Do Creators Need an M1 Pro or M1 Max? 

Great… When do you start course of editing for photoshop& Lightroom..?

Thank you!!! I have been debating on the various configurations. Most RU-vidrs just go “ pick what works for you” without giving clear recommendations. Thank your for providing clear recommendations to both photographers and videographers!

Thanks for the video Tyler. I ordered your exact recommended photography build a few weeks ago. I felt like it was a good balance between base specs and price. I do a small amount of 4k stock video editing. Super basic timelines, I think the M1 Pro will easily be sufficient for this.

I am quite happy I got a spec’d out max. I’ve been pushing it to the limits but I am primarily video editing heavy RAW video files. Great video and great name Tyler!

What I have found to work especially well is to have the M1 max on a 14 inch laptop which is highly portable. I use it with 2 32 inch monitors. With products like Premiere Pro, the various panels can be spread out in a custom way across the large 32 inch monitors giving you the real estate you need while having the portability of a 14 inch laptop.

Thanks for your review Tyler! I think general usability is the best way to figure out which computer is right for you. I'm glad you went into final cut pro here. I was able to do a bunch of similar tests in lightroom and the performance of the m1 Pro is just ridiculous compared to the previous 16" models. That review is probably one of my most-watched videos at this point haha. Appreciate all you do brother

Loved!!! You know there’s a lot of videos doing these comparisons but they go to test and stuff, ending with “you should choose according your needs” it’s like dude you’re the one who has them both, please use real world test, you’re the first one to do this clearly without fuss. Thanks a lot. You won a subscriber. Have a nice day

One of the only RU-vidrs / creators that actually understands that the experience is as important if not more than the import or export of files. Using the application like photoshop I noticed you mentioned lag, which appears on both machines. Which is interesting to know

yea the biggest upgrade for photographers would definitely be upgrading the RAM. I have the base model with 16GB of RAM and I have noticed that it has been significantly "snappier" than the previous m1 with 8GB RAM i used, but i can still begin to use 15BG+ RAM with massive amounts of swap occurring. Of course, i typically end up adding well over 50 local adjustment "layers/masks" to my images

From what i’ve seen and heard, the screen size actually does matter when it comes to performance as the 16 outperforms the 14 in anything that has thermal dependancy.

This is exactly the video I needed, thank you for taking the time to make these comparisons! I just subscribed

This is the exact video I've been after for so long, you've smashed it Tyler. Every video only seems to focus on a max spec Pro so this was great, if you want to save some money and don't handle super intense tasks then the M1 Pro seems more than enough!

I love the fact that you're not being overdramatic about a 3-second difference. So many reviewers will make it seem like a big difference when in reality it's not that big of a deal.

Thank you for doing real actual tests! Keeo up the awesome work

I went with the 14" Pro with 1 TB SSD myself. Very happy with it. As a networking student and someone who runs VMs, I faced some initial issues with random crashing while doing baby stuff (watching RU-vid videos, typing word docs), but in the three months I've had it, haven't had any snags in the past two. I'm willing to attribute those to software/app issues since I haven't seen them in so long. It far surpasses my expectations and needs.

Hey! thank you so much for these videos! I just recently found out your channel and i Must say that i am veryy happy i did! I just got into filming for youtube and i also edit content for different social media accounts, my computer has been crashing like crazy lately and i am very happy i stumbled on your videos! I dont fully understand computer language but since watching yout videos i H ave learned a looooooot. Im happy to be knowing what i will be purchasing! thank you so much!!!

Great informational content as always mate, thanks!

Thanks for all the advice and recommendations!

Yess, that‘s what we needed to see. Thanks a lot!

That headroom on the M1 Max for video editing seems to be a big deciding factor especially if you think about future proofing.

1:23 from what I've seen in max tech's channel there is a drop in performance on the 14", at least on the M1max the GPU is capped at a certain wattage, lower than the cap on the 16"

Awesome shirt Tyler, Always top tier discussion in your videos great points to consider for the Macbook Pro.

The photography build is literally the exact build I've been wishing for - and the exact build my graphic designer partner just bought (from what she's told me, Illustrator and inDesign have never run so well before). It very specifically addresses my main pain-points with my Intel 2020 13" - always running out of SSD space with 512gb due to scratch disks filling up, high memory pressure, and virtual memory eating up SSD space even more. Not to mention it burning through the battery in 1.5 hours if I'm working in Lightroom and Photoshop. I've decided I'll treat myself to one of these next year once I finally finish my degree, but am still humming and hawing over 14" vs. 16".

