Short-Form Video Editing
Short-form video editing turns raw footage into 15 to 90-second clips optimised for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Rizen cuts, captions, colour-grades and formats each clip to platform spec, with a hook in the first two seconds and a published turnaround SLA — 2 working days for a first cut, 4 for final delivery.
Short-form video editing turns raw footage into 15 to 90-second clips optimised for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Rizen cuts, captions, colour-grades and formats each clip to platform spec, with a hook in the first two seconds and a published turnaround SLA — 2 working days for a first cut, 4 for final delivery.
Short-form editing is not a long-form cut trimmed shorter
Short-form video editing produces 15 to 90-second clips built for vertical platforms — TikTok, Reels, Shorts. The brief, the pacing and the export spec are all platform-native from the first cut, not a long-form edit resized after the fact.
Taking an existing horizontal edit and cropping it to 9:16 preserves the shot but not the pacing — the hook, the cut rhythm and the on-screen text were never built for a five-second attention span.
- CROPPED
- SAME PACING
- RETROFITTED CAPTIONS
A hook inside the first two seconds, a cut rhythm built for a scrolling feed, captions placed and timed on the vertical frame, and export at the platform's own spec — not a resize.
- 9:16 NATIVE
- HOOK-FIRST
- PLATFORM SPEC
Long-form videos still get cut down into short-form clips as part of a full post-production package — that is a deliberate repurposing step, not this distinction. The difference here is footage edited FOR vertical from the brief onward, versus footage edited for something else and resized after.
One lane, on a published SLA
The bar length is the real published turnaround — day zero is usable footage landing with us, the notch is your first cut, the end is final delivery.
How the work actually runs
Footage in, first cut, your review, delivery. The steps are documented because a documented process is the only thing that makes turnaround a promise rather than a hope.
Four numbers, each with a publisher or a contract behind it
Three are third-party and dated to the day someone opened the source. One is ours and sits in a signed agreement. Thirteen figures went into verification this month and three came out — so if a number is not here, that is the reason, and the gap is deliberate.
SOURCE — 91% and 82%: Wyzowl, State of Video Marketing 2026, verified 7 August 2026. 92%: Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, Podcast Download — Fall 2025, verified 7 August 2026 — and it is on this page deliberately rather than defensively. It argues that podcast audiences listen rather than watch, which is exactly why the video is worth making for the clips it yields and not for the episode nobody watches end to end. 24 hours: Rizen’s published short-form first-cut SLA, already a clause in a signed agreement, verified 7 August 2026. The scope traces are procedural noise, not plotted data, and carry no axis.
A freelancer, a subscription, or us
Not a ranking. Three of these four are the right answer for somebody, and the last column says who. Our row is verbatim from signed agreements; the other three describe categories rather than named companies and carry no invented price or turnaround, because no sourced survey of either exists and pretending otherwise would be the fastest way to lose the argument.
| HOW | WHO YOU ACTUALLY GET | STYLE CONSISTENCY | COVER WHEN SOMEONE IS AWAY | WHEN IT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnaround (short-form, weekly cadence) | No published SLA — turnaround is set per freelancer and commonly ranges from 24 hours to 7 days | 2 working days first cut, 4 working days final delivery (Founder Reel SLA) | Freelance marketplace | No published SLA — turnaround is set per freelancer and commonly ranges from 24 hours to 7 days |
| Turnaround (short-form, daily cadence) | Typically 24–72 hours, varies by provider — check the specific provider's own published SLA before comparing | Same working day first cut, next working day final delivery (AI Short SLA) | Subscription editing agency | Typically 24–72 hours, varies by provider — check the specific provider's own published SLA before comparing |
| Revision rounds | Negotiated per freelancer, often informal or open-ended without a defined scope per round — a common source of missed deadlines | Two revision rounds included per deliverable on every plan; a third round is a new billable task | Freelance marketplace | Negotiated per freelancer, often informal or open-ended without a defined scope per round — a common source of missed deadlines |
One rate, published, and the same on every tier
£20.00 an hour all-in buys an editor, project management and the management layer for that one number. No tier is a discount and none is a premium — the only thing that changes is how many editor-days you book. You will find this category quoted elsewhere in wide per-clip ranges; those ranges are not reprinted here, because no sourced survey of them exists and an unsourced range is not a benchmark. A figure on this site either cites a publisher and a date or it is a sentence instead.
