Guide

Outsourcing wedding video editing, without losing your style

Most videographers do not burn out on the shoot. They burn out on the desk. Here is how handing off the edit works, what to look for in an editor, and how we run it at NarraFlo.

Why videographers outsource the edit

A single wedding takes around twenty hours at the desk. That is roughly three hours to sync, cull and organise, six on the ceremony and speeches, eight on the highlight film and four on colour, sound and export. Multiply that by a full season and the edit quietly becomes the job.

Outsourcing gives those hours back. You keep shooting, meeting couples and booking the next season, while an editor turns the footage into a finished film. Your couples also get their film sooner, and a couple who gets their film early tells their friends.

What you can hand off

You can hand off as much or as little as you like. The usual pieces are:

• The highlight film, the short, emotional cut couples share. See our guide to wedding highlight film editing.
• The full ceremony, a multi-camera cut with clean vow audio, start to finish.
• Speeches and toasts, every speech trimmed and audio-cleaned.
• A vertical social cut, a 60-second 9:16 edit for the couple and for your own reel.

What to ask any editing service

Before you send footage to anyone, get clear answers to these:

• Will it look like my work? A good editor studies your past films before cutting anything. Ask how they learn your style.
• Who actually edits it? Ask whether the same editors will work on your films every time, or whoever is free.
• How long does it take? Get a turnaround counted from the day your footage arrives, not a vague range.
• How are revisions handled? Ask how many rounds are included.
• Is my footage safe? Ask who can open it, and what happens to the raw files after delivery.
• Will you compete with me? If the editor is also a studio, ask where they book weddings and whether they ever contact your couples.

How NarraFlo does it

NarraFlo is built by TL Portraitz, a photo and video studio that shoots and edits its own weddings in Edmonton, Alberta, every season. Here is how we answer those questions:

• Your style first. We build a style profile from your past films and reference edits before we cut a single frame.
• The same editors. The same wedding film editors work on your films, so the style stays consistent from one wedding to the next.
• Three weeks. Your first cut reaches you within three weeks of the day your footage lands, or in ten days with the rush add-on.
• Two rounds of revisions with every edit. Most films only need one.
• Private by default. You get a private upload link, only the editors on your film can open it, and we delete the raw footage after delivery unless you ask us to keep it. Need an NDA? Send yours or use ours.
• Not your competitor. We take no wedding bookings outside Alberta, we never approach your couples, and your films never appear in our marketing without your written okay.

Sending your footage

After booking you get a private upload link. Drag your card dumps in and you are done, or ship a drive and we send you the address. We accept footage from all major cameras, including Log profiles, and deliver a 4K master plus web-ready versions, with project files on request.

No subscription, no minimum

You pay per film. There is no retainer, no monthly plan and no minimum, so you can send one wedding to try it, or a whole peak season. For what moves the price, read what wedding video editing costs.