6:30. Why is everyone saying this…if the $400 chip upgrade FORCES an additional $400 upgrade, it’s no longer “just” $400. With availability going out to February on some configurations, I wish RU-vid testers would just compare preconfigured models as that’s what most will end up getting if they can’t wait two months.

The first panorama sticking is the only benchmark I need to know. Incredible!

Good to hear I made the right choice! The video encoders really are useful on the Max

I’m so glad I got the 14 inch. That 16 is humongous. I use an external monitor but I don’t mind editing on the laptop. It doesn’t feel too cramped.

It’s SO NICE to have so many MacBook options now 🙌

Thank you so much for this video. It was really helpful in trying to determine if I needed the max

I think this is what finalized my choice in MacBook Pro processor for the 14 inch model. I’m going for the M1 Pro.

Impressive dive into the ad … seamless and valuable. Well played.

What's the value of comparing only the lowest end 14" to a high end 16" Max? I expected a comparison of your recommended 16" Pro configuration against the recommended M1 Max. Big surprise the most expensive outperforms the least expensive for demanding tasks. Didn't need this video to know that.

I got the base 16inch with a 1tb SSD since I don’t do heavy photography editing and barely any video editing so even a 16gb memory works wonders for me

Incredibly helpful video, thank you!

the review I was looking for 🙏🏽

Great video Tyler. One of the questions I have is getting a configuration to future proof, meaning I would like to keep my laptop for 7-8 years before having to purchase a new one. I know that getting base 16" with 32GB of RAM should be good for long time, however, Adobe, etc, will most likely make major additions in the next few years that "could be" more memory intensive. I primarily work in Lightroom (90%), browsing and maybe create 4-5 videos a year. Would it be better to get 16core GPU with 32GB or just get 24Core with 64? I've seen some videos where benchmark tests show minimal gain between 16Core GPU vs 24Core GPU (especially with Lightroom and 4K video)

Very useful video. I would really like to see the performance difference between the two processors when applying noise reduction, deflicker and deband in Davinci Resolve. That's the stress test for me since I don't deal with multiple cameras at one time but do need to apply the above corrections in various combinations to lower quality, 8 bit files. And we all know how NR can bring your machine to its knees.

That base 16 M1 Pro with 1tb is the one I got because all the other models were sold out. Ideally I wanted the base M1 Max but it wasn't available. This one's been working out pretty good coming from my M1 Mac mini. The best thing about these laptops is that no matter which one you'll have the best, or one the best screens on any laptop, a super quick ssd, and PORTS!

I've always loved the LUTs/Colorization/whatever Tyler uses. He looks so pleasing and friendly.

Working with the 16" M1 Pro 32GB RAM, I get the memory usage warning after an hour's use of LrC. Z 6_2 RAW files, barely any HDR or Pano merge or enhancing so shouldn't be taxing the device. Works fine until it shows something like 24GB use by LrC and just freezes up. There's something definitely wrong

Concise and helpful. Thank you!!

Yes!! Thank you Tyler!! I look forward to getting my new MacBook. This made my decision much easier!

Feel like the sweet spot is the 24 core M1 Max. Still get a decent performance boost over the pro and you don’t need to spend as much and it doesn’t consume as much battery as the 32core

Amazing video, Tyler. Thanks for it. You might want to do another one to compare this MacBook with older ones. So, the idea of the video might be: "do you need to upgrade your MacBook?"

Great vid Tyler. Love your style.

Great review. So helpful. Thank you

Great Video Tyler! However the spec that you recommended for the photographer's M1 Pro is $400 cheaper than the standard M1 Max 16 inch configuration and you're getting 2x the GPU cores for that $400. As more cameras come out and higher resolutions become more available, I could see that $400 being worth it for Professionals.

I happened to buy exactly the same configuration. I love this beast of machine

Really helpful video, thank you Tyler. I'm sold on the 16", and leaning towards 32GB but undecided between 16 or 24 core. My previous MB Pro which was bought way back in 2008 used to get v.hot & noisy with the fans. I think the overheating/fan failure is what killed it in the end, although it did last 7-8yrs. Because of that I'm nervous about going for the 24 core. However, the performance clearly is better. Any advice? My use: - It will be my sole machine - I would like to keep it as long as possible (ideally 7+ yrs) - Image editing (lightroom/photoshop) - Video editing (predominantly 4k, probably not more than a few layers) - Visual effects (maybe some occasional After Effect use) Also, does the size of SSD influence performance or life span? Unsure whether to go 1 or 2TB. Trying to keep costs down but if it will have an impact on longevity then I would prefer to invest a bit more up front.

