What are Video Editing Computer Workstations?
Video Editing Computer Workstations
Video editing computer workstations are usually professional grade computer systems that can handle heavy loads of video editing. Whether it involves simple cutting and rearranging of video clips or application of special effects that need some rendering, video editing computer workstations can handle it. Here are the different parts of a video editing computer workstation with some description on their function and some explanation on why they are essential in video editing.
The Software
The heart of the whole video editing computer workstation lies in its software. There are several options available to both professional and amateur film editors. These software packages are the interface in which the video editor performs editing tasks like cutting clips, rearranging scenes, applying music and adding special effects. Without the software, your video editing computer workstation is just a computer with some fancy hardware that can’t do anything with videos. Some of the most popular video editing software packages include Final Cut Pro, Vegas Pro and Adobe Premiere Elements.
Memory
Computers perform tasks by using memory as buffers to transfer data and instructions. If this runs out, the computer will stall. The worst case scenario is the computer will crash. If this happens, any unsaved work will most probably be gone forever. It’s very important to have a large memory so it can handle all the processing your video editing tasks require. Video editing computer workstations need a lot of memory for it to be a reliable system.
Video and Sound Cards
These hardware are the muscles of the video editing computer workstation. The sound card handles tasks that concern audio, so if you want to hear the most accurate and precise quality of your audio without degradation or loss, you better make sure that you have a quality sound card. The video card renders your video, so you better get a quality video card if you want to make sure that your video product has the exact qualities that you want it to have. The wrong cards may give you good quality while you’re still editing, but when the final product gets played on other mediums like other computers or the big screen, it have a less desirable quality.
CPU
Any computer with quality video and audio cards, a lot of memory and the adequate software can already be called a video editing computer. It may not be professional grade, though. In order for your video editing computer to become a video editing computer workstation, it has to have a heavy duty CPU. The right combination of processors and other hardware will give you the best and most reliable performance in video editing. The memory may be the buffer for data and software instructions, but the CPU is the main driving force of the workstation. It’s where all the processing happens. Whether you purchase a pre-packaged workstation or you built it from scratch, if you fail at achieving a capable CPU, your workstation will be rendered almost worthless.
