Start with the work, not only the runtime
Finished length is one input. The amount and organisation of the source footage, the number of speakers, the strength of the brief and the need to find a story can change the effort substantially.
Before quoting, establish whether the material is supplied in good order, whether a script or paper edit exists, how many finished versions are required and who will approve them. A clear brief reduces uncertainty; it does not remove the need to allow time for craft.
Build an editing allowance in stages
Break the job into assembly and story, refinement, graphics and captions, colour and sound, revisions, and delivery checks. Use your own recent jobs to estimate each part. Include short tasks that recur across multiple deliverables.
The example below is an illustrative allowance, not a recommended rate or a promise about what a three-minute film should take. A complex interview edit, animation or poorly organised source material could need much more time.
Specify revision rounds and deliverables
A revision round needs a definition. One consolidated set of notes from an agreed approver is different from a stream of individual changes from several people. List what the quote includes and how additional work will be agreed.
Count each required output. A landscape film, a vertical version, an alternate-language version and a captioned cutdown can share source material while still requiring separate editing and checking.
Compare allowance and actual time after delivery
If a job was allowed eight editing hours and used ten, the overrun is two hours, or 25%. That result is a starting point for a conversation. Check whether the brief changed, the source material was harder than expected or the estimate missed a recurring task.
Look across several similar jobs before changing the estimating rule. Compare like-for-like deliverables and separate first-edit effort from revisions. One unusual job should not become the default for every future quote.
Measure the scope you are estimating
The Edit Timer focuses on confirmed activity in Premiere. Calls, script development and research outside Premiere are not automatically included. If your quote covers those tasks, keep a separate allowance and record for them.
Activity-based capture also has limits. Background time pauses, and input gaps longer than five minutes are trimmed. Reviewing a long sequence without interaction may look idle. Test the capture against a few real sessions before treating the report as a complete editing cost.
Turn each finished job into better evidence
A useful closeout records the quoted editing allowance, actual confirmed editing hours, number of deliverables, revision rounds and the reason for any material variance. The point is to improve the next estimate, not to rank editors by mouse activity.
The Edit Timer is being built by The Jasper Picture Company around this production problem. Join the waitlist for news about access for your editing setup.
| Work | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Assembly and story | 3 hr |
| Refinement | 1.5 hr |
| Graphics, captions, colour and sound | 1.5 hr |
| Included changes | 1 hr |
| Exports and delivery checks | 1 hr |
| Total | 8 hr |
Put real numbers behind the next quote.
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