AI Video Generation API for Headphone Brands — Clip Cost Guide
An audio brand has over-ear headphones in five colors. Each color has a studio packshot, but the product page and short-form ads need motion: the ear cups swiveling flat, the headband flexing, the case lid opening, the headphones slowly rotating on a turntable. Filming five colors means a set, a stylist, and a lighting crew repeated five times. Animating the existing packshots through an API gives shoppers a sense of the product in motion without a new shoot.
Direct answer: GenRelay's image-to-video models animate an existing headphone photo into a short clip with described motion, such as a cup swivel, a rotation, or a light sweep across the headband, billed per second or per generation, and a 5-second clip costs between $0.05 and $0.90 depending on model and resolution.
How Much Does a Headphone Clip Cost?
Cost depends on billing model and resolution, not on how complicated the described motion is. As of October 2026, GenRelay video pricing is: Grok Imagine 1.0 (text-to-video) $0.010/second, Grok Imagine 1.5 (image-to-video) $0.022/second, Veo 3.1 Lite $0.060/second at 720p and $0.120/second at 1080p, and Gemini Omni Flash a flat $0.10 per generation at 720P or $0.15 at 1080P.
| Model | Billing | 5s clip cost | 8s clip cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine 1.5 (i2v) | Per second | $0.11 | $0.176 | Animating an existing packshot into a rotation or cup-swivel clip |
| Grok Imagine 1.0 (t2v) | Per second | $0.05 | $0.08 | Generic lifestyle footage from text, no source photo |
| Veo 3.1 Lite, 720p | Per second | $0.30 | $0.48 | Finer reflection and material detail |
| Veo 3.1 Lite, 1080p | Per second | $0.60 | $0.96 | Hero clips for a launch page or paid ad |
| Omni Flash, 720P | Per generation | $0.10 | $0.10 | Fixed-price clips regardless of duration |
For a color variant that needs a simple motion clip, Grok Imagine 1.5 is the practical default: it takes the packshot as input and keeps the product shape and color consistent while generating motion. Veo 3.1 Lite fits a few hero clips where highlight and material realism on the ear cushions and metal hinges justify the higher per-second price.
How Do I Animate a Headphone Packshot Into a Clip?
Submit the source photo with a prompt describing both the product motion and the camera movement. Image-to-video jobs are asynchronous, so the response returns a job ID to poll:
import requests
import time
API_KEY = "YOUR_KEY"
BASE = "https://genrelay.ai/v1"
with open("headphones_packshot.jpg", "rb") as f:
r = requests.post(
f"{BASE}/videos/generations",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
files={"image": f},
data={
"model": "grok-imagine-1.5",
"prompt": (
"Matte black over-ear headphones on a dark gradient surface, "
"the ear cups slowly swiveling flat, soft rim light sweeping "
"across the headband, slow camera push-in."
),
"duration": 5,
},
)
job_id = r.json()["id"]
while True:
status = requests.get(
f"{BASE}/videos/generations/{job_id}",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
).json()
if status["state"] == "completed":
video_url = status["output_url"]
break
if status["state"] == "failed":
raise RuntimeError(status.get("error"))
time.sleep(3)
How Do I Generate Clips Across a Full Color Range?
Submit jobs concurrently and poll each one, rather than waiting on each clip before sending the next:
import concurrent.futures
colors = ["black", "silver", "midnight-blue", "sand"]
def submit_and_wait(color):
with open(f"packshots/{color}.jpg", "rb") as f:
r = requests.post(
f"{BASE}/videos/generations",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
files={"image": f},
data={
"model": "grok-imagine-1.5",
"prompt": "headphones slowly rotating on a turntable, soft studio light, steady camera",
"duration": 5,
},
)
job_id = r.json()["id"]
while True:
status = requests.get(
f"{BASE}/videos/generations/{job_id}",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
).json()
if status["state"] == "completed":
return color, status["output_url"]
if status["state"] == "failed":
raise RuntimeError(status.get("error"))
time.sleep(3)
with concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as pool:
clips = dict(pool.map(submit_and_wait, colors))
Four 5-second clips at Grok Imagine 1.5's $0.022/second cost $0.44 in total.
What Does a Full Color-Range Launch Cost?
A brand with 5 colors needing one rotation clip each pays $0.55 at Grok Imagine 1.5's 5-second rate. The same 5 clips on Veo 3.1 Lite at 720p cost $1.50; 2 hero colors at 1080p cost $1.20.
| Scope | Clips | Model | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 colors × 1 rotation clip | 5 | Grok Imagine 1.5, 5s | $0.55 |
| Same range, higher fidelity | 5 | Veo 3.1 Lite 720p, 5s | $1.50 |
| 2 hero colors, 1080p clip | 2 | Veo 3.1 Lite 1080p, 5s | $1.20 |
| 5 colors, 1 clip each | 5 | Omni Flash 720P (flat) | $0.50 |
Omni Flash's flat rate fits when one clip per color is enough, while per-second models earn their cost when a hero piece needs a longer clip.
FAQ
Will the clip show the exact color of my headphones?
The model starts from your packshot, but color can shift during motion and lighting changes. Check the first and last frames against the real product before publishing.
Can I generate generic lifestyle footage from text only?
Yes. Grok Imagine 1.0 generates from a text prompt at $0.010/second, but with no source photo it cannot match your actual SKU, so it suits general mood footage.
Does the video include audio?
Veo 3.1 supports synchronized audio on some modes; see the Veo 3.1 audio API guide. Grok Imagine and Omni Flash clips are silent, so add your own sound design in post.
How do I handle a failed generation job?
Check the state field in the polling response. A failed state includes an error field; retry with a simplified prompt if the cause is prompt content rather than a transient server error.
Do you have a similar guide for drinkware brands?
Yes. The drinkware video guide covers lid-flip, rotation, and condensation clips with the same pricing math.
See the image-to-video pipeline guide for the full async pattern, or the Veo model page for parameter docs.