How credits work
Credits are what you spend to make videos. Each video uses credits when it's produced. How many depends on the video.
How many credits a video uses
Each quality level has its own per-second rate (see reela.com/pricing). What a video costs depends on:
- Length — longer videos use more.
- What's in it — the kind of shots and content.
- Video quality — each level up uses more credits than the one below. See Video quality.
When credits are charged
- Chat mode — Reela shows the video's credits before you confirm, and the video is charged only after you do. Each reply in the chat uses a tiny number of credits, so you need a few left to chat.
- Auto mode — Reela starts right away.
When production starts, credits for the length you chose are held. When the video is done, you're charged for what it actually used and the rest is released.
See Chat and Auto mode.
How length is billed
The length you choose is a target, not an exact figure. The script and the way shots are cut make the finished video a little shorter or longer. You never pay for more than you chose:
- Finished video is shorter — you pay for its actual length.
- Finished video is longer — you pay for the length you chose. The extra is on us.
For example, if you choose 60 seconds and the video comes out at 57, you pay for 57. If it comes out at 64, you pay for 60.
Series episodes have no fixed length to hold to, so each episode is charged for its actual length. See Create a series.
Where credits come from
- Plan credits come with your subscription. They reset each month, and unused plan credits don't carry over.
- Purchased credits are ones you buy on top of your plan. They never expire, and you keep them even if you move to a smaller plan or back to Free.
Your plan and your purchased credits are separate. See Manage your plan.
Failed videos aren't charged
If a video fails, is blocked or you stop it, you're not charged for it: the credits held for it go back to your balance. Subscription fees aren't refundable.
Other things that use credits
- Changes to a video. Each change is made as a new version and uses credits. In Chat mode Reela shows the cost first; in Auto mode it starts right away.
- Regenerating a shot or a picture in the editor: a few credits for a picture, more for a video shot, depending on its length and quality level.
- Designing a series' characters, places and props: a few credits per picture.
- Creating your own avatar: 200 credits.
- Chatting with Reela: a tiny number of credits per reply.
An edit made only from your own footage costs 3 credits a second, whatever quality level you pick.
If you run out
You can:
- Upgrade your plan to get more credits each month.
- Buy more credits, on any plan, Free included. Videos made on Free still carry a watermark; only a paid plan removes it.
Spend credits wisely
- Try an idea at a lower quality level first, then make the final at a higher one.
- Use Chat mode to agree on the plan before credits are spent.