Hybrid Edit Ratio

Hybrid Edit Ratio is the number of human editing hours an agency budgets per finished minute of AI-generated video. Avatar and text-to-video platforms collapse the cost of a first cut, but they do not collapse the cost of a cut a client will approve. A 90-second explainer built in Synthesia or HeyGen may render in minutes, yet brand pacing, legal review, and re-recorded lines still consume editor time. Agencies that quote video retainers on render speed alone underprice that second pass and watch margin erode across a 20-asset monthly batch. The ratio is the control: track edit hours per finished minute by asset type, then price the retainer against the ratio rather than the render count. Batch template work through Plainly or Creatomate to push the ratio down; reserve high-ratio custom work for the accounts that pay for it.