Family Vacation Video Editor Needed — 7-Day Trip Photo & Video Compilation (Updated Description)

Experience with Vertical and Horizontal Footage Required I am looking for an experienced video editor to create two meaningful and polished family vacation highlight films using photos and video clips from a recent eight-day family trip. The goal is to produce two warm, emotional, and memorable videos that capture the overall experience, highlight key family moments, and preserve the memories from the vacation. The final videos should feel family-centered and professionally edited—not overly flashy, dramatic, or commercial, but engaging, visually appealing, and easy to watch. Important Technical Requirement The raw material includes a mixture of vertical 9:16 footage and horizontal 16:9 footage. The final videos should be delivered in a horizontal 16:9 format. I am specifically seeking an editor who knows how to incorporate vertical footage professionally without excessive zooming, pixelation, or cropping people out of the frame. Appropriate techniques may include: Clean framed layouts Tasteful blurred or designed side backgrounds Picture-in-picture Split-screen compositions Supporting photos or related footage beside vertical clips Selective reframing and keyframing when appropriate Other creative layouts that preserve the important content while maintaining a professional widescreen presentation Simply enlarging vertical clips until they fill the screen will not be appropriate when doing so reduces image quality or removes people from the frame. Applicants should provide at least one sample that demonstrates successful use of vertical footage within a horizontal video. Project Structure The project will be divided into two separate videos: Part 1: The first four days of the vacation Part 2: The final four days of the vacation Each part should generally be approximately 5–8 minutes, although I am open to recommendations based on the strongest footage and the natural flow of the story. Amount of Material The complete project includes: 121 photos 111 video clips Approximately 3 hours, 27 minutes, and 27 seconds of raw video footage Part 1: First Four Days 71 photos 76 video clips Approximately 2 hours, 39 minutes, and 34 seconds of raw video footage This section includes arrival footage, family gatherings, meals, recreational activities, outings, interviews, and other family moments. Part 2: Final Four Days 50 photos 35 video clips Approximately 47 minutes and 53 seconds of raw video footage This section includes additional outings, family activities, meals, final-day experiences, departure footage, and closing interviews. The materials will be organized into folders by date. A trip itinerary will also be provided to the selected editor to establish the sequence and context for each day. Materials I Will Provide I will provide: Photos and video clips organized by day A trip itinerary Links to the selected music for use in the videos General guidance regarding the people, activities, interviews, and types of moments that are important to the family General direction regarding the desired tone and feel of the videos I have reviewed much of the material, but I will not be providing timestamps or preselecting every photo and video clip. The editor should be comfortable reviewing the complete set of material and using professional judgment to identify the strongest, most meaningful, and most visually engaging moments. Highlight-Reel Editing Requirement This project is intended to be a concise, energetic family vacation highlight film—not a documentary and not a chronological compilation of full-length clips. The editor will be expected to: Review the complete set of raw footage and select only the strongest moments Reduce interviews to brief, meaningful sound bites Remove pauses, repetition, setup time, and unnecessary portions of clips Use jump cuts, short montages, J-cuts, L-cuts, speed changes, and speed ramping when appropriate Use natural audio selectively rather than allowing long clips to play in real time Shorten long movement-based sequences, such as walking, tours, activities, or setup footage Give greater emphasis to the main vacation activities rather than allowing arrival footage, meals, interviews, or less significant moments to dominate Maintain engaging pacing with clean, efficient transitions Produce two finished videos of approximately 5–8 minutes each The editor does not need to use every photo or video clip. The goal is to review the material, identify the best moments, and shape them into two polished and well-paced stories. Editing Expectations The videos should include: A clear and smooth chronological flow A thoughtful mix of photos and video clips Professional integration of vertical and horizontal footage Appropriate selection of the strongest footage Music synchronized naturally with the visuals Clean, tasteful, and appropriately paced transitions Text overlays for dates, days, locations, activities, or special moments when appropriate Basic color correction and visual enhancements as needed Audio balancing, noise reduction, and other basic audio improvements when needed Careful editing of interviews and spoken footage Balanced representation of family members and major activities A natural introduction and conclusion for each part A cohesive connection between Part 1 and Part 2 Desired Video Length The anticipated final length is: Part 1: Approximately 5–8 minutes Part 2: Approximately 5–8 minutes These are general targets rather than strict requirements. Because Part 1 contains substantially more raw footage than Part 2, the two videos do not need to be exactly the same length. I am open to recommendations if slightly different lengths would create stronger and better-paced final videos. Desired Style The desired style is: Warm Emotional Family-oriented Clean and professional Energetic and engaging Smooth and fast-moving without feeling rushed Vacation recap or family memory-film style Not overly dramatic, flashy, or commercial More like a polished highlight reel than a documentary Something our family can watch and share for years to come Ideal Freelancer The ideal editor will have experience creating: Family videos Vacation recap videos Travel videos Photo and video montages Highlight reels Memory films Family reunion or event recap videos Videos that incorporate interviews, spoken footage, and natural audio Horizontal videos that professionally incorporate vertical footage Please include samples of similar work, particularly family, vacation, travel, event, or memory-style videos. Deliverables The project should include: One completed Part 1 video One completed Part 2 video Both videos delivered in a high-quality MP4 format Versions suitable for viewing on a television, computer, and mobile device One to two rounds of reasonable revisions An optional shorter version for social media may be discussed separately, but it is not the primary deliverable for this project. To Apply Please provide: A few samples of similar videos you have edited At least one sample showing vertical footage incorporated professionally into a horizontal video A brief explanation of how you would present vertical interviews or clips within a 16:9 frame without excessive cropping or loss of quality Your recommended final length for each part Your estimated turnaround time Your fixed price or estimated project cost Confirmation of how many revision rounds are included A brief explanation of your process for reviewing and organizing a large amount of raw footage Confirmation that you are comfortable selecting the strongest moments without receiving timestamps or a preselected list of clips Confirmation that you understand the desired style is a concise highlight reel rather than a documentary or compilation of full clips What you would need from me to begin the project I am looking for someone who can thoughtfully review the materials and transform them into two meaningful, polished, energetic, and lasting keepsakes for our family. This is a fixed priced project for $250. We will consider all competitive bids.