Video workflow / Evidence guide
AI video pricing explained: credits, duration and modes
Donatello video pricing is duration-based. The generator multiplies the selected whole-second duration by the displayed rate and shows the exact credit total before generation.
Key takeaway
Fast currently costs 10 credits per requested second and supports 1–10 seconds. Quality costs 100 credits per requested second and supports 4, 6 or 8 seconds while its production route is available.01 / Video workflow
The pricing formula
For video, the calculation is deliberately simple: selected seconds multiplied by the per-second rate. A five-second Fast video therefore reserves 50 credits. A six-second Quality video reserves 600 credits.
| Mode | Supported duration | Rate | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast | 1–10 seconds | 10 credits / second | 5 seconds = 50 credits |
| Quality | 4, 6 or 8 seconds | 100 credits / second | 6 seconds = 600 credits |
02 / Video workflow
Choose the mode from the job, not the name
Fast is the economical route for testing movement, camera direction, framing and prompt changes. Quality uses a higher-cost production route and appears only while that route is available.
A practical workflow is to validate the idea in Fast, then use Quality only for a selected direction. A strong starting frame also reduces ambiguity: it fixes the visual composition while the prompt concentrates on motion and the intended ending.
- Use text-only generation when composition can remain exploratory.
- Use a starting frame when subject identity and framing matter.
- Describe camera movement, subject movement and ending state separately.
- Select the shortest duration that can express the shot before expanding it.
03 / Video workflow
Reservations, failures and returned credits
Donatello reserves the displayed amount when the request is accepted. The reservation prevents another simultaneous request from spending the same balance.
A completed generation consumes the amount. A final non-billable technical failure restores the reserved credits automatically. Provider safety rejections cause the request to fail and remain subject to the service rules described in the Terms.
04 / Video workflow
Finish the workflow within 72 hours
Uploaded frames and generated videos are private creative files, not permanent cloud storage. Download the selected output before the 72-hour retention period ends. Lightweight creation metadata can remain after the file expires.
Verification
Sources and current facts
Product conditions can change. Donatello's dated Product Facts and binding Terms take precedence over this explanatory article if a material detail is updated.