Correction, 2026-10-02: this page stated presentation habits as rules: always three concepts ("not two and not five"), the recommended one second "because" the third "makes the second look reasonable", discussion after the first concept "ends the presentation", and clients who "respond badly" to finding out later that work is AI-generated. These are opinions and are now phrased as advice, as is the claim that agencies showed one direction because finished frames were expensive. The pricing did not say that the Veo tool opens on Veo 3.1 Fast (168 credits for 8 seconds with sound), so the 54-credit Veo 3.1 Lite hook needs a switch, and that Lite makes 720p in 16:9 or 9:16; the 6-credit image model is now named Seedream 5 Lite, as in the model picker. The page suggested presenting from the canvas without saying what client access involves: there is no public share link, a client needs an 8frame account and an invite (Creator up to 3 members, Agency up to 30, Starter none; Viewers count toward the limit), and the Viewer role is view-only. The page also had no sources, and its closing line was not in the standard form.
A format that works for many teams: three concepts, each anchored by one finished style frame rather than a description, presented in the order safe, strong, stretch. Put the concept you recommend second: the first gives the room a reference point, and the third widens the range around your recommendation. Open every concept by restating the objective from the brief, so the client is evaluating against a goal instead of against taste.
Setup
What each concept needs before the meeting: a one-line proposition, one finished style frame with the client's own product in it, two to four supporting frames that show how it extends, and one honest sentence about what it costs or risks. Concepts presented as adjectives tend to get feedback as adjectives.
The presentation order
One order that works well is safe, strong, stretch.
Safe goes first. It is the one closest to what they already do, and it shows you understood the assignment. It also gives the room something it can turn down without much at stake.
Strong goes second. This is your recommendation. By now the room has a reference point to compare it with.
Stretch goes third. Make it genuinely more ambitious than you expect them to buy. Its job is to widen the range, and occasionally it gets bought, which is a good outcome you did not plan for.
Try to present all three before discussing any of them. Once the room starts debating the first concept, it is hard to give the other two a fair hearing.
Step by step
1. Restate the objective in one sentence. From the brief, in their words. Everything after this is measured against it.
2. Show the finished frame, then say the proposition. Image first, then the line. People tend to read the picture before they listen to you, so let them.
3. Extend each concept the same way. Same number of supporting frames, same formats. Uneven treatment signals which one you want, and it can read as pressure rather than recommendation.
4. Name the trade honestly. "This one needs a talent shoot," "this one is the most expensive to produce," "this one depends on a hero product shot we don't have yet." Naming the catch makes the recommendation more credible.
5. Ask a scoped question. "What do you think" invites a redesign. Ask "which of these three is closest to the objective," then take feedback on that one.
Handling AI-generated work in the room
Two habits that help.
Say it up front, plainly: the frames are AI-generated, at concept fidelity, produced so you could see three real directions instead of three descriptions. If the client finds out later, it can feel as if something was hidden; saying it first lets you present it as the speed it bought.
Be precise about what is final. A generated concept frame is not the deliverable, and saying so heads off the "so it's already done?" misunderstanding that can squeeze the production budget. If disclosure obligations apply to the finished work, raise them here rather than at delivery. See do you have to disclose AI-generated ads.
Presenting from the 8frame canvas
Showing the concepts on the board where they were made keeps the direction, the frames and the variations on one surface. Settle a few things before the meeting:
- In the meeting, share your screen. There is no public share link for an 8frame board.
- For the client to open the board afterwards, they need an 8frame account and an invite from the board owner. Inviting needs a Creator plan (collaboration up to 3 members) or an Agency plan (up to 30); a Starter plan cannot invite anyone, and Viewers count toward the limit. The Viewer role is view-only, so a client who should leave comment boxes needs Editor access, which also lets them change the board. Credits are per user: anything the client generates is charged to their own plan, not to yours.
- Record the pick. When the client chooses a concept, get it in writing and save a version of the board with a label such as "Concept B chosen". Versions also save automatically and can be restored. There is no node lock, so the labelled version is your record of what was presented and picked.
- If you need a deck, download the frames (the download menu has an Original option for the full-size file) and place them in your slides. There is no export node that builds a deck for you.
- If a hook needs titles or sound laid over it, the Video Editor mode has a timeline with text, caption and sound layers.
Why three concepts is affordable now
Showing a single direction often came down to cost: finished frames took design time. Image generation moved that constraint. At 8frame prices, three concepts at three frames each (the style frame plus two supporting frames) on Nano Banana Pro is 189 credits, about $1.89 at pack rate; on Seedream 5 Lite it is 54 credits, about $0.54. Adding one animated hook per concept on Veo 3.1 Lite (54 credits for 8 seconds with audio, at 720p, in 16:9 or 9:16) brings the full three-concept package to 351 credits, about a third of a $19 Starter month (1,000 credits). The Veo tool opens on Veo 3.1 Fast (168 credits for the same clip), so switch to Lite before you generate; with a style frame as the start image, Veo always makes 8 seconds.
The point is not only the saving. Real pictures of three directions tend to produce a decision, while a single direction tends to produce a negotiation.
FAQ
How many creative concepts should I present? Three is a good default. Two can read as a false choice, and five can read as indecision and invite a hybrid nobody designed. Treat it as a starting point, not a rule.
What if the client picks the safe one every time? Then the safe one is what they are buying. Consider changing what "safe" means next time rather than presenting four.
Should I show the moodboard in the presentation? Only if the room includes people who did not approve it. Otherwise it can invite re-litigating a settled decision.
Can the client look at the concepts on 8frame after the meeting? Yes, as an invited collaborator. There is no public share link: the client needs an 8frame account and an invite, inviting needs a Creator plan (up to 3 members) or an Agency plan (up to 30), Viewers count toward that limit, and the Viewer role is view-only. Otherwise, send the downloaded frames.
What does a three-concept presentation cost to generate on 8frame? Nine Nano Banana Pro frames are 189 credits, about $1.89; nine Seedream 5 Lite frames are 54. One Veo 3.1 Lite hook per concept adds 162 credits (54 each), for 351 in total with Nano Banana Pro.
Sources
- 8frame prices: Nano Banana Pro 21 credits per image at 1K and 2K (Nano Banana cost function); Seedream 5 Lite 6 credits (registry row bytedance/seedream-5-lite, picker label "5 Lite"); Veo 3.1 Lite 54 and Veo 3.1 Fast 168 credits for 8 seconds with audio (calculateVeo31Cost); Veo 3.1 Lite pinned to 720p; Veo 3.1 in 16:9 and 9:16; 8 seconds with a start image; the Veo tool opens on Veo 3.1 Fast: 8frame back and front tool registries, origin/main, checked 2026-10-02
- Plans and credit value (Starter $19 a month for 1,000 credits; about $0.01 per credit at pack rate): 8frame content fact sheet (live billing catalog), checked 2026-10-02
- Board access (owner plus invited collaborators, each with an 8frame account; no public share link), credits charged to the user who runs each generation, collaborator limits (8frame pricing: "Collaboration up to 3 members" on Creator, up to 30 on Agency; Starter cannot add collaborators; every collaborator counts, whatever the role), the Viewer role (view only), comment boxes, version history (automatic versions, an optional label, restore), no node lock, no export node, the download menu's Original option, and the Video Editor mode (timeline with text, caption and sound layers): 8frame app strings and code, origin/main, per the 8frame content fact sheet, checked 2026-10-01 and 2026-10-02
Concepts can sit on one surface with the direction, the frames, and the variations, instead of scattered across a slide deck.
Try it without signing up: the 8frame canvas opens on a real board. The canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.