What Does 2026 Hold for the Craft and Business of Editing?

​The global commercial and music video editing landscape is being reshaped by new expectations around speed, technology, and project complexity. LBB reached out to several editing experts to find out what fundamental shifts they predict for the business model and core creative skills of an editor by 2026, and to share the critical lessons their teams are taking to future-proof their work. 

Talking shrinking budgets, rising expectations, client relationships, expanding the craft, independence, and – no prizes for guessing this one – AI, we heard from leaders at  Marshall Street Editors, Whitehouse Post, Rooster, Cutters, Element, Abandon Editorial, Picture North, Lost Planet, Nimiopere, and CYLNDR Studios.

SJ O'Mara

Head of production at Marshall Street Editors

The business landscape for advertising is fragile, and maintaining strong client relationships has never been more crucial. With the rise of AI in production as a whole, there’s a growing belief that agencies can create films using technology alone. Yet these efforts often lack a director’s vision and an editor’s craft – the ability to shape narrative and evoke emotion. This reinforces the irreplaceable value of genuine filmmakers and strengthens the editor-director bond.

There’s also a limit to how fast meaningful editorial decisions can be made. Technology can assist in finding storytelling elements, but creativity needs space to explore possibilities. Protecting that time is essential amid the relentless squeeze on schedules and budgets.  

Looking ahead to 2026, technology will accelerate workflows, but the human touch will remain the key differentiator. Our critical lesson? Embrace innovation without surrendering creativity. Tools may evolve, but storytelling is timeless, and editors are its guardians.

Joanna Manning​

Managing Director in LA at Whitehouse Post​

Last year sparked widespread speculation about AI and what it might mean for advertising. At Whitehouse, we learned firsthand as we began editing some of our first projects incorporating AI, approaching the technology with intention and perspective. While the tools may evolve, the foundation of our work remains unchanged: great storytelling comes first.

The global editing landscape continues to be shaped by faster timelines, increasingly complex deliverables, and rapid technological advancement. For us, embracing new tools is about enhancing the creative process, not replacing it. AI can streamline workflows, organise media, and support versioning, creating efficiencies that allow editors to focus on what truly matters: taste, rhythm, emotion, and instinct. Those human qualities remain irreplaceable.

While the core creative skills of an editor haven’t changed, expectations around adaptability have. Today’s editors must be fluent in emerging technologies while remaining grounded in traditional editorial fundamentals. The most important lesson we’re carrying forward is that technology should serve creativity, not lead it. By investing in our people and integrating new tools thoughtfully, we’re future-proofing our work while protecting the heart of what makes great editing.

Marc Langley

Editor at Rooster

The commercial industry has been in a constant state of evolution since the day I started. I’ve seen it move from editing on 35mm film, to video, to non-linear editing. One thing, in my opinion, has never changed: the craft of editing.

Technology should always be used as a tool, something that supports and elevates what we do. As we move into 2026, especially with the rapid growth of AI, we should embrace it as a way to enhance our creativity, not replace it.

At the same time, our industry is facing shrinking budgets and growing deliverables, which presents real challenges. But problem-solving has always been part of our craft, and finding smart, creative solutions is what we do best.

Caitlin Grady

Managing director and executive producer at Cutters New York

Editors are more than artists, they’re strategic partners. Our clients need creative at scale and that has always meant staying nimble and current with technologies. It’s our job to deliver the best creative product we can with whatever tool is best suited for that job. Editors need to be experimenting with AI so they can knowledgeably advise clients on how it can supplement the work, understand what’s feasible and be able to speak to what is worth executing traditionally. 

To date, most of what I’ve seen put out by brands utilising AI tools could have been made another way and arguably would have been better if so. I look forward to seeing where this path goes next. I want to see things only imaginable with artificial intelligence. Being able to work fluently with these tools is its own artistry that requires practice and nuance. Prompting and understanding AI-powered video and media creation is a core creative skill I predict being required in the toolkit of any editor in 2026 and beyond. Experimenting now will help us guide clients intelligently.

Kristen Kearns 

Partner and executive producer at ELEMENT

Teams are leaner than they’ve been in years – on both sides of the table. Budgets are tighter. Resources are limited. And in that environment, experience suddenly matters in a new way.

We’re seeing this on both sides of the table – brand-side and production-side alike. When teams are small, there’s less room for trial-and-error learning curves. Judgment, problem-solving, and pattern recognition become critical. The differentiator isn’t size anymore; it’s experience, adaptability, and knowing when to bring in the right expertise at the right moment.

The partners that thrive in this moment are the ones who understand those constraints and can flex without compromising craft.

With AI, we’ve also watched the industry move from freaked out → curious → actively implementing. 

