Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I am having all my files in an external hard drive and trying to export in Apple 4k format. The size video shows as 2.8GB and it is exporting for hours like more than 4 hours.. Been exporting videos in the same way which takes more than 3 to 4 hours even for a 10 min video.
So just wanted to check if there is any other way to export in a good 4k quality but a faster way.
Your mac is severely underpowered for this kind of editing: your CPU is only a 2-core i5, from years back; you have no discrete GPU. That machine can use FCP, but it is slow. Plus the 8GB of RAM may be a little short for editing long 4K videos (well, 18 minutes is not too long).
As Tom said at the outset, how long it takes depends on a lot of things - the speed of your mac being a big factor.
For example, a 15" MacBook Pro of the same year, with a quad-core i7 and a discrete GPU of that era, was much faster. [I had one :-)]
A current day 16" MBP will export that video in minutes, not hours.
If you cannot afford a more powerful mac, my advice is to seriously consider whether you need to edit in 4K.
The thing is, to this day, not that many people will watch your video in 4K, anyway. I guess they may watch on their iPhones (no 4K), maybe on their MacBooks (no 4K) or pcs. Even if they watch in a gorgeous iMac screen, which is capable of 4K, odds are that youtube will serve them with a lower resolution version.
If you have solid reasons why you have to deliver in 4K, then you have solid reasons to get a new mac.
Your mac is severely underpowered for this kind of editing: your CPU is only a 2-core i5, from years back; you have no discrete GPU. That machine can use FCP, but it is slow. Plus the 8GB of RAM may be a little short for editing long 4K videos (well, 18 minutes is not too long).
As Tom said at the outset, how long it takes depends on a lot of things - the speed of your mac being a big factor.
For example, a 15" MacBook Pro of the same year, with a quad-core i7 and a discrete GPU of that era, was much faster. [I had one :-)]
A current day 16" MBP will export that video in minutes, not hours.
If you cannot afford a more powerful mac, my advice is to seriously consider whether you need to edit in 4K.
The thing is, to this day, not that many people will watch your video in 4K, anyway. I guess they may watch on their iPhones (no 4K), maybe on their MacBooks (no 4K) or pcs. Even if they watch in a gorgeous iMac screen, which is capable of 4K, odds are that youtube will serve them with a lower resolution version.
If you have solid reasons why you have to deliver in 4K, then you have solid reasons to get a new mac.
feeling jealous to see your comment :( :( I am having other softwares like Adobe Photoshop and lightroom , Eclipse, RubyMine. Might be due to that reason? I just get tired of exporting my videos :( Now too started exporting a 18 min video around 12.30 PM with little more effects and more transitions and now time is 4.30 Pm. Till now only 70% is over :( :(
In addition to what Tom said: it is unusual to take this long. 3 hours for a 10 minute video... ouch!
If you tell us more, we may help you figure out if this is normal or not (my guess is that it is not...)
So: what is your mac, OS, FCP version?
What are your export settings?
Do you use very heavy effects on these videos? Which ones?
If you export a simple video with no heavy effects, does it take this long?
1.5 years ago when I had Mac mini late 2009 (4GB RAM), FCP 10.4 exported a 2 minute clip as HD in about 10 minutes and as 4K about 2 hours and it used a lot of VM then (yes, I made a few 4K projects with it). My new Mac mini 2018 (16GB RAM) exports HD in about 1 minute and 4K export is also way faster (I haven't done exact timings).
Thank you for your initiative in helping me.
Actually i bought my Mac in 2014 i think. (Not sure if i had to get a new one just coz for this reason :P ) Below are my System Config.
MAC :
macOS Catalina V 10.5.6
Version
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
Processor 2.6 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Startup Disk Macintosh HD
Graphics Intel Iris 1536 MB
Built-in Display
13.3-inch (2560*1600)
Intel Iris 1536 MB graphics
251 Flash Storage.
FCP : 10.4.9
I dont use very heavy effects..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP_boBER3Ss&list=UUqNB2NjtooyA4yZrT2wXehQ&index=1
this is a sample video which i used basic effects compared to my other videos and it is 8 mins video which took me more than 2 hours.. This 2+ hour is my default when i export even a simple video with very minimal transitions and effects. this is the video with my least effects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9B9EtAZrls. i used fcpx effects , pixelstudios plugins. Only these two brand plugins i am using.
I usually use below two export settings.
If file size comes within 1.5 GB i use ....
Format : Video + Audio
Video : H.264
Resolution : 3840*2160
If file size goes more than 2 GB i use...
Apple Devices 4K setting which defaults to
Format : Apple Devices
Video Codec : H.264 Better Quality
Resolution : 3840*2160
May be i will try exporting just the 10 mins video without adding any effects and update how long it takes.
Hope this make you understand my problem. Let me know if you need more info.
just 3% extra from the time i posted my previous image.. :( really tired to just keep waiting for it.
It depends on the computer, what format you’re exporting to, and what you’ve done to the video.
Oh ok. Thank you.
I get it now. That is really helpful for me. May be i will plan to get a new Mac then. Thanks a lot for helping me out.
Long hours to Export a 18 min 4k Video
