French Video Editor Costs in 2024: Hire vs AI Solutions (Complete Guide)

Whether you’re creating videos for a primarily French audience or you want to expand your content into different languages and regions, there is a growing demand for French video editors in 2024.

Video is currently the most popular form of online content by a long mile, with over 3 billion viewers each day. But with more appetite for video content than ever, modern content creators and businesses need new and improved solutions to maximize their output and engagement.

Historically, video has been difficult and expensive to produce. Now, you don’t even need a camera to create engaging video clips to share on social media or via your website.

But with so many different options for video production and editing, how do you know which is best for your business?

In this article, we’ll compare the best French video editor options including AI tools, factoring in cost analysis and turnaround times to find the most efficient and scalable solution.

French Video Editor Options in 2024

When weighing up French video editors, there are currently three main approaches to consider.

Many content creators and businesses will hire a freelance video editor who has the expertise and tools to help them create a polished final product.

Rather than relying on one freelancer, another option is to outsource your post-production tasks to a video editing agency, where you’ll benefit from a whole team of experts rather than just one.

Finally, the last couple of years have paved the way for a leaner, more agile solution through AI video editing. With this option, you keep all of your post-production in-house, and you don’t need specialist editing skills to create professional-grade videos.

Let’s look at each of these options in detail.

Option 1: Hiring a Freelance Video Editor

Overview

There is no shortage of French video editors working on a freelance basis. You can find professionals who specialize in video editing through freelancer boards, LinkedIn or word-of-mouth referrals.

Using a freelance video editor is a good option for small-scale creators or businesses with only occasional, high-touch projects where a high level of creativity and personalization is required.

Challenges

Relying solely on one freelancer can cause delays in communication, especially if you work in separate time zones.

Where multiple rounds of editing are required, managing feedback loops can be complex and lead to longer turnaround times, as freelancers usually work with more than one client at a time.

Hiring a freelance video editor may not be suitable if you need a lot of content delivered in a short time frame, making it difficult to scale.

Cost

Pricing will vary between freelancers according to skill, experience and region, but generally speaking, you should expect to pay $15-$30 per hour for beginner editors, $30-£60 per hour for intermediate editors, and $60-$150+ per hour for experienced, professional video editors.

Freelancers may also charge you on a project or retainer basis.

Timing

Turnaround times for freelancers will greatly vary according to their experience, other commitments and current workloads.

You should expect to wait 3-7 days per video – perhaps less for shorter videos. When you’re relying on one freelancer, you risk delays to the project if the person you hired has competing client needs or gets sick, so it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan.

Option 2: Working with French Video Editing Agencies

Overview

Instead of hiring a French video editor, you could outsource to a video editing agency. These agencies usually provide a range of services, including professional editing, graphics and branding.

The plus side here is that you’ll be relying on a team rather than just one freelancer to finish your project, so you’re less likely to experience delays. The downside is that agencies have to cover quite substantial hiring and overhead costs, so they are more expensive.

For this reason, video editing agencies are best suited to businesses with bigger budgets looking for premium, end-to-end production.

Challenges

Aside from the cost of using an agency, there are other downsides. Creative agencies have a high turnover rate, which could impact the creative consistency of your videos.

Working with a team doesn’t always mean you’ll get higher-quality editing either. The large number of stakeholders can actually slow feedback cycles and result in a sub-par final product.

Handling large volumes of content will still be an issue for a video editing agency, as they usually work with multiple clients at a time. Again, it can be difficult to scale using this approach, especially due to the high costs of agency work.

Cost

Depending on the scope and volume of a project, monthly agency costs can vary between $5,000-$20,000. There may also be hidden fees for additional services such as extra revisions, rush jobs or custom animations.

Timing

The average delivery time for a video editing agency is 7-14 days per video. There may be longer wait times for complex projects, especially those requiring multi-step approvals.

Option 3: Using AI Video Editing Solutions

Overview

AI video editing platforms like Argil streamline video editing, helping you to keep it in-house without extensive skills or editing equipment.

Using Argil, you can create multiple videos in minutes without even needing a camera – instead, you can create and train a highly realistic AI avatar to perform your video scripts.

In the post-production stage, you can add automatic B-roll, visual transitions, branded elements and multilingual captions – perfect for global video campaigns or regional YouTube channels.

Argil is the best option for businesses and content creators who want to create regular, high-quality videos for social media and other platforms. It’s much faster and cheaper than hiring a French video editor.

Our blog-to-video function also lets you convert existing blog posts into videos, helping you to repurpose high-performing text content, expand your outreach and improve your SEO.

Benefits

Argil is a fraction of the cost of hiring a freelancer or outsourcing to an agency, and it’s infinitely scalable – just one person can manage high volumes of content effortlessly, and without needing any specialist skills.

Rather than waiting days or weeks, you’ll be able to produce professional-grade videos in minutes, empowering you to up your content game and generate high levels of engagement.

Our multilingual captioning function will automatically translate and localize your videos, effortlessly creating multiple versions.

You can also A/B test different versions of the same video with ease, helping you to iterate and learn what content resonates best with your audience.

Cost

Depending on which tier you choose, Argil’s monthly subscription cost is between $39-199 for full video production and editing, with custom pricing for enterprise solutions. You won’t need any other tools, and there are no hidden costs or fees.

Using this method, you’ll pay around $5-$10 per video for end-to-end production, helping you drive up your ROI.

Timing

Argil lets you create videos immediately after providing a script and choosing your pre-sets. To save time, we can also generate a pre-edited draft, automatically including B-roll, captions and visual transitions, which you can later edit. Video updates and changes can be completed in minutes.

Video Editing: Which Option Works for You?

If you’re thinking of hiring a French video editor, there are three main options to choose from – and all of them have their upsides and downsides.

Hiring a freelancer is great for occasional projects that require a human touch, but it can lead to slow turnaround times or delays.

Outsourcing to a video editing agency is great for large-scale, premium campaigns, but it is expensive.

Using an AI video editing tool like Argil is the best choice for consistent, cost-effective and highly scalable video content. It’s affordable, fast and allows you to test your content quickly and effectively, helping you grow and boost engagement.

To expand and optimize your video content strategy Argil,  sign up for free today.

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