Recast 3 old 10-second clips with the face swap beta: cost by tier
Face swap beta reserves 15 seconds of the tier price per run, so 3 runs cost $8.28 standard, $11.025 plus, $24.75 max.
Recasting three existing 10-second clips with Sume's face swap beta reserves $8.28 at standard, $11.025 at plus and $24.75 at max. Each run reserves 15 seconds of the tier price, whatever the length of your clip. That is $2.76, $3.675 and $8.25 per run.
What the numbers are
The beta takes avatar_handle, video_url and quality, all required. The source clip should be about 4 to 15 seconds and have usable audio. Because the reservation covers a 15-second ceiling, a 10-second clip is reserved at 15 seconds and the catalog does not promise a lower final price.
| Tier | Per second | Per run (15 s) | 3 runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| standard | $0.184 | $2.76 | $8.28 |
| plus | $0.245 | $3.675 | $11.025 |
| max | $0.55 | $8.25 | $24.75 |
Is it cheaper to regenerate?
A new 10-second talking video at standard costs $1.84, against $2.76 for a swap run. If you have a script, regenerating is cheaper. Face swap is for when the original performance, framing and timing must stay and only the face changes.
- Use swap when the footage is already approved.
- Use a talking video when you can re-record the script.
- Test one clip at standard first; tiers differ in render quality, not in what the request accepts.
Notes on use
The beta route is POST /v1/models/sume/avatar-face-swap/v1.0/runs. Use an avatar you own or have permission to use, and follow the platform's disclosure rules for altered or synthetic content. YouTube describes its rules on the altered or synthetic content page. See the face swap docs.
Choosing a tier for recasts
Swap output is judged by whether the new face holds up against the existing footage. Start with the standard tier on the clip with the most head movement. If the face drifts, rerun that clip at plus and compare. The difference between standard and plus on a 15-second reservation is $0.915, which is a small cost for one test.
Max is $8.25 per run. It makes sense for a hero clip that will run as paid media, not for a back-catalog batch. For three clips, the spread between all-standard ($8.28) and all-max ($24.75) is $16.47.
Because audio matters for the source, check that each old clip has clear speech. A clip with only music is a poor fit for the beta, since the source needs usable audio.
Budget line for the batch
Put the swap in your budget as a flat per-run figure. At standard that is $2.76 per run, so ten clips would be $27.60 and thirty would be $82.80. The run is billed against a 15-second reservation, so the number does not move with the clip length inside the limit.
Sources
More in Sume Avatar 1.0
- What to log for a likeness consent trail: five fields per request
Sume avatar and face swap requests carry an avatar_handle, a source URL, a quality, an Idempotency-Key and a job id. Log those five with the consent record.
- Which MCP grant lets an agent create an avatar? Write, no paid scope
On Sume's hosted MCP, avatars_create and the avatar video tools are paid tools that need the Write toggle at consent. There is no mcp:paid scope.
- Avatar video request rejected? Pre-flight these 6 inputs
Catch Sume Avatar 1.0 rejections before you submit: script vs video_inputs, the 4-60 second window, silence scenes, HTTPS media and caption style. A checklist.
- Avatar preview final render has no webhook_url: poll the job
The preview generate-video call takes only quality, so it has no webhook_url. Poll the job, or use the direct avatar endpoint for a webhook-driven render.
Written by Sume