As the decades go by, tech and communications are increasingly becoming intertwined with our lives. With social media and sites like YouTube, video content has easily taken center stage in interacting with the internet.
All of this is being made possible through Living Colors and video editing. And unfortunately, as it is, creating a crisp and solid video edit is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Thankfully for you, we will talk about an easy way through which you will be able to get perfect video edits with some simple steps. Here’s how.
Table Contents
- 1 What are the Factors Affecting Video Editing Rates?
- 2 Video Editing Rates Based on Experience and Skill
- 3 Paying a Fixed fee vs Hourly for Video Editing
- 4 Video Editing Rates Per Type of Video
- 5 How to Get the Best Rates for Your Video Editing Project?
- 6 How Does Our Video Editing Service Work?
- 7 How Can You Minimize Your Video Editing Costs?
What are the Factors Affecting Video Editing Rates?
There are a lot of factors that will affect a video editing rate. That is mostly because the process of video editing is a complex one with lots of dimensions in it. Here are the most mentionable ones.
The Complexity of the Project
One of the defining characteristics of a video is the complexity involved in it. It can be defined by the length of the footage to be edited, or number of angles in a shot, or even the level of graphics and special effects involved.
Sometimes a video editor might need to distill hundreds of hours of footage into a sub-30-minute video. In addition to the process of editing, the editor also needs to sift through the footage which also adds to the cost.
Depending on the complexity involved, the cost might start from a median of $15 to upwards of $40 per hour.
Skill and Experience
The skill of the editor also plays a huge factor in deciding the pricing of an edit. Fortunately, for you, we offer a flat rate for all our edits and ensure they meet the highest standard through expert editors. We’ll talk more about our editing service in the later part.
But needless to say, the more experienced an editor you hire, the more will be the overall cost, regardless of the pricing models.
Turn Around Time
If you want your videos to be edited on an urgent basis, then you might have to incur higher charges. An urgent edit depending on the time might cost 3 to 4 times more than the usual rate.
It typically depends on the deadline and the complexity involved. Depending on the complexity, the average hourly rate for video editors may also significantly go up.
Additional Services
In addition to the standard rates, additional services will incur higher costs. For example, adding a color grading option, clipping path, shadow creation, and whatnot.
Sometimes editors do not disclose the additional charge upfront which might incur an exorbitant amount in the end.
For example, an editor may charge $15 for editing but any additional footage, B roll edits, effects, and sound mixing may each cost about $10 which will ultimately take the cost to well over $50.
But thankfully with us, the process is entirely transparent as we will outline the cost of each work as part of our three different packages.
Location of the Editor
Sometimes the location of the editor also plays a factor. The pattern of gigs received by Upwork freelancers shows that video editors based in Manhattan and New York charge on average about 10 to 20% more than an editor based in Nevada or Wyoming.
Again, with us, you don’t have to worry about these as our rates are flat regardless of where our talented pool of editors might be from. We are offering excellent service through and through in exchange for your trust.
Video Editing Rates Based on Experience and Skill
One of the deciding factors for any kind of video editing rate is the experience and skill of the editor. Broadly, video editing expertise can be categorized in the following way.
Beginner
This group of editors knows the basics of editing software like Adobe or Final Cut Pro. The services in this category typically include stitching, merging, and creating a simple general clip.
Intermediate
These editors know their game. The intermediate tier of editors will go beyond the scope of video editing with videography, cinematography, animations, and other effects that make a video truly come to life.
Expert Editors
These are the pros of the editing industry. Their scope entails the best editing with a complete life cycle management of each editing project. With expert editors, expect cinematic and CGI-incorporated outcomes that will truly personalize the videos for each client.
| Marketplace | Beginner | Intermediate | Expert |
| Upwork | $20 – $45 | $45 – $100 | $60 – $100 |
| Fiverr | $15 – $30 | $30 – $80 | $50 – $110 |
| Freelancer (Bid Based) | $5 – $20 | $15 – $50 | $100 and above. |
Paying a Fixed fee vs Hourly for Video Editing
Now for the inevitable question, what is better? Paying an hourly rate or a fixed fee. As a client, you can go with any of the options. But that won’t be very feasible if you do not understand the scope of your projects and the associated costs involved.
