Film and Video Editors vs Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: $75K vs $55K Median Pay

Film and Video Editors vs Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: what changes?

Consider Film and Video Editors if you want to edit moving images on film, video, or other media. Consider Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators if you would rather create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Film and Video Editors and Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Film and Video Editors

National median pay (2025): $75,420
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,100

Know before you choose

Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

See the full Film and Video Editors brief

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

National median pay (2025): $55,490
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,200

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 2.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators brief

How the national numbers differ

Film and Video Editors has the edge on projected growth

Film and Video Editors is at 3.7% projected growth, compared with -2.9% projected growth for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.

Film and Video Editors has the edge on median pay

Film and Video Editors is at $75,420, compared with $55,490 for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.

Typical preparation differs.

Film and Video Editors: Bachelor's degree Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: Bachelor's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Film and Video Editors has the edge on annual openings

Film and Video Editors is at 3,100 annual openings, compared with 2,200 annual openings for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.

51/ 100

Film and Video Editors

34.4/ 100

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Film and Video Editors vs Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

Dimension	Film and Video Editors	Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Median pay (2025)	$75,420	$55,490
Pay percentile	65.4 percentile	40.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.7%	-2.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	3,100	2,200
2025 employment	39,400	28,900
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Film and Video Editors brief Read Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators brief

Film and Video Editors vs Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Film and Video Editors

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

How the national numbers differ

Film and Video Editors has the edge on projected growth

Film and Video Editors has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Film and Video Editors has the edge on annual openings

Film and Video Editors vs Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

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