00:00:00:00 / 00:00:24:00
Video editor & motion designer · Manila, GMT+8
I'm Rafa Santos. I cut YouTube videos, Shorts, ads and wedding films for creators and brands in 14 countries. You send the chaos; I send back final_final_v3.mp4. (It's actually final.)
I spent five years filming weddings in the rain before I worked out the magic happens later, in the edit. Now I cut for creators and brands in 14 countries, from a desk in Manila, with too much coffee.
Here's what happens to your footage, start to finish. Scroll slowly. Or fast. I'm an editor, not a cop.
01The dump02The cut
this cut took 4 hours. worth it.
03The hook
client note @ 0:03: "make it pop" → popped ✓
04The grade
Flat and grey on purpose: the camera keeps every bit of the highlights and shadows so I have room to play.
Translate LOG into normal contrast. Now it looks like a phone video. Progress!
Kill the green cast, set black and white points, match it to the other shots.
Warm highlights, teal shadows, a gentle S-curve. The feeling you remember, not the one the sensor saw.
Halation round the highlights, fine grain, a soft vignette. Now it's a film.
05Sound & captions
wait for it… this transition is honestly illegal 🔥
−14 LUFS ✓ (a loudness thing. platforms love it. trust me.)
06Every platform
Reframed by hand, not by a robot: the action stays in the frame and the captions stay out of the way of the like button.
07Export & post
1,000,000 views in 9 days. same footage.
The receipts [00:00:31:12]
Cut for
Selected cuts [00:00:36:20]
A 24-minute travel episode built from 9 hours of drone, GoPro and phone footage. I found the story in the selects, rebuilt the cold open three times and graded everything to match.
A vertical teaser for a single release. Every cut lands on a kick drum; the captions are animated to the vocal.
A café launch spot, cut down into 15 s, 6 s and a looping in-store screen version. Sound design does half the work: you can hear this one.
A four-minute highlight film cut around the vows, plus a 60-second teaser that went up the morning after. Two cameras, one drone, one very emotional lola.
One take, three angles, smoke machine on full. Speed ramps keep the energy up without ever losing the choreography.
A skate series episode where the slams are as important as the tricks. Drone, fisheye and a lot of sound effects you didn't notice.
A same-night recap for a radio station's beach party: cut on a laptop in the car park, posted by 1 a.m.
A title package for a creator channel: intro sting, lower thirds, subscribe button and caption styles, all built as editable templates.
Bonus level [00:00:38:16]
Anyone can add two keyframes. Motion feels expensive when the spacing is right. Drag the handles and watch the onion skin: the gaps between ghosts are the speed.
Export presets [00:00:43:02]
Story structure, pacing, b-roll, sound design and captions, for videos people finish.
16:94Kup to 30 min
Hooks in the first frame, kinetic captions, beat-synced cuts and loops that replay themselves.
9:161080 × 192015–90 s
One master edit, cut down for every placement, with versions to test against each other.
6 / 15 / 30 severy ratio
Highlight film, next-day teaser and the full ceremony, cut around the vows and the speeches.
teaserhighlightfull
Titles, lower thirds, logo stings, animated captions and explainers, built as editable templates.
After Effects.mogrt
LOG to a look, skin tones that look like skin, and five cameras that finally match.
DaVinci ResolveLUTs
How we'll work [00:00:47:18]
final.mp4
I watch everything. Yes, all three hours. I pull the selects, find the story and send a first cut within 48 hours.
final_v2.mp4
You leave timecoded comments on a review link. Two rounds included, and "make it pop" is a valid note: I'll ask what you mean.
final_FINAL.mp4
Colour grade, sound mix, captions and motion graphics. The part where it starts to feel expensive.
final_final_v3.mp4
Every aspect ratio you need, thumbnail stills, a captions file and, if you want them, the project files.
Rates [00:00:51:07]
$45/ video
Shorts, Reels and TikToks up to 60 seconds.
Most booked
$180/ video
Long-form up to 15 minutes, delivered in 3 to 5 days.
$1,400/ month
For channels that post every week and want one editor who gets it.
Wedding films from $650. Motion graphics and colour-only jobs are quoted per project. Prices in USD.
Client notes [00:00:54:11]
FAQ [00:00:56:00]
The raw files (Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer is fine), one or two videos you love the style of, and your fonts and logo if you have them. A voice note explaining the vibe helps more than you'd think.
Short-form in 24 to 48 hours, YouTube videos in 3 to 5 days, wedding films in 3 to 4 weeks. Rush jobs are possible when the calendar allows.
Two rounds on every video. Extra rounds are $20 each, but honestly it rarely gets there.
It's the best part. I'm on GMT+8, so I edit while the US and Europe sleep, and your new cut is waiting when you wake up. Australia gets same-day replies.
On request, yes: Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve projects, plus the motion graphics templates I make for your channel.
Wise, PayPal or bank transfer, invoiced in USD. New clients pay 50% up front; retainers are billed monthly.
Contact [00:00:58:00]
Tell me what it is and when you need it. I reply within a day, usually with questions and a rough plan.
Booking for November · 2 slots left
Mara O. travel creator @ 00:00:03
Luna V. musician @ 00:00:14
Dev P. brand lead, Kapé Lab @ 00:01:02
Ana & Migs wedding couple @ 00:03:40