Choosing a model and scene length

In a Story Video these choices are made per scene, not once for the whole video. Each scene card carries its own Model selector and Time selector, with a live credit estimate that updates as you change either one — so you can see what a scene will cost before you render it.

Different scenes in the same video can use different models and different lengths. A dialogue beat and an establishing shot do not have to be treated the same way.

What the models differ on

The selectable models include Seedance 2.0, PixVerse C1, Kling O1, Veo 3.1 and Wan 2.7.

The two differences that actually affect your choice are:

• How many reference images each model accepts. Your storyboard frames, location, cast and asset references all count toward this. Models differ in how many they can take in.
• Which durations each model offers. The Time selector shows the lengths the currently selected model supports, so changing the model can change the options in the Time list — and can change an already-chosen length.

Everything else is a matter of look and feel. Models render motion and style differently, and the honest advice is to try a scene on one, look at the result, and switch if it isn't what you wanted. Re-rendering a single scene is cheap relative to redoing a video.

When a scene is blocked from rendering

A scene carrying more reference images than its chosen model supports cannot be rendered. This is the most common reason a scene refuses to start, and it is not a failure or a bug — it is caught before you are charged.

You have two ways out:

1. Reduce the references on that scene — drop a cast member, asset or location the shot does not really need, or remove a storyboard frame.
2. Switch to a model that accepts more reference images, then render again.

Remember that storyboard frames count toward the total. Adding a second storyboard beat to a scene that was already near the cap can be what pushes it over.

Resolution: everything renders at 720p

There is no resolution choice when you set up a scene. On web, every render is 720p — the resolution picker was removed, so the Model and Time selectors are the only per-scene render settings.

1080p is a paid upscale, applied to the finished video at publish time rather than chosen at creation time. See Exporting and sharing Story Videos for how the upscale works in the Publish modal.

On iOS: the app still displays a resolution picker, but 1080p is clamped to 720p on the server until its next App Store release. Choosing it changes nothing.

The free first scene ignores these settings

Every account gets one free first scene render. It runs on fixed settings — a specific model, 10 seconds, 720p — so the per-scene Model and Time selectors do not apply to it. You cannot spend the free render on a longer scene or a different model.

If that free render fails or you cancel it, the claim is released: it does not count as used, and you can try again.

What a scene costs

Cost scales with both the duration you pick and the model you pick — a longer scene costs more than a short one, and models are not priced alike. The live estimate on the scene card is the number to trust, since it reflects the exact combination you have selected.

For what each part of a video draws from your balance, see Story Video credits; for balances, credit packs and what happens when a render fails, see How credits work.

Next steps

• Rendering scenes — starting a render and tracking it.
• Storyboards: guiding how a scene looks — frames that count toward the model's reference limit.

Updated on: 31/07/2026