Katechon ArcHow the calculator works
- Pick a model and resolution. The list is our AI video price index: every row is a list price quoted from Atlas Cloud's free /calculate endpoint on 2026-10-17, divided by the quoted clip length to get USD per second.
- Set the shape of the project: seconds per clip, clips per episode and episodes. A one-off clip is 1 × 1.
- Add retakes. Some clips miss and get regenerated. Across our first five series, 15% of video spend went to re-renders, so the 30-episode preset adds 15%.
- Read the result. List cost is what the provider charges at list price. Per finished minute divides it by the finished runtime, retakes included in the cost but not the runtime.
- Arc credits appear for the models Katechon Arc renders (Seedance 2.0, Seedance 2.0 Fast, Seedance 2.0 Mini) at the clip lengths and resolutions it supports, from the same rate card the studio charges. A thousand credits cost $3.70–$7.50 from the cheapest annual plan to the smallest top-up, so the USD range in Arc depends on how you buy them.
The 30-episode short drama preset
The default numbers are not guesses. They are the shape of Blood Sun, a 45-episode vertical drama we made with Katechon Arc: 268 shots over 45 episodes is about 6 shots an episode, and 51.6 minutes of episodes over those shots is about 12 seconds a shot. Thirty episodes is the minimum we were asked for when submitting a series to TikTok's Drama Center. The model is Seedance 2.0 Mini at 720p, which rendered most of our series.
At list price that series costs $302 in video, or $8.38 per finished minute. In Katechon Arc it is 23,391 credits. Our own measured cost was $2.26 per finished minute across 195 episodes, lower than list because we pay Atlas Cloud's account prices, which are discounted on some models.
Presets
| Preset | Shape | List cost (USD) | Katechon Arc credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-episode short drama (from our films) | 30 × 6 clips × 12 s, Seedance 2.0 Mini · 720p, 15% retakes | $302 | 23,391 credits |
| One 60-second ad | 1 × 6 clips × 10 s, Seedance 2.0 · 1080p, 25% retakes | $40.99 | 12,668 credits |
| A 45-minute feature | 9 × 50 clips × 6 s, Seedance 2.0 Mini · 720p, 15% retakes | $377 | 29,498 credits |
The same 30-episode drama on every model
| Model | USD per second | Series cost | Per finished minute | Katechon Arc credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite · 720p | $0.050 | $124 | $3.45 | Not in Arc |
| PixVerse V6 · 720p | $0.060 | $149 | $4.14 | Not in Arc |
| Veo 3.1 Lite · 1080p | $0.080 | $199 | $5.52 | Not in Arc |
| MiniMax H3 · 768p | $0.080 | $199 | $5.52 | Not in Arc |
| MiniMax H3 Max · 768p | $0.080 | $199 | $5.52 | Not in Arc |
| Veo 3.1 Fast · 720p | $0.096 | $238 | $6.62 | Not in Arc |
| Luma Ray 3.2 · 720p | $0.099 | $246 | $6.83 | Not in Arc |
| Wan 3.0 · 720p | $0.100 | $248 | $6.90 | Not in Arc |
| Kling 3.0 Turbo · 720p | $0.112 | $278 | $7.73 | Not in Arc |
| PixVerse V6 · 1080p | $0.115 | $286 | $7.93 | Not in Arc |
| Veo 3.1 Fast · 1080p | $0.120 | $298 | $8.28 | Not in Arc |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini · 720p | $0.121 | $302 | $8.38 | 23,391 credits |
| Vidu Q3 Pro · 720p | $0.125 | $310 | $8.62 | Not in Arc |
| Gemini Omni Flash · 720p | $0.125 | $310 | $8.62 | Not in Arc |
| Kling 3.0 Standard · fixed resolution | $0.126 | $313 | $8.69 | Not in Arc |
| LTX 2.5 Pro · 720p | $0.132 | $328 | $9.11 | Not in Arc |
| Kling 3.0 Turbo · 1080p | $0.140 | $348 | $9.66 | Not in Arc |
| Wan 3.0 Prime · 720p | $0.140 | $348 | $9.66 | Not in Arc |
| Grok Imagine Video 1.5 · 720p | $0.140 | $348 | $9.66 | Not in Arc |
| Vidu Q3 Pro · 1080p | $0.150 | $373 | $10.35 | Not in Arc |
| Kling 3.0 Pro · fixed resolution | $0.168 | $417 | $11.59 | Not in Arc |
| LTX 2.5 Pro · 1080p | $0.187 | $465 | $12.90 | Not in Arc |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast · 720p | $0.194 | $483 | $13.41 | 56,097 credits |
| Wan 3.0 · 1080p | $0.200 | $497 | $13.80 | Not in Arc |
| Seedance 2.0 · 720p | $0.243 | $603 | $16.76 | 186,507 credits |
| Grok Imagine Video 1.5 · 1080p | $0.250 | $621 | $17.25 | Not in Arc |
| Wan 3.0 Prime · 1080p | $0.280 | $696 | $19.32 | Not in Arc |
| Seedance 2.5 · 720p | $0.377 | $937 | $26.02 | Not in Arc |
| Luma Ray 3.2 · 1080p | $0.396 | $984 | $27.32 | Not in Arc |
| Veo 3.1 · 720p | $0.400 | $994 | $27.60 | Not in Arc |
| Veo 3.1 · 1080p | $0.400 | $994 | $27.60 | Not in Arc |
| Seedance 2.0 · 1080p | $0.547 | $1,358 | $37.71 | 419,589 credits |
| Seedance 2.5 · 1080p | $0.742 | $1,844 | $51.22 | Not in Arc |
The cheapest row prices the series at $124 on Veo 3.1 Lite · 720p. Price is not the whole decision: clip length limits, audio, reference images and how well a model holds a face across shots matter more for a series. Our answers on what an AI short drama costs and Seedance 2.0 vs Kling 3.0 vs Veo 3.1 go further.
What the calculator leaves out
- Images: character, location and storyboard frames. In Arc they are a few percent of a series; see estimating credits.
- Script writing, voice-over, music and captions, which are billed by length or done outside the video model.
- Account discounts, free tiers and subscription bundles on other platforms. List price is the comparable baseline, not what every buyer pays.
- Upscaling. We upscale finished films to 4K with Topaz at about $0.07 per output second.
Questions
How much does a 30-episode AI short drama cost to render?
With 6 clips of 12 seconds per episode and 15% retakes on Seedance 2.0 Mini at 720p, the video costs $302 at list prices quoted 2026-10-17, or 23,391 credits in Katechon Arc.
Where do the prices come from?
From our AI video price index: list prices quoted from Atlas Cloud's /calculate endpoint on 2026-10-17, which prices a request without running it. Provider prices change; the date is on every table.
Why is the Arc figure a range in dollars?
Katechon Arc charges in credits. A credit costs less on larger and annual plans than in a small top-up, so the same number of credits is worth a range of dollars.