WHAT DOES A VIDEO EDITOR DO?

Published: Dec 25, 2025 - The Video Editor edits short-form video content optimized for various Instagram formats such as Reels, Stories, and feed posts, as well as other social media platforms. This role involves selecting and licensing music, applying accurate subtitles in collaboration with copy editors, and adding basic graphic elements while ensuring timely delivery and technical excellence. The editor also maintains organized workflow documentation and asset management throughout the production process.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Video Editor

1. Video Editor Accountabilities

  • Production Strategy: Work with various divisions and teams to strategize production and creative execution.
  • Project Alignment: Ensure the project’s strategic goals are achieved, from homepage assets and product demonstrations to smaller social media clips and media duplication.
  • File Management: Organize video, audio, and image assets, including logos.
  • Content Uploading: Upload videos to various social media channels.
  • Video Editing: Utilize creative and aesthetic judgment to edit accurate and compelling content, including product demonstrations and Zulily videos.
  • Visual Retouching: Perform retouching tasks, including color correction, color balancing, and clipping.
  • Brand Compliance: Work with business stakeholders to ensure third-party video content is on-brand and properly loaded to the site.

2. Video Editor Essential Functions

  • Video Production: Responsible for video production in various forms, short- and long-form, brand and tactical, from pre- to post-production.
  • Multi-Platform Content: Create content for a full spectrum of screens and purposes, from large displays to mobile devices, from a launch sequence to a social media post.
  • Storytelling Strategy: Craft compelling stories to support Change Management objectives in conceptualising video and motion content.
  • Project Management: Manage projects independently from conceptualisation and storyboarding to the execution stage (for videography and photography).
  • Production Oversight: Attend the full cycle of production, from pre-production to post-production.
  • Timeline Planning: Establish project timelines and deliverables.

3. Video Editor Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Creative Collaboration: Collaborate with creatives, writers, and cross-functional groups to create a wide variety of branded video content for TikTok.
  • TikTok Production: Produce and edit highly shareable serialized video content for TikTok, including campaigns and product feature videos.
  • Brand Storytelling: Identify and conceptualize new, high-impact approaches to the brand narrative.
  • Shoot Direction: Oversee and direct video shoots.
  • Motion Direction: Provide direction on video and motion graphics.
  • Creative Adaptation: Adapt creative work to multiple social specifications.
  • Process Optimization: Establish video processes and elevate brand quality.

4. Video Editor General Responsibilities

  • Footage Editing: Ingest, coordinate, and edit video footage (live action/B-roll/screen capture/multi-camera) with accompanying narrative tracks, overlays, and graphics, while ensuring the highest quality editing standards.
  • Audience Engagement: Build impactful edits and engage key audiences.
  • Creative Visualization: Visualize the creative teamʼs vision in the early concepting stage and continual ideation with the team throughout the edit.
  • Post-Production Collaboration: Work well with key partners to ensure successful execution throughout the post-production process.
  • Color Grading: Responsible for performing color grading.
  • Audio Processing: Ensure accurate and consistent audio levels across all videos using various audio processing methods and techniques.
  • Issue Resolution: Methodically assess and resolve technical and creative issues.
  • Quality Assurance: Achieve high quality and continuity between multiple projects while working against aggressive deadlines.

5. Video Editor Accountabilities

  • Storyboarding Collaboration: Collaborate with the in-house team to concept and develop storyboards.
  • Post-Production Editing: Post-production editing and finalization, including editing, audio, color correction, file conversion, and rendering.
  • Motion Graphics: Create original animations and motion graphics.
  • Footage Management: Import raw footage and determine shot list.
  • Asset Archiving: Manage asset storage and the archive process.

6. Video Editor Duties

  • Video Delivery: Deliver finished video projects to a high standard, demonstrating creativity, efficiency, quality and consistency.
  • Reporting Structure: Report to the Director of Post-Production and Design and is based in Toronto Square offices.
  • Creative Balance: Balance of artistic sensibilities and technical skills, with a desire to grow both.
  • Content Editing: Cut internal communications, client-facing presentations, live events, sizzle reels, non-traditional digital display graphics, and social media spots.
  • Editorial Decision-Making: Responsible for making decisions about the selection and combination of shots and graphics into sequences, music, grading, graphics and finishing to complete the project.
  • Story Crafting: Use creative editing decisions and technical expertise to craft a compelling story that reflects the objective of the project.
  • Work Arrangement: Manage work activities within a hybrid work arrangement, spend 1-3 days per week on-site, while other days will be remote.

7. Video Editor Duties and Roles

  • Video Editing: Edit short-form video projects.
  • Social Formatting: Format video files for all Instagram app surfaces (including video, Reels and Stories) and social media platforms.
  • Music Licensing: Select and license music and audio for video features.
  • Subtitle Application: Apply subtitles to videos and work with copy editors to ensure accurate subtitles are applied to all video content.
  • Graphic Application: Apply basic graphic elements to videos.
  • Quality Assurance: Complete projects with quick turnaround times while ensuring high technical quality assurance for all project details, start to finish.
  • Workflow Documentation: Maintain organized documentation of workflow and assets.

8. Video Editor Details and Accountabilities

  • Content Development: Develop ideas and produce video content.
  • Post-Production Delivery: Take raw footage from assembly to a full color-corrected delivery master that has mixed and leveled audio tracks.
  • Issue Resolution: Assess and resolve technical and creative issues.
  • Project Continuity: Achieve continuity between multiple projects while working against very aggressive deadlines.
  • Technical Expertise: Actively maintain expertise in the latest technology trends, techniques, and tools related to post-production.

9. Video Editor Tasks

  • Creative Coordination: Meet with creative and account teams to ensure a full understanding of video needs.
  • Media Management: Gather and transfer all forms of media using the preferred file structure system.
  • Team Communication: Maintain clear and consistent communication with the internal team.
  • Deadline Management: Meet agreed-upon deadlines.
  • File Operations: Responsible for file ingest, project creation, editing and export and storage of deliverables in an organized manner.
  • Story Editing: Create full story edits, as well as pulling selects, story cutdowns, and organizing media.

10. Video Editor Additional Details

  • Content Support: Help develop video content for distribution on owned digital channels and support a range of post-production processes and tasks.
  • Production Coordination: Work closely with the Production Team to coordinate support for projects.
  • Creative Oversight: Oversee all aspects of creative editing, from conceptualization to final polishing within a designated time frame.
  • Footage Review: Identify the best content by scrubbing through RAW footage, and organize it for review by the Director.
  • Team Leadership: Lead onboarding of new team members and train junior staff in workflows and best practices.