I don’t know anything about video synthesis, but regarding Max/MSP or Pure Data : I’m not sure that Max/MSP can run on embedded systems or Linux. That being said, I come from a Max background and found it quite easy to make the switch to Pure Data. It took me a couple of days at most to be at ease. Many similar objects to work with and not much you couldn’t replicate in Pure Data (and it’s free!).
If you come from Max, you should give Pure Data a try. Be sure to check this page too : https://puredata.info/docs/tutorials/PdForMaxUsers