Lesson 2 of 4 · 5 min

What a run costs

You can estimate a month of work before committing to a plan.

The useful skill is not memorising rates. It is being able to estimate a month before you commit.

Steps

  1. Write down what a normal week produces: how many images, how many videos, how many batches.
  2. Run one of each and note the actual cost.
  3. Multiply out to a month and add margin for iteration.
  4. Compare against plans.

Add margin for iteration

The estimate people get wrong is iteration. First attempts are rarely the final asset, and a realistic month includes the two or three versions that came before the one you shipped. Doubling a naive estimate is usually closer than not.

What to watch for

Video and batches dominate any estimate. A month with one video project in it looks nothing like a month without one.

Reference