Avatar video quality settings: standard, plus or max?

Sume's avatar video takes quality: "standard" | "plus" | "max", and plus is the default when you omit it. standard is the fastest execution path, plus is the balanced path, and max is the highest tier with slower turnaround.

The three descriptions are all the Avatar video docs say, read 2026-09-29. They publish no visual comparison and no per-tier price in that page, so test on your own script and read the price from the API.

What do the tiers mean?

What else shapes the output?

• aspect_ratio: 1:1, 3:4, 9:16 (default), 4:3 or 16:9.
• resolution is currently 720p.
• The duration window is 4 to 60 seconds, from a script or ordered video_inputs.

Can I preview before choosing a tier?

Yes. Avatar video previews (POST /v1/avatar-video-previews) produce still frames first. Preview stills are tier-independent, and you can override the final quality when you call /generate-video, so approving a preview does not lock in the tier. See first-frame previews.

How do I choose?

Start with the default plus for a draft. Move to max only for a script you will publish, and use standard when speed matters more, such as a bulk batch of tests. Read the reserve for each tier from the API's price fields before a big run; avatar video pricing per minute explains where to look.

How do I set it in a request?

Add quality next to avatar_handle and one of script or video_inputs.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/avatar-1.0/talking-video \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: avatar-max-001" \
  -d '{
    "avatar_handle": "your_avatar_handle",
    "aspect_ratio": "9:16",
    "quality": "max",
    "script": "Here is the one setting that matters."
  }'