Time Lapse Video Models
Generated on PixelDojo. Produced by PixelDojo's generation pipeline.
P Video is the one to start with for a time lapse look. It charged 2.5 credits for a 5 second clip at 1280 by 704 and returned it in 25 seconds, the cheapest and by far the quickest result in the test. We sent the same racing clouds prompt to three video models on August 26, 2026, each at the cheapest settings it accepts, and timed every job from submission to finished file. Seedance 1.5 cost 8 credits and took 233 seconds, and it returned the widest frame at 992 by 432. WAN 2.1 Video cost 7.5 credits, took 263 seconds, and came back at 16 frames per second, which is the lowest frame rate here and the one thing a time lapse can least afford.
Side-by-side, same prompt
Every model below ran the identical prompt on PixelDojo so the outputs are directly comparable: “Time lapse of clouds racing over a desert mesa at sunset, shadows sweeping across the rock, colors shifting from gold to deep blue, static wide shot”
P Video
25s0.5 credits per second, the biggest frame at 1280 by 704, and back in 25 seconds. 2.5 credits, 5 seconds at 24 fps.
Seedance 1.5
233sWidest frame in the test at 992 by 432, a 2.3 to 1 letterbox, at 24 fps. 8 credits, 233 seconds, 5 seconds long.
WAN 2.1 Video
263s1.5 credits per second and the slowest wait, delivered at 16 fps. 7.5 credits, 263 seconds, 5 seconds at 832 by 480.
The order we landed on, the measurements behind it, and the reason to pass
1. P Video, 2.5 credits, 25 seconds
P Video bills 0.5 credits per second at its 720p tier, so the 5 second clouds clip cost 2.5 credits, and it came back at 1280 by 704 and 24 frames per second in 25 seconds. Nothing else in the test was close on either axis. That speed changes how you work: a time lapse look usually takes several attempts to get the cloud speed and the colour shift right, and a 25 second loop lets you run five versions in the time the other two models need for one. Duration runs from 1 to 20 seconds and the price scales with it, so a 12 second sunset sequence is 6 credits. There is also a draft mode at 0.1 credits per second for checking framing before you pay for the finished frame. Skip it if you want a wide letterbox plate straight out of the model, since this run came back close to 16 by 9.
2. Seedance 1.5, 8 credits, 233 seconds
Seedance 1.5 charges 1.5 credits per second and rounds up, so our 5 second clip cost 8 credits, and it arrived after 233 seconds. What you get for that is shape. It returned 992 by 432, a 2.3 to 1 letterbox that is already the aspect ratio of a widescreen film, at 24 frames per second. For a static wide shot of a mesa with weather moving over it, that framing does work you would otherwise do with a crop, and cropping a 16 by 9 file to the same ratio throws away vertical pixels you paid for. It is the most expensive run in this test at three and a bit times the P Video price. Skip it when you are still exploring, because four minutes a try is expensive in attention as well as credits. Bring it in once the prompt is settled and you want the final plate wide.
3. WAN 2.1 Video, 7.5 credits, 263 seconds
WAN 2.1 Video bills 1.5 credits per second, so our 5 second clip cost 7.5 credits, and it took 263 seconds, the longest wait in the test. It returned 832 by 480 at 16 frames per second. That frame rate is the deciding number here. A time lapse look leans on fast moving cloud and sweeping shadow, and 16 frames per second gives that motion a third fewer steps than the 24 frames per second the other two delivered, so quick movement has less to sit on. It is a capable general model and it costs nearly the same per second as Seedance 1.5, but on this brief it finished behind on frame rate, frame size and wait at once. Skip it for time lapse work unless it is already wired into a pipeline you do not want to change.
One clouds prompt, three models, cheapest settings on each. Prices ran from 2.5 to 8 credits. Waiting ran from 25 seconds to 263 seconds.
Why Choose Pixel Dojo for Time Lapse Video Models
Professional-quality results with cutting-edge AI technology
Frame rate is not a detail here
Two runs came back at 24 frames per second and one at 16. Fast cloud movement is exactly the case where those missing frames show.
A time lapse look takes several tries
Cloud speed and colour shift rarely land first time, so the model that returns in 25 seconds is worth more than its price difference suggests.
Check the shape you were given
The three clips came back at roughly 16 by 9, 2.3 to 1 and 16 by 9. Cropping to widescreen later costs pixels you already paid for.
How It Works
The method, in three steps:
Same prompt, cheapest settings
One racing clouds prompt, text only, with each model set to the lowest resolution and shortest duration it accepts. No retries, first clip kept.
Clocked every job
A timestamp at submission and another when the file landed. That is where 25 seconds, 233 seconds and 263 seconds come from.
Measured the containers
Frame size, frame rate and real duration were read off the finished files, then credits were divided by delivered seconds to compare like with like.
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Common Questions
Everything you need to know about Time Lapse Video Models
Which AI video model is best for a time lapse look?
P Video on this test. It was the cheapest at 2.5 credits for 5 seconds, the fastest at 25 seconds, and it returned the largest frame at 1280 by 704 and 24 frames per second. Seedance 1.5 is the pick when you want a wide letterbox plate.
How much does a 5 second time lapse clip cost?
2.5 credits on P Video at 720p, 8 credits on Seedance 1.5 and 7.5 credits on WAN 2.1 Video. Those are the exact charges for the three clips on this page.
Why does frame rate matter for time lapse?
Because the motion is fast. Racing cloud and sweeping shadow move a long way between frames, so a 16 frame per second file has fewer steps to describe that movement than a 24 frame per second one. Two of our three runs delivered 24.
How did you rank them?
On measured credits per second of delivered footage, the frame size and frame rate that came back, and the wait from submission to finished file. The clips are embedded above so you can judge the motion yourself.
Can I get a longer time lapse?
P Video takes a duration from 1 to 20 seconds and charges by the second, so a 12 second sequence is 6 credits at 720p. For the others, generate several short clips and join them.
Can I run these from an API?
Yes. POST to /api/v1/models/p-video/run, /api/v1/models/seedance-1.5/run or /api/v1/models/wan-2.1-video/run with the same key and body shape. Each returns a job id you poll until the clip is ready.