The edit can't start until the files arrive. That sounds obvious, and it's still where most first days go. A link that expires overnight, a folder of phone-compressed copies, the B camera that "should be in there somewhere."
Here's how to send footage so your editor can start the same day you hit send.
Pick how you'll send it
There's no single right tool. The right one depends on how big the shoot is and what you already pay for.
Google Drive. Most people already have it, and a shared folder is the easiest thing in the world to send. It's good for small and medium shoots. The limits that matter are your storage plan and the daily upload cap. Google lists the current limits on its own help pages, and they change, so check there before a big upload.
Dropbox. Similar to Drive for shared folders. Dropbox also has Transfer, which sends a copy without sharing your whole folder. The size limit depends on your plan, so check Dropbox's own pricing page.
Frame.io. Built for video. Uploads are fast, and the same place can hold review links later, where people leave notes right on the timeline. Worth it if you send video every week. Storage depends on the plan, listed on Frame.io's own pricing page.
WeTransfer. Good for a one-off send when you don't want to share a folder. Links expire after a few days, so send it when your editor is ready to download. Check the size limit on WeTransfer's own pricing page.
A mailed drive. For a multi-day shoot with several cameras, shipping a hard drive is often faster than uploading. Hundreds of gigabytes over a home connection can take a full day or more. A drive in a padded envelope takes a day and doesn't care about your upload speed. Keep a copy before you mail it.
Whatever you use, make the link last. "Anyone with the link can view" (or download), and no expiry for at least a few weeks. Changes sometimes come back a month later, and the original files need to still be there.
Send the originals
This is the one that costs the most when it goes wrong.
Phones and messaging apps quietly shrink video when you share it. The file still plays, still looks fine on a phone, and then falls apart on a big screen or the moment someone adds color. Texting a clip, AirDropping with the wrong settings or pulling from a social app all do this.
How to check you're sending the real thing:
- File size. A minute of 4K from a modern phone is usually hundreds of megabytes. If your 10-minute clip is 40 MB, it's been compressed.
- Resolution. Right-click, Get Info (Mac) or Properties (Windows). It should match what you shot.
- Where it came from. Copy straight from the camera card or the phone's own files over a cable or through Drive's or Dropbox's own app, not from a chat thread.
If you shot on cameras with memory cards, send the whole card folder as-is. Those folders carry metadata your editor may need, like timecode, and they're harder to mix up.
Folder structure that saves your editor an hour
Your editor is going to sort the files anyway. If you do it first, you save them the time and save yourself the bill for it.
Project name, shoot date/
01 Camera A/
02 Camera B/
03 Audio/
04 Graphics and logos/
05 Music/
06 Notes/A few habits that help:
- One folder per camera or recorder. Don't mix A camera and B camera clips. They often have the same file names.
- Audio gets its own folder, even if it's one file. Separate audio is what makes an interview sound good, and it's the file that most often goes missing.
- Logos in the best format you have. A vector or a large transparent PNG, not a screenshot of your website.
- Don't rename camera files. Renaming breaks links between files that belong together.
What to write in the note
Footage alone doesn't tell an editor what you want. A short note does. Put it in the Notes folder and in the email.
- How long the finished video should be. "Two minutes" or "under 90 seconds for Instagram."
- The deadline. And whether it's a hard date (an event, a launch) or a preferred one.
- Where it will live. YouTube, a website, a vertical social feed, a screen at a gala. That decides the shape.
- One video you like. Anyone's. It's the fastest way to explain pace and tone.
- Must-keep moments. "Keep the part where the CEO thanks the volunteers." Timecodes are great, a rough description is fine.
- What to leave out. Names that can't appear, a sponsor who dropped out, a flubbed take everyone remembers.
A good note is half a page. You don't need a script. If you have a script or a run of show, send it too.
Send in pieces if you need to
You don't have to wait until everything is ready. If the interviews are uploaded but the B-roll is still on a card somewhere, send the interviews. The editor can start building the story and add the rest as it lands. Just say in your note what's still coming.
How I handle it
On my end it goes like this. You send a Google Drive, Dropbox or Frame.io link with whatever you have. Before I start, we agree on the first-cut date and the rate. Your files stay in your drive or link, and I don't post or share client footage anywhere.
The full step-by-step, from footage to final files, is on how I work. If you want a price before you send anything, the rates are on pricing: $50 an hour, $400 a day or $1,800 a week.