Thanks Tyler. Thanks Tyler. Curious how the Base M1 would perform on your video and phot tests vs the Pro and the Max?

Great recommendations! Already slightly regretting getting only the 1TB internal SSD vs. the 2TB - for $400 extra it's totally worth it. Aside from that, I'm loving my 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro for all things productivity, RU-vid, and Affinity Designer/Publisher. 🙌🏻🤘🏻

Thank you. Getting the Max with 32gb. As you said I will be using it for 4-5 yrs so it makes sense.

Great video. What I would like to see in these kind of video’s is the reason for the difference in time. Is this due to the GPU, RAM, size of the SSD drive or a combination of all? I need to upgrade my current MBP. I have already decided to buy the 16 inch with 32 GB of ram but still have to decide between 1) 16 core GPU with 2TB of SSD drive or, 2) 24 core GPU [pro max] with 1 TB of SSD drive. Mainly use of the MBP is audio engineering (pro tools / logic), a lot of files, video and audio in the cloud (dropbox and icloud). I will be making videos for youtube too. Finally, I want this MBP to be at least 5 years proof. Any advice?

Great video, but did you just slam both computer lids…at the end of the video… timely synchronised :p

I have one question for you, what's happening with this color table next to you? Is it useful or just for decoration? Besides that awsome video

Well done! These are killer machines. I think I want the 16 inch with Pro chip.

When I do edit videos they can sometimes be pretty heavy with multiple layers of 4K but they’re short music videos and I don’t do them more than once a month cuz restrictions (I do other lower budget videos in between sometimes though but they’re way less intense). Since it’s not an everyday thing should I save the money and go with the M1 pro and deal with the slightly longer wait times and slightly choppier playback sometimes? I was really bent on getting the max to have THE BEST but that might be a waste considering how often I use it

Great! Got the same built for photography. Cheers

Screen size doesn't affect performace, its the chassis size whihc determines thermal envelope, which controls throttling. 14" GPUs run at ~900MHz while 16" GPUs are 1300Mhz...

11-months later, I finally got my 16" MBP. Everyone has a use case, and as a photographer, my use case is for a minimum of 4tb, but ideally 8tb of storage. In Nov 2022 (time of writing), the prices for refurbished MBP's have dropped. Once I identified a 16" with 8tb of storage, the price increase to get the maxed-out version made "future proofing" an easy choice. 16" M1 Max, 10/32-core, 64gb RAM, and 8tb - $5,200 via Apple Refurbished Store.

Great video! Thank you! BTW - I see that Hasselblad hiding behind your computer! Post some videos about that and your film photography!!! :)

so helpful!! thank you!

I got your recommended configuration exactly, just with the 2TB. Endgame machine for me.

Glad to see that this M1 Pro can handle my Canon R5. I like to shoot in 4kHQ clog and 4k 120.

Hi Tyler. I’m currently trying to edit a 4k 30 minute sitcom episode on my 2017 Macbook Air… it’s struggling 😅 I’m doing colour corrections (sometimes primary and secondary) on almost every clip, lots of cutting back and forth, I’ve got one or two effects, a LUT applied all the way through, separate dialogue clips that have been edited and synced up (and sometimes they’re stacked), background sounds throughout, some titles and some music every now and again… and I might do a tiny bit of tracking. Which of these new models/configurations would you recommend?

What about 24 core GPU on the Max for video editing. Better battery life maybe without sacrificing much performance.

Tyler, I kind of think Apple is still optimizing and researching bringing out the best and stable performance for the M1 Max line up. Most of the benchmarks and tests exhibits M1 Max 24 core performance is slightly better than or similar to the M1 Max 32 core performance. Why would Apple do that? Wouldn't people go buy the 24 core version than the 32 core if that is the case. Could this be temporary? I think Apple is still under their testing phase and could turn the plates any time giving the 32 core the place it deserves being the most expensive and top of the line model. What are your thoughts?

The video is actually on point. Thank you Tyler! Just my 2 cents as someone who got kind of tricked by other reviews to cancel M1 Max and go for baseline 16inch M1 Pro - it’s surprisingly easy to make this machine choke in Premiere. My timelines consist of 10bit 4K footage, occasional simple after effects animation, colour grading and it rarely plays smoothly without using 1/4th quality. Is it usable? Of course, editing is still a pleasure, but I was expecting more and with the future proofing in mind I think every video editor should consider M1 Max

Finally that video I was looking forward! 😂 Do you think the m2 air basic is much slower in terms of lightroom editing then the classic m1 pro 14''? Or would it be better considering a desktop windows pc?

