# 480p or 720p for a Tiny Desk Outstanding AI video

> 480p is the default. 720p costs more for a sharper clip. Both are 15 seconds, vertical, with sound.

Canonical page: https://tinydeskoutstanding.video/guides/480p-or-720p/
Updated: 2026-10-31

480p is 9.99 USD and 720p is 12.99 USD. Both make the same 15-second vertical clip with new sound; 720p is sharper.

Published: 2026-10-31

## The short answer

Pick 480p unless the clip will be watched on a big screen. Both resolutions make the same 15-second vertical clip with the same scene and the same newly generated sound; 720p is only sharper. 480p is $9.99 and 720p is $12.99, and the button shows the total before you pay.

## Price and credits

| Resolution | Pay once | With credits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 480p | $9.99 | 6 credits |
| 720p | $12.99 | 13 credits |

Signed-in accounts can buy one-time packs: $27.99 for 30 credits, $71.99 for 100 credits or $129.99 for 200 credits. Packs do not renew and there is no subscription. Paying once works as a guest or signed in.

## What actually differs

The number is the short side of the vertical frame: about 480 pixels across at 480p and about 720 pixels across at 720p. The 720p file holds more detail in small things, such as the lead's eyes in the wide band shot, the keys on the red keyboard and the faces of the players in the back.

In the laughing close-up the face already fills much of the frame, so the difference there is smaller than in the wide shot. Motion, timing, camera cuts and sound are generated the same way at both resolutions.

## Where the clip will be watched

| Where it ends up | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TikTok, Reels or Shorts on a phone | 480p | The feed shows it small and re-encodes the upload |
| A group chat | 480p | Messaging apps compress video again before sending |
| A laptop, a TV or a projector at a party | 720p | Detail shows on a big screen |
| Cut into a longer edit, or cropped | 720p | Cropping throws pixels away |

Most social apps re-encode every upload, and messaging apps often shrink it again. A lot of the extra sharpness of 720p is lost on the way to a phone screen, which is why 480p is the default.

## How far credits go

A 480p clip spends 6 credits and a 720p clip spends 13, whichever pack the credits came from.

| Pack | 480p clips | 720p clips |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 30 credits, $27.99 | 5 | 2 |
| 100 credits, $71.99 | 16 | 7 |
| 200 credits, $129.99 | 33 | 15 |

You can mix resolutions from one balance. For example, 100 credits cover three 720p clips and ten 480p clips with one credit left over. Buying a pack does not start a clip by itself; you still upload a photo and press Generate.

## Switching to 720p later

There is no upscale button. A 720p version is a new generation from the same photo, paid at the 720p price, and it will not be frame-for-frame identical to your 480p clip, because every run of the video model comes out a little different.

So if you already know the clip is going on a big screen, pick 720p the first time. If you are not sure, 480p is the cheaper way to see how your photo works in the scene.

## What does not change

The length (15 seconds), the vertical 9:16 frame, the scene, the camera cuts and the sound are the same at both resolutions. The studio does not offer 1080p.

Failed tasks are handled the same way too: if a paid clip fails before it is delivered, the credits that paid for it are released, and a single payment goes to refund review with the payment provider.

## Quick pick

Use this when you are about to press the button:

- Posting to a phone feed or a group chat: 480p
- Showing it on a TV, a laptop or a projector: 720p
- Editing it into something longer or cropping it: 720p
- Testing whether your photo works: 480p
- Watching the budget on a credit pack: 480p goes more than twice as far

## Questions

### Should I pick 480p or 720p?

Both make the same 15-second vertical clip with the same sound; 720p is sharper. 480p is 9.99 USD (6 credits) and 720p is 12.99 USD (13 credits). 480p is enough for a phone feed.