PostMicroTools
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Can my Mac edit this?
An estimate of whether your Mac can edit your footage smoothly or whether you should work with proxies. It accounts for the chip, RAM, codec, resolution, fps and multicam.
Don't know your Mac specs? 10-second guide
- Click the Apple menu (top-left corner of your screen).
- Pick About This Mac.
- You'll see the chip (e.g. "Apple M2 Pro") and memory (e.g. "32 GB"). That's all you need above.
- For more (GPU cores, model year), click More Info → System Report.
Browsers don't expose the Mac model or exact chip (Apple blocks that for privacy). Auto-detect only sees rough hints — for a real answer pick from the dropdowns above after checking About This Mac.
My saved presets PRO
Your cloud-synced presets for this tool. Load, delete or save new ones with the button above.
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Native vs proxy editing
Editing with proxies means generating lightweight copies (usually ProRes Proxy) to cut smoothly and relinking the originals only on export. It's the standard fix when the camera codec is heavy (Long-GOP H.264/HEVC, 10-bit 4:2:2 or high-resolution RAW) for the machine at hand.
Does RAM matter more than the chip?
Both. The chip sets decode horsepower; RAM limits how many streams and what resolution you can handle without choking. 16 GB is fine for HD and light 4K; for 4K multicam, 6K/8K or RAW you want 32 GB or more.
What about the disk?
Intra-frame and RAW codecs have very high data rates: a slow SSD can be the bottleneck even when the chip is idle. Check the storage calculator to see your format's data rate.
Proxies or native: an honest answer before you buy
The scenario this tool models is painfully specific: you're offered a job cutting 6K BRAW multicam, and your machine is an M1 MacBook Air with 8 GB. Apple Silicon's media engines decode ProRes, H.264 and HEVC in hardware — which is why a fanless Air plays UHD ProRes HQ smoothly — but RAW formats and high stream counts still lean on CPU/GPU and unified memory, and that's where a base configuration runs out of road.
The verdict distinguishes native (cut the originals), borderline (single stream fine, multicam or heavy effects will stutter) and proxies (transcode first). The classic proxy pattern — ProRes 422 Proxy at 1080p, relink to originals for the grade — remains the cheapest performance upgrade in post: it turns a struggling laptop into a fluid one for the price of an overnight transcode.
It also flags the notorious cases: 10-bit 4:2:2 H.264/HEVC from mirrorless cameras (Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic) decodes in hardware on Apple Silicon but crushed Intel Macs, and long-GOP codecs scrub worse than their bitrate suggests regardless of chip.
How much RAM do I need for 4K editing?
16 GB is a workable floor for single-stream UHD in ProRes or BRAW; 32 GB is comfortable for multicam, Fusion/After Effects roundtrips and heavy node grades. 8 GB works for 1080p and proxy workflows.
Why does my H.264 footage stutter when ProRes plays fine?
H.264 is long-GOP: most frames are predictions that require decoding neighbours, so scrubbing and reverse playback cost far more than the bitrate implies. ProRes is intra-frame — every frame stands alone — which is exactly what editing hardware is optimized for.
Are proxies the same as optimized media?
Same idea, different plumbing. Proxies are lightweight parallel files you can move to a laptop; optimized media replaces playback media in place. Both relink to originals for finishing — this tool tells you whether you need either at all.