Music video length and shot planner
Tell us how long the song is and how fast you want it cut. Get a shot count, a credit estimate, and the smallest plan that covers it.
- Shots
- 42
- for 3:30 at about 5 s each
- Credits to render in HD
- 4,200
- 20 credits a second
- Smallest plan that covers it
- Artist
- 5,200 credits ≈ 4 min a month
An estimate for planning. Your storyboard shows the exact quote before you pay for anything.
Want the real shot list? Storyboard the song free — Try the free storyboard
How the shot count is worked out
The count is simple division: the length of the song divided by how long you want each shot to last, rounded up. A song is made of sections, and most videos change the picture at least once per section, so the count is a floor for a video that feels alive, not a ceiling.
Pace is the lever. Slow songs invite long, held shots where a performer or a landscape does the work. Fast songs need more cuts to keep up with the rhythm. If you know your song's tempo, our tap tempo and BPM finder tools help you pick a pace: under 80 BPM usually reads slow, 80 to 125 medium, and above that fast.
What a shot costs to make
Rendering is charged by the second of finished video, not by the shot, so the credit estimate is the song length times the per-second rate. Longer shots are not cheaper and shorter shots are not dearer, but a higher shot count means more keyframes to review, which is where your time goes.
That is why the free storyboard matters. It shows you every shot as a still before you pay for any video, so you can cut the ones you do not like. The planner tells you the budget; the storyboard tells you what you are buying.
Planning a shorter cut
You do not have to make a video of the full song. A 30 or 60 second cut of the chorus is what most platforms reward, and it costs a fraction of the full length. Enter the length of the section you want and the planner recalculates. If you later want the full song, the shots you chose still apply.
Remember to plan for vertical and landscape if you post in both. The same project can export to each ratio, so you plan once.
Frequently asked questions
How many shots does a music video need?
It depends on pace. A three and a half minute song cut at about five seconds a shot needs around 42 shots. A slow ballad at eight seconds needs around 27, and a fast hip hop cut at three seconds needs around 70.
How long should each shot be?
Most pop and rock music videos hold a shot for three to six seconds. Slower songs can hold eight or more, and fast or dense songs cut every two to three seconds. The planner uses eight, five and three seconds as slow, medium and fast. These are editing rules of thumb, not measured industry figures.
Is the credit number exact?
It is an estimate. It multiplies the song length by the credits charged per second of HD video, which is the same rate the pricing page uses. Your storyboard shows the exact quote for your project before you pay.
Does the shot count match what Melodious will make?
Not exactly. Melodious plans shots against your song's real structure, so verses, choruses and drops decide where the cuts fall. Use this as a planning guide for budget and workload, and use the storyboard for the real plan.
Do I need to render the whole song?
No. Many artists render a 30 to 60 second cut for social and keep the full video for later. Enter a shorter length to see what that costs.
See your actual shots
Attach the song and Melodious plans the real storyboard against its structure. A new account gets a free 30-second storyboard before you pay for anything.
Start your videoMore tools: Tap tempo · BPM finder · AI music video generator