How many revision rounds should a video editor include?

Ask ten freelance editors how many revision rounds they include and most will say two or three. Ask how many rounds their last difficult project took and you'll hear six, eight, "I stopped counting."

The number in your quote isn't what protects you. The definition is. A client who sends notes one at a time over a week can turn "two rounds" into twenty, unless you've said what a round is.

The short answer

• Two rounds is the most common default for long-form YouTube and client videos: one round of big changes, one of polish.

• One round works for short, templated work (Shorts, podcast clips, recurring formats) where the style is already agreed.

• Three rounds makes sense for first projects with a new client, brand films, and anything with several stakeholders.

Pick the default that fits your work, write it into your quote, and price extra rounds before the project starts, not when you're on round five.

What counts as a round

This is the part most editors leave out. A round is:

All notes from all reviewers, sent together, on one version.

Spelled out in your terms, that means:

• One consolidated set of notes. If the client sends three emails on Monday and two on Wednesday about the same version, that's still one round only if you agreed to wait for all of them. Otherwise, set a deadline: notes collected by a date, then you start.

• One person signs off on the list. When three people at the client's company review, they agree among themselves first. You don't referee contradictions.

• Changes to what was agreed, not new scope. "Make the hook tighter" is a revision. "Add a section about our new product" is new work.

Revisions vs new scope

Draw this line before the project starts, with examples:

Usually a revision:

• Trimming, reordering or swapping shots

• Music, sound mix and colour adjustments

• Caption, lower third and title text changes

• Fixing an error (a typo, a wrong logo, an audio pop)

Usually new scope:

• New footage arriving after the first cut

• A different structure or script than the one briefed

• New deliverables: an extra Short, a 16:9 cut becoming a vertical one, a second language

• Recreating graphics or animation the brief didn't include

Corrections of your own mistakes are never a revision round. Fix them for free and fast, and don't count them against the client.

How to charge for extra rounds

Three common approaches:

1. Fixed price per extra round. Simple and predictable. Many editors set it at 15 to 25 percent of the project fee.

2. Hourly after the included rounds. Fairer for very small or very large change lists, but clients find it harder to budget.

3. Bigger package with more rounds. Offer two tiers: a standard price with two rounds, and a higher one with four. Clients who know they're indecisive pick the second.

Whatever you choose, put it in the quote with an example: "A third round of notes is billed at ₹3,000 / $40." A number written before the project is a policy. The same number raised mid-project feels like a penalty.

Make rounds easy to count

Most revision disputes come from not being able to show what was asked when. Three habits help:

• Number versions, and keep them together. v1, v2, v3 stacked on one file, not final_v3_REAL.mp4 across three folders. Our guide to managing video versions covers how.

• Keep every note on the version it was left on. When a note shows up on v3 that contradicts one from v1, you can point to both.

• Close each round explicitly. When you upload a new version, reply with what you changed and mark the old notes resolved. Anything not in that list is fair to question.

In Seamlift, each upload stacks as a new version of the same file, comments stay pinned to the frame and version they were left on, and you can mark each one resolved. Clients review from a link without an account, so all of their team's notes land in one thread instead of five emails.

Wording you can paste into your terms

Adjust the numbers to your own:

Revisions

This quote includes 2 rounds of revisions.

A round is one consolidated list of notes from all reviewers on
one version, sent within 3 working days of that version being
shared. Notes arriving after that are included in the next round.

Revisions are changes to the agreed brief: timing, shot choice,
music, colour, sound and on-screen text. New footage, new
sections, new formats or a changed script are new scope and are
quoted separately.

Further rounds are billed at [amount] each. Corrections of errors
on my side are always free and do not count as a round.

If you want the rest of a contract around it, see our video editing contract template.

FAQ

Should I offer unlimited revisions?

Only if your price assumes the worst client you've ever had. Unlimited revisions tells the client that their first notes don't need to be thought through. Most editors who offered it once don't offer it again.

What if the client keeps sending notes one by one?

Reply with a deadline: "I'll collect notes on v2 until Thursday and then start the next version." Then stick to it. A shared review link makes this easier, because everyone comments in the same place and can see each other's notes.

Does a feedback call count as a round?

It counts if it produces a list of changes on one version. Write the list down after the call and send it back to the client to confirm. That list is the round.

How do I stop vague notes from wasting a round?

Ask for timecoded notes on the frame. "The middle drags" costs a round; "cut 04:10 to 04:25, it repeats the point from 02:00" doesn't. Send clients our 30 examples of actionable video feedback before the first cut.

Try Seamlift free: versions, timestamped notes and guest review links on the free plan.