# Chat and Auto mode (/docs/help/chat-auto)

## Chat mode

Chat mode is what you get when Auto mode is off. Use it when you want a say before the video is made.

- Reela replies with a plan: what the video covers, your files, its length and shape, and the credits it will use. It asks a question only when the answer would change the video a lot, such as whether to keep your footage's sound.
- You can change the plan, the quality level or anything else by replying.
- Reela shows how many credits the video will use before you confirm.
- The video is charged only after you confirm. Chatting itself costs very little: each reply uses a tiny number of credits.

Paste a link or the text of your notes in the chat and Reela builds the video from them. Tell it where you'll post the video and it picks a fitting shape.

## Auto mode

Auto mode skips the conversation. Use it when you know what you want, or when you're making many similar videos.

- Reela starts producing right away when you send.
- It uses the video quality level you picked in the mode menu.
- Credits for the video are held as soon as production starts, so check your prompt and settings before you send.

The button that opens the mode menu shows which mode you're in: **Chat** with a speech bubble, or **Auto** with a wand, followed by your video quality level.

## Switch modes

*Interface: The mode menu: Auto mode switch under the Video quality levels*

1. Open the mode menu next to the send button.
2. Turn **Auto mode** on or off. Off is Chat mode.

The menu stays open when you flip the switch, so you can also pick a video quality level.

New videos start in the mode you used last. To always start in Chat or Auto, set **Default mode** in **Settings** › **Preferences**.

## Which to use

- **Chat mode** — your first videos, anything with a brand or client to please, or when you're not sure what you want yet.
- **Auto mode** — quick drafts, repeat formats, and prompts you've already tested.

Either way, you can ask for changes after the video is made. See [Make your first video](/docs/help/first-video).