Measure the number that rules your budget

The method (one week, zero tools)

Keep two tallies wherever you track work: G — every generation you run, and K — every clip you actually keep. After a normal week: ratio = G ÷ K. That's it. Most creators land between 1.5 and 3; demanding styles (faces, hands, on-screen action) run higher, ambient work lower.

What the number does

It converts every price on this site into your price: a $0.10/s model at your ×2.4 is a $0.24/s model for you. Three decisions immediately sharpen:

• Model choice: a pricier model that halves your ratio is a discount. Compare models by (rate × your ratio on that model), nothing else.
• Tier routing: shots types with ratios above ×2.5 are premium-tier candidates — the extra fidelity pays for itself in avoided attempts.
• Prompt investment: a falling ratio is the measurable return on prompt work. If a week of refinement moves ×2.8 to ×1.9, that's a 32% permanent cost cut.

Track it per category

One global number hides the signal. Split by shot type — people / products / scenery — and the routing decisions above make themselves. The calculator's default ×1.5 buffer is a sane starting assumption; your measured numbers should replace it within a month.