How to budget AI video: generated seconds and usable seconds

Write down the exact model, duration, resolution, input mode and sound settings. Divide the displayed generation price by the requested seconds. Compare only configurations that can satisfy the same deliverable.

For illustration only, a hypothetical 60 RUB quote for five seconds equals 12 RUB per generated second. This arithmetic example is not a current Most AI price. Read the selected studio form for an actual quote.

If three hypothetical 60 RUB attempts produce one accepted five-second shot, generation spending is 180 RUB and the accepted footage costs 36 RUB per second. A low minimum quote does not establish a low finished-project cost.

Keep the acceptance criteria fixed when comparing models. A clip with a distorted product label or unusable final second should not be counted as fully accepted simply to improve a cost figure.

For a fifteen-second social edit, list the actual shots, whether stills can cover part of the timeline and which clips need generated sound. Set a maximum number of attempts before starting.

For a thirty-second promo with five planned shots, estimate each shot separately. Some may use existing footage or a static graphic; others may need source images and several attempts. Add speech, music and editing only where the brief requires them.

Our six-video comparison records actual charges from 19 October 2026: 127 RUB for Wan, 238 RUB for Kling 4 and 472 RUB for Seedance 2.5 per ten-second, 720p clip. Those figures describe that experiment, not today’s price list.

Archive the date and configuration with each real cost record. Do not reuse an old catalogue minimum for a different version or higher quality. Recheck the total quote before submitting a new job.

Simplify an overloaded scene, improve its references and make exact text in a finishing edit. Compare the cost of the accepted deliverable, including source preparation, retries and final assembly.

Stop when a result meets the brief. Further generations made only to explore alternatives belong to a separate budget, not an invisible addition to the original estimate.