Good estimates are not simply precise numbers. They are explanations that can be checked when assumptions change. If a client challenges the invoice or a teammate asks why the team bought extra credits, the answer should not depend on someone remembering a chat message from three weeks ago.
The minimum estimate record
Create one versioned document per project. It should identify the desired deliverables, planned accepted footage, model or tool assumptions, expected attempt counts, rights dependencies, plan allowance, and the approval owner. Keep a source link and a check date for any external price or policy assertion.
A compact header can look like this:
| Field | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Estimate ID | DEMO-2026-01 (example only) |
| Scope | 12 × 6-second approved scenes, 16:9 |
| Target accepted runtime | 72 seconds |
| Attempts assumption | 2.5 per accepted scene; untested |
| Generation rate | 4 credits/second; illustrative input |
| Expected credit use | 12 × 6 × 2.5 × 4 = 720 |
| Pricing source | Vendor billing page, to be checked |
| Rights owner | Production lead; verification pending |
| Estimate status | Planning draft, not approved for spending |
The example has 720 expected credits, which is a planning expectation, not an invoice. Actual generation counts are whole numbers and actual charged amounts depend on the service's billing rules.
Record revisions as deltas
When the brief changes, do not overwrite the original estimate without history. Suppose the client adds two six-second scenes while everything else stays constant. Incremental expected credits are 2 × 6 × 2.5 × 4 = 120. The new estimate becomes 840 credits. Record the change request, date, affected deliverable, and who approved it.
| Version | Change | Incremental credits | New expected total |
|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | Original scope | — | 720 |
| v2 | Add two approved scenes | +120 | 840 |
| v3 | Replace 12 seconds with cleared existing footage | −120* | 720* |
The v3 savings are illustrative and hold only if the replaced footage has the same generation assumptions and is actually reusable without fresh work.
Distinguish four evidence levels
- Verified vendor fact: current official pricing, documented terms, and a dated link.
- Measured project fact: local usage log, actual invoice, approved source duration, tested result.
- Planning assumption: retry allowance, expected editorial workload, likely reuse.
- Unknown / hold: unverified rights, undecided client requirements, unclear billing treatment.
This labeling keeps a number from silently changing status merely because it appears in a polished spreadsheet. A clear “unknown” is more useful than a fabricated certainty.
Protect internal benchmark data
For a public article or client proposal, share the assumptions, formulas, and relevant aggregated results. You do not need to expose raw client footage, confidential prompts, detailed internal failure logs, or proprietary scoring methods. Store sensitive source data privately and publish only figures you have permission and sufficient evidence to disclose.
An estimate should end with a decision
Add a final section with four possible statuses: Proceed, Run a small test, Revise scope, or Hold. Explain what must change before approval. That creates a connection between analysis and action without pretending the spreadsheet can replace an editor's judgment.
Use the project calculator to develop the baseline, export or copy the results, and keep the final dated assumptions alongside the project files.
Check the source and keep your inputs
Our examples show a decision-making method, not a live price quotation. Before purchasing credits, verify the provider’s billing method and current plan rules in its official credit documentation or the equivalent official page for the tool you use. Keep your calculations reproducible with our shot-by-shot CSV worksheet. See the methods and sources page for limitations and a full cost ledger.