Guide
An edit ratio is footage recorded divided by final length
Updated
An edit ratio compares how much footage you recorded with how long the finished video is. Record 3 minutes, publish 30 seconds, and the ratio is 6:1.
In short
- An edit ratio is the length of everything you recorded divided by the length of the finished video.
- Recording 3 minutes for a 30-second video gives an edit ratio of 6:1.
- Film crews call the same number the shooting ratio.
- Feature films shot on film often ran 6:1 to 10:1, and documentaries often go over 100:1.
- A high edit ratio is not a bad sign. It only means more of what you recorded was cut.
- 3 minutes recorded for a 30-second video
- 6:1
- Common for documentaries
- 100:1+
- A live stream, where nothing is cut
- 1:1
How do you calculate an edit ratio?
Divide the total length of everything you recorded by the length of the finished video. Write the answer with :1 after it.
- 90 seconds recorded for a 30-second video is 90 divided by 30, which is 3. The edit ratio is 3:1.
- Every recording counts, including mistakes, restarts and recordings you stopped halfway.
- Stock clips and music do not count, because you did not record them.
Edit ratio examples
| Recorded | Finished video | Edit ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 30 seconds | 2:1 |
| 90 seconds | 30 seconds | 3:1 |
| 3 minutes | 30 seconds | 6:1 |
| 10 minutes | 1 minute | 10:1 |
Recorded: 1 minute
- Finished video
- 30 seconds
- Edit ratio
- 2:1
Recorded: 90 seconds
- Finished video
- 30 seconds
- Edit ratio
- 3:1
Recorded: 3 minutes
- Finished video
- 30 seconds
- Edit ratio
- 6:1
Recorded: 10 minutes
- Finished video
- 1 minute
- Edit ratio
- 10:1
Typical edit ratios
The ratio depends on what you make. A higher number is not better or worse.
- Short talking videos for social media have no published typical ratio. Yours depends on how much you pause, restart and repeat yourself.
Edit ratios by kind of video
Film, documentary and animation figures from Wikipedia's shooting ratio article, read 21 September 2026.
| Kind of video | Typical ratio | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Live stream | 1:1 | Nothing is cut |
| Animated film | Close to 1:1 | Every second takes work to make, so little is thrown away |
| Feature film shot on film | 6:1 to 10:1 | Each shot is filmed several times |
| Documentary | Often over 100:1 | Hours are filmed to find the best minutes |
Kind of video: Live stream
- Typical ratio
- 1:1
- Why
- Nothing is cut
Kind of video: Animated film
- Typical ratio
- Close to 1:1
- Why
- Every second takes work to make, so little is thrown away
Kind of video: Feature film shot on film
- Typical ratio
- 6:1 to 10:1
- Why
- Each shot is filmed several times
Kind of video: Documentary
- Typical ratio
- Often over 100:1
- Why
- Hours are filmed to find the best minutes
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Why the edit ratio matters
The edit ratio tells you how much material someone has to go through to make the video.
- On a timeline, a higher ratio means more time spent watching back and choosing.
- Digital recording is cheap, so today the limit is editing time, not film or storage.
- When you edit by transcript, you read and delete text instead of watching everything back, so a high ratio costs less time.
- A talking video with a ratio close to 1:1 often still has its pauses and mistakes in.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom takes one recording of up to 3 minutes. It keeps every sentence you recorded, so the finished video is about as long as your recording, a little shorter on Punch and Native.
- You upload one video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom writes out every word. On the Punch and Native styles, it shortens the pauses between the words and removes the ums and uhs that show up in your transcript.
- Cutroom cannot remove whole sentences, so the finished video keeps every sentence you recorded.
- You get a finished 9:16 MP4. A 30-second video costs 110 credits: 100 to edit and 10 to export.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Questions people ask
- What is a good edit ratio?
- There is no single good number. It depends on the kind of video: a live stream is 1:1, while documentaries often go over 100:1. Compare your ratio with videos of the same kind.
- Is edit ratio the same as shooting ratio?
- Yes, near enough. Both compare the footage recorded with the length of the final video. Film crews usually say shooting ratio.
- How do I write an edit ratio?
- Recorded length first, then the finished length as 1. For example, 3 minutes recorded for a 30-second video is 6:1.
- Is a low edit ratio better?
- Not by itself. A low ratio saves editing time, but a talking video with a ratio near 1:1 often still has its pauses and mistakes in.
- Does a higher ratio mean more editing work?
- On a timeline, yes, because someone watches through all of it. When you edit by transcript, you read and delete text instead, so a long recording costs much less time.
Record up to 3 minutes of you talking and let the editing be done for you. Your first video is free.