In 2026, AI is officially a part of the workflow. It’s showing up in scripting, editing, versioning, tagging, and accessibility. Not as a replacement for creative thinking, but as a tool that serves it. The novelty has worn off, and what’s emerging instead is intention. 

The technology only becomes meaningful once it’s used in service of the work, not as the work itself.

Jonny Mass

Co-founder and managing partner of Abandon Editorial

In 2026, the most important skill an editor can have is the ability to communicate their vision early and with confidence. Generative AI has become a powerful part of that process. Not as a shortcut or a replacement for taste, but as a way to express intent sooner. It can help shape boards, establish tone, and align directors and agency partners from the very beginning, making collaboration more fluid and more productive.

What matters just as much is how quickly that vision can be felt. The line between offline and online has blurred, and editors are now expected to present a first cut that already feels close to a finished piece. Rough comps, temp VFX, simple graphics, or dropping in a plate are no longer extras. They are practical tools for strengthening a cut and helping everyone understand where it’s headed.

The role of the editor has expanded well beyond just cutting. To work at the highest level today, editors need range, adaptability, and a working knowledge across disciplines. The best editors are evolving into true creative partners, shaping the work from the first conversation through the final frame.

Neha Schultz

Executive producer and head of development at Picture North

2026 is a banner year as we have the Winter Olympics coming up in February, as well as the World Cup this summer. We’ll see opportunities for archival and UGC work to be integrated into big creative concepts, think P&G ‘Thank You, Mom’ with a 2026 lens. I think AI is the buzzword for clients, and they will look for ways to solve editorial challenges with AI tools.

Editors, as a whole, will continue to evolve and expand their craft to integrate these AI tools across various elements of the post-production workflow. While AI is present in all conversations these days, at Picture North, we remain committed to film craft and the art of storytelling as the foundation to successful campaigns, led by the visions and instincts of our editors and directors. Consumers, likely a bit fatigued by AI talk, will gravitate towards concepts and craft that feel real and connected to the human experience, even if there are elements of AI at play.

Casey Cayko

Executive producer and partner at Lost Planet

Given the state of the industry, I’m torn between taking a pessimistic and an optimistic approach to this question, but I have decided that 2026 will be the year of positivity.

While I don’t think things are going to get easier for independent post companies, I do think that we all have always adapted and changed with the times, and are in a unique position to do amazingly creative and exciting things this year. There is a reason independent post houses exist: they are an invaluable tool to agencies and clients, serving as creative partners who can continually push the craft and put a unique spin on the work. 

We’ll continue to see faster turnaround times, high expectations for offline edits with more polish than ever before, and a push to utilise AI in areas we’ve previously avoided. Editors will have the chance to be more heavily involved in the creative process, and they’ll collaborate with creative teams to play with footage, do increasingly amazing temp VFX for offline edits, and have more tools at their disposal to execute the creative’s vision in real time. 

We are continually learning new platforms and pushing our editors and assistants to stay on the cutting edge of the latest technologies in our toolbox, which is both exciting and enlightening every day. 2026 will be exciting, and we will get to see edits and creativity that continue to expand on what is possible. Change is constant for post houses – the chance to keep growing creatively is a great thing. 

Graham Chisholm

Founder of Nimiopere

The commercial editing business is being forced to evolve, whether it wants to or not. Speed is no longer a competitive advantage – it’s the minimum requirement. By 2026, the edit-only model will be largely obsolete. If you’re not embedded creatively from the beginning, you’re already behind. Clients don’t need more hands on keyboards; they need perspective, taste, and conviction.

Building a post business is brutally hard. It lives and dies on talent, and talent has no interest in playing it safe. The best editors want the opportunity to take real creative risks and make work that actually matters. Agencies and directors come to us for that reason. They’re not paying us to faithfully replay a script or storyboard, we can all do that. They come to be challenged. They come because we’re willing to push ideas further, question assumptions, and sometimes break the plan to find something better.

The future editor isn’t defined by software fluency alone. AI, remote workflows, and faster pipelines are just tools. What separates the work is judgment under pressure and the confidence to make bold decisions when there’s no safety net. The most important lesson we’re carrying forward is this: invest in people who have taste, courage, and opinions. Technology will keep evolving, but risk-taking is still the engine of great work and always will be.

Nick Adcock

Senior editor at CYLNDR Studios

An editor in 2026 needs to do more than just cut; they need to be a multi-faceted creative partner. Today’s pace requires fluency in color, VFX, and motion design, along with a deep literacy in social formats that go beyond traditional storytelling.

We are seeing the rise of the 'creative generalist’. While AI handles the mundane and boosts output, the core of the job still relies on human taste and clear communication. The biggest gains come from putting editors in the room with other creatives to experiment and learn in real-time.

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