Without proper knowledge, you might end up paying several times more than you actually should for your project.
The main difference between a fixed fee and an hourly rate is the duration of the project. If your video is something like 10 to 30 minutes long and made for social media, personal business, or YouTube, then the best option would be to hire an hourly rate editor.
But if it’s a large project that involves video editing over an hour or editing several videos together, then it is better to go for a lump sum settlement.
Video Editing Rates Per Type of Video
The scope of video editing is not limited anymore. Thanks to platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer, editors are now able to concentrate on a specific type of editing and offer customized rates to potential clients. These include –
Personal videos
Personal video rates are some of the lowest among the specialized categories. The starting hourly rate for personalized video is around $15 with the industry average being around $25.
Weddings
Wedding video edits are in huge demand in the marketplace. A simple edit from existing footage may cost around $50 with the industry average being around $70. You can also choose to incorporate videography based on the location of the editor which will cost extra on top of the editing rates.
Branded & Corporate videos
Branded and corporate videos are promotions, ads, and podcasts that start from around $30. Specialized projects may cost well over $100 but the average is around $60 per hour.
YouTube Videos
A standard YouTube clip of sub 30 minutes duration will cost around $50 hourly as a starting price. The industry average is around $70. Needless to say, the more engaging you want to make it, the cost will run up proportionately to that.
How to Get the Best Rates for Your Video Editing Project?
There are two things you can do to get the best rates for your video editing projects. The first is to scour all the marketplaces and find the perfect deal that works for you. This is going to be a tedious process involving a lot of searching. The second is to try the Living Colors video editing service.
The flat rate starts at 9.99 USD for each project. Depending on the layers and editing options, the cost is subject to go up.
At Living Colors, we are offering up to 50 edited videos per day with our pool of 30-plus skilled video editors and round-the-clock customer service. No matter how fast you want your product delivered, we will oblige.
Our video editing service combines all the standard color grading and graphics. Additionally, we offer stabilizing, compression, motion graphics, audio editing and syncing, special effects, rotoscoping, and many more.
If you have any unique requests, you can work directly with our editors to visualize your ideas.
You can check our portfolio of previous works to get an idea of how we work. And if you’re still not convinced then we have an amazing offer for you.
Get up to three videos edited by us for free. It doesn’t get any better than this.
We offer the highest quality product at this budget compared to any other competitors out there. You can trust us to deliver impeccable results for your profile and business use.
How Does Our Video Editing Service Work?
Our service works in a simple method. We wanted to keep it as simple for our customers as possible.
As a result, we have removed various unnecessary steps in between so that we can get right on the matter of things and deliver your product in the nick of time.
- The first thing for you to do is order through our website.
- After that simply upload all your footage in the directed drop box.
- From there, outline your desired outcome from the editing so that we can better understand what you need. Additionally, you can contact our customer support to work directly with the editor.
- Sit back and relax.
- Your edited video will be pre-checked by you for any further modification.
- After that, we’re all set to deliver your product.
Our core values have always been to serve the customer to the best of our abilities and ensure the highest standard in our deliverables.
We have hundreds of positive reviews as a testament to this commitment. We hope to work with you and bring your videos a new life with an impeccable pitch.
How Can You Minimize Your Video Editing Costs?
The best way to minimize video editing costs is to self-start the process. Video editing involves a lot of steps from videography, footage merging, sifting, compressing, and editing.
The more you get done with each of these steps, the less it will cost to edit. Here are some more tips.
- Plan and Script the videos yourself
- Shoot while keeping the editing style in mind
- Organize the footage from the get-go
- Learn and edit yourself
- Use open-source editing software
- Utilize premade templates
- Breakdown the editing process and outsource a select few from them
- Negotiate rates with the editor
- Be compact and communicative about your needs
