Just like any other video editing project, editing in 4K comes with its own set of decisions. You’ll need to ask yourself many questions which come with video production such as what type of footage you’ll be editing, how complex will your projects be, what will your output formats be and so on.

Are you editing online or offline?

Simply put, online editing refers to cutting the original material while offline editing refers to editing a proxy of the original source footage. Editing offline is a good option for editors who don’t need to deliver a project quickly. In addition to this, delivering in HD makes offline editing a good choice.

Offline editing takes more time as well as storage space than online editing. However, offline editing is much easier when it comes to editing. In fact, less powerful systems can run much more smoothly if they take advantage of offline editing. Offline editing is a great option for people whose final edit isn’t too long such as a short promo or a music video.

What processing and memory will you use?

The type of processing and memory you make use of depends on if you’re opting for offline editing or online editing. Let’s take a look at specifications for entry-level online and offline work.

CPU  

Offline Editing - Intel Core i7 2.3GHz four-core

Online Editing - Dual Intel Xeon 2GHz six-core

Many editing software support rendering with a GPU which means that CPU power isn’t as important as it used to be.

GPU 

Offline Editing –  NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M

Online Editing - Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M

You must also check whether the software you’re using is compatible with the video card you’re using to take advantage of GPU rendering as well as multiple GPU support. The cards listed above are a baseline. Investing into higher spec cards is recommended if you’re going to be doing intensive work.

RAM

Offline Editing – 8GB RAM

Online Editing – 32GB RAM 

If you’re looking for areas to save money in, RAM isn’t one of them. RAM is quite cheap and important depending on the software being used. Some software is quite RAM heavy such as Adobe’s Photoshop.

Storage

Offline Editing – A dedicated hard drive which runs at 7200 rpm.

Online Editing – A dedicated hard drive which runs at 7200 rpm.

The best option when it comes to storage is an SSD. If you can afford it, SSDs are a great option. The amount of storage you need will depend on how much footage you’re expecting to work with. A general rule of thumb is that your media storage should be at least three to four times the size of the source footage you’re using.

If you opt for an HDD, choose one which spins at 7200 rpm or quicker. If you’d like to enjoy a boost in performance, store your media as well as project files on separate drives.

Do you need VRAM?

VRAM differs quite a lot from RAM in function. VRAM works in conjunction with the GPU to store graphic data. The VRAM takes care of 3D and D images being displayed together.

What about the motherboard?

All of the parts in the world are useless if they aren’t compatible with your motherboard. The motherboard connects all components of your PC together. Make sure your CPU is compatible with the motherboard you pick out.

Check for these in a motherboard 

·             Socket

·             High quality integrated sound

·             Number of 3.0 USB ports

·             Number of SATA connections supported

Do you need a 4K display to edit in 4K?

You don’t need a 4K monitor. However, having a 4K monitor is a plus because it lets you see the changes as well as the effects you make to your video much more clearly. 4K is quickly becoming the new standard which makes it better to have a 4K display ready to take advantage of the new format.

There’s quite a lot to take care of if you’d like to edit in 4K. However, the investment is a small price to pay if you’re serious about editing in 4K. The cost might seem high. This is because editing in 4K is quite intense on a computer which means that you need higher grade parts to edit video optimally.

If you’d like to know more about video production, contact a video production company. The best in the business are located in NYC.