How to Decide Between Outsourcing and In-House Video Editing for Your Projects

You've made it! (considering you read through the other articles in this series)

As a summary, here's an outline of the high-level pros and cons of outsourcing vs in-house editing that we've explored throughout this series:

Making the decision whether to outsource your video editing or hire an editor in-house is tough. I hope I’ve done justice to both options and brought out points that are helpful for your decision one way or the other.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you consider either route:

Consider Your Role: Do you want to be more hands-on and involved in the editing process, or prefer to let experts handle it while you take on the role of client?

Project Scope and Complexity: How complex are your projects? Do you need constant on-call communication, or if you can handle all the details over email and scheduled meetings?

Budget: Do you have ongoing needs for editing, or is mainly one-off projects?

Quality Needs: Does your in-house team — especially if that’s you — have the necessary skills to complete a project, or if specialized external experts are needed? Does the project rely on too much legacy knowledge that only you and your in-house team have?

Turnaround Time: Can your current team meet project deadlines or do they keep getting pulled away? Are your deadlines flexible to account for time zone differences or language barriers?

Now What?

In summary, both outsourcing and in-house editing offer unique advantages and challenges. Your decision on which is right for you will depend on your specific projects’ needs, budgets, quality requirements, and your desired level of involvement.

One important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to only stick with one option. Many companies leverage the advantages of an in-house team and bring in an outsourced partner during times of high volume work or if unforeseen issues arise with their employees. Knowing your options with outsourcing and building relationships outside of your team can bring a sense of comfort in times that would otherwise prove challenging.

Here's a guided list of the articles in this series, but feel free to check them out in the order that makes sense to you:

  1. Overview
  2. Types of Outsourced Editing
  3. Advantages of Outsourcing Video Editing
  4. Drawbacks of Outsourcing Video Editing
  5. Advantages of In-House Video Editing
  6. Drawbacks of In-House Video Editing
  7. Important Questions to Decide if Outsourcing or In-House is Best for You (you are here)

At Archaius, we focus on providing our clients the closest thing to a fractional in-house team. Meaning, we want you to feel like we’re right down the hall, but only when you need us.

Reach out through our contact form if you’d like to get the conversation started.