Video editing involves managing enormous files. A single hour of 4K footage can exceed 100GB. Add in proxy files, project files, renders, and final deliverables, and you’re dealing with hundreds of gigabytes for even modest projects.
The problem isn’t just file size—it’s the complexity of collaboration. Video projects involve multiple stakeholders: clients providing feedback, colorists working on grades, sound designers adding audio, motion graphics artists creating elements, and directors reviewing cuts. Each needs different files at different times.
Traditional file sharing breaks down completely at video scale.
Why Standard Solutions Fail for Video
Email: Laughably inadequate. Even a 10-second video clip in reasonable quality exceeds email attachment limits.
Cloud Storage Sync: Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive technically work, but they’re designed for documents, not video. Syncing a 50GB project file brings your computer to a crawl. Version conflicts corrupt project files. Accidentally syncing your entire media cache to the cloud can cost hundreds of dollars in overage fees.
FTP: The industry standard for decades, but FTP is complex, insecure, and requires technical knowledge clients don’t have. Try explaining FileZilla to a client who just wants to see their wedding video.
Frame.io and Similar: Purpose-built for video collaboration with excellent review tools, but expensive. Plans start at $15/user/month and go up quickly. For freelancers or small production companies, the math doesn’t work.
WeTransfer Pro: Handles large files but links expire quickly. You deliver a project, the client downloads it, and two weeks later when they want to re-download, the link is dead.
The Video Editor’s File Sharing Needs
Video workflows have unique requirements that general-purpose file sharing rarely addresses:
Massive File Support: A single export from Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve can be 20GB or more. ProRes files, RAW footage, and uncompressed renders push sizes even higher. Your sharing solution must handle multi-gigabyte files without flinching.
Reliable Uploads: When you’re uploading 50GB overnight, the upload cannot fail at 90% complete. You need resumable uploads that survive network hiccups and computer sleeps.
No Transcoding: Many file sharing services automatically transcode videos “to save space” or “improve streaming.” This destroys quality and changes the files you carefully exported. Your deliverables must arrive bit-for-bit identical.
Flexible Expiration: Some videos need permanent links—client testimonials they’ll use for years. Others should expire quickly—internal cuts that shouldn’t leak.
Organization: A typical project might include multiple versions (rough cut, director’s cut, final), different formats (web, broadcast, social), and supplementary files (project files, fonts, music licenses). Everything needs clear organization.
Real-World Video Editor Workflows
Freelance Editors: You finish a corporate video and need to deliver the final export plus the Premiere Pro project file so the client can make future edits. Create a link, upload the MP4 (3GB) and the project file with media (45GB). Share the link. The client downloads what they need.
Production Companies: You’re producing a documentary with remote collaborators. Rough cuts go to the director for notes. Sound stems go to the audio engineer. Color-graded sequences go to the online editor. Instead of managing separate shares for each person, create one link and organize files into folders. Everyone gets what they need from one URL.
Content Creators: You produce YouTube videos and want to archive project files for potential re-edits. Create a link per video, upload the final export plus the project file and any graphics or music used. The link becomes your archive. Years later, when you want to create a “best of” compilation, you have everything.
Wedding Videographers: Deliver the main video (20GB) immediately after completion. A week later, add the ceremony-only edit for the couple’s parents. A month later, add individual speeches as separate files. Everything lives at the same link the couple received initially—no confusion about which link has which files.
Essential Features for Video Sharing
When evaluating file sharing for video work, prioritize these capabilities:
Large File Limits: Your tool must support files of 2GB or larger. Many free services cap files at 500MB or 1GB, which doesn’t work for video.
Resumable Uploads: Connection drops and computer sleeps happen. Uploads must resume from where they stopped, not restart from zero.
No Automatic Transcoding: If you upload a ProRes file, the recipient must get a ProRes file—not an automatically transcoded MP4.
Sufficient Storage: Video eats storage. 100MB might work for documents, but serious video work needs gigabytes or even terabytes.
Version Control: When you deliver V1, then V2, then V2.1, recipients need to clearly see which is the latest without downloading every file to check dates.
Security Options: Client work often includes NDAs and confidentiality requirements. Password protection and link expiration keep sensitive video secure.
The Modern Approach: Link-First Sharing
The upload-then-share model creates unnecessary waiting. With 50GB files, uploads take hours. Why should you wait for the upload to complete before sharing the link with your client?
Link-first sharing solves this. Create the link immediately. Start the upload. Share the link while files transfer. Your client can check progress and will get a notification when everything arrives. You’ve set expectations and stayed communicative without waiting.
This approach also supports iterative delivery. Upload a rough cut for feedback. After the client reviews, upload the revised version to the same link. Everything stays organized chronologically. Clients don’t juggle multiple links wondering which is current.
Managing Costs as a Video Editor
Video file sharing gets expensive fast. Enterprise plans from major providers cost hundreds per month. Even mid-tier plans designed for small businesses run $50-100/month for storage needed for active video projects.
The math matters. If you’re billing $1,500 for a video edit and paying $100/month for file sharing, that’s 6-7% of your revenue going to file transfer. That’s unsustainable.
Look for solutions with predictable, reasonable pricing. You need enough storage for active projects, large file support, and professional features like password protection—but without enterprise pricing.
FileGrab offers exactly this: 10GB of storage with 2GB file uploads for $10/month. That’s enough for several active projects or one large project with room for deliverables in multiple formats. Upload a 1.8GB ProRes file or a 2GB final render without hitting limits. Password-protect sensitive client work. Set links to never expire so clients can re-download years later.
For the occasional small project, the free tier works perfectly—100MB of storage with 100MB file limits handles many short-form videos or compressed social media exports.
Start Sharing Video Files Efficiently
Stop wrestling with inadequate tools or paying enterprise prices for basic file sharing. Video editing is expensive enough without file transfer eating your margins.
Try FileGrab for your next video delivery. Create a link in seconds at filegrab.link and upload your files. Your clients will appreciate the simple, professional delivery—and you’ll appreciate the reasonable cost.