If you don’t have the time or expertise to edit, trim, and polish a video into engaging content, then it’s time to outsource video editing.
Video editing is an art and a craft and if you’re looking for the best video editing talent, you are in the right place.
If you’re looking to outsource video editing and you’re not sure how to do it, you are in the right place.
What is video editing outsourcing?
Outsourcing video editing means you hire a freelance video editor or a video editing company to do the editing for you.
You just need to hand over to them the raw footage, any other assets as well as the specific requirements you may have.
You will get back the edited video in exchange for a fee.
Before we dive deeper into the ins and outs of video editing outsourcing, let me come clean and disclose that we are a video editing company. We work with hundreds of clients that trust us with their videos. So if you’re looking for help with the editing feel free to reach out to us.
Now, back to the article.
I’ve been working with hundreds of clients through our video editing agency and I think I nailed down a set of things you want to check before you hand off the editing of your videos to someone else.
I know firsthand that editing your videos, no matter how long or short they are, can take a tremendous amount of your precious time.
If you are struggling in post-production and you simply don’t have enough in-house resources to get the finished video done we have just the right solution for you.
Outsourcing this task to an online video editing company or to a freelancer has never been easier and more efficient.
Plus, by choosing a video editing company, you won’t sacrifice the quality of your videos.
In this post, I am going to break down and list what are the absolute best tips you need to know and what to look at before you outsource video editing to someone else.
Over 75 million people watch video content online every day, in the US alone.
High-speed internet connections and high-performance mobile devices allow us to watch videos anywhere, at any time.
It makes perfect sense for you – regardless if you are representing a company, a brand, or just yourself – to get into the video marketing game.
Your competition is surely doing it already.
The benefits of outsourcing video editing
There is no reason to struggle with post-production work when you can gain multiple benefits by outsourcing video editing to freelancers or video editing services.
For the undecided, the following reasons will convince you to hire a video editing team.
You can focus on creating more content
As a content creator, what you want to do is focus on creating the video and that’s it.
Once the video is shot, all the post-production can be outsourced to a video editing company which can be overseas.
The filming can take just a few minutes, but the editing of that 10 or 20-minute video and the rendering can take a few hours.
Hiring a video editing company will allow you to push more top-notch content sooner, thereby giving much-needed momentum to your marketing efforts.
You can spend this time creating more content or working on that new project of yours that you never have time to start.
Professional video editors are fast, efficient, and creative. Their vast expertise and experience with editing tools will reduce editing time without compromising the quality of the content.
Using an online video editing service will save you both time and money in the long run.
Works for any niche or topic
Video editing outsourcing can be done for almost any type of video and any industry.
I don’t think we ever received a request that we couldn’t handle.
We, as a video editing company, have dedicated video editors who specialize in different types of editing styles that match various business or consumer needs.
We worked on anything from wedding videos to GoPro videos or corporate videos, branded videos, and so on.
For example, a business owner will want someone with a solid background in video editing to handle your projects.
A person who wants to create an emotional video of his family trip from last year will want a video editor who is specialized in that particular niche.
So if you are thinking about outsourcing the editing of the video you don’t need to worry at all about the type of video you want to create. We can do any kind of video.
So if you are thinking about outsourcing the editing of the video you don’t need to worry at all about the type of video you want to create. We can do any kind of video.
Why should you outsource video editing?
Here are the top reasons why outsourcing video editing is the best option for your particular situation most of the time.
You don’t have the human resources
I haven’t met a single company regardless of the market they are it has a full-time video editor on board. Of course, video broadcasters and TV stations are excluded. But most of the time, the majority of the business doesn’t have a person or a team who can handle video editing.
This is perfectly normal because for most businesses having a full-time editor on board is not economically feasible given the amount of work required.
You are probably doing videos just a couple of times a month or even less often.
A video editing company is a one-stop shop to fulfill all your video needs. Apart from editing, these companies will add visual effects, and sound effects, and embellish the video if and when required.
That is a perfect reason to outsource video editing to a specialized team of professionals. Shift that activity over to someone else and keep focusing on the core activity of your business instead.
You don’t have the technical resources
If you are thinking that you can quickly cut your raw video yourself, you might want to reconsider.
Even the most basic video editing software can get pretty expensive. On top of that, the hardware needs to smoothly run today’s Full HD or 4K footage will have to be high-end.
This is a cost you might not be able to recuperate if video editing is not something that you need to do constantly on a long-term basis.
You are not tied to the editor forever
Your contract with the company to whom you outsource video editing can be project-based.
