I'm upgrading my "stuff" for video/still editing. I'm using MACs. Does anybody have suggestions? What are you using?
I'm currently using an M1 IPad Pro 11 and an older MacBook. I'm leaning towards an M2 MacBook Air for portability. I would like the same editing software running on both devices. Lightroom?


Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. Hope that you could get the best recommendation from our fellow DJI Pilots here with the said 3rd party software. Should you have other inquiries, please don't hesitate to reach us. Thank you for your valued support.

Im very impressed by the new M series MacBooks but the SSD speed in the M2 concerns me - https://www.theverge.com/2322029 ... s-testing-benchmark

Used an M1 Macbook Pro since launch and haven't had to upgrade. It handles all the footage I throw at it like a dream.

My biggest bits of advice is to get at least 16GB of RAM and don't bother with the M2 Macbook Pro which has just released, it's not much of an improvement over the original.

CloudVisual Posted at 9-5 05:36
Used an M1 Macbook Pro since launch and haven't had to upgrade. It handles all the footage I throw at it like a dream.

My biggest bits of advice is to get at least 16GB of RAM and don't bother with the M2 Macbook Pro which has just released, it's not much of an improvement over the original.

I can agree on that. I love my MacBook Pro with an M1

DAFlys Posted at 9-4 22:59
Im very impressed by the new M series MacBooks but the SSD speed in the M2 concerns me - https://www.theverge.com/23220299/apple-macbook-air-m2-slow-ssd-read-write-speeds-testing-benchmark

Thanks for the insight. I’m closing in on the Pro laptop with the M1Pro chip, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB drive. I can add an SDXC card or external drive for creating a library. The Pro laptop also has HDMI in case I want to get an external monitor sometime later.

DroneGameChanger Posted at 9-5 05:42
I can agree on that. I love my MacBook Pro with an M1

I see a MacBook Pro in my future. Thanks for the info.

CloudVisual Posted at 9-5 05:36
Used an M1 Macbook Pro since launch and haven't had to upgrade. It handles all the footage I throw at it like a dream.

My biggest bits of advice is to get at least 16GB of RAM and don't bother with the M2 Macbook Pro which has just released, it's not much of an improvement over the original.

I have an older MacBook Air, but have been wanting to upgrade to the Pro now for some decent video editing. Now, I’m still in a quandary as to the software. I don’t know what’s mainstream among editors other than Lightroom.

FL_Flyer Posted at 9-5 14:50
I have an older MacBook Air, but have been wanting to upgrade to the Pro now for some decent video editing. Now, I’m still in a quandary as to the software. I don’t know what’s mainstream among editors other than Lightroom.

davinci resolve
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... peid&typeid=578

FL_Flyer Posted at 9-5 14:47
I see a MacBook Pro in my future. Thanks for the info.

No problem. You should love it!! ✌️

FL_Flyer Posted at 9-5 14:50
I have an older MacBook Air, but have been wanting to upgrade to the Pro now for some decent video editing. Now, I’m still in a quandary as to the software. I don’t know what’s mainstream among editors other than Lightroom.

FCPX is nice and easy to use. Never got my head around Premiere or Davinci.

Lightroom is the best for photo grading and Photoshop for editing.

FL_Flyer Posted at 9-5 14:46
Thanks for the insight. I’m closing in on the Pro laptop with the M1Pro chip, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB drive. I can add an SDXC card or external drive for creating a library. The Pro laptop also has HDMI in case I want to get an external monitor sometime later.

I would recommend a 16" M1Max with 32GB RAM for 4K video editing, because the RAM is used by both, the CPU and the GPU.

Check reviews (e.g. on Youtube), which might help you more with your decision, than this forum.

PS: Or wait for the 16" M2 MacBook Pro.

PPS: Regarding software I highly recommend Affinity Photo for photos and DaVinci Resolve for videos. This is the cheapest solution, but very powerfull. I already am an Adobe hater, because I hate subscriptions.

FL_Flyer Posted at 9-5 14:46
Thanks for the insight. I’m closing in on the Pro laptop with the M1Pro chip, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB drive. I can add an SDXC card or external drive for creating a library. The Pro laptop also has HDMI in case I want to get an external monitor sometime later.

If you can I would go 1tb,    512gb will fill up quick especially if you plan on video editing.  

Drone Jockey Posted at 9-6 01:09
I would recommend a 16" M1Max with 32GB RAM for 4K video editing, because the RAM is used by both, the CPU and the GPU.

Check reviews (e.g. on Youtube), which might help you more with your decision, than this forum.

Sorry to say but this is total overkill for someone editing 10bit h265 footage. Total waste of money when the other options are considered.

I would only suggest this sort of machine if I was working with RAW video. My M1 MacBook Pro can handle ProRes just fine, which shows its capability.

