Estimating Video Cost Before You Generate — How the Quote Works
Why video cost is worth checking first
Video is the most expensive thing you can make on SoulrisAI, so it pays to know the price before you press generate. If you want to estimate AI video cost up front, the Studio shows you a quote for your exact settings, and nothing is taken from your wallet until you actually confirm a generation.
This guide explains what goes into that quote, what changes it, and one honest caveat you should know about.
What the estimate is based on
A video estimate is a simple calculation: a per-second rate multiplied by the duration you chose. Three of your choices feed into it:
- Quality tier. Budget, Standard and Premium come with different rates. See Budget vs. Standard vs. Premium video quality for what each tier changes.
- Resolution. Higher resolutions can carry a higher per-second rate than the base rate. Where a resolution-specific rate exists, SoulrisAI uses it instead of the base one.
- Duration. Longer clips cost proportionally more, because the rate applies to every second.
Because the formula is per second, you can reason about cost yourself: halving the duration roughly halves the price at the same tier and resolution.
How to see your estimate
- Open the video section of the Studio.
- Choose your quality tier, resolution, aspect ratio and duration.
- Check the cost shown for those settings before you submit.
- Change any setting and the estimate updates to match.
If the number is higher than you expected, the quickest levers are a shorter duration, a lower resolution, or a lower quality tier. Try them in that order, since duration has the most direct effect.
How the money is handled
When you do confirm, SoulrisAI places a hold on the estimated amount rather than spending it immediately. If the clip completes, the hold is settled. If it fails, the hold is released back to you. We cover this in more detail in What to do if a video generation stalls or fails.
You need enough balance to cover the hold. If you don't have it, the generation is refused before anything is reserved, and you can add funds and try again.
The honest caveat: an estimate isn't a guarantee
An estimate tells you what a clip of that length would cost at that tier and resolution. It does not guarantee that every duration will be accepted for every quality option, so the final check happens when the generation is actually submitted.
If a duration is rejected at that point, the generation fails, your hold is released, and you can pick a different duration. In practice, sticking to the durations the Studio offers for your chosen resolution and aspect ratio keeps this from happening.
Does cost differ for chained clips?
Each segment in a video chain is its own generation with its own quote, so a longer sequence adds up segment by segment. Checking each estimate as you go lets you stop extending whenever the running total stops making sense.
Keeping costs predictable
- Test an idea at the Budget tier before committing to Premium.
- Write a clear prompt first. Writing prompts for video helps you avoid paying for retries.
- Start with a short clip, then extend it if it works.
Try it yourself: open the Studio, set up your first clip, and look at the estimate before you generate. Our first AI video walkthrough shows each step.