Correction, 2026-10-02: the page listed Merge Videos for assembly without saying that its merged file has no sound: the clips' own audio is dropped and nothing is added. It now says to put the music bed and any clip audio on the Video Editor timeline.
Correction, 2026-09-30: we priced three ratios on Veo 3.1 Lite, which offers only 16:9 and 9:16. The example now uses a model with 1:1.
Social video is a volume problem, not a quality problem. The constraint is not whether any single post looks good; it is whether you can produce thirty of them a month without the process consuming your week. That makes the useful comparison one of cost per post and time per post, and on both measures the answer is less about the model than about having a template.
TL;DR
- A month of 30 posts: about 600 credits, roughly $6 in generation
- Generate vertical natively. Cropping from 16:9 discards 70 percent of the frame and costs the same
- Cheapest workhorse: Pruna p-video Draft at 4 credits per 5 seconds (720p); Wan 3.0 at 480p is 24 if you want Wan
- Speed beats quality for this format. Gemini Omni Flash at about 35 seconds for a short clip, against about 60 for 5 seconds of Kling v3 Standard, changes how many posts fit in an afternoon
- The template saves more than the model choice does
The model, by job
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate:
| Job | Model | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| B-roll and cutaways | Wan 3.0 at 480p, 5s | 24 |
| Cheap iteration with audio | Veo 3.1 Lite, 8s | 54 |
| Fast exploration, many tries | Gemini Omni Flash, 8s | 135 |
| Controlled motion | Kling v3 Standard silent, 5s | 57 |
| Post graphics and cards | Seedream 5 | 6 |
| Cards with exact text | Nano Banana Pro | 21 |
| Music bed, 30s looped | Lyria 2 | 13 |
| Joining clips, picture only | Merge Videos | 10 |
A realistic month: 20 b-roll plates (480), 15 post graphics (90), a music bed (13), and assembly runs (~50) comes to about 633 credits, roughly $6.33. Inside a $19 Starter plan with room left. Merge Videos' merged file has no sound, so lay the music bed, and any clip with its own audio, on the timeline in 8frame's Video Editor mode (it has sound and caption layers) or in your own editor.
Why speed matters more than it sounds
On our own production jobs over 120 days, Gemini Omni Flash returns a short clip in about 35 seconds at the median, Kling v3 Standard a 5-second clip in about 60, and Seedance 2.0 takes 3 to 4 minutes. For a format where you are producing thirty pieces a month, that difference is the difference between a batch session that works and one that does not.
Iteration count also drives quality more than model capability does, because most of the distance between a bad clip and a good one is prompt and framing. See how long AI video generation takes.
Vertical from the start
Generate 9:16 natively. The ratio is free: a vertical clip costs the same credits as a horizontal one on every model here. Cropping down from 16:9 loses about 70 percent of the frame, moves your subject off its composition, and softens the result through upscaling.
If a campaign genuinely needs several ratios, generate each natively on a model that offers them. Veo 3.1 Lite makes only 16:9 and 9:16, 108 credits for the pair with sound; for 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1, Wan 3.0 at 480p is 72 credits for all three, which is cheaper than most people assume. More in the aspect ratio guide.
The template is the actual leverage
The generation cost is a rounding error. The real cost of social video is decisions: where captions sit, how the brand mark appears, what the end card says, what the caption style is, how long each cut runs.
Board that once and every subsequent post is a fill-in. That is where a month goes from three days of work to three hours, and it has nothing to do with which model you picked.
Captions, since most views are muted
Two lines maximum, 32 to 42 characters each, split at clause boundaries rather than at width limits, positioned in the lower middle third rather than the true bottom where platform UI sits. This single layer decides more about performance than the footage does. See how to caption video for silent viewing.
What not to generate
Your face, if you are the brand. The parasocial relationship is the asset.
Your product, ever. Photograph it.
Your premises or team. A generated version of a real place is wrong to anyone who has been there.
Testimonials or reviews. Fabricated endorsements are a regulatory matter.
FAQ
How much does a month of social video cost? About $6 in credits for roughly 30 posts, on a $19 Starter plan.
Which model should I default to? Wan 3.0 at 480p for b-roll, Veo 3.1 Lite when you need audio, Gemini Omni Flash when you are exploring and want speed.
Should I generate vertical or crop? Generate vertical. It costs the same and a crop loses most of the frame.
What saves the most time? A template, not a model. Board the format once.
Sources
- Aspect ratios per model: the 8frame app, checked 2026-09-30
- Generation times: 8frame production database, completed generations in the 120 days to 2026-09-30, template examples excluded, read 2026-09-30
- Merge Videos (Montage) output has no audio track: the 8frame app, checked 2026-10-02; Video Editor mode layers: the 8frame app, checked 2026-10-02
Board the format once, then fill it thirty times. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.