CloudVisual Posted at 9-6 02:08
Sorry to say but this is total overkill for someone editing 10bit h265 footage. Total waste of money when the other options are considered.

I would only suggest this sort of machine if I was working with RAW video. My M1 MacBook Pro can handle ProRes just fine, which shows its capability.

Ok, then 14" M1Pro with 16GB and 1TB SSD might be worth a look in comparison ... that would still fit in the portbility aspect.

It also depends on the length of the videos (keyword render / export times), but if we're talking just about drone videos ... these are usually short films.

Nevertheless, I think it's worth checking reviews, too, and think about what I really need. Do I only cut my footage and add audio or do I do complex editing with filters. Not to forget, some people are also interested in gaming.

PS: Here's just one video review, that shows a comparison between different M1 Macbooks depending on the complexity of the editing:



Conclusion: For more complex video editing, the M1Max is the best choice. Again, it all depends on your own needs.

Hi FL_Flyer / All,

   I am on a PC end here. In terms of Macs , maybe your best bet is getting a MacBook Pro that has Mini Led display with 10 bit HDR color support. I am not that familiar with MacBooks , maybe they all do that, but it's a great option to have for working with HDR video from your drone using Davinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro X etc.
Hope this helps.

Thanks, Mike.

The Saint Posted at 9-5 16:02
davinci resolve
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=130&filter=typeid&typeid=578

+1 for Resolve.
Been a casual Vegas Pro user for over a decade and started using Resolve this year. Much more powerful tool.

Drone Jockey Posted at 9-6 01:09
I would recommend a 16" M1Max with 32GB RAM for 4K video editing, because the RAM is used by both, the CPU and the GPU.

Check reviews (e.g. on Youtube), which might help you more with your decision, than this forum.

Thats a great combination but… a little too rich for my wallet AND.., I’m neither talented enough nor imaginative enough to spend the time delving into videos that deep. I am reading the manual for Davinci as it looks interesting. That’s for the advice tho.

Drone Jockey Posted at 9-6 03:01
Ok, then 14" M1Pro with 16GB and 1TB SSD might be worth a look in comparison ... that would still fit in the portbility aspect.

It also depends on the length of the videos (keyword render / export times), but if we're talking just about drone videos ... these are usually short films.

Yeah, the M1 Pro with the 1TB drive is definitely worth looking at. In the meantime, I’m watching the videos you suggested to settle in with a system. Thanks again.

FL_Flyer Posted at 9-6 13:17
Thats a great combination but… a little too rich for my wallet AND.., I’m neither talented enough nor imaginative enough to spend the time delving into videos that deep. I am reading the manual for Davinci as it looks interesting. That’s for the advice tho.

As I said above ... maybe the 14" M1Pro suits your needs.

And regarding DaVinci ... there are tons of tutorials on Youtube and you'll find the free version in the Mac App Store ... definitely worth a try.

BTW ... if the Mac isn't powerful enough for complex editing, you can use so called proxy versions of your clips, that consume less processing power, while editing. But for the export the originals will be used.

You see ... it's worth digging deeper into DaVinci ;-) ... it's not that hard learning a bit more.

PS: Here's a maybe motivating example, of what is possible:

Here's a further video of the creator of the Istanbul video ... pretty inspiring and motivating, isn't it?

Drone Jockey Posted at 9-6 13:24
As I said above ... maybe the 14" M1Pro suits your needs.

And regarding DaVinci ... there are tons of tutorials on Youtube and you'll find the free version in the Mac App Store ... definitely worth a try.

Wow. Some video. Didn’t close my eyes the whole time. Very professional and well though-out to say nothing of the drone work… I’m impressed. I particularly like the drone start-up tones over the top, my favorite. Gotta book a flight to Istanbul. I’ve got some reading to do.

Drone Jockey Posted at 9-6 13:40
Here's a further video of the creator of the Istanbul video ... pretty inspiring and motivating, isn't it?

I’ll overuse the word WOW! And say it again. His videos make mine of my dog running in the park kinda lame, huh? There’s always something more to learn. It will be an adventure for sure. Thanks for taking the time to help.

FL_Flyer Posted at 9-6 13:43
Wow. Some video. Didn’t close my eyes the whole time. Very professional and well though-out to say nothing of the drone work… I’m impressed. I particularly like the drone start-up tones over the top, my favorite. Gotta book a flight to Istanbul. I’ve got some reading to do.

Yeah, I was also pretty impressed, especially because I like night time or blue hour footage and photos.

As I said, it's worth digging deeper ... I'll definitely do ;-) I hope you'll enjoy that journey too.

BTW ... also check out the Mini 3 section of Skypixel. There's also some pretty motivating stuff to be found.