Video Background Editing vs Video Enhancement
Which you need, what each costs, and when a project wants both — video background editing compared with video enhancement.
Last revised
Both sit under Video Editing & Production, and clients regularly ask which of the two they actually want. The short answer is below; the rest of this page is how to tell, what each costs, and the cases where a project needs both.
What each one is
- Video Background Editing Keying and rotoscoping that holds on hair, motion blur and semi-transparency, including the shots an automatic key gives up on.
- Video Enhancement Making footage look better after it is shot: color grading, colorization, motion tracking and visual effects.
The numbers
| Video Background Editing | Video Enhancement | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | From $1.50 per frame | From $45.00 per finished minute |
| Typical turnaround | 24–96 hours | — |
| Services underneath | 5 | 4 |
How to decide
Go with Video Background Editing when
- Budget is the binding constraint: this starts at $1.50 per frame against $45.00 per finished minute for video enhancement
- The job is specifically chroma keying & removal, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically green screen removal, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically video background blurring, which sits under this one
Go with Video Enhancement when
- Budget is the binding constraint: this starts at $45.00 per finished minute against $1.50 per frame for video background editing
- The job is specifically color grading & color correction, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically film colorization, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically motion tracking, which sits under this one
When a project wants both
Worth knowing: More often than the question implies — the same job frequently touches both, and one team covers them, so moving between them is a conversation rather than a second supplier. If you are not sure which your files need, that is what the free trial is for. The process is the same either way: whichever you pick, the work runs through the same stages and is checked against the same bar. Video Editing & Production sets that out.
Questions we get on this specific choice
Is one of them cheaper?
Video Background Editing starts at $1.50 per frame and video enhancement at $45.00 per finished minute. Complexity and volume move both, and the cheaper unit is not always the cheaper job.
Which is faster?
Much the same, and volume moves the number far more than the choice between these two does.
Can you tell me which one my files need?
Yes, free. Send two or three real files — that judgment is part of the trial rather than something quoted separately.
Can I switch after we start?
Yes. If the files say the other one is the right answer, we re-quote before doing the work rather than after.
Where to go from here
- Video Background Editing — what it is, in full, with its own pricing
- Video Enhancement — the same for the alternative
- Video Editing & Production pricing — both rates side by side with the US market ranges
- Try it free — a 30-second cut from your own footage, and we will tell you which of the two your files need
- Get a quote if the scope is already clear
- Every rate we publish, on one page
