing isn’t an easy task. There are different display sizes, different target audiences, and a host of different specification options you can choose from. This does make things confusing, and if you aren’t sure which MacBook to buy for video editing, the number of options can make things even more confusing. The best video editor overall is: Adobe Premiere Pro For a small monthly sub, Premiere Pro offers outstanding value for money. It's the industry-standard video editing program, used by the pros.

Mac Tips

Mac TipsUpdated: September 02, 2020 | 16 min read

Before we start

Whichever device you choose to purchase after reading our article, please remember that you need to keep it safe—from malware, viruses, junk, and so on. It’s best to take care of it from the very beginning to minimize any future risks.

Just download MacKeeper and never worry about any of these issues ever again. This app offers powerful virus and malware protection, as well as helping you to keep your Mac clean from junk files and useless apps—all this with minimal effort from you (just a few clicks). Try for yourself!

If you are a film-maker or regularly perform video editing, you need to look into specific specs of your computer to make sure it is powerful enough to sustain video editing software and high-resolution movies. In this article we will look into everything you need from a Mac as a media creator.

To sum it up, here’s the list of the best Macs for video editing in our review:

Ultimate best:Mac Pro with 96GB RAM and an 12-core processor
Best price/performance ratio: 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display
Best alternative: 16-inch MacBook Pro
Best for beginners: Mac Mini with a 6-core Core i7 CPU and 32GB RAM

Why Use a Mac for Video Editing

Today, the variety of tech available for film-making is astonishing and can be a source of confusion. Out of all the options, why Apple?

The changes that have been introduced to MacBooks and iMacs in the past couple of years made them truly great tools for creators. Here are some of the important features that make them a good fit for video editing:

Screen. Video editing requires a large, high-definition screen, and the 27-inch iMac is the perfect example of that. The 5K Retina display offers 500 nits display and 99% of the DCI-P3 color space, running at 60MHz.
RAM. Film-making requires a lot of free memory and storage space even with the lightest software. With the basic 8GB you won’t get further than HD (720p), while 16GB will allow you to edit a Full HD (1080p) video. 32GB is ideal for Ultra HD 4K. Finally, 64GB is required for the most advanced editing tasks such as 8K, 3D modeling and animation.
CPU. Professional video editors will benefit from a powerful multi-core processor such as i7 or i9. Recently, the number of cores in Intel processors has increased to as much as 28 with Intel Xeon W in a Mac Pro, which guarantees smoother sessions.
Graphics. Most recent models of Mac Pro have gained an extensive array of graphics cards with up to 64GB of HMB2 memory in each of the two modules. For video editing, you’ll need a discrete graphics card with a separate memory slot.
Storage. Despite a popular misconception, storage is not the same thing as RAM. For a comfortable process, you’re looking at 512GB minimum, and it must be a solid state drive (SSD), so older Macs are out of the picture right away. Luckily, iMacs offer up to 8TB of storage space.
Ports. When editing a video, you’ll inevitably need to plug in multiple peripherals, whether it’s your camera, microphone or other gadgets. Apple computers are quite convenient in this sense—even a simple MacBook has four USB 3 ports, compared to a more advanced Mac Pro which can have up to 12 Thunderbolt/USB-C ports.

This is quite impressive, although not all Macs have an ideal combination of a big screen, large RAM and a powerful graphics and CPU. To choose the one that will suit your needs, consider the system requirements for your software, which is what we are getting into in the next section.

Video editing apps require a lot of space, so remember to keep your memory free from useless programs, duplicates, and junk files.

Download MacKeeper and free up gigabytes of memory in a couple of clicks. Try for yourself and see how a clogged up Mac can turn into a clean one in just a few seconds.

Recommended System Requirements

When choosing the best Mac for video editing, you need to identify what projects you are planning to work on. You should consider the type of footage, complexity of the job, output formats, as well as whether you will be editing online or offline. That last aspect is especially important as offline editing requires more storage space and time to complete an edit, though it is easier to access the files.

To edit videos comfortably on a Mac, you will need at least 4GB of RAM. For heavier tasks, such as 4K editing, working with 3D, and 360° video editing, 8GB is the required minimum. Other demands include an up-to-date macOS, as well as an Intel HD Graphics 3000 or later. As the majority of editing programs support GPU rendering, CPU has become less important than it used to be.

Most of all, your storage needs will depend on the size of source footage you expect to work with. In general, your Mac will require three to four times the size of the source footage for your project.

The Best Macs for Video Editing

We have conducted thorough research and talked to professional video editors from our team to make a list of the best Macs to use for video production.

Mac Pro for Video Editing

As you have probably guessed already, Mac Pro is the ultimate Apple device for video editing and, probably, any other purpose. Starting at $5,999 for the most basic configuration, it’s a major investment. For an upgraded version that includes all of the most powerful, high-tech components you will pay as much as $51,399—this may seem shocking at first, but it’s not actually that different from what a PC manufacturer would charge for a computer of an equal level.

The Mac Pro offers the most in terms of every single specification—CPU, RAM, graphics, storage, you name it. The base model provides an 8-core Intel Xeon 3.5GHz processor with 32GB RAM, 256BG SSD and Radeon Pro 580X graphics card. This configuration has almost a limitless upgrade potential. However, a 12-core processor and 96GB of RAM seem optimal for video editing needs.

Mac Pro comes without a screen, which needs to be purchased separately. There is no point in buying Apple’s own display that is available at a price similar to that of an iMac Pro—you can get a cheaper model with almost identical benefits, such as Dell Ultrasharp U3219Q.

iMac Pro for Video Editing

With iMac Pro, you can enjoy the massive 27-inch screen and the exceptionally fast 8-core Intel Xeon W processor to edit 8K videos and create audio effects. The processor can be upgraded up to 18 cores for a smoother editing experience. Other base components include 256GB RAM, storage capabilities of up to 4TB, and the superb Radeon Pro Vega graphics card.

Overall, the most recent model of iMac Pro is the second best option for video editing after Mac Pro with all the specs being entirely on the level. It offers an additional advantage of a 5K retina display, eliminating the need to purchase it separately. However, bear in mind that the model hasn’t been updated in two years—look out for news from Apple to get a newer version.

iMac for Video Editing

The new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display is the third best computer for video editing. It has the most attractive price/performance ratio and enables editing 4K videos in full size with visible controls. We recommend this model to less dedicated video editors who are still aiming to produce top quality content but don’t

Is Mac The Best For Video Editing