# Seedance 2.5 Draft mode for product videos: what Runway's Agent update means

> For product marketers and founders weighing AI shots: what Runway's new Seedance 2.5 Draft mode in Agent does, what a draft and its enhancement cost, and where 480p drafts fall short.

Published Oct 13, 2026 · uscale · https://uscale.ai/blog/seedance-2-5-draft-mode-product-videos

## Seedance 2.5 Draft mode arrives in Runway's Agent

For product videos, Seedance 2.5 Draft mode saves less than it looks: a draft in the Runway app costs 20 credits per second, the same as a standard 480p generation. It beats 720p (30 credits per second) and 1080p (68 credits per second), and only on shots you discard. A keeper pays 20, then 68 more per second to enhance.

The news: Runway's Oct 2 changelog says its Agent can now make fast 480p Seedance 2.5 drafts that can be enhanced after generation. This note draws on Runway's own announcement and docs, not a test of ours, and covers what the update means for product videos.

[Video: Story film for AlpacaRelay](https://uscale.ai/examples/alpacarelay-story-film.mp4) — A uscale story film for AlpacaRelay. In a scene-led film like this, testing framing and pacing first pays off. Not made with Seedance 2.5 Draft mode.

## The short answer

> **Draft mode saves credits only on generated shots that take several tries, such as an opening scene, a camera move around a device or the pacing of a mood shot, because a kept take pays for its draft and its enhancement. Judge the final look and any on-screen product UI elsewhere.**

## What Seedance 2.5 Draft mode in Runway's Agent does

Draft mode now works in three places on Runway, and Runway's help article gives one deadline: a 480p draft has to be enhanced to 1080p within seven days. In Agent, Runway says Draft mode is suggested automatically, and you can turn it on or off.

| Surface | Since | What Runway says | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runway app | Sep 24, 2026 | Faster generation with fewer credits while exploring; favourites enhanced to full quality | [Runway on X](https://x.com/runwayml/status/2103170291103154460), Sep 24, 2026 |
| Runway API | Sep 28, 2026 | `draft: true` returns a 480p preview billed at the 480p rate | [API changelog](https://docs.dev.runwayml.com/api-details/api_changelog/), Sep 28, 2026 |
| Agent | Oct 2, 2026 | Fast 480p drafts that can be enhanced after generation | [Runway changelog](https://runway.com/changelog), Oct 2, 2026 |
| Help Center table | read Oct 13, 2026 | Still lists Draft mode as "Tools only" | [Creating with Seedance 2.5](https://help.runwayml.com/hc/en-us/articles/53542207042323-Creating-with-Seedance-2-5), Oct 13, 2026 |

In the API, the enhancement reuses the preview's prompt, references, duration, seed and audio setting. You choose the shot at the draft stage. The enhancement is not a second chance to rewrite it.

Seedance 2.5 is ByteDance's model. Runway runs it as a third-party model, and it requires a paid plan. We found no ByteDance announcement of Draft mode. The closest is a pull request in BytePlus's own GitHub repo, written from a ByteDance account. It describes the same flow as Runway: a cheap 480p draft, a 1080p final, and a seven-day limit.

So the flow is draft, pick, then enhance within the week.

## Seedance 2.5 Draft vs Seedance 2.5: what a shot costs

A draft is cheap only when you throw it away. In the Runway app, a Seedance 2.5 Draft costs 20 credits per second, the same as a standard 480p generation, plus 10 per second of input video. Enhance Draft costs 68 credits per second, the full 1080p rate. The API bills drafts and enhancements at the same rates and charges at least 80 credits per generation.

![Seedance 2.5 in the Runway app: credits per second of output: Draft (480p) 20 credits/s, Standard 720p 30 credits/s, Standard 1080p 68 credits/s, Enhance Draft (to 1080p) 68 credits/s](https://uscale.ai/blog-media/seedance-2-5-draft-mode-product-videos/chart-seedance-2-5-in-the-runway-app-credits-p-1200x392.svg "Sources: Runway Help Center – Creating with Seedance 2.5")

A rejected shot pays 20 credits per second. A kept shot pays 20 plus 68. If a shot works on the first try, drafting it costs more than generating it at 1080p straight away. The saving starts with the second take.

### A worked example (hypothetical)

Say the opening shot of a SaaS launch video is a laptop on a desk, 8 seconds long, with no input video. You try four camera moves: a push-in, an orbit, a slow pan and a static wide.

| Approach | Arithmetic | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Four takes at 1080p | 4 × 8 s × 68 | 2,176 |
| Four drafts, enhance one | (4 × 8 s × 20) + (8 s × 68) | 1,184 |
| One take at 1080p | 8 s × 68 | 544 |
| One take, drafted then enhanced | (8 s × 20) + (8 s × 68) | 704 |

Count the likely takes before you draft. The shots you expect to redo are the ones worth a 480p pass.

## What a 480p draft can't tell you

Drafts cost less than a 1080p take and come back fast, so it is tempting to judge a whole video from them. A 480p draft does show framing, camera move and pacing well enough to reject a take. It cannot tell you four things.

**Whether the shot is ready.** A draft is a 480p preview meant to be enhanced to 1080p or dropped. Nothing in it is a deliverable.

**Whether a screen reads.** Product UI, prices, table rows and button labels blur at 480p, so a draft can't show whether small type is legible. Real product screens are better filmed from the product than generated.