Hey fellow Canuck...I need to upgrade from a late 2013 27" imac to something faster! I want to wait for Apple to announce the new iMacs in 2022 (with M1pro/M1Max or better chips) but I can only afford one editing computer...my budget allows for the 16" M1pro base model with 16GB and I would get the 1TB...I use Premiere ONLY and your other video comparing the big three edit software seems to suggest that is now "safe" to use Premiere with the M1 pro/M1Max - sure FCP will be faster but Premiere has come a long way. Correct? I hope so because Premiere is what I use exclusively. I would edit 4k from sony A7iii/a6400- nothing too heavy really...one or two layers...no multicam really....some AF...you suggest M1max but I just can't stretch my budget. Do you think it's worth waiting for Apple to announce new iMacs? when does Apple announce new products? January? February? I would prefer a iMac but I fear Apple will charge too much for them. I don't need a super computer just a M1pro similar to the MBP...although I could always use the MBP as a desktop but I would need a 4K monitor..which adds to the expense...argh...Decisions...Decisions! Thanks for your opinion!

Thank you for your video I want to purchase a 14“ MacBook Pro mainly for video editing I work with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. And RealSteady in the future to stabilize FPV drone footage. My rush are in 4K60 with some basic effects like speed Ramps, blur, stabilization, titles, etc… I’m not Pro, I don’t edit a lot of videos (maybe 6 a year) so I don’t really care about rendering time. But I like things running smoothly when video editing, no drop frames, easy scrubling, no proxies etc And finally, I expect to keep my MacBook Pro for at least 5 years Can you give me your opinion about which config should I get? Thanks a lot

You mention using Resolve as part of your testing but I didn't see any results in the video. Is that coming at a later date or it wasn't a big enough difference between versions to get into fully?

Hey @tylerstalman - firstly, this video is just epic. You have incredible content - subscribed and whacked that all videos bell on. Went through and liked a bunch of your videos also, super cool channel. I have a quick question on the M1 Max 24, vs 32 core. I'm in New Zealand, and the 16 build you have for video creators is sitting at a little of $6000 down here for that, so fairly $$$$$. I have a Sony A6500, I shoot mainly in 1080, but will probably shoot 4K with a new laptop. I'm a beginner editor, only very simple edits and soundtrack with a few titles and maybe some grading. I want something to start me out that will work with that probable workflow requirement. I really couldn't see myself using pro-res or raw footage. Sooooooooo I'm wondering, as a keen amateur, would you still suggest the M1 Max 32 core, or would the 24 core or even the M1 Pro be sufficient ? I'm currently on a 15 inch 2014 model - it's slooooooow and is starting to die. Help !!!! thanks so much. Mark - Christchurch, New Zealand.

I am about to buy one of these, and this has been very helpful. I sometimes work with PSBs so the snappiness would be, maybe worth it. Lots of $$$ It's been 10 years since I bought my 2012 top of thel ine 15" - I still primarily use it.

Amazing video, thank you so much. I am upgrading from my beloved 2015 macbook pro, and I do graphic design, mostly 2D. Was pretty sure to get the 16' screen but now I am considering portability, still did not make up my mind.

Very much look froward to your comments on the M2 and M2pro - especially for those of us who only work on one video at a time !

Hi Tyler! Hope you're doing great today! I wanna ask you a quick question, since you are a photographer too! I have a 2019 MacBook Pro 16" 2,6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7 with 16gb ram DDR4 and AMD Radeon Pro 5300M 4 GB I was thinking on getting the new M1 MacBook Pro 13" (because of size), with 16 or even 32gb RAM. Would it be a huge upgrade spec wise? I only use Capture ONE and Photoshop 2022

Hi, great video! Would you be able to run this tests using 2 external 4K monitor? To compare the performances.

Love the video but what kind of plants are those in the background been looking for something just like that lol

Worth noting that the 32-core GPU can only run full throttle on the 16” MBP. Otherwise, these machines perform identically, from all of the analysis I’ve seen online.

I say M1 max because that’s my name 👀💀

Is the video footage 10bit? Cause that’s when I usually see my imac pro struggle. Just curious! Great review tho!

