How do I get charged by you?

Shotstack API
1

Hello there,

I am currently developing a video editor tool and we are interested in using the Shotstack API to assist us. However, I am curious about its functionality as we plan to offer users the ability to create their own videos. For instance, if a user creates a final video utilizing our stock footage, how would this affect charges for adding a new video to the timeline? Will we be charged for each video the user adds or only after they render the final video? Additionally, will the user have access to the video before rendering it? In other words, will they be able to preview the final product before we are charged?

Furthermore, I have another question regarding how it works when users add a new video to the timeline. My developer is concerned that it may take too long for the user’s browser to process the new video. Could you please clarify this for us?

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

2

Hey Fernando,

When using Shotstack API, you are charged based on the rendered output, not for adding videos to the timeline. The charges apply when a user renders the final video. You won’t be charged for each video the user adds to the timeline during the editing process.

Regarding previews, the Shotstack API does not provide a real-time preview of the video before rendering. However, you can implement a workaround by rendering a low-resolution or scaled-down preview of the final video. This will consume fewer credits and provide a faster preview for your users to review before rendering the full-resolution version.

We are also exploring a frontend editing SDK that will allow you to preview renders in your application.

As for your concern about the user’s browser processing the new video, Shotstack is a cloud-based service, so the video processing happens on Shotstack’s servers and not on the user’s browser. The user’s browser will only need to handle the API requests and display the rendered output or preview. This means that the processing time should not be a significant concern for the user’s browser.