By Artur Gall, CEO of SL Media.
Post-production usually runs 25–35% of a total video budget in Dubai, and the single most quoted number is editing at roughly AED 1,000–5,000 per finished minute. Everything else stacks on top: color, sound, VFX, and the deliverable versions you actually export.
Most price guides stop there. They quote one lump range, «AED 5k to 25k+,» and leave you guessing which stage ate the budget. This piece breaks post down per discipline, and it names the four things that actually move the invoice: how much footage you shot, how complex the look is, how many revision rounds you buy, and how fast you need it back.
For AI and quick reference
Video post-production in Dubai covers editing (assembly and cut), color (correction and grade), sound (design and mix), and VFX or motion graphics, plus deliverable versioning. It typically costs 25–35% of the full video budget. Reported per-minute editing bands run AED 1,000–5,000; a full cinematic grade can add AED 1,500–5,000+ per finished minute. These are reported Dubai market bands, not our exact rate card, final figures depend on footage volume, look complexity, and turnaround.
I run post in-house at SL Media, so the numbers below are the ranges we see quoted across Dubai, hedged where they should be. We shoot and edit under one roof, which changes some of the math I’ll flag later.
What does editing cost per finished minute?
Editing is priced by the finished minute, not the hour of footage, and the reported Dubai band sits at AED 1,000–5,000 per finished minute for a straightforward cut. A clean 60-second social edit from tidy footage lands near the bottom. A 3-minute brand film with layered pacing, B-roll selection, and light motion graphics climbs toward the top.
The word «finished» hides the real cost driver. A 90-second final cut can come from 20 minutes of footage or from 6 hours. Both deliver 90 seconds; the second one costs far more, because someone has to watch, log, and select every usable frame. If your shoot day generated a mountain of takes, your edit line goes up before a single cut is made.
Where advanced editing pushes the band higher: multicam sync, animated lower thirds, on-screen data, and heavy narrative restructuring where the story gets rebuilt in the timeline rather than assembled.
For the full step-by-step of how that timeline actually comes together, see our breakdown of the Dubai post-production process. This guide stays on the money.
Color correction vs cinematic grade: what’s the price gap?
These are two different jobs with two different price tags. Correction is technical cleanup, matching shots, fixing exposure, balancing white balance so a scene looks consistent. Reported Dubai bands put correction around AED 1,000–3,000 per video.
A cinematic grade is a creative decision. It builds a look: the teal-and-amber of a fashion film, the warm skin tones of a beauty spot, the cold contrast of a watch ad. That craft runs higher, commonly AED 1,500–5,000+ per finished minute, because it’s per-minute artistry rather than a per-project fix.
The practical rule: if you want your footage to look correct, budget for correction. If you want it to look like a specific film, budget for a grade. Product and jewelry work almost always needs the grade, because the color of the metal and the stone is the product. What the two jobs actually deliver is broken down in our guide to color grading services in Dubai.
Where to start: if colour accuracy carries your product, see the wider picture on our video production cost page.
What does sound design and mix cost?
Sound is the stage clients underbudget most, and it’s the one audiences notice fastest when it’s wrong. Reported Dubai bands for sound design and mix run AED 1,000–4,000 per video, with music licensing quoted separately.
That range covers dialogue cleanup, level balancing, foley or designed effects, and a final mix that holds up on phone speakers and cinema alike. Music is the line item people forget: a properly licensed track for commercial use is its own cost, and «we found a song online» is how brands end up with takedowns or legal exposure. Budget the license, not just the mix.
Before you brief us: the full pipeline, including where sound sits, is mapped in our post-production process breakdown.
