VUB Cloud credits: video creation cost and balance
Credits are the currency of the VUB Cloud service. They pay only for video creation in the cloud. Creating videos on the device costs no credits. The balance is shown at the top of the main window. The app shows the full cost before the start, in the "Check before start" window.
Credits and GP are different things
The app has two values, and they must not be confused.
- Credits are a currency. They are charged from your balance.
- GP is the video volume in gigapixels. It is a property of the file itself, not money.
There is one cost formula. The app gives it in the tooltip of the balance:
video creation cost in credits = video volume in gigapixels (GP) × project complexity
The volume in GP depends on the resolution, frame rate and duration of the source. Of the project settings, exactly one affects the volume - the frame rate you set. Scale and duration changes do not change the volume. If you set your own frame rate, the pre-start check window says so in a separate line.
The cost is counted for each video separately. Then the amounts are added up over the whole queue.
What project complexity is
Project complexity is the sum of the complexity of all enabled settings. Each setting loads the processor in its own way. The more a setting loads the processor, the larger its contribution. The total is the second number in the cost formula.
On the left side of the project window there is a complexity counter. It looks like "×1.00". The counter can be clicked. The "Project complexity" window opens.
The window has a table with two columns: "Setting" and "Contribution". The first row of the table is "Video creation (base)". This row is always there: starting the cloud machine and decoding the source. The last row is "Total complexity".
The most expensive setting in the app is "File compression". Between the "Minimum" and "Maximum" values the cost differs tens of times. The second heaviest is the codec choice. Individual filters change the bill by a few percent.
Word for word from the counter tooltip: "The project complexity counts when videos are created in the cloud. The more complex the project, the more cloud resources a video takes. The cost of creating the video rises accordingly."
What credits are charged for
Credits are charged only for cloud work:
- every video from the cloud costs credits;
- recreating a copy during the similarity check is one more cloud job and one more charge;
- creating videos on the device costs no credits;
- a preview costs no credits, including in "Express" mode.
The charge happens before processing. The server accepts your file, builds the job and takes the credits from the balance. A refusal because of size or resolution happens before the charge. So a file the cloud did not accept costs no money.
Where the balance is shown
At the top of the main window there is a badge with two numbers. Its tooltip is "Balance and daily limit". The left number is the credit balance with two decimal places. The right one is the remaining daily video limit. The "∞" symbol means there is no daily video limit.
A click on the badge opens the balance panel. It has:
- "CREDITS" - the balance and a caption saying how many videos it will last for;
- "LIMIT LEFT" - how many videos can be created today and when the limit resets;
- a button with a circular arrow icon, tooltip "Refresh the balance";
- a line about how fresh the numbers are;
- the "Top up" and "Change plan" buttons;
- the "All transaction history →" link.
The caption under the balance turns credits into an understandable value. It looks like "≈ 12 videos at the average price". The server takes the average price from your own history. If there is no history yet, the caption is shorter: "for video creation in the cloud".
| Panel line | What it means |
|---|---|
| "updated just now" | The numbers are less than a minute old |
| "updated 5 min ago" | The numbers are less than an hour old |
| "data from 14:20" | The numbers are older than an hour; the request time is shown |
| "requesting..." | The app is updating the numbers right now |
| "no connection · data from 14:20" | The update failed. The previous numbers stay on the screen |
The balance updates on its own in five cases. These are the app launch, the end of each video, the end of batch work, the return from the browser and a press of the refresh button. After the server responds, the refresh button is unavailable for a few seconds.
What the app shows before the start
The "Start" button opens the "Check before start" window. At the bottom of the window there are two buttons: "Start now" and "Cancel". The window has a money block. Its title depends on the mode.
| Block title | When it is shown |
|---|---|
| "Cost of the cloud part" | "Cloud" mode. The number is exact |
| "Maximum cost of the cloud part" | "Hybrid" mode. There is no exact number |
| "Credit spending" | Endless run. The queue has no end |
Block lines with example numbers:
| Line | Example value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| "12.34 GP × 2.00 complexity" | "24.68 credits" | The queue volume and the project complexity |
| "Goes to the cloud" | "up to 7 of 30 files" | Only in "Hybrid" mode |
| "With recreations (up to 3 attempts)" | "up to 98.72" | The upper bound including retries during the similarity check |
| "Balance now" | "150.00" | The balance before the start |
| "Balance after" | "125.32" | How many credits will remain |
| "The balance lasts about" | "5 passes" | Only in an endless run |
Next to it is the daily video limit block: "Charged today", "Limit left", "Left after".
