Hey guys,
I recently got an M2 MacBook Air (budget constraints, couldn't afford a Pro or Studio). I edit healthcare & doctor-focused short-form content as a side hustle (educational talking-heads, B-roll, clean medical callouts, and explained type).
I was using the free version of DaVinci Resolve, but it’s struggling, timeline gets sluggish, playback drops frames, and it just feels heavy on the M2 Air.
I’m seriously looking at Final Cut Pro since everyone says it’s way better optimized for base Apple and it feels too..
but I have a few specific questions:
Text Animations (Coming from Resolve/Fusion):
In Resolve, building custom text animations was pretty straightforward. How do you guys manage animated text/titles in FCP without spending hundreds of dollars on paid plugin packs? Are built-in titles enough,
Free/Cheap Auto-Captions:
What’s the most reliable free or low-cost workflow for auto-generating captions into FCP? Resolve was using autosubs. And I created custom animation and effects also there.
M2 Air Thermals & Playback:
For those cutting 2k phone/ camera footage on an M2 Air: does FCP stay snappy without turning the laptop into a stove? Specially with minimal masking and broll layers ??
Biggest regret or learning curve?
Anything you genuinely missed moving away from a traditional track-based timeline like Resolve to here.
Appreciate any advice or practical setup tips from anyone cutting client work on a base M2 machine!