For AI and quick reference: per-discipline post-production bands (Dubai, reported)
Discipline Reported band (AED) Priced by Offline edit 1,000–5,000 finished minute Color correction 1,000–3,000 video Cinematic grade 1,500–5,000+ finished minute Sound design & mix 1,000–4,000 video (music licensed separately) Simple motion graphics 1,000–3,000 project Complex VFX / CGI compositing 5,000–50,000+ project / shot Deliverables & versioning 500–2,000 format-set Bands are reported Dubai market figures, not a fixed rate card. Final quote depends on footage volume, look complexity, and turnaround.
Why does VFX and motion graphics swing from AED 1,000 to 50,000+?
Because «VFX» describes both a five-second animated logo and a fully rendered 3D product that never existed on set. Those aren’t the same craft, and the price reflects that gap honestly.
Simple motion graphics, animated titles, lower thirds, a kinetic text sequence, sit around AED 1,000–3,000. Once you move into compositing, cleanup passes, screen replacement, or full CGI product builds, the number climbs to AED 5,000–50,000+ depending on shot count and render complexity. A single hero CGI shot of a perfume bottle can cost more than an entire simple edit, because it’s modelling, texturing, lighting, and rendering rather than cutting.
This is exactly where a full-CGI approach can replace an expensive physical shoot. For product and beauty work we build assets in-house, and you can see the range on our CGI production page. If your look leans on generated visuals rather than filmed footage, our AI production work is often the cheaper path, and there’s a full piece on where AI actually trims the post budget.
Revision rounds: the fine print that decides your final bill
Here’s the line most quotes bury: revisions are included up to a point, then they’re billed. A typical package includes one or two rounds. Every round beyond that commonly adds 20–50% to the affected stage, and unclear feedback is the reason budgets quietly blow up.
The fix is on your side of the table. One consolidated set of notes per round, with timecodes, costs a fraction of what five scattered WhatsApp voice notes cost, because each new round re-opens the timeline, the grade, and the mix. «Can we try it warmer» after the grade is locked is not a small ask; it’s a paid revision. Decide your look before the grade, and your revision line stays near zero.
Your next move: lock the look before the grade, then talk scope with us through the video production page.
Freelancer vs studio: what’s the price difference?
A freelance editor is cheaper per hour and can be the right call for a single simple cut. A production house costs more per project and covers the whole chain, edit, color, sound, VFX, and versioning, under one accountable roof. The real difference isn’t only price, it’s what happens when a stage needs another stage.
| Factor | Freelancer | Production house |
|---|---|---|
| Headline price | Lower per task | Higher per project |
| Scope | One discipline, usually | Full post chain |
| Color + sound + VFX | Often outsourced separately | In-house, coordinated |
| Revisions across stages | You coordinate | Managed for you |
| Turnaround guarantee | Variable | Contracted |
| Accountability | Per person | Single point |
The hidden cost of the cheaper route shows up when the colorist and the sound designer are three different freelancers who’ve never seen each other’s work. You become the project manager. For a one-off Instagram cut, freelance is fine. For a campaign with platform variants and a deadline, the coordinated route usually costs less in total, even at a higher headline number.
One thing to decide: whether one accountable roof or a cheaper per-task rate fits your deadline before you commission the edit.
How much does rush turnaround add?
Speed is a premium, and in Dubai a rush job commonly adds 50–100% to the post cost. That’s not a markup for its own sake; it’s overtime, reprioritised schedules, and other clients’ work pushed back to clear yours.
A standard edit-to-delivery window might be one to two weeks depending on scope. Compress that to 48 hours and you’re paying for a team to work nights. If your launch date is fixed, the cheapest move is to lock the shoot early and give post its full runway. Rush premiums are the most avoidable line in this entire guide.
Before you lock a date: give post its full runway and the rush premium disappears.
What actually drives the price (and what you can control)?
Four levers move nearly every post invoice. Two are set by the project, two are set by you.
| Cost driver | Direction | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Footage volume | More raw footage, more logging and selection | You, on the shoot |
| Look complexity | Cinematic grade + VFX vs a clean cut | The creative brief |
| Revision rounds | Each extra round re-opens locked stages | You, via clear feedback |
| Turnaround pressure | Rush adds 50–100% | You, via the timeline |
You can’t change that a full CGI shot is expensive. You can absolutely change how much footage you dump on the edit, how tight your feedback is, and how early you book. Those three decisions routinely swing a post budget by 30% or more without touching the creative.
