Credits
ACT3 AI uses a credit-based system to measure AI generation and rendering usage. Credits are consumed whenever you generate video, run renders, use AI tools, or export content. Every subscription plan includes a monthly credit allowance, and additional credits can be purchased at any time.
How Credits Work
Credits are deducted in real time as you use the platform. The credit cost for any task depends on three factors:
- Resolution — Higher resolution costs more credits per second of output
- Engine — Premium AI engines (Google Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.0 at 1080p or 4K) cost more than fast / draft engines (Grok Imagine, Veo 3.1 Fast, Seedance 2.0 Fast, Seedance 2.0 Mini, Wan 2.6)
- Duration — Credits scale with the length of each shot. Each shot is generated at its own planned duration (or its trimmed / previously-generated length if you've edited it). Each AI model has its own allowed durations — Veo 3.1: 4, 6, or 8 sec; Seedance 2.0: 4–15 sec; Wan 2.6: 5, 10, or 15 sec; Grok: 1–15 sec — and snaps to the nearest. Final render fees scale with the total length of generated footage.
Before any generation or render job starts, ACT3 AI shows you the exact credit cost on the generate button — for example, Generate [364 Credits] or Generate High Quality [2,080 Credits]. If you do not have enough credits, a dialog tells you exactly how many you need and offers an upgrade path. You must confirm before credits are deducted.
For the full per-model catalog and a worked example of a complete 50-shot project, see Pricing Details.
Credit Usage by Task
Video Generation — Per 8-Second Shot
| Model | Resolution | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine | 720p | 364 |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | 720p | 393 |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast | 720p | 629 |
| Wan 2.6 | 1080p | 780 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 720p | 780 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 1080p | 780 |
| Seedance 2.0 | 1080p | 1,960 |
| Veo 3.1 | 1080p | 2,080 |
| Seedance 2.0 | 4K | 4,044 |
Image Generation — Per Image (1K Resolution)
| Model | Credits |
|---|---|
| Imagin Fast | 13 |
| Imagin Preview | 26 |
| Imagin Ultra | 39 |
| Nano Banana 2 | 52 |
| Nano Banana Pro | 98 |
4K outputs cost 2× the standard rate on every image model.
Audio and Post-Processing
| Task | Unit | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-Speech | per 100 characters | 23 |
| Text-to-Speech | per 1,000 characters | 225 |
| Lipsync | per ~5s clip | 38 |
| Auto-trim audio | per shot | 25 |
| Auto-trim + Speech Replace | per shot | 50 |
Story Generation (AI Writing)
Story-tree actions cascade: saving a parent level (e.g. Plot) auto-regenerates its children (e.g. Acts). The charge you see is the child level being regenerated, not the level you edited. Scenes and Shots are produced together by the bundled Generate Scenes & Shots action, billed per beat.
| Action | Unit | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Story Blueprint (Plot) | per blueprint, auto on script import / overview | 13 |
| Character Overview | per overview, bundled with Overview generation | 14 |
| Generate Character Profile | per profile | 54 |
| Acts (regen from Plot) | per act, charged when Plot is saved | 11 |
| Beats (regen from Acts) | per beat, charged when Acts are saved | 22 |
| Generate Scenes & Shots | per beat (covers AI scene + shot generation for that beat) | 1,000 |
| Generate Shot Depth | per shot | 34 |
| Generate Shot Script | per shot | 1 |
| Generate Mega Prompt YAML | per shot | 9 |
Final Render
The final merge step that stitches all generated shots into one video is billed at 77 credits per second of generated footage. For a 50-shot project (50 × 8s = 400 seconds), this is 30,800 credits.
Monthly Credit Allowance by Plan
| Plan | Monthly Credits | Rollover Bank Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 245,000 | 612,500 (2.5 months) |
| Pro | 875,000 | 2,187,500 (2.5 months) |
| Enterprise | Custom | 2.5 months of monthly allowance |
Credit Rollover
Unused credits at the end of each billing period automatically roll into your Rollover Bank. Each plan has a maximum bank capacity equal to 2.5 months of that plan's monthly allowance. Credits in the rollover bank are drawn from automatically when your monthly credits are exhausted. Rollover credits expire if you cancel or downgrade your subscription.
Buying Additional Credits
You can purchase credit top-ups at any time without changing your subscription:
- Go to Settings → Plans and Billing → Credit Store
- Choose a credit pack size
- Credits are added to your balance immediately after purchase
Enterprise customers can negotiate custom credit rates and annual bundles through the sales team.
Checking Your Credit Balance
Your current credit balance appears:
- In the top navigation bar on every page
- On the Dashboard overview panel
- In the Credits section of Settings → Plans and Billing
The Credits section also shows a breakdown of recent usage by project and by AI engine.
Team Credit Pools
Organizations on Pro or Enterprise plans share a single credit pool across all team members. Owners and Admins can:
- View per-user and per-project credit usage reports
- Set credit limits for individual team members
- Purchase additional credits for the shared pool
Individual contributors draw from the shared pool automatically. Their usage is tracked per user for accountability.
Managing Credits Efficiently
Use Fast / cheaper models for early-stage iteration — Grok Imagine (364 cr), Seedance 2.0 Mini (393 cr) and Seedance 2.0 Fast (629 cr) cost roughly 3–6× less per 8-second shot than Veo 3.1 standard (2,080 cr) or Seedance 2.0 at 1080p (1,960 cr). Iterate creative direction on the cheap engines first, then commit hero shots to the premium models.
Use Veo 3.1 Fast at 720p when you need Veo-quality on a budget — Same 780 credits as Wan 2.6 but with native audio and Google's prompt fidelity.
Lock completed shots — Once a shot is approved, lock it in the Editor to prevent accidental regeneration that would consume credits unnecessarily.
Batch-schedule renders overnight — Queue all final renders in the Render Queue to run during off-hours. This ensures efficient use of credits without interrupting your editing workflow.
Set billing alerts — Configure alerts at 20% and 5% remaining credit balance from Settings → Notifications to avoid running out mid-production.
Best Practices
- Iterate on Seedance 2.0 Mini, Grok Imagine or Wan 2.6 to find the right creative direction before running expensive Seedance 2.0 (1080p / 4K) or Veo 3.1 passes
- Cut your shot count where possible — every shot triggers story-structure and video credits
- Plan your credit usage across a production before starting final renders
- Purchase extra credits before starting large production runs rather than waiting until your balance runs low
Related
- Pricing Details — per-model cost catalog and a worked 50-shot project breakdown
- Billing
- Teams
- Render Queue
- AI Video Generation