Setting and Understanding Your Movie's Budget Cap
What the budget cap is
When you create a Movie on SoulrisAI, you set a budget cap: the most that Movie is allowed to cost. It's a firm ceiling, not a suggestion. If another shot would push the Movie past it, the shot isn't started and nothing is charged.
This is the main reason to use a Movie for a multi-shot project: you decide the limit before you begin.
What counts toward the cap
The cap tracks money committed to the Movie, which includes:
- Shots that are generating. Their estimated maximum cost is set aside the moment the shot starts.
- Shots that finished. Once a shot completes, its set-aside amount is replaced by what it actually cost.
- Shots you removed after they finished. If a clip completed and you then removed it from the timeline, the money was spent, so it still counts.
What frees up budget
A shot that fails, is cancelled or expires is refunded, and its amount stops counting toward the cap. Your budget is available again for another attempt. See what to do if a video generation stalls or fails.
Removing a shot that was never completed doesn't create a refund of its own. Refunds happen when a generation fails, not when you remove it.
How the check works
Before every shot, SoulrisAI compares what's already committed plus the cost of the new shot against your cap. If it doesn't fit, you see an over-budget message and can choose a shorter duration. The check runs at the moment you start a shot, so two shots can't squeeze past the cap by being started at the same time. It also helps that only one shot per Movie can generate at once.
The Studio shows you how much you've committed and how much is left, so you can see it before you add a shot. For how individual shot prices are worked out, see estimating video cost before you generate.
Picking a sensible cap
- Decide roughly how many shots you want.
- Use the budget preview on the create screen to see how many shots a given amount buys at your chosen quality and resolution.
- Add some room for retries. Not every shot comes out right on the first try.
A cap that's too tight means you'll run out before the story is finished. A cap that's too generous gives you less protection. Aim for your plan plus a small cushion.
What if you hit the cap?
The cap is set when you create the Movie and can't currently be raised afterwards. If you run out:
- Export what you have. If you have at least two completed shots, you can combine them.
- Start a new Movie with a larger cap, keeping the same settings if you want your clips to match.
The cap isn't your wallet balance
The cap limits one Movie. Your wallet balance still has to cover each shot. If your balance is too low, the shot is refused even when you're under the cap. See insufficient balance.
Try it yourself: create a Movie and watch the committed and remaining amounts change as you add your first shot.