MiniMax H3 reference-to-video with 8 photos: the $0.10 extra per image

On MiniMax H3, a reference-to-video request includes five reference images in the per-second price, and every image after the fifth adds $0.10 on Sume. A 10-second clip at 768p costs $0.75 with five photos and $1.05 with eight. The extra is the vendor list add-on of $0.08 per image times the Sume multiplier of 1.25.

H3 Max follows a different rule in Sume: it bills the per-second rate with no per-image add-on.

The arithmetic for a 10-second 768p clip

H3 lists $0.06 per second at 768p. Ten seconds is $0.60. Each reference image after the first five lists at $0.08. Sume multiplies the total by 1.25 and rounds up to the cent.

H3 versus H3 Max for many references

H3 Max uses the same reference-to-video envelope as H3, and lists $0.08 per second at 768p. A 10-second 768p H3 Max clip is $1.00 in Sume before any such overage, whatever the photo count. H3 costs less for up to five images: $0.75 versus $1.00. At eight images the H3 price of $1.05 is slightly above the H3 Max base price.

There is a catch on the H3 Max side. A related Sume post covers reference-token overage on H3 Max, which is not part of the reserve. If your clip needs exact cost control, price the job with the vendor page open and compare it with the usage.cost in the finished job.

How to keep the photo count down

• Use five images: one subject, one product, one setting, one style board, one detail.
• Merge related items into a single collage photo instead of sending three separate packshots.
• Drop duplicates, and remember the model takes at most nine images. Two near-identical angles of the same object add cost and confuse the model.
• Test with three photos at 480p first, then add references only if the clip is missing something.

A catalogue budget

A shop that renders 50 product clips of 10 seconds at 768p, each with eight reference photos, pays 50 x $1.05 = $52.50. With five photos each the figure is 50 x $0.75 = $37.50, so the three extra photos per clip add $15.00. That is a 40 percent increase for photos the model may not need.

The same 50 clips on H3 at 480p with five photos cost 50 x $0.63 = $31.50, because 10 seconds at $0.05 lists $0.50 and Sume rounds $0.625 up to $0.63. Run the draft at 480p first and spend on the extra references only for the clips you keep.

Send the references

The model takes up to nine reference images, and they go in input_references. They guide the content of the clip, and no image is forced to be the opening frame.

import os
import time

import requests

API = "https://api.sume.com/v1/videos"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": "Bearer " + os.environ["SUME_API_KEY"]}
body = {
    "model": "minimax-h3",
    "prompt": "The red sneaker rotates on a concrete plinth in the studio from the photos, soft top light",
    "duration": 10,
    "resolution": "768p",
    "input_references": [
        {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "https://example.com/shoe-1.jpg"}},
        {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "https://example.com/shoe-2.jpg"}},
    ],
}
job = requests.post(API, headers=HEADERS, json=body, timeout=60)
job.raise_for_status()
poll_url = job.json()["polling_url"]
while True:
    state = requests.get(poll_url, headers=HEADERS, timeout=60).json()
    if state["status"] in ("completed", "failed", "cancelled"):
        break
    time.sleep(10)
print(state["status"], state.get("usage"), state.get("unsigned_urls"))

What to verify yourself

The fal H3 reference-to-video page says the first five reference images are free, each additional image costs $0.08, and the model takes up to nine images. Vendors change pricing, so compare the fal H3 page with the Sume catalog before a large batch. Nine images for 10 seconds at 768p is $1.15 on Sume.