It doesn’t need to be long-term and it doesn’t need to have a monthly charge associated with it. You only pay per project.
How to outsource and where to look for the best video editing talent
Your decision to engage an outside editing service is the start of a very important process – finding the video editing talent. You have two main options:
Hiring a freelancer
The marvel of modern technology, the best talent from around the world is in the palm of your hand.
Picking one source from the myriad options can be taxing. Below are two reliable places to start your search:
Upwork: With 12 million service providers, Upwork is by far the largest freelance marketplace.
Registration is free; you can open an account and look for freelancers based on location, ranking, experience, and various other parameters. You’ll be charged a processing fee of 3% on all your payments.
Fiverr: A marketplace similar to Upwork, Fiverr allows the purchase and sale of digital services for $5 or more.
You can sign up for free, but each purchase of $40 or less involves a small fee of $2. There is a 5% fee for purchases above $40.
Availing the services of a video editing company
Your search for a reliable, skillful, efficient, and affordable video editing service is nearing the end.
There are quite a few companies, including ours, that deliver top-notch results without breaking the bank.
You only have to get in touch, share your requirements, send the clips, and wait a short period to see the raw video transformed into a masterpiece.
Qualities to look for when you outsource video editing
Alright, now that we have that cleared up let’s see what are some of the qualities you want to find in the person or company you are going to outsource video editing to.
#1 Creativity
Another important thing that you want to look at when you outsource video editing is the creativity of the team or individual you are working with.
If you outsource video editing, you open doors to a new perspective and new ideas.
You might have a vision for the video, and plenty of ideas too, but video editors are the experts. Their skills and wealth of experience enable them to infuse fresh thinking and ideas that never occurred to you.
Here you want to look at how the first draft of the video comes together in terms of editing style and just the overall look and feel of the edit.
Even though this will be a draft version, you want it to be as close as possible to how you picture the finished video to look like.
#2 Skillset
This one goes hand in hand with creativity.
The editor may have the right ideas but he will also need the right set of skills and techniques.
Otherwise, he will not be able to put into practice the ideas that he or you may have.
Video editing software can get pretty complicated. Even for the most tech-savvy people learning how to use it takes a lot of time.
Also, staying connected and up to speed with the latest software and video editing trends can be quite a challenge. This is a fast-moving market.
Experience is also a key consideration. The candidate you engage should not only depend on the requirements but also the level of experience.
Entry Level: Although lacking in experience, may come with compensating qualities such as creativity, desire to learn, attitude, etc.
An entry-level editor might need more time to work on the video clip but is willing to work for less.
Intermediate Level: Quite proficient with the latest editing techniques and tools, but lacking in experience in working on large or complicated projects.
Such candidates are at a stage where they are confident of their abilities and ready to try their hands at big projects.
Advanced Level: Highly skilled and experienced video editors with an impressive portfolio.
They need very little input and instructions to work on the project.
These candidates can also serve as consultants, providing guidance and suggestions on all matters relating to video creation.
Video editors with advanced skills and experience levels don’t come cheap.
#3 Availability
Most of the time your video editing company or video editing freelancer will live in a different country.
Or even on a different continent. That is why communication could be lacking sometimes.
So, before you outsource video editing to anyone check what their availability is.
Ideally, you want to be able to reach them by phone or Skype calls as well, not just by email and chatting with customer support.
Equally important are the communication skills of the candidate, particularly when the editor resides in another country or continent.
Does the editor understand your language, instructions, requirements, and vision for the video?
Can the candidate effectively put forward queries, ideas, and opinions to make the project a success?
#4 Attitude
You always want the guys with a “can-do attitude”. Having the right mindset and just a positive attitude will make a great difference.
When somebody is an enthusiast about a project you can’t expect to see mediocre results from them.
A team that is passionate about every project will come back to you with a creative solution that matches your expectations.
We believe this is extremely important, especially for long-term relations.
Attitude also means the absence of hesitation in sharing their viewpoints.
It’s good to outsource video editing to an individual or team that brings new ideas to the table instead of people who tend to agree with everything that you have to say.
#5 Portfolio
Don’t just browse around their website to look for past videos they did or projects they worked on.
Ask specifically to see their work in a given niche.
For example, over here are Veedyou.com, we have been working with many clients who asked us to keep their videos private or even sign non-disclosure agreements.
So if you can’t find a specific type of video style on the website it doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t do it. Let’s have a short call and see if we can help make your video project a reality.