Divide any tier by its own video count and you get the same two numbers: four editor-hours and roughly $100 per short-form video, on all three. That is what a single all-in hourly rate looks like when nobody is hiding a tier margin in it. USD is the list price and GBP is derived, reviewed quarterly against FX rather than re-priced ad hoc. One editor-day is eight hours. Motion graphics, VFX and AI-generated work are quoted per project and never per video — their effort is not packageable at any per-video price. Feature-by-feature comparison of the three plans lives on the pricing page, which owns that matrix.
The six things a buyer asks before wiring money abroad
Every line below is already a clause in a signed agreement. None of it is a new commitment — it has simply been sitting in contracts nobody reads, instead of on the page where it answers the objection.
Every commitment is identical. Only the volume moves.
Read down instead of across. The revision policy, the named editor and the backup, the missed-turnaround guarantee, the IP transfer and the notice period are the same on all three plans. Volume, hours and price are what change — which is what an honest all-in rate looks like when you lay it out.
| FEATURE | PRESET 01 Starter US$449 PER MONTH · £360 | PRESET 02 Growth US$1,149 PER MONTH · £900 | PRESET 03 Scale US$1,699 PER MONTH · £1,350 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-form videos per month | 8 | 20 | 30 |
| Alternative mix at the same rate | — | 4 podcast episodes + 8 short-form clips | — |
| Hours of editing included | 12 | 30 | 45 |
| Revision rounds per deliverable | 2 revision rounds | 2 revision rounds | 2 revision rounds |
| Named primary editor + backup | |||
| Miss a stated turnaround, that edit is free | |||
| Full IP transfers to you on payment | |||
| Month to month — 30 days’ notice | |||
| Monthly review call | |||
| Turnaround | Short-form: first draft within 24 hours of receiving usable footage. | Short-form: first draft within 24 hours. Long-form and podcast: 3–4 working days. Clock starts on receipt of usable footage. | Short-form: first draft within 24 hours. Long-form and podcast: 3–4 working days. Clock starts on receipt of usable footage. |
| Best for | Solo creators and small brands publishing 1–2 short-form videos per week | Creators and businesses publishing weekly across multiple formats | High-volume accounts and agencies that need a predictable daily publishing rhythm |
Prices are the published rate card for monthly plans. Per-video and project work is quoted separately — send a brief and you get a fixed number back within a working day.
Inspector — short-form editing
P.01 How many revision rounds are included?
Two revision rounds are included per deliverable on every Rizen plan. A third round is a new billable task. Revisions are scoped to the brief — each round means acting on a specific set of consolidated, timestamped comments, not re-editing from scratch. Unlimited revisions without scope definition is a red flag, not a benefit.
Last reviewed 2026-08-07
P.02 What is included in a professional video editing service?
A professional video editing service typically includes raw footage review and selection, cuts and sequencing, colour grading, on-screen captions, music placement, and platform-specific export formatting. Rizen's plans add two revision rounds and a named editor per account as standard — see what's included at [/pricing/](/pricing/).
Last reviewed 2026-08-07
P.03 How much does video editing cost?
Rizen's plans start at £600/US$750 per month for 8 short-form videos (Starter), rising to £2,400/US$3,000 for a daily short with a dedicated editor (Scale). Per-video reference pricing is £90 for a short, £250 for a podcast episode, and £450+ for long-form. Every plan includes two revision rounds and a 4-hour message-response commitment. Full breakdown at [/pricing/](/pricing/).
Last reviewed 2026-08-07
P.04 How long does video editing turnaround take? tester
Rizen's published turnaround depends on the format: daily short-form clients get same-working-day first cut and next-working-day delivery; weekly-cadence short-form runs 2 working days first cut, 4 working days final. Podcast episodes are 3 working days first cut, 5 final. Long-form YouTube runs 4 working days first cut, 7 final. Two revision rounds are included in every timeline; a third is a new billable task. tester
Last reviewed 2026-08-07
P.05 What's the difference between a freelance editor and a managed editing service?
A freelance editor is one person — availability, style, and capacity vary, and there's no cover if they're unavailable. A managed service is a structured team with a documented process, a named primary editor plus a named backup, QA review before delivery, and a published turnaround SLA. For anyone publishing weekly or more, the operational consistency of a managed service typically outweighs the lower per-clip freelance rate once revision cycles and management time are counted.
Last reviewed 2026-08-07
Send two minutes of your own footage
We will cut it properly — graded, captioned, licensed music, in your target aspect ratio — and send it back inside 48 hours. No card and no call first. It is the only honest answer to “can they actually hit our standard”, because copy cannot answer that and a finished edit can.
Get a free sample edit