H3 Max Recast on a 25-second clip: $9.38 at 768p, $14.07 at 1080p

h3-max-recast replaces the main people in one source video with the people in 1 to 4 photos, and it bills the length of the source rounded up. A 25-second source costs $9.38 at 768p or $14.07 at 1080p on Sume, from list prices of $0.30 and $0.45 per second times 1.25. The source can run 5 to 30 seconds, but no single shot may be longer than 15.

The second rule is the one that trips people up. A 25-second source is under the 30-second cap, but if it holds a 20-second unbroken take it does not meet the 15-second shot limit.

What the price depends on

There is no text-only mode. You supply the source clip and one photo per new person.

Before you submit

Inspect the source first. video_inspect gives you the duration and sampled stills, so you can see where cuts fall and confirm that no shot passes 15 seconds. If one does, add a cut in an editor before you submit. Supply the inspected duration, rounded up, because the job bills that figure.

The output keeps the source motion, camera, cuts and sound. The prompt is optional, up to 2,000 characters, and the catalog describes the job as a person swap, not a scene rewrite.

When not to use it

If you only need one hero shot, regenerating it with a first frame on another id may cost less than recasting a whole 25-second source. If the cut sequence and sound matter, recast is the reason to pay. 768p is the default, and 1080p is an opt-in that costs 50% more per second.

Budget steps

Work out the cost before the job, not after.

Recast is billed on the source length, so trimming dead air from the source before you submit saves money directly. Cut the lead-in and tail first, then submit the part that has the people in it.

• Read the source length with video_inspect and round up to whole seconds.
• Multiply by $0.375 for 768p or $0.5625 for 1080p, then round up to the cent.
• Confirm the longest shot is 15 seconds or less.
• Have one photo per new person, up to four, and a balance above the reserve.