Computers and Video Editing

Some years ago, it would have been impossible to edit videos at home because it can only be done in exclusive editor studios. But now, things are quite different. If you have a desktop computer with enough disk space, CPU power, and FireWire or USB port, you can now edit your home videos to create good quality movies with all the effects you see in professional movies.

When you’re editing videos, huge CPU power is being used as you move lots of data to and from the disk. Having a fast machine allows you to write and render in a few minutes but if you’re using a slow computer, the task will take several hours. Later softwares start to take advantage also of your video card powerfull processor, so be sure to get informed.

If you’re doing a lot of writing and rendering files, Pentium Quad Core computers are great or even a Mac model with at least 2 GB of RAM. AMD machines can handle data stream but not near at the same speed. However, if you're an AMD fan, keep an eye on the latest high-end models, that are close and sometime faster that Intel's counterparts.

In order to edit videos, you must also choose good quality software. If you have Windows , there is already built-in software that lets you edit raw footages. The same thing is true with Apple and Sony computers.

Why is it that many video editors use Adobe Premier? The reason why many people use Adobe is because it provides free demo versions and it can be used on Macs and PCs. Adobe’s software is also well respected and full featured so you can do various editing tasks. Still, if you don’t want to spend on a new editing software, you can always use the WMM (Windows Movie Maker) and IMovie.

Aside from the CPU, RAM is another crucial element in video editing with computers. Even if the CPU is fast, the machine will still remain sluggish without the RAM. The recommended RAM is 2 GB although there are individuals who use 4 GB. So if you’re having 4 GB RAM, you can browse and use more than two files with ease. Here’s a good example. When the CPU needs a file, the file will be delivered to the RAM from the hard disk for greater speed manipulation. If another file is requested, you can get both files successively. Having smaller quantities of RAM will slow down the entire editing process, so you should consider to maximise the RAM in your PC, especially since you can get it quite cheap now.

If you currently have 1 GB RAM, add more especially if you plan to do a lot of video editing tasks. You must be aware that Windows XP requires 256 MB (RAM) and when you load other applications, it will need additional RAM to remain fast and responsive. For starters, you can settle with 2 GB or if you want to invest more on video editing, you can increase the RAM to 4GB – 6GB. This also depends of your Windows variant, since 32 bits versions will not handle more than 4Gb, while you can go to your motherboard max with the 64 bits OS'es.

Make sure that you get the appropriate RAM for your computer’s motherboard. So far, the most appropriate in the market is the DDRAM2 1066. This is suitable for a PIntel or AMD cpu and it is not expensive. A more expensive alternative is the DDRAM3. You can choose among various speeds and brands for each. If you’re no familiar with the motherboard and other hardware components in your PC , check the seller or the online site of your hardware manufacturers.

So now that you know the computer requirements, you will know if your computer is good enough for video editing tasks.

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