# Draft first, pay for 1080p once

Recipes / Prompt guide / Which model. Checked 2026-11-13.

Iteration costs a fraction, so more ideas get tried.

- Use when: Seedance 2.5 work where several attempts are expected.
- Phrase: iterate on drafts at 480p, then finish only the chosen draft at 1080p
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/guide/draft-before-1080p
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/guide/draft-before-1080p.json

## Watch out

- Priced by our CLI on 22 Oct 2026: a 10-second draft costs 30 credits, against 70 at 720p and 160 at 1080p. (measured; Director Chair notes on Seedance 2.5 realism (Dan Kieft))
- One creator shows the draft looking close to the 1080p version. Whether acting and timing carry over to the finished clip is not yet measured by us. (practitioner; Director Chair notes on Seedance 2.5 realism (Dan Kieft))

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me a filled-in prompt that follows this guide, plus the one thing to check in the result, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is draft first, pay for 1080p once: iteration costs a fraction, so more ideas get tried. How it works: iterate on drafts at 480p, then finish only the chosen draft at 1080p. It is right for: seedance 2.5 work where several attempts are expected. Priced by our CLI on 22 Oct 2026: a 10-second draft costs 30 credits, against 70 at 720p and 160 at 1080p. One creator shows the draft looking close to the 1080p version. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Which model for video: https://directorchair.ai/guide/which-model-for-video
- Prompt guide: Seedance 2.5: https://directorchair.ai/guide/guide-seedance-2-5
- More angles from one take: https://directorchair.ai/preset/preset-angle-pass

## Source

Own words from Director Chair notes on Seedance 2.5 realism (Dan Kieft)

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.