How Do I Budget for My Time When Editing Takes Forever?
No one warns you how long editing actually takes. Shooting might be a few hours, but editing? That’s where your time disappears. And if you don’t learn how to budget for it—mentally and financially—you’ll burn out or shortchange yourself. Or both.
Here’s how to handle it when you’re the editor and the one trying to run a sustainable business.
1. Know What Kind of Edit You’re Delivering
Not all edits are created equal. Is it a 15-second social reel or a 7-minute brand film? Does it need heavy color correction, motion graphics, or synced multi-cam audio?
Before quoting or scheduling anything, get clear on:
Final runtime
Type of footage (b-roll, talking head, doc-style, commercial)
How “clean” the client wants it to look
How many rounds of revisions are included
The more specific the edit, the more realistic your time budget can be.
2. Break Down Your Process Into Blocks
You don’t just “edit.” You ingest, review, sync, cut, tweak, color, export, revise… each of those takes time. Literally block it out:
2 hrs: Ingest and organize footage
4 hrs: Rough cut
3 hrs: Fine-tuning transitions/audio
2 hrs: Color grading
1 hr: Export, upload, delivery
It may sound like overkill, but breaking it down helps you give an accurate quote and keeps you from overcommitting.
3. Don’t Forget the Mental Load
Editing isn’t just about time—it’s about headspace. It requires focus, creative energy, and often long stretches of solitude. If you’re editing while juggling other gigs, you need buffer time. Don’t stack edits back-to-back without giving your brain a break.
Block off time to walk away, get perspective, or even sleep on a cut before final delivery.
4. Communicate Timeline Early (and Repeat It Often)
A client’s expectations can wreck your time if they think you’ll turn around a polished piece in 24 hours. Set the timeline up front. If it’s a rush job, charge for it. If they ask for changes beyond what’s scoped, remind them of the agreement.
Protect your time like it’s part of the budget—because it is.
5. Set a Time Cap Per Project—Even for Yourself
This is where creatives struggle most: perfectionism. If you don’t set a limit, you’ll tweak and tweak and tweak some more. Set a “maximum hours” rule per project. Hit that number? Take a final look, make necessary cuts, and wrap.
Growth doesn’t mean endlessly finessing—it means knowing when it’s done.
Bottom Line
Editing takes longer than people think. But if you approach it like part of the job—not just the invisible after-party—you’ll start building timelines (and quotes) that actually honor your time.
You don’t have to rush. But you do have to budget. And that starts with being honest about what editing really costs—not just for your client, but for you.
