One-take cost for an 8-second clip
Formula: cost = rate × 8. At 1080p that is about $3.20 on Standard, $0.96 on Fast, and $0.64 on Lite — before any regenerations.
| Tier | Resolution | Rate | 8s cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 720p / 1080p | $0.40/s | $3.20 |
| Standard | 4K | $0.60/s | $4.80 |
| Fast | 720p | $0.10/s | $0.80 |
| Fast | 1080p | $0.12/s | $0.96 |
| Fast | 4K | $0.30/s | $2.40 |
| Lite | 720p | $0.05/s | $0.40 |
| Lite | 1080p | $0.08/s | $0.64 |
Lite has no 4K option; use Fast or Standard for ultra-HD 8-second shots.
How retries change an 8-second bill
Veo charges per output second generated. If you need three attempts at an 8-second Fast 1080p shot, plan for 3 × $0.96 = $2.88, not a single $0.96. A 50% waste assumption on one "final" clip means budgeting 1.5× the one-take price (about $1.44 on Fast 1080p).
Teams often underestimate this. Ten approved 8-second Standard 1080p clips with 100% average waste (one keep + one discard each) cost 10 × $3.20 × 2 = $64.00, not $32.00. Modeling waste in the calculator avoids surprise Gemini invoices.
Is Veo 3.1 free for short clips?
No. Even a short 4- or 8-second clip is billed per second on the Gemini API. There is no free Veo 3.1 API tier in Google's published pricing. Short clips cost less than long ones only because seconds × rate is smaller — not because short generations are complimentary.
For rate tables see Veo 3.1 cost per second. For tier choice see Fast vs Standard. Or open the homepage calculator and set clip length to 8s.