What a look actually costs
A frame costs 9, 13 or 19 tokens by quality. A five-frame look at 2K is 65. The quote you read before you commit is the same sum the ledger holds.
A frame costs 9 tokens at 1K, 13 at 2K, and 19 at 4K. A look is frames, so a five-frame look at 2K is 5 × 13 = 65 tokens. That is the whole arithmetic.
The price of a frame
| Quality | Tokens per frame |
|---|---|
| 1K | 9 |
| 2K | 13 |
| 4K | 19 |
Quality is the only thing that moves the price. The pixel size you output at does not: you set the exact dimensions your destination wants, the house develops at the nearest tier above and fits down. A 1440×1800 frame does not cost 4K money.
Why a look is priced per frame
A "look" is not one operation. It is a locked reference frame plus the variations you develop from it, and each variation is its own develop with its own quote, its own hold and its own settle. That is what makes a run that half-worked charge for half.
So the sum is always the same shape:
frames × tokens-for-that-qualityThree variations at 4K: 3 × 19 = 57. Twelve pieces at three angles, 2K: 36 × 13 = 468.
One case where a frame costs more
A destination whose spec the tier cannot reach honestly forces an upscale pass, and that pass is priced by the megapixels it produces rather than flat. When that happens the quote you read already includes it — the sheet totals every step before you commit, so the number on screen and the number the ledger holds are the same by construction.
The quote and the charge are the same number
The price is read from the same price book that charges you. There is no "estimated" and "actual": the amount quoted is the amount held, and the amount held is the amount settled when the frame lands.
The one way the charge comes out lower is a partial run — see a develop that failed.
What tokens do not buy
Tokens meter developing and nothing else. A model, a preset, or anything else pre-made is bought once with money, at a price shown first, and is yours afterwards. Buying one never touches your token balance.
Related
- Quality and cost — plans, packs and the full price table
- The Lookbook
- Running out of tokens mid-season
A packshot came back wrong
Four things go wrong and each has a different fix — the ground, the presentation, the garment's own colour, and the iron. Work out which one it is before you develop again.
Running out of tokens mid-season
The develop is refused before it starts, never half-charged. Three ways back — a top-up pack that never expires, a plan change, or waiting for the next grant.