What Is the First Version of a Video?
Last updated 27 October 2026.
The first version of a video is the first complete edit that an editor sends back for review, built from your footage, script and brand assets. It is the point where your team first sees the whole video put together.
It is a finished-looking video with music, titles and graphics in place, and it is the version your team gives feedback on. Most of the big decisions about story and pacing are made at this stage.
How fast should a first version arrive?
Turnaround depends on the length of the video and how much footage the editor has to work through. A short talking-head edit can come back within a day or two, while an animated video takes longer because every scene is built from scratch.
When you compare providers, ask how they measure the clock. Some count from the moment you upload footage, and others count from when they accept the brief.
How Shootsta handles it
Shootsta editors send the first version of a standard edit back in around 48 hours. Editors work across 5+ regions with 24/7 coverage, so editing can carry on while your own team is offline.
Animation takes longer, with a first version in around 10 days.