RenderDrama

What a second of AI video costs, channel by channel

Drafting at 480p and finishing high: when it pays back

Two channels here describe drafting at a low resolution and finishing at a high one, and both bill the two passes separately. That makes the saving a matter of arithmetic: the draft pass costs the whole runtime once, and pays back only on seconds that would otherwise have been retaken at the higher rate. As of 2026-10-13.

The draft route against the straight routeThe draft route pays the whole runtime once at the low rate, then every retake at the low rate, then the kept shots once at the high rate. The straight route pays every take, retakes included, at the high rate. The routes cost the same when the retaken share equals the draft rate divided by the gap between the rates.Draft everythingWhole runtime once atthe low rate.Mistakes foundRetake at draft rateEach retaken secondcosts the low rate.Shots approvedFinal pass onceKept shots at the highrate, enhanced orgenerated again.
Fig. 1 About 36 per cent of seconds retaken at 10 against 38 credits, about 42 per cent at 20 against 68, and over 100 per cent at 10 against 19.
What each channel bills for a draft pass and for the finished take, as published. Recorded 2026-10-13.
ChannelDraft passFinished takeRetaken share where the two routes cost the same
RunwaySeedance 2.5 preview at the 480p rate, 20 credits a secondEnhanced to 1080p at 68 credits a secondAbout 42 per cent of seconds
SceneMixerWan 3.0 at 480P, 10 credits a secondA new take at 720P (19) or 1080P (38)About 36 per cent at 1080P; over 100 per cent at 720P

Inclusion rule. Channels that document a draft-then-finish workflow on a public page and publish a rate for both passes. The last column is arithmetic on those two rates, shown so the working is visible. Order. Alphabetical by channel.

1The break-even is the draft rate over the gap

Drafting adds one full pass at the cheap rate and saves the difference between the rates on every second that gets retaken. Set those equal and the break-even share of retaken seconds is the draft rate divided by the gap between the two rates. At 10 against 38 that is 10 over 28, about 36 per cent. At 20 against 68 it is 20 over 48, about 42.

Below that share, going straight to the final resolution is cheaper. Above it, the draft pass wins, and it wins by more the more retakes there are.

2A small gap between rates makes drafting a working method, not a saving

Finish at 720P instead and the gap shrinks to 9 credits against a draft rate of 10, so the draft only pays for itself if every second is retaken more than once. SceneMixer's own guide draws the same conclusion: finishing at 720P, drafting costs a little more overall and is worth doing for the cheaper look-and-fix loop rather than for the bill.

That is the honest version of advice usually given without numbers. Whether a draft saves money depends on a ratio the price list prints, and on a retake count only the production knows.

3Enhance and regenerate are different promises

The two workflows differ in what the second pass is. One channel enhances the preview it already made, at the higher rate for the same duration. The other generates the shot again at the higher tier from the same storyboard and references, and states that a draft is never upscaled.

An enhanced preview keeps the motion of the draft; a fresh take may move slightly differently, which the guide says is normal. A production that approves performances at the draft stage should know which of the two it is buying.

  • Draft mode on the developer API
    A Seedance 2.5 draft preview bills at the 480p rate; enhancing it to 1080p bills at the 1080p rate for the same duration, and the two calls are charged separatelyRunway, API prices / recorded 2026-10-13
  • Seedance 2.5 on the developer API
    20 credits per second of output at 480p and 68 at 1080p, with input and reference video billed per second on topRunway, API prices / recorded 2026-10-13
  • Drafting low and finishing high
    A draft is a full generation at Wan 3.0 480P and the final take is a new generation at 720P or 1080P; a draft is never upscaledSceneMixer, drafting guide / recorded 2026-10-13
  • When a draft pass pays back
    The guide states that the draft pass costs the whole episode once at the draft rate and saves the gap between the two rates on every retaken secondSceneMixer, drafting guide / recorded 2026-10-13
  • Wan 3.0 480P
    10 credits per second, about $0.06the default tierSceneMixer, price list / recorded 2026-09-12
  • Wan 3.0 720P
    19 credits per second, about $0.12SceneMixer, price list / recorded 2026-09-12
  • Wan 3.0 1080P
    38 credits per second, about $0.24SceneMixer, price list / recorded 2026-09-12

4Sources

Each figure is read from the vendor page linked in the ledger, checked 2026-10-13. How a figure qualifies is on method; what a rate leaves out is on limits and unspent credits and parallel generations. Nearby: Before paying, Paying yearly, Price of sound.