{"slug": "halloween-the-token-monster-prefers-video", "title": "Halloween: the token monster prefers video", "summary": "Developer Daniele Michelin compared Google's Gemini API token pricing for image versus video generation, finding that a 1K still image from Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image counts as 1,120 output tokens while five seconds of 720p video from Gemini Omni Flash counts as 28,960 output tokens — roughly 26 times more. At standard rates that works out to about US$0.034 for the still versus US$0.50 for the five-second clip. Michelin now tests visual ideas as stills first, reserving video for cases where motion carries the information.", "body_md": "I wanted a small Halloween post: a ghost in front of a server rack, a little fog, done. Then I thought: make the ghost dance. That was when the token monster climbed out of the rack.\n\nOne concrete example from [Google's Gemini API pricing](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing) on 31 October 2026: a 1K image from Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image counts as **1,120 output tokens**. Google counts **5,792 output tokens per second** of 720p video from Gemini Omni Flash. Five seconds work out to **28,960 output tokens**, roughly 26 times the counted tokens.\n\nThis is an illustration, not a benchmark of the same model: image and video use different models. Token count, compute, visual quality and money are not interchangeable units. In this example the listed output prices are about US$0.034 for the still and US$0.50 for five seconds of video at the standard rate, before extra inputs and retries.\n\nThe first ghost walks backwards. The second has seven fingers. In the third clip, the server rack turns into a fridge. Discarding one still stings; discarding a clip multiplies seconds, waiting time and budget. I now test the joke as a still first. If it does not work without motion, a camera move rarely saves it.\n\nUse a **still** for a clear point, screenshot, number or infographic. Use **video** when motion carries the information: a sequence, a change, or a visual gag missing from one frame. This post works as an image. The token monster gets an early night.\n\nThese official figures are a snapshot. Before a campaign, check the current [prices and billing units](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing), run one representative test and budget for retries. A 20-word prompt is not the total bill.\n\n*Originally published at [daniele-michelin.com](https://daniele-michelin.com/en/blog/halloween-token-monster-image-vs-video/). More guides, free checks (SPF, TLS, headers) and an error-message lexicon: [daniele-michelin.com/en/](https://daniele-michelin.com/en/).*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/halloween-the-token-monster-prefers-video", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/mikweb2025design/halloween-the-token-monster-prefers-video-43ch", "published_at": "2026-10-31 11:10:56+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-31 11:20:09.090241+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["generative-ai", "ai-products", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["Google", "Gemini", "Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image", "Gemini Omni Flash", "Daniele Michelin"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/halloween-the-token-monster-prefers-video", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/halloween-the-token-monster-prefers-video.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/halloween-the-token-monster-prefers-video.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/halloween-the-token-monster-prefers-video.jsonld"}}