When you make a video with your own characters in Film Studio and switch on “Approve the first frame first”, the first frame of the scene is prepared first; the video starts only after you approve it. If you don’t like the frame, you can cancel or regenerate the first frame, and the video price is refunded.
This small step prevents the most common disappointment with character video: paying for a five- or ten-second clip and finding the wrong composition in the very first second. Everything about character video is covered in the character video guide.
Why the first frame?
The first frame largely decides what a video looks like: the characters’ faces and clothes, where they stand, the light and the framing. Motion is built on top of that frame. If the first frame is wrong, the video is wrong; if it is right, the result is far more predictable. We explained the thinking behind this in our keyframe-first post, and the techniques for consistent characters in the character consistency article.
Because the first frame is an image, it is much cheaper and faster than the video. Waiting to see it beats paying for the wrong clip.
How does it work?
- Open Create in Film Studio, pick your characters and describe the scene.
- Choose the tier (Draft or Standard) and the length (5 or 10 seconds), and switch on “Approve the first frame first”.
- When the first frame is ready, the job queue shows “First frame ready, awaiting your approval”.
- Start the video with “Approve and start video”, ask for a new frame with “Regenerate first frame”, or cancel with “Cancel”.
If you cancel, all tokens except the first-frame price are refunded. Regenerating the first frame costs the first-frame price. If a frame is not approved within 24 hours, the video price is refunded automatically.
Tips
- Short, concrete prompts: A character video prompt can be up to 2,200 characters. “Shorten with Sam” tidies up a long one.
- Check the framing: Before approving, make sure faces, hands and clothes match your references and the characters stand where they should.
- Use Premium where it fits: Premium gives the liveliest motion for stylized characters and mascots. For realistic human characters the video is automatically made with the Standard method and the difference is refunded. First-frame approval works on Draft and Standard.
- List what you don’t want: Add things such as text, watermarks or a cluttered background to the “Avoid” field.
How much does it cost?
At the Basic list price a 5-second character video is 122,501 tokens ($0.74) on Draft, 163,334 ($0.98) on Standard and 177,917 ($1.07) on Premium; at 10 seconds the figures are 245,001, 326,668 and 355,834 tokens. With first-frame approval on, the first-frame price appears as its own line in the quote. The Free plan applies ×1.3 and Pro ×0.8; Premium is for subscribers only. Current prices are on the pricing page, and the Film Studio overview on the Film Studio page.
Frequently asked
Is first-frame approval required? No, it is optional. When it is off, the video is made directly from your characters’ images.
What if I forget to approve? If the first frame is not approved within 24 hours, the video price is refunded; only the first-frame price is spent.
Does Premium have first-frame approval? No. First-frame approval is available on the Draft and Standard tiers.
What happens if the video fails? If generation fails, your tokens are refunded. If the first frame cannot be created, the tokens are refunded too; change the prompt and try again.