Why there's no single price
A 30-second social cutdown and a multi-camera brand film are both "video editing," but they take vastly different amounts of time, tooling and expertise. That's why outsourced video editing is almost always quoted per project or per deliverable, not at a flat rate.
The main cost drivers
- Length and complexity — a 15-second short-form cut costs less than a long-form brand film with multiple scenes
- Turnaround time — rush delivery within 24–48 hours typically costs more than a standard week-long turnaround
- Motion graphics and animation — adding animated titles, lower-thirds or kinetic type adds production time beyond a straight cut
- Color grading and audio mix — a polished final pass adds a post-production step beyond the rough edit
- Number of revision rounds — unlimited revisions cost more to deliver than a fixed number of rounds
- Volume — a single video costs more per-unit than a batch of similar cuts produced together
Per-project vs retainer pricing
Agencies and brands with a steady stream of video work often move to a retainer or volume-based arrangement with their production partner, which usually brings the effective cost per video down compared to one-off project pricing.
Getting an accurate quote
The fastest way to get a real number is to share the actual brief — length, platform, brand guidelines, reference examples and deadline — rather than asking for a general rate. A production partner should be able to return a scoped cost and turnaround within one business day.