What is cost per approved second?
It is total generation and postproduction cost divided by the seconds of footage that pass review and enter the final edit.
Free · Private · Editable assumptions
AI Video Cost per Approved Second
Estimate AI video generation cost using generated seconds, acceptance rate, retries, overhead, editing, and approved footage.
01 · Approval economics
Budget the footage that survives review
02 · Decision view
Generated seconds required
300sProject cost
$247.5Cost per approved second
$4.13The acceptance rate is the fulcrum: at 20.0%, one approved second requires 5.0 generated seconds.
Methodology
Inspectable by design
approved-second cost = ((approved seconds ÷ acceptance rate) × generation rate × overhead) + postproduction, divided by approved secondsProvider rates vary by model, resolution, audio, duration, credit plan, and API versus subscription access. The default is an editable scenario, not a vendor quote.
Questions people ask
Calculator FAQ
Why does acceptance rate matter?
A provider may bill every generated second. If only 20% is usable, each approved second requires five generated seconds before overhead and editing.
What counts as generation overhead?
Use it for extensions, upscales, failed jobs, audio, reference-image preparation, or other generation charges not captured by the base per-second rate.
Does this include editor labor?
Only if you enter it in editing and postproduction. The calculator does not infer labor, subscription minimums, or unused credits.