> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rewatch.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Spending credits wisely

> Test short, review the story before the images, recycle what exists: the method to spend fewer credits without losing quality.

Every generation (image, clip, voice, music, portrait, cover) costs credits. Only what happens locally is free: stitching clips together, placing a media from your library, re-editing a shot, rendering a still image, importing an intro or outro.

## The estimate before paying

The app shows an “Estimated cost” before launching, with your balance. For a video, it distinguishes two stages: the writing of the story goes out right away, the images, voices and clips are only billed after your review. The announced figure is that of a run with no touch ups: every shot redone is paid on top.

Spending is confirmed in several cases: above a threshold, the first time you spend, when the spend takes more than a quarter of your balance, or when the whole video restarts. Below these thresholds, the spend goes out after a short delay during which you can cancel. In the tools, the assistant holds back an expensive request and asks for your confirmation with the amount.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Canceling stops the work, but a task already sent to the provider is still billed.

## The method

**1. Test short**

A short length, a single part, one image, a clip of a few seconds. If you don't like the result, you lost little. Only then, launch the full length.

**2. Review the story before the images**

When you create a video, the story is written first and stops at your review. This is the moment to fix things: one character too many, a weak payoff, a useless shot. Redoing a sentence costs much less than redoing ten clips. See [Revising the story](https://docs.rewatch.studio/video/revise.md).

**3. Set a cap**

In the advanced settings, “Spending cap” (in credits, for this project only). A series' autopilot also has a monthly cap.

**4. Recycle what exists**

Reuse before regenerating: a track from “My music” is reused at no cost, an imported intro or outro is free, a library media is placed without generating anything. A series reuses its characters and portraits without paying for them again. See [Creating a series](https://docs.rewatch.studio/series/create.md).

**5. Redo a piece, not the whole video**

A failed shot is regenerated on its own from the editor. See [Regenerating in the editor](https://docs.rewatch.studio/tools/editing.md).

## What costs more than you think

* Length: clips and avatars are billed per second.
* A clip's native sound: it adds to the image price on some engines.
* Several images at once: the price is per image.
* Animated shots: a still image with the voice over costs less than a clip. The “Animated shots” setting (a few, half, all) doses the cost.
* A higher quality or a more powerful engine: see [Choosing an engine](https://docs.rewatch.studio/models/choose.md).

## Common mistakes

* Launching the maximum length the first time: test short.
* Approving the story without reviewing it: mistakes are paid for in images.
* Redoing an image by changing everything: change one thing at a time.
* Regenerating a music track or a portrait that is already good: reuse the one from your library.
* Ignoring the price shown on a button: it is calculated for your exact request.

## Settings that go with it

* **Images only**: the story and one image per scene, with no voice or editing. You animate later if you like the result.
* **Spending cap**, **Quality**, **Animated shots**.
* To know what to write in each field: [The rules of a good prompt](https://docs.rewatch.studio/rules.md).

## A test plan for a full video

```text theme={null}
1. A short part, Standard quality, minimum length.
2. I review the story: characters, payoff, number of shots.
3. I generate, I look at a speaking shot and an action shot.
4. I fix the weak point (prompt, engine, character) on a single piece.
5. I launch the full length, in Premium only if the test justifies it.
```

## When the confirmation appears

The message says why: the amount reaches the threshold, it is your first spend, the spend takes more than a quarter of your balance, or the whole video restarts. It is not an error: it is the moment to check the length, the engine and the number of shots. You can choose to no longer be prompted below a certain cap, but keep the confirmation while you are testing new settings.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.