Create

Create a video

Set up a video project, brief it in plain language, approve the cost, and follow it through to a finished file.

Editors and owners

Open Creative Space → Create and choose Video. You describe the video in plain language and Svay makes it from your Context.

Start a project

Open Creative Space, then Video.
In Set up your video, fill in the project and press Create project.
Describe the video in the chat. Svay plans it and shows you the cost.
Review the cost and approve. Svay then makes the video.

The setup form

Setting	Options	Notes
Project title	Any name	Required. For example “September product launch”.
Style	Talking head, Voiceover explainer	Talking head: a presenter delivers your message on camera. Voiceover explainer: visuals and a voiceover explain the idea.
Aspect ratio	Vertical 9:16, Horizontal 16:9, Square 1:1	Vertical is the default.
Approximate duration	0:15 to 1:30, in 15-second steps	A target for the script writer, not a hard limit.
Video format	Standard (no format), or a format your workspace has published	Only shown when your workspace has formats.
Presenter	Avatar and voice	Starts from the avatar and voice saved in Context. Changing them here applies only to this project.

Create project stays disabled until the project has a title and a voice, plus an avatar for a talking-head video. The line under the button tells you which is missing. To set up avatars and voices, see Presenters.

For a talking head, the studio also has a pacing choice: Polished cut (the default) or Natural.

Brief the video

Describe what you want in the chat, the way you would brief a colleague:

A 45-second explainer on why mid-market teams should stop buying software seats they do not use. Punchy, a bit contrarian, ending on a question.

Svay writes from the brief plus everything in Context. The brief is the shape of this one video; Context is the voice it is written in. A good brief is short and specific about angle, audience and tone.

Add your own footage

Use the + button in the chat box.

Talking head: Upload your footage takes video files. With your own footage, Svay does not generate a presenter, and the video has no presenter charge.
Voiceover explainer: Add your photos & clips takes images and videos. Svay refuses an upload past the per-video limit and tells you the number.

Talking-head projects only take video. If you attach an image, Svay does not attach it and shows “Talking head runs use video footage — switch to Video mode to build with images.” To use photos, switch to a voiceover explainer.

Approve the cost

Making a video spends credits. Before any paid work starts, Svay shows a quote: “A paid video action is ready. Review the quoted cost below…”. Press Approve this video (or Approve & render), or Cancel. Nothing is charged until you approve.

Part of the price	Credits
Every video	200, plus 5 for each second of video
A generated presenter (talking head, when Svay creates the presenter)	20 for each second
Voice	75 for every 1,000 characters of narration, where Svay generates the voice
A music bed, when one is added	3 for each second
Generated B-roll images, when used	10 each
Generated B-roll video, when used	25 for each second

Only the parts your video uses are added. A video with no extras is 200 + 5 per second: 350 credits for 30 seconds, 500 for 60. A 60-second talking head with a generated presenter adds 1,200 for the presenter, about 1,700 credits before voice.

The quote is the most you can be charged. When the video is delivered, the presenter and music are charged for the length actually delivered, so a shorter result costs less; voice and B-roll keep their quoted price. If the run fails or you cancel, the credits held for it are released.

If you do not have enough, Svay tells you what it needs and what you have (“That needs 500 credits and you have 120. Nothing was started, and you haven’t been charged.”) and offers Buy credits.

While it makes the video

Svay works through steps and shows where it is (“Step 3 of 4”). The steps you see depend on the video:

A talking head with a generated presenter goes through Script generation, Voice generation, Avatar generation and Video editing.
A talking head with your own footage skips the script, voice and presenter steps.
A voiceover explainer runs mainly as one editing step.

Other points:

Runs take minutes. There is no ETA, and you can leave the page: the run keeps going.
A run marked Waiting is asking for you, usually to approve the quote. Nothing moves until you answer.
Follow every step on the Runs page.

When the video is ready, open it to review and edit.

Limits

Limit	Value
Videos in progress at once, per workspace	3. A video waiting for your approval does not count.
Longest billable video	3 minutes (the setup slider stops at 1:30)

Starting a fourth video while three are in progress is refused until one finishes. The message reads “Your workspace can have up to 3 content jobs in progress at once…”.

Troubleshooting

Create project is disabled. Read the line under the button: it names the missing title, avatar or voice.

“Talking head runs use video footage — switch to Video mode to build with images.” You attached an image to a talking-head project. Attach a video instead, or switch to a voiceover explainer.

I do not see a length setting. Approximate duration is on the setup form, and you can also ask for a length in the brief (“about 30 seconds”). Both steer the script; neither is a hard cap.

The cost is higher than I expected. Length drives the price, and a generated presenter adds 20 credits for every second. Choose a shorter duration, or attach your own footage, before you approve.

My video is stuck on Waiting. Open it and look for the approval prompt. See Runs.