So sorry to bother the pros with this but...
I am so sorry to bother everyone with this most basic question. I have read about Compressor, but just still don't "get it." I just bought a new MBPw/Retina in order to upgrade to iMovie 11 for its HD export quality. Well, I quickly learned on these forums that no one is happy with the export quality in iMovie11 and they feel misled. An Apple Customer Service Support Tech told me that I needed to upgrade to a better editing program if that was my goal. Sooo, I just recently bought FCPX, as well..but haven't used it yet.
Here are my simple goals in editing: I just want to be able to export in HD and have a clear picture of my trip videos (I compile about a one hour video of all my international trips ....kinda like a video blog..) My goals are for my videos to display beautifully on my 46" flat screen via Apple TV. I also want to post to YouTube to share that way. Occasionally, I will create a DVD of my trips.
I am so new to all this. I've been working in iMovie 08 all this time and honestly, it met my needs until I got my Apple TV and was able to finally see how awful the movie quality was. So here are my questions:
1. Why do I or don't I need Compressor to achieve the goals above?
2. How much space will an HD one-hour video take up on my hard drive?
3. If FCPX exports in HD quality, why would I need Compressor? Won't Compressor degrade the quality if it compresses the file?
Again, I am so sorry to bother all of you with this dinky question.....I just don't have anyone to ask really...
Thank you for your help ahead of time!