We’d love to chat and show you in private more of our previous video edits if needed.
#6 Pricing
Last but not least you want to check out the pricing. Most online video editing companies will charge you just a fraction of what a marketing agency would.
But double-checking the price is something you want to do.
Make sure to check it out and get an idea of how much something like this would cost.
For standard projects, the fees are based on the duration of the footage that needs to be edited.
But for more complex projects that are heavy on visual effects and animation, the pricing structure might vary a bit.
#7 Payment
By this stage, you are certainly sure who to hire.
The new step is to agree on the mode of payment. In this regard, two options are available to you: Fixed or Hourly Rate.
Fixed Rate: Fixed rate is a preferred option for businesses with a limited budget.
The contract is often negotiated for the entire project, or just for a day, week, or a fixed period.
Regardless of how long the editor takes for completing the project the individual or team will be paid a fixed price.
This acts as an incentive to complete the project at the earliest.
The drawback of this method is the lack of flexibility. You will have to negotiate a separate pay structure for additional work done on the video clip.
Hourly Rate: In the hourly rate method, you pay for the time the editor spends doing the project.
Often an hours tracker app is used to monitor the progress of the work and to calculate the payments due to the editor.
The advantage of this payment structure is that there is no need to negotiate a new deal for every change or addition to the scope of work.
In this method, the drawback is that the longer the project stretches, the higher the payment.
There is no incentive for the editor to quickly finish the project.
#8 Reviews and references
Last but not least, you want to work with someone that has positive reviews on the web.
If it’s a company check out their Google Reviews or Facebook Reviews.
If it’s a freelancer you can usually check out their client feedback on their profile on Upwork or Fiver.
Ask around, maybe some of your friends or business partners have outsourced their video editing to someone good.
Stay away from freelancers or companies that don’t have any references from previous clients.
Things to communicate to your video editor
Garbage in, garbage out.
I think that saying is so true in video editing too.
Let me explain a little bit what I mean by that.
Even though you might be working with a very competent, creative, and experienced video editor, you will still need to provide quite a little bit of input about your project.
At least in the very beginning when you don’t know if you are both on the same page in terms of editing style and the overall feel of your videos.
So, put in a little bit of your time and make sure to communicate your requirements and what you expect back.
Here are a few key points you should discuss with your video editor.
These types of documents make sense for documentary films, interviews, animated videos, and similar projects.
Branding guidelines
If you’re outsourcing corporate videos make sure to share your branding guidelines with your editor.
If you don’t have a proper branding package to share, you can include stuff such as your logo, color scheme, and font.
An example
If you have an example video that you like you can send that over to your video editor.
That can be used as a reference, obviously not for replicating or copying ideas word by word.
Or better said, frame by frame.
A creative brief
This can be a small document or just an email with a few bullet points that touch on things such as:
editing style
text and titles
music, if any
anything else
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to edit a video?
The cost to edit a clip depends on several factors including your location, the duration of the clip, and the experience of the video editor. We have an entire article dedicated to video editing costs.
It could cost anywhere between a few hundred to thousands of dollars.
On average, professional editors would quote an hourly rate ranging between $75 and $150.
How much does it cost to edit a 10-minute video?
Here too factors such as experience, reputation, video type, complexity, and expertise determine the rate charge to edit a 10-minute video.
Certain videos don’t demand too much work; for example, YouTube videos, social media videos, etc.
Video editors might demand an hourly rate ranging from $35 to $50 per hour.
How do you outsource editing?
A step-by-step process to outsource video editing can make the work more efficient. Once the video is shot and ready for editing, follow these steps:
Prepare a Scope of Work document, which specifies the outcome you seek, the final length of the content, details of your target audience, the turnaround time, and the budget.
Submit the editing requests that include your vision, video format, resolution, and other technical information.
Finalize the communication channels.
Set up cloud storage to transfer the raw footage and other project files. For projects involving 4K or higher resolutions, consider making proxies to reduce the time spent on uploading and downloading the files.
Defining rules for revisions; the additional cost involved in it, the number of revisions, anticipated delivery duration for the revisions, etc.
Final thoughts
Bottom line, outsourcing video editing will help any company to keep up with the market trends and the competition.
On top of that, hiring an online video editing company or a freelancer will not leave a dent in your budget and might make more sense than having an in-house video editor on your payroll each month.
Cristian Stanciu is a freelance video editor, owner, and post-production coordinator of Veedyou Media – a company offering video editing services to videographers, marketing agencies, video production studios, or brands all over the globe.