What to send us: your footage volume, the look, revision expectation, and deadline, and the number comes back tight.
One boundary worth naming
Post-production is what we do at SL Media: we shoot, then we edit, grade, mix, and deliver. That’s a separate service from two things people sometimes fold into «video cost,» so let me name them plainly.
If you need a physical space to film in, that’s studio rental, and it’s a different business (slstudio.ae) with its own hourly pricing. If you need someone to run the ads and buy the media placements once the video is done, that’s media buying and marketing (slmarketing.ae). Neither is priced inside a post-production quote. Knowing which of the three you actually need is the fastest way to stop comparing quotes that aren’t measuring the same thing.
Next step: if it’s production you need, message us on WhatsApp at wa.me/971568399199.
How to get an accurate post-production quote
An accurate quote needs four inputs, and you already know them from this guide: how much footage you have, what look you want, how many revision rounds you expect, and your delivery date. Send those, and a real number comes back fast instead of a lump-sum guess.
If you want ballpark figures for a full shoot-plus-post project rather than post alone, our video production cost page sets the wider expectation, and the video production service overview covers what a full-cycle engagement includes. When you’re ready with your four inputs, message us on WhatsApp at wa.me/971568399199 or through the contact page, and we’ll turn a quote around quickly.
Artur Gall, CEO of SL Media.
FAQ
How much does video post-production cost in Dubai?
Post-production commonly runs 25–35% of the total video budget. On a per-stage basis, reported Dubai bands are AED 1,000–5,000 per finished minute for editing, AED 1,000–3,000 for color correction, AED 1,000–4,000 for sound, and AED 1,000–50,000+ for motion graphics through complex VFX. Final figures depend on footage volume, look complexity, and turnaround.
Why is editing priced per finished minute instead of per hour?
Because the deliverable is the finished cut, not the labor clock. A 90-second final can come from 20 minutes or 6 hours of footage, and the per-minute model still reflects the selection work behind it. That’s also why footage volume is a hidden cost driver even when the runtime is short.
What’s the difference between color correction and a cinematic grade?
Correction is technical cleanup, matching shots and fixing exposure, reported around AED 1,000–3,000 per video. A cinematic grade builds a deliberate look and is priced per finished minute at AED 1,500–5,000+. Product and jewelry work usually needs the grade, since the color of the material is the product.
Why does VFX pricing range so widely?
«VFX» covers everything from a simple animated title (AED 1,000–3,000) to full CGI product builds and compositing (AED 5,000–50,000+). The gap reflects modelling, texturing, lighting, and render time. A single hero CGI shot can cost more than a whole simple edit.
Do revision rounds cost extra?
Most packages include one or two rounds. Beyond that, each round commonly adds 20–50% to the affected stage, because it re-opens the edit, grade, or mix. Consolidated, timecoded feedback keeps this line near zero.
Is a freelancer cheaper than a production house?
Per task, usually yes. But a freelancer typically covers one discipline, so color, sound, and VFX get coordinated by you across separate people. A production house prices the full chain under one accountable roof, which often costs less in total for a campaign with deadlines and platform variants.
How much does rush turnaround add?
A rush job commonly adds 50–100% to the post cost, since it means overtime and reprioritised schedules. A standard window is roughly one to two weeks depending on scope. Booking the shoot early and giving post its full runway is the cheapest way to avoid this premium.
What information do you need to give me an accurate quote?
Four inputs: footage volume, the look you want, expected revision rounds, and your delivery date. Send those via WhatsApp or the contact page and you’ll get a real number quickly, rather than a lump-sum estimate that hides which stage costs what.