Lucas uses two types of credits to measure consumption: Video Rendering Minutes and AI Feature Credits. This guide explains how each is calculated and when they're consumed.
Two Types of Credits
| Credit Type | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Video Rendering Minutes | Video generation activity — creating, saving, and publishing videos |
| AI Feature Credits | AI-powered features — image generation, voice, avatars, animation, and more |
These are measured and billed separately.
Video Rendering Minutes
Rendering minutes measure video generation activity. Understanding when they're consumed helps you optimize your workflow.
When Rendering Minutes Are Consumed
Initial Video Creation
- When: You generate a new video for the first time
- What's counted: The full duration of the generated video
Saving Edits
- When: You click "Save" after making edits in Edit mode
- What's counted: The full duration of the video (not just edited portions)
Publishing (Going Live)
- When: You publish or "go live" with your video
- What's counted: The full duration of the published video
Free Actions (No Minutes Consumed)
The following actions do not consume rendering minutes:
- Making edits in Touch-Up
- Previewing changes scene by scene
- Testing different variations
- Previewing your video before saving
Tip: You can make as many edits and preview as many times as you want without consuming rendering minutes. Minutes are only consumed when you explicitly save your changes.
How Rendering Minutes Are Calculated
Rendering minutes are measured in 30-second increments, rounded up.
| Video Duration | Minutes Consumed | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | 0.5 | Rounded up to 30 seconds |
| 30 seconds | 0.5 | Exact increment |
| 45 seconds | 1.0 | Rounded up to 60 seconds |
| 60 seconds | 1.0 | Exact increment |
| 90 seconds | 1.5 | Exact increment |
| 100 seconds | 2.0 | Rounded up to 120 seconds |
| 2 min 15 sec | 2.5 | Rounded up to 150 seconds |
Formula: Video duration rounded up to the nearest 30 seconds = Rendering minutes consumed
Workflow Examples
Example 1: Simple Creation and Publishing
- Create new video (45 seconds) → 1.0 minute
- Preview in Edit mode → 0 minutes (free)
- Save edits → 1.0 minute
- Publish (go live) → 1.0 minute
Total: 3.0 rendering minutes
Example 2: Multiple Edits Before Saving
- Create new video (30 seconds) → 0.5 minutes
- Edit title, preview, edit text, preview, edit colors, preview → 0 minutes (all free)
- Save all edits → 0.5 minutes
- Publish → 0.5 minutes
Total: 1.5 rendering minutes
Example 3: Multiple Save Cycles
- Create new video (60 seconds) → 1.0 minute
- Make edits + Preview → 0 minutes (free)
- Save version 1 → 1.0 minute
- More edits + Preview → 0 minutes (free)
- Save version 2 → 1.0 minute
- Final edits + Preview → 0 minutes (free)
- Save final version → 1.0 minute
- Publish → 1.0 minute
Total: 5.0 rendering minutes
Best Practices for Rendering Minutes
- Minimize saves during editing: Make multiple edits before saving. Use preview mode extensively — it's free!
- Plan your edits: Review your video thoroughly and make a list of all needed changes before starting.
- Test before creating: Finalize your content, text, and assets before generating to minimize post-creation edits.
AI Feature Credits
AI Feature Credits measure the computational resources consumed by AI-powered features during video creation. These are separate from Video Rendering Minutes.
Credit Consumption by Feature
| Feature | Credits | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Image Animation | 5–40 | 1 second of AI video (standard to cinematic quality) |
| Image Generation | 4–13 | 1 AI-generated image (standard to high-end quality) |
| Voice Generation | 1.0 | ~50–100 characters of premium AI voice |
| AI Avatars | 1.0 | 1 second of talking avatar video |
| Brand Customization | 10.0 | 1 full brand kit/logo retrieval |
| Stock Media | 0.1–10 | 1 stock asset (0.1 for audio/SFX, 10 for photos) |
| Content Extraction | 1.5–100 | Web/link extraction to full OCR for complex documents |
| Music Generation | 20.0 | 1 AI-generated music track |
Note: Credit totals may include decimal values. This reflects precise tracking of usage, particularly for features that bill based on duration or variable content length.
Understanding Credit Ranges
Some features show a credit range rather than a fixed cost. This reflects different quality tiers or processing complexity:
- Image Animation (5–40): 5 credits/second for standard motion, up to 40 credits/second for cinematic quality.
- Image Generation (4–13): 4 credits for standard quality, up to 13 credits for high-end photorealistic images. The default provides the highest quality.
- Stock Media (0.1–10): 0.1 credits for audio/SFX, 10 credits for professional stock photos.
- Content Extraction (1.5–100): ~1.5 credits for simple web/link extraction, 100 credits for complex documents requiring full OCR.
Common Questions
Q: If I preview my video 10 times, do I consume 10 times the rendering minutes? A: No. Previews are completely free. You only consume rendering minutes when you save or publish.
Q: If I edit just 5 seconds of a 2-minute video, do I only consume minutes for 5 seconds? A: No. When you save edits, rendering minutes are consumed for the full video duration (2 minutes), regardless of how much you edited.
Q: Can I edit without consuming rendering minutes? A: Yes! Make as many edits and previews as you want in Edit mode. You only consume rendering minutes when you click "Save."
Q: If my video is 31 seconds, how many rendering minutes does it consume? A: 1.0 minute. All durations are rounded up to the nearest 30 seconds.
Q: Does re-publishing a video consume rendering minutes again? A: Yes. Each time you publish (go live), rendering minutes are consumed for the full video duration.
Q: If I save without making any changes, do I still consume rendering minutes? A: Yes. Each save operation consumes rendering minutes for the full video duration, whether you made changes or not.