What to Send a Video Editor for Your Song Release

Start with the clip you want made

“Can you make something from these?” leaves a lot to decide. Try one sentence that gives the edit a job: “Make a short performance clip that introduces the chorus of my new single.” Your editor can suggest how to do that once they know what you want people to hear.

Name the place you plan to post it and the shape you need. For example, YouTube’s Shorts guidance uses square or vertical video. Ask for a tall version if that suits your plan, and say separately if you also need a wide version. Check the destination’s current length and music rules before agreeing on the export.

Choose a target length for this particular idea. A 30-second clip in the example below is a creative choice, not a platform limit or a promise that it will perform better. If you’re unsure, ask the editor what they can make from the footage before settling the job and price.

Sources: YouTube Help: Shorts format and current upload rules

Choose useful moments from a studio session →

Send the files that belong to this edit

Ask how the editor wants to receive the material. Put the original footage and approved audio somewhere they can download them. Keep a separate backup. If there are several takes, point to the ones you like and say why; the editor can still suggest a better choice.

Name the exact audio file and the passage you want used. “Use the latest mix” becomes confusing when someone sends another mix tomorrow. If the audio changes after editing starts, tell the editor what changed and ask whether the timing needs another check.

• Footage: the original clips, with a short note about any must-use moments.
• Audio: the approved filename and the start and end of the song excerpt, if you’ve chosen one.
• Words: the exact artist name, song title, lyric text, and confirmed release wording.
• Images: any cover art or logo you want included, with instructions for its use.
• Limits: footage, private conversations, or unreleased parts that must stay out.

Make filenames and versions easy to follow →

Check that the editor can actually get the files

Send the working folder link and ask the editor to confirm that they can open and download what they need. A preview that plays on your own phone doesn’t confirm someone else has access.

If you use Google Drive, its sharing controls let you choose who can view, comment, or edit. Downloading can also be restricted. Pick access that suits the job and check the download setting. You don’t have to make an unreleased song public just to work with one editor.

Share a folder for this job instead of your whole music archive. Google says files inside a shared folder inherit its sharing permissions, so check what else is inside before sending the link.

Sources: Google Drive Help: Sharing, access and download controls

Keep your release files and links organized →

Use this small brief as a starting point

Here’s a fictional example for an artist called Mina Reed and a song called Blue Kitchen. The names, files, dates, and edit choices are made up. Copy the rows that help and replace the details with your own.

The brief gives the editor room to make creative choices while making the required work clear. If you share a reference video, explain the bit you like, such as the steady framing or simple text. Use it to explain a direction; don’t ask the editor to reuse someone else’s footage.

Fit the editing dates into a realistic release week →

Agree on the review before the first edit arrives

Ask how many rounds of changes are included, what counts as a new request, and when feedback is needed. A round means collecting your notes on one version and sending them together. Don’t assume the example’s one round is included in every editor’s price.

If a manager, bandmate, or featured artist needs to review the clip, arrange that time too. Choose one person to combine the notes and resolve disagreements before sending them. “Remove the title” and “make the title bigger” shouldn’t reach the editor as two instructions for the same version.

Agree on whether you need just the finished video or the editable project as well. An editable project is the editor’s working file; it may need its linked footage, fonts, and other materials to open properly. Ask what can be provided and what it costs before expecting it at the end.

Point to the moment you want changed

Watch the whole first edit before writing your list. Start the notes with its filename or version, then use the time shown in that video. A timestamp such as 00:12 tells the editor you mean twelve seconds into the edit, not twelve seconds into the original song.

Say what you notice and what you want to change. You can also ask for a suggestion: “The text covers my hand at 00:08. Could you move it somewhere clearer?” You don’t need editing jargon to describe a problem.

If your editor uses Frame.io, its review tools support comments on an exact frame or across a time range. Keep the time attached when your note is about a particular moment. A plain list with the same version and times also works for this process.

Sources: Frame.io Help: Comments on exact frames and time ranges

Name the approved file and keep the next step clear

When the revised file arrives, watch it all the way through on the phone or screen where you expect people to see it. Check the changes, audio, text, and ending. Preview it in the destination app before posting so you can spot text hidden by its buttons.

Approve an exact version: “BlueKitchen_v02.mp4 is approved for posting.” Keep that file separate from review copies. If something still needs fixing, say what it is instead of sending an approval with an unfinished request attached.

In AirTrax, keep the file or folder links with your release campaign and add tasks for reviewing the first edit and checking the final clip. Save the brief in your notes. The editor still makes the video in their editing software, and you handle publishing through your chosen platform.

Hand the wider release over to your label or team →