Just buy the tool that solves your short/mid-term projects...the technology changes so fast these days you will always have old tech once you press the purchase button :D This is valid for the majority of users...so we can avoid the new trend "overspending over 6 monthly plan with Klarna" :D Amazing video as always and I'm glad that I followed you since the beginning of your RU-vid journey!

Hey Tyler, thanks for a great video. My situation is a little different. I'm a freelance editor and I have both a custom-built PC and a 2018 MacBook pro, both of which are becoming a bit obsolete. I only have a budget ok £2000 for an upgrade and was thinking of getting the base level M1 pro 14". Do you think this would be the best option for someone on this budget?

I'd love to se a comparison of at least the M1 Pro versus the regular 2020 M1.

Hey Tyler amazing video man know I know which MacBook to pick quick question I own a canon R5 and I’m just tryna figure out how are you getting 8k prores out of the camera I don’t see that as an option unless your using a ninja v or your converting the 8k canon raw to a ProRes file once on your desktop you mind telling me how are you doing this

If you’re into video editing I would just wait for the M1X 27” iMac. It’s rumored to have double or more processing power than the top MacBook Pro. It will probably be around the same price too. And it has an amazing large screen.

I'm surprised that you don't opt for at least four terabytes of storage. I tried to order one this year with eight terabytes but it's almost impossible to get.

Would it be best to still edit videos off of an external SSD if you have a M1 MAX 2-4tb? Or would you just stick to using the computer itself?

I agree on your sweet spot configuration but I got the 14 inch for portability in traveling.

Hi I just bought the Canon R5 and sold my 2019 Intel MacBook Pro 16inch fully specced. I am in the market for a new MacBook but I can’t decide on the model and configuration. I mainly use Lightroom and FCPX Using H265 files and Log footage. I’m a light user and it’s mostly a hobby that will turn into a part time job. I use RU-vid and Apple Music together with a editing program so here are my questions. Is the MacBook Air M1 good enough for FCPX and the R5 files. Do I need 32gb Ram or is 16 enough. And M1 v M1 Pro v M1 Max. I paid a lot for the 16inch Intel version and I don’t want to buy something that’s completely overkill for what I do. Thanks so much!

Dude, that sponsor segue was smooth as hell.

Smooth segue to the ad, buddy. 👍

Thanks for the great video! I’m a photographer who also wants to try video. Would a m1 max 24, 32gb ram and 2tb harddrive be good?

Great channel Tyler. I see the KODAK shirt, if you're in Toronto, do drive down to Rochester, NY where KODAK was founded. You can feel the history of photography and research in the air of the town [only if someone cares about that kinda stuff :) ]

As a video editor can I get by with 556GB SSD on the machine you recommended for video editors? What are the downsides of that configuration?

Good video. I think many of us have spent hours staring at the Apple site and at RU-vid and other reviews trying to decide the best configuration. Trying to weight what we need now versus what we MIGHT need in the future. And then always looking at that next available upgrade in the Apple configrator (e.g more RAM, bugger SSD, etc..) and wondering if we should stretch our budget a little further. I played this game over and over in my mind mind before going 16" M1 Pro 32gb 1TB. This was already a stretch financially. But then having received it I spent my entire "remorse period" (akak returns window) wonding if I'd made the right choice, of should I have spent more on the M1 Max w/ 24 GPU cores. Mostly I do photography now, and some music production which only needs the GPU cores, but I MIGHT get more into video. Otherwise it's more productivity stuff. My last Macbook Pro lasted 10 years and still works fine so I want it to last. It's funny how the mind plays tricks and one moment you can see the benefits of one option and then soon after the pendulum swings the other way... Indecisive is my middle name! :-) But I have finally made peace with my choice because it's still a phenomenal machine and battery life on the M1 Pro is 2nd to none plus it runs super cool and quiet - all things that I value. Down the track I may wish I had more GPU cores and video encoders but it's equally possible that I would never fully use such capabilities. One thing is for sure - I initially wondered if I'd prefer the more portable 14" but the 16" screen is just phenomenal -SO immersive and the extra screen real estate is a huge benefit even for basic productivity tasks (and older eyes!). The difference between a 14" and 16" screen may not sound a lot but perceptively it's huge. And of course the battery life is longer on the 16".

Have you tested After Effects on these at all? Can M1 Pro handle it or would that likely require M1 Max. Also, realistically, how much RAM is needed?

Please confirm if you are having the charging issue when the MacBook Pro 16 is shutdown

Did you run into issues with Resolve tests or were those cut for another reason?