The cost shown is a ceiling, not a bill
The number before the start is an upper bound. The app reserves the worst case. The same amount or less is actually charged. More than the number shown is never charged.
In "Hybrid" mode the difference is especially noticeable. The reason is the order of work:
- there is one queue for all, and local threads take files first;
- the cloud takes a file only when all local threads are busy;
- the share of threads decides nothing. 12 local threads against 100 cloud threads do not mean the cloud will take 89% of the queue;
- if there are no more files than local threads, the cloud does not take part at all.
The app says this right in the check window. An example line: "With this queue (8 files) the cloud is not needed - the local threads will take everything in one wave. The cloud turns on once there are more than 8 files."
The worst case does happen sometimes. Local threads pause because of the load - on RAM or on processor temperature. Then the cloud creates the rest of the queue. The credits are reserved for exactly this case. The exact explanation in the window: "Local threads take files first, so usually fewer go to the cloud. But if they pause under load, all 30 go to the cloud - the cost is reserved for that case."
The daily video limit is a second limit
Both ways of creating videos spend the daily video limit. Local threads spend it the same way as cloud threads. Topping up the balance does not lift this limit: the limit is set by the plan.
Word for word from the cloud thread counter tooltip: "Spends the daily video limit. If the daily video limit is used up, video creation fails with an error even though your balance holds enough credits."
A hardware codec turns off the cloud
Hardware codecs (NVENC, Quick Sync, AMF) work only on the graphics card of your device. The cloud does not have them. As soon as such a codec is selected, the "Number of cloud threads" counter is reset to zero and becomes inactive.
The counter tooltip changes to: "Cloud video creation is unavailable: a hardware codec is selected (NVENC / Quick Sync / AMF). Such codecs run only on the graphics card of your device, and the cloud has none. To create videos in the cloud, keep software codecs only."
A hardware codec is chosen for speed on your own device. To get the cloud threads back, keep only software codecs in the list.
How to top up the balance
Follow three steps:
- Click the balance badge at the top of the main window.
- Press "Top up" or "Change plan". The browser opens.
- Pay and return to the app. The balance updates on its own.
The "Top up" button opens https://videouniquebooster.com/topup-credits. The "Change plan" button opens https://videouniquebooster.com/change-tariff.
Credits and the plan are different things. A top-up adds credits to the balance. The plan sets the daily video limit and the number of cloud threads.
Transaction history
The "All transaction history →" link in the balance panel opens the "Transaction history" window.
- Columns: "Time", "Operation", "Project · file", "Video", "Credits".
- Summary at the top: "Credits spent", "Videos created", "Average cost per video".
- Period filter: from "Yesterday" to "All time".
- Operation type filter: "Cloud video creation", "On-device video creation", "Refunds", "Top-ups".
- Filter by project name: "contains" or "exact".
- Buttons: "Reset filters", "Show more ↓", save to CSV, refresh.
Records of on-device video creation are kept for 7 days. For long periods the window shows the note "records are kept for 7 days". This note does not apply to records of cloud operations.
The save button opens the "Save history to CSV" dialog. The default file name is transaction_history.csv.
FAQ
Can more be charged than the check window showed?
No. This number is an upper bound. The same amount or less will be charged.
Why is the cost in "Hybrid" mode shown with the words "up to"?
There is no exact cost in this mode. The cloud takes a file only when all local threads are busy. How many files the cloud gets is known only as the work goes on. The app reserves the worst case - the whole queue.
Does a preview spend credits?
No. A preview is processed by your device. A preview does spend the daily video limit, including in "Express" mode.
Does a new user have credits?
No. A new user's balance is zero. There are no welcome credits or promo codes in the app.
Why does the GP under the video list not match the GP in the estimate?
The counter under the video list counts by the frame rate of the sources. The estimate counts by the frame rate you set in the project. If you set your own frame rate, the numbers differ. The pre-start check window says so in a separate line.
How much does one video cost?
The exact amount depends on your project and your plan. The app shows the current amount in the "Check before start" window. The average cost from your history is shown in the "Transaction history" window.
Where can I see what the credits were charged for?
In the "Transaction history" window. A row shows the time, the project, the file name and the amount.
What happens if there are not enough credits?
There is a separate page about this: When there are not enough credits. For choosing between the device and the cloud, read the Video creation mode page.