[Video: Dolly walkthrough for Compute Exchange](https://uscale.ai/examples/compute-exchange-dolly.mp4) — Listing IDs and $/GPU-hour prices in a uscale walkthrough of Compute Exchange: the small type a 480p draft won't make legible.

**Whether the keeper will match.** Runway documents what an enhancement reuses from the draft. It does not show how the enhanced shot compares with its draft. Treat a close match as unproven until you have compared a few pairs yourself.

**Whether your surface has it.** Runway's Oct 2 changelog adds Draft mode to Agent. When read, its [help article's spec table](https://help.runwayml.com/hc/en-us/articles/53542207042323-Creating-with-Seedance-2-5) still listed it as "Tools only". Check the surface you work in before you plan around it.

Use drafts to decide which takes to drop. Judge the keepers only after they are enhanced, and judge anything with product UI only after it is filmed.

## How to use Seedance 2.5 Draft mode in a product video

Step 2 is the quick win, because it takes one pass through your storyboard.

1. **Write the storyboard and narration first.** A doc is enough. A draft only tells you something when you know what each shot has to carry and for how long. Done when every narration line sits beside a shot.
2. **Mark each shot as generated or real.** Opening scenes, mood shots and moves around a device are generated. Anything that shows your product's screens is real. Done when no shot is unmarked.
3. **Draft only the generated shots.** At 480p, judge framing, camera move and pacing against the length of the narration line under each shot. Done when each shot has one favourite.
4. **Enhance the favourites before the window closes.** After that, a draft can no longer be enhanced, and the shot has to be generated again. Done when every keeper is at 1080p.
5. **Film the real UI from the product itself.** Done when every product screen is real footage.

[uscale's AI product video generator](https://uscale.ai/use-cases/ai-product-video-generator) applies the same draft-first idea to the whole film. The chat is free, and you approve the storyboard and every narration line before anything is filmed. It films your live product sharp instead of generating screens, which suits [software products](https://uscale.ai/industries/software-products). Films with AI film shots cost more, and the director names each price before it starts ([see pricing](https://uscale.ai/pricing)).

![The director in the uscale chat proposing a storyboard, beat by beat, with the narration line for each](https://uscale.ai/blog-media/how-to/chat-storyboard-800x1694.webp "In uscale, the storyboard and every narration line are approved before anything is filmed or rendered.")

**Try it:** [make a product video with AI film shots](https://uscale.ai/use-cases/ai-product-video-generator) from your live site, with every narration line approved before filming.

## What to do with Seedance 2.5 Draft mode now

- Confirm you have a paid plan, and check that your surface offers Draft mode. Runway's pages disagree.
- Expect two or more takes? Draft. Expect one? Go straight to 1080p, because a kept draft adds its cost to the enhance.
- Never judge UI or final quality at 480p.

For the whole film, read the guide to [making a product video from a website](https://uscale.ai/blog/url-to-video). Your first uscale video is free. Notes on [Kling 4](https://uscale.ai/blog/kling-4-product-videos), [Vidu Q4](https://uscale.ai/blog/vidu-q4-product-videos) and [Grok Imagine Video 1.5 Lite](https://uscale.ai/blog/grok-imagine-video-1-5-lite-product-videos) cover other models, and the [example films](https://uscale.ai/examples) show finished work. We'll update this post if prices change or a new version ships.

A draft earns its credits only when you don't know the answer yet.

## Questions

### What is Seedance 2.5 Draft mode?

Seedance 2.5 Draft mode is a way to generate a fast 480p preview of a Seedance 2.5 video in Runway, then enhance the takes you like to 1080p. Runway added it to the Runway app on Sep 24, 2026, to the API on Sep 28 and to its Agent on Oct 2. Seedance 2.5 is a ByteDance model that Runway offers on paid plans.

### How much does a Seedance 2.5 Draft cost in Runway compared with a 1080p generation?

In the Runway app, a Seedance 2.5 Draft costs 20 credits per second, plus 10 per second of input video. That is the same per-second rate as a standard 480p generation. A 1080p generation costs 68 credits per second, and enhancing a draft to 1080p also costs 68 per second. A rejected draft saves 48 credits per second against 1080p. A kept shot pays 20 plus 68, which is more than generating at 1080p directly.

### Can a Seedance 2.5 draft be enhanced to 1080p, and how long do I have?

Yes. A Seedance 2.5 draft can be enhanced to 1080p. Runway's help article and API changelog both give seven days from the draft's creation. In the API, the enhancement reuses the draft's prompt, references, duration, seed and audio setting, and it bills at the 1080p rate of 68 credits per second. After seven days the draft can no longer be enhanced, and the shot has to be generated again.

### Is a 480p Seedance 2.5 draft good enough for a final product video?

No. A 480p Seedance 2.5 draft is a preview meant to be enhanced to 1080p or discarded, not a deliverable. It shows framing, camera movement and pacing well enough to reject a take. Small type such as product UI, prices and button labels will not be legible at 480p. Enhance the keepers before judging final quality, and film real product screens from the product rather than generating them.

### What does a product video with AI film shots cost in uscale?

In uscale, films with AI film shots cost more, and the director names each price before the step starts. Credits come in one-time packs with no subscription: Lite is $29 for 25 credits, Starter is $49 for 50 and Growth is $129 for 150. The first video is free.

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Source: https://uscale.ai/blog/seedance-2-5-draft-mode-product-videos