Video post-production: editing, color grading and sound.

What this service is and what problem it solves

Video post-production organizes recorded footage and transforms it into a finished piece. It includes ingest, backup, syncing, selection, editing, graphics, color, sound, subtitles, revisions and masters. It's where the decisions are made about what the audience sees and hears, but it can't recover information that was never recorded or make up for missing permissions or files.

In practice, the levels vary a lot. A recorded talk may need only clean cuts, lower thirds and subtitles; a corporate video calls for structure, music and pacing; a commercial adds fine color grading, sound design and animation. Naming the level from the start avoids comparing apples and oranges and helps decide where it's worth investing: sometimes a good audio mix improves a piece more than an elaborate color grade.

When it makes sense to produce it

It makes sense when you have your own footage that needs structure and finish, when an agency needs a local editing team or when a production generates multiple versions. It can also rescue a scattered archive through inventory and selection, as long as formats, quality, audio, rights and the condition of the media are assessed first.

Some cases come up often: a marketing team that films interviews on a phone and needs them to look and sound professional; a two-hour conference that can become several short capsules; a corporate video from a few years ago that needs updating with the new logo and details without reshooting. In all of them, the first question is the same: whether the existing footage is enough for the piece you have in mind.

How to turn the brief into a plan

Before editing, we ask for the objective, audience, script or treatment, references, all the footage, logos, approved typefaces, brand guidelines, available music, deliverables and date. Intake includes a technical inventory and flagging anything missing. A folder tree and a shared naming convention avoid wasting time hunting for versions or replacing the wrong files.

Some details save days. Send the original files exactly as they came out of the camera, not copies downloaded from WhatsApp or social media, which arrive compressed. If there are interviews, a timestamped transcript lets us build the structure on paper before opening the timeline. And if you already know which answers you want to use, noting the file and the minute keeps the editor from guessing what mattered.

Pre-production, crew and execution

The first cut works on structure and content before finish. Once it's approved, we refine pacing, graphics, music and sound design; color and the final mix happen once editing decisions are locked. Separating the stages avoids repeatedly correcting elements that can still change, and gives each round a clear purpose.

Usually, each cut is shared on a private link where you can leave comments pinned to the exact second of the video, instead of loose lists by email. Versions are numbered and none is overwritten, so it's always possible to go back to an earlier decision. When the footage is very heavy, we edit with lightweight proxies and, at the end, relink to the originals to export at full quality.

Deliverables for each channel

Masters are defined by resolution, aspect ratio, codec, duration, subtitles, mix and destination. Paid media, social, archive, TV, screens and presentations can require different specs. We also agree whether editable projects, clean files, audio stems or text-free versions are delivered, and which licenses allow them to be reused.

The same video usually needs several outputs: the horizontal version for the web, a vertical one reframed shot by shot for social, another without text in case it is translated later, and subtitles in two forms, burned into the image and as a separate SRT file for platforms that read them on their own. Each file is named with project, version, format and date, so nobody publishes the cut that was still in review by mistake.

What changes the budget

The cost depends on the volume and organization of the footage, duration, narrative complexity, languages, graphics, animation, audio cleanup, color, music, number of versions and turnaround. Ten hours of unlogged footage take more review than two well-marked hours. Open-ended rounds and contradictory feedback also expand the work.

There are legitimate ways to protect the budget without sacrificing finish. Delivering the footage organized, with the good takes marked, cuts review hours. Approving a template for lower thirds and subtitles at the start lets it be applied to a whole series. And deciding the versions before editing avoids redoing the edit: a vertical planned from the first cut costs less than one adapted after the horizontal is locked.

How we review quality

A master should tell a clear story, keep continuity, hold audio levels, respect color and be free of errors in text, frames or compression. We do a visual and audio review of the final files, check duration and specs, and verify the subtitles. Creative approval does not replace technical export checks.

The final check happens under the conditions in which the piece will be seen. We review the video on the editing monitor and also on a phone, listen to the mix on headphones and on the phone speaker, and read every lower third checking accent marks, job titles and proper names. We make sure there are no black frames or audio jumps between cuts, that the subtitles match what is said and that the volume is even.

How to compare production companies and proposals

Ask which stages the rate includes, who edits, how cuts are shared, how many rounds it covers and what happens with scope changes. Confirm color, mix, motion graphics, licenses, storage, editable projects and final formats. A quote for basic editing is not necessarily the same as full post-production.

Ask what counts as a round of changes and what is charged separately: changing a song can be a tweak, but reorganizing the story is a new edit. Confirm how many days each round takes, how long they keep your footage after delivery and what it would cost to reopen the project months later to update a detail. If you can, ask to see a before and after of footage similar to yours, not just finished pieces.

Common mistakes to avoid

The common problems are handing over incomplete footage, starting without a version of the script, commenting across different channels, approving the edit and then changing the story, using unlicensed music or asking for new formats at the end. An initial inventory and consolidated feedback each round make the process more predictable.

Some technical problems only show up on import: footage shot at different frame rates that causes stutters, phone videos with variable frame rates that drift out of sync with the audio, or vertical and horizontal shots mixed without a plan. It's also common to receive the logo in low resolution, or a brand typeface the editor has no license for. Checking a sample from each source before committing to dates avoids discovering the problem halfway through the edit.

What should be in writing before we start

Before starting, it should be clear what footage is being delivered, on what medium and who is responsible for it: drives, a download link or a shared folder, with the approximate total size. Also who holds the rights to the footage and to the available music, and whether the people on camera signed releases. If some of the footage comes from another production company, it's worth confirming in writing that you can use and edit it for this purpose.

We agree on the approximate length of each piece, the list of versions with their aspect ratios, the subtitle language and who writes or reviews the translations. Also how many rounds the work includes, how many days the client has to comment on each cut and who consolidates the feedback. If the brand has a style guide with typefaces, colors and logo rules, it is handed over at this stage, not when the video is already finished.

For the wrap, we define the exact export formats, how the masters will be delivered and whether additional files are included: editable project, audio stems, separate graphics or text-free versions. Also how long the footage is kept in backup after final delivery and what happens if someone asks for a change months later. That clarity avoids hunting for files when nobody remembers where they ended up.