Correction, 2026-10-02: both costed minutes used Merge Videos (the Montage node) for assembly. It joins at most 10 clips, fewer than the twelve shots here, uses at most 15 seconds of each, and its merged file has no sound, so the clips' audio, the music and the effects would have been lost. Assembly now goes on the timeline in 8frame's Video Editor mode: the mixed minute drops from 1,763 to 1,753 credits and the cheap one from 887 to 877. The summary also said a Starter plan covers one properly iterated minute and Creator about three; at 1,753 credits that minute needs most of two Starter months, and Creator covers about one and a half (three of the 877-credit cheap version).
Sixty seconds of finished AI video costs between $2.50 and $34 in generation credits depending on the model, before retries. With a realistic retry multiplier the honest range is about $7 to $100.
Here is the arithmetic, including the part most estimates leave out.
TL;DR
- Cheapest: about 248 credits ($2.48) for 60 seconds on Veo 3.1 Lite silent
- Most expensive: 3,360 credits ($33.60) on Veo 3.1 Standard with audio
- Realistic planning number: triple it. At a 1-in-3 keep rate
- A mixed workflow is the actual answer: cheap drafts, mid-tier body, one expensive hero
- A $19 Starter plan (1,000 credits) covers the cheap 480p minute (877), not a properly iterated one with sound (1,753). $49 Creator (3,000) covers about one and a half of those, or three cheap ones
Sixty seconds, single model
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate. Cost of generating 60 seconds of output:
| Model | Per second | 60 seconds | Approx |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite, silent | 4.13 | 248 | $2.48 |
| Wan 3.0 at 480p | 4.80 | 288 | $2.88 |
| Veo 3.1 Lite, with audio | 6.75 | 405 | $4.05 |
| Wan 3.0 Prime at 480p | 9.20 | 552 | $5.52 |
| Runway Gen-4 Turbo | 8.00 | 480 | $4.80 |
| Wan 3.0 at 720p | 9.60 | 576 | $5.76 |
| Kling v3 Standard, silent | 11.40 | 684 | $6.84 |
| Gemini Omni Flash, with audio | 16.90 | 1,014 | $10.14 |
| Kling v3 Standard, with audio | 17.20 | 1,032 | $10.32 |
| Hailuo H3 at 2K | 17.60 | 1,056 | $10.56 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast, with audio | 21.00 | 1,260 | $12.60 |
| Seedance 2.5 at 720p | 31.40 | 1,884 | $18.84 |
| Veo 3.1 Standard, with audio | 56.00 | 3,360 | $33.60 |
The retry multiplier
Nobody keeps every clip. For a shot you have not composed yet, one in three is a realistic keep rate, and one in five for anything with a difficult physical event in it.
So the honest planning numbers triple:
| Model | 60s generated | 60s delivered at 1-in-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite, silent | $2.48 | ~$7.44 |
| Veo 3.1 Lite, with audio | $4.05 | ~$12.15 |
| Kling v3 Standard, with audio | $10.32 | ~$31 |
| Seedance 2.5 at 720p | $18.84 | ~$56 |
| Veo 3.1 Standard, with audio | $33.60 | ~$100 |
Most estimates you will see online quote the left-hand column. The right-hand column is what your plan actually experiences.
The mixed workflow, which is the real answer
Nobody produces a minute on one model. A realistic 60-second piece with twelve shots:
| Step | Route | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Block 24 compositions | Wan 3.0 at 480p, 24 each | 576 |
| Iterate the 12 survivors silent | Veo 3.1 Lite at 33 | 396 |
| Finish 11 shots with audio | Veo 3.1 Lite at 54 | 594 |
| One hero shot | Veo 3.1 Fast at 168 | 168 |
| Music bed, 30s looped | Lyria 2 | 13 |
| Six short sound effects | ElevenLabs SFX, up to 4 s each at 1 | 6 |
| Total | 1,753 credits, about $17.53 |
That is a properly iterated minute with sound. Assemble it on the timeline in 8frame's separate Video Editor mode, which has video, text, caption and sound layers, or in your own editor. Merge Videos won't do here: it joins 2 to 10 clips, uses at most 15 seconds of each, and its merged file has no sound. It exceeds a $19 Starter plan's 1,000 credits, which is the honest finding: one finished minute uses most of two Starter months. The $49 Creator plan's 3,000 credits covers about one and a half such minutes a month, or three of the cheap version below.
The cheap version
If 480p and your own audio are acceptable:
| Step | Route | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 24 blocking attempts | Wan 3.0 at 480p | 576 |
| 12 finals at 480p | Wan 3.0 | 288 |
| Music bed | Lyria 2 | 13 |
| Total | 877 credits, about $8.77 |
Inside a Starter month, with the shots and the music assembled on the Video Editor timeline as above. For b-roll-led content under a voiceover, this is genuinely enough.
What is not in these numbers
Your time, which is the real cost and always larger.
Editing. Trimming, grading, grain, captions. All editor work.
No video upscaling. There is none on this canvas, so generate at delivery resolution. A minute generated at 480p that needed 1080p is a minute regenerated.
Failed generations. See why did my AI generation fail.
FAQ
How much does a 1-minute AI video cost? $2.48 to $33.60 in credits to generate, or roughly $7 to $100 delivered after retries.
Can I make a minute on a $19 plan? A 480p b-roll minute, yes. A properly iterated minute with audio is closer to a month and a half.
What is the cheapest route? Veo 3.1 Lite silent at 4.13 credits per second, or Wan 3.0 at 480p at 4.80.
Why do online estimates look lower? They quote generation cost without the retry multiplier.
Triple the sticker price, then plan. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.