Jason Bedell Online

Alrighty then, lets get rolling with question #5:
5. What are the advantages of using a Mac when it comes to Creativity/Productivity?

So you're in the PC world using Power Point, Media Shout, Photoshop, MS Publisher, Windows Movie Maker, Pinnacle Studio, Adobe Audition and more. You all in all love the experience of creating your content and making it available to your church. You're doing a pretty good job and the senior guy is loving the stuff you put out... well take all that and put it on steriods when you introduce a Mac.

Apple just makes everything fit. From iPhoto & iMovie to Pages & Numbers, you have a seemless experience with your Mac. Currently I run Photoshop CS2, Final Cut Express, iMovie, Pages, Keynote, Pro Presenter & Pro Video Player to meet all of my needs for video & graphic content on my Mac (I use some higher end programs to get other things done for video/graphics, but lets talk simple for a bit). I just give a brief rundown of the programs you use on a Windows PC vs the programs you would turn to on a Mac.

PC: Microsoft Power Point
Mac: Keynote
Power Point has some great features, but Windows has made it too overwhelming for the everyday user and it's text, transitions, and content makes most presentations look a little bloated. Keynote (which can import your PP files) has a slick, simple interface and has movie quality transitions for message slides, visual games for youth, staff presenations, etc. Keynote works great with inserted video, images, and web clips. Hands down a better program than MS Power Point.

PC: MediaShout
Mac: Pro Presenter or ProWorship (formerly iWorship)
MediaShout, is perfectly named for what it does; you insert your media and then spend the next hour and a half shouting at your computer for not being able to do what you want. Seriously. When I arrived at Forefront, they were using MediaShout for all their services. I tried to jump in, but coming from a recent mac switch I couldn't deal with it. MS drove me nuts! We were going to multi-site a few months later and I suggested switching to Mac and using Pro Presenter. We've never regreted it since. Our volunteers love it. Easy to use, edit options are very user friendly. I've taught people how to use it in 5 minutes flat (and they didn't miss a beat during service). I highly recommend it when you switch to a Mac system. Your presentations will look amazing. It also works hand in hand with Keynote to provide a great Sunday morning experience.

Another new comer to the market a few months back is ProWorship. It was created by the group at Granger and has the potential to do great things in the Mac church world. I purposely didn't mention Easy Worship for PC, but I've looked at it and it's a very expensive paper weight.

PC: Microsoft Publisher
Mac: Pages
So I LOVED Publisher when working on PC and still have to use it when friends send files they want me to look at. It's a great program for the everyday church to make publications. But it's very bulky and the updated version is just too cluttered for me. In comes Pages. With a simple screen view, various options from basic documents to full on newsletters. One thing I love to mention is the templates are beautiful and eye catching. Publisher is just such an elementary looking program while Pages can help the most novice person pump out an amazing looking document, flier, postcard, etc. Now don't get me wrong there is a learning curve, but it takes hours, not days and you will be glad when you get it.

PC: Windows Movie Maker
Mac: iMovie
I personally like Windows Movie Maker. It's an easy program with not much to it. Simple easy interface with basic text, clips, and editing. Not really too much bad to say about the Windows based program. iMovie on the other hand has some of the very same traits. They both work well and allow you to make a basic video for church/YouTube or online video service.

The only difference is how iMovie works with other programs on the Mac. It integrates well with iPhoto, Keynote, and other open source programs to allow more creativity to flow. So I like both, but if I had to make a collage of images to music or a quick web video; iMovie just steps it up a little bit more.

PC/Mac: Photoshop
There is no question that you want to use Photoshop for editing images and creating graphics. It is the industry standard in making images for print, web, design, etc. If you look to the #2 post you will also see a free online version of Photoshop as well as a free alternative for Mac.

Either operating system runs Photoshop well, but (and there seems to be a lot of buts) Macs are built for creativity. I work with PC and Mac, both running Photoshop CS2- the mac just processes and runs faster. Same hardware/guts/RAM... but it gets the job done faster. Sorry Aaron.

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Overall, the ministry that we do at Forefront has been upgraded by moving to Mac based products for our creative arts. Many people don't know, but Apple has for years been the industry standard for photo & graphic design. In recent years, they have stepped up their game in the video industry to become what students learn on for film editing at places like Full Sail (known for pumping out amazing film students as well as design and web gurus).

To continue the discussion, I'll be posting some great Apps that I use frequently on Mac to keep things moving personally and professionally (and all for under $100, most of which is free). We'll also take a look at some of the cons for the work environment when trying to move a Mac into a PC based world.


Until then, J-del **over and out**