Start here
Who this site is for, the three decisions to make first, and a 15 minute quickstart on about 25 USD.
This site is for people who want to make AI videos without wasting money. You may be a total beginner or a creator who has tried a tool or two. The advice assumes a budget of about 25 USD a month, and every page says when spending more is worth it.
Prices and versions on this site were checked on 15 Oct 2026. AI video tools change every few weeks, so check the pricing page before you pay.
The three decisions
Make these three choices before you open any tool. They decide everything else.
| Decision | Your options | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What video | Short story, product ad, music video, launch or explainer video | Pick by video type |
| 2. What budget | Free, about 10 USD, about 25 USD, 50 USD, 100 USD or more per month | Pick by budget |
| 3. Which path | Generated footage (a video model makes every shot) or motion graphics from code (an AI coding agent writes the animation) | The workflow |
If you are not sure: start with a 15 to 30 second video, the 25 USD budget below, and generated footage.
Quickstart: your first clip in 15 minutes
This plan uses free daily credits first and pays only when they run out. It costs nothing until step 5.
Write one sentence and one shot (2 minutes)
Write who is on screen, what happens, and why anyone would watch. Then pick one shot from it: one subject, one action, one camera move. Short single shots work best because quality drifts after roughly 8 to 10 seconds.
Use the free credits first (3 minutes)
Sign up for Dreamina (free users get 120 credits per day, per Dreamina's own page) and Kling (third party guides report 66 free credits per day; free Kling output is watermarked and not for commercial use). Google Flow is a third free option with 50 credits per day for Veo 3.1 Lite and Fast.
Generate a 5 second test at low resolution (5 minutes)
Use the lowest resolution offered and turn audio off if you can. Paste a prompt like this and change the subject to yours.
Medium shot, 35mm, slow push in. A small orange cat sits on a rainy windowsill
and watches a paper boat drift past in the gutter outside, then turns its head
to the camera and blinks once. Grey afternoon light, teal and orange palette,
soft painterly animation style. Audio: rain on glass, no music.Compare and change one thing (5 minutes)
Run the same prompt in both apps. Keep the better take. If neither works, change only one thing (the camera move, the action, or the style) and try again. Changing several things at once teaches you nothing.
Pay only when free credits are not enough
Buy monthly plans, never yearly, until you know you will keep using a tool. Turn off auto renew on the same day you subscribe. Dreamina's checkout says the subscription renews automatically, and both discounts below apply to the first month only.
The 25 USD starter stack
| Tool | First month | After that | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kling Standard (monthly) | 6.99 USD | 8.80 USD | 660 credits, 1080p, commercial use, no watermark |
| Dreamina Basic (monthly, Vietnam) | 187,200 VND | 390,000 VND | 4,161 credits, no watermark, longer and higher resolution video |
| CapCut or DaVinci Resolve | Free | Free | Editing, captions in CapCut |
Prices checked on 15 Oct 2026. Dreamina prices are from the Vietnam checkout page. Dreamina shows your local price at checkout, so check it there.
What this buys: on Kling 3.0, a 5 second 720p clip costs 30 credits without audio and 45 with audio. 660 credits is about 22 silent test clips or 14 clips with audio. Dreamina does not publish credit costs per clip; it shows the cost before you generate.
Turn auto renew off now
Intro prices are first month only. Dreamina renews at the regular price unless you cancel. If you want to keep the plan, you can turn renewal back on later.
Where to go next
Pick your tools
Compare models and prices, and see which plan fits your budget and video type.
The workflow
Nine steps from idea to finished video that work with any model.
Model guides
Seedance, Kling, Veo and the rest: what each one is good at and how to prompt it.
Tool guides
How to use Dreamina, the Kling app, Google Flow, CapCut and code based video.
Video from code
Let Opus 5.5 write motion graphics with HyperFrames or Remotion: setup, briefs, iteration and fonts.
3D with Blender
Block cameras and build sets in Blender with Opus 5.5, then hand renders to video models.
Recipes
Four complete walkthroughs with shot lists, prompts and budgets.
Sources
- Dreamina free credits: Dreamina credits FAQ
- Kling plans and credit costs: Kling 3.0 credit guide, Kling 3.0 user guide
- Kling free credits (third party): eesel
- Google Flow credits: Flow credits help
- Dreamina Vietnam prices: checkout screenshots taken 15 Oct 2026. See Sources and method.