Why is my final cut pro so slow?

Question

Level 1

74 points

Why is my final cut pro so slow?

I just started using final cut pro on my iMac and I've noticed the performance is horrible. I have an event with about 20-30 clips in them, each 10-20 seconds long. The videos are shot using a DSLR using 60p with the AVCHD format. Even when I tried to scroll the event browser, the lag is 2-3 seconds long. The panel doesn't even scroll smoothly.

Here are my specs of the iMac.

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac

Model Identifier: iMac13,2

Processor Name: Intel Core i5

Processor Speed: 2.9 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 4

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 6 MB

Memory: 24 GB

Boot ROM Version: IM131.010A.B05

SMC Version (system): 2.11f14

Do I need a better machine to operate final cut pro?

Posted on Sep 9, 2013 7:46 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 10, 2013 12:51 AM in response to aapl.crox

Nothing wrong with your machine.

Your 60p format is a non-standard delivery one which is incredibly processor intensive.

You must convert it to ProRes 422 for easier editing or even Proxy.

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Answer 2

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Sep 10, 2013 4:39 AM in response to aapl.crox

What Ian said…you have plenty of computer to run FCP well and using an editing codec like Pro Res 422 will help. (I'm betting you don't need Proxy unless you're editing more than 3 streams of video.)

Also, go into Preferences and set Playback Quality to Better Performance.

Curious, is your camera shooting 720p60 or 1080p60?

Russ

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Answer 3

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Sep 10, 2013 4:53 AM in response to aapl.crox

I have just noticed that you have posted duplicate threads on your question.

Russ

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