AI Video Credits Cost — Kept-Shot Math for Creators
Sticker price per second is not the cost of a usable clip. Acceptance rate and failure policy decide what you actually spend on generative video.
What is kept-shot cost?
Kept-shot cost is credits burned divided by clips you actually export. Failed or discarded takes still matter if the platform charges them.
- Log credits per generate at your duration, resolution, and audio setting.
- Track acceptance rate: kept clips ÷ attempts.
- Cost per kept shot = total credits used ÷ acceptance rate.
Why retries dominate AI video budgets
Most teams need several regenerations before a social-ready clip. Plan for multiple attempts on text-to-video concepts and fewer on image-to-video when the still already locks the subject.
| Workflow | Typical retries | Budget tip |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-video hooks | Higher | Draft short first; extend winners |
| Image-to-video product shots | Lower | Fix framing in the still |
| Lip-sync talking heads | Medium–high | Lock face reference early |
Do failed generations consume credits?
This is the #1 buyer question and a common blind spot in comparison posts. Video publishes the failure policy on pricing so clip generation does not feel like a slot machine.
Until launch numbers are final, budget as if retries cost credits — then celebrate if your plan refunds hard failures.
How does Video make credit math clearer?
- Capability tags show relative burn before you click generate
- Studio jobs surface duration and resolution costs in one place
- API metering uses the same units as the UI for batch clip generation