Post-production cost for 100 AI clips: trim, caption, upscale

The finishing tools on Sume are cheap next to generation. Trimming a clip is $0.02, a caption job is $0.20, and upscaling is $0.009 per input second. For 100 fifteen-second clips, trim plus caption plus upscale is $0.02 + $0.20 + $0.135 = $0.355 per clip, or $35.50 for the batch. Assembling the 100 clips into one 25-minute timeline is $2.50.

Rate card for finishing

These are flat or per-unit prices from the Sume rate card. The timeline and trim docs describe the cap as a reserve ceiling: the job captures its own compute, never more than the reservation. Video upscale takes up to 30 seconds per input, so 15-second clips fit.

The pipeline total

Trim + caption + upscale: $0.02 + $0.20 + (15 x $0.009 = $0.135) = $0.355. For 100 clips that is $35.50. Add one timeline render for the whole batch: 100 x 15 s = 1,500 seconds = 25 minutes, and 25 x $0.10 = $2.50. This fits the 1,800-second limit. Total finishing: $38.00.

Compared with generating the clips (a 15-second 768p H3 Max clip is $1.50, so $150 for 100), finishing adds 24 percent ($0.355 / $1.50). If you skip the upscale, the add-on drops to $0.22 per clip, or 15 percent.

Per-clip timelines cost more

The timeline is billed per ceil output minute. If you assemble each 15-second clip as its own timeline job, each rounds up to one minute: 100 x $0.10 = $10.00, four times the single 25-minute render. Batch the assembly where you can.

What is not covered

I did not read competitor prices for captioning or upscaling, so there is no vendor column. Captions cost $0.20 per standalone job; if the captions are produced as part of another workflow, check that workflow's own line on the rate card before assuming it adds $0.20.

Where the money is

Rank the lines in the 100-clip finishing bill: captions are $20.00 (53 percent of the $38.00 total), upscaling is $13.50 (36 percent), trimming is $2.00 (5 percent), and assembly is $2.50 (7 percent). Captions are therefore the line to question first.

If the downstream platform adds its own captions, skip the standalone job and save $20.00 on the batch. If you only upscale the 20 best clips, the upscale line drops from $13.50 to $2.70. Finishing choices of that kind move the bill more than any rate difference.