# When a video fails

> Why a render can fail or be refused, what happens to your credits and how to fix the most common causes.

URL: https://advideolab.com/help/failed-videos

[Help centre](https://advideolab.com/help)

## When a video fails

Most videos finish in two to five minutes. Occasionally one fails or is refused. Here's what happens and what to do.

### Your credits come back

When a video fails, the credits reserved for it are **refunded automatically**. You only pay for videos that finish. The finished video card shows what was reserved and what was actually used.

### Common causes and fixes

| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Refused for content | The model's safety filter rejected the photo or brief | Remove anything that could read as unsafe, and avoid real people you don't have permission to show |
| Refused in reference mode on Seedance 2.5 | A real human face in one of the photos | Switch to Seedance 2.0 or crop the person out |
| The product looks different | Unclear photo, or the brief asked for an unseen side | Use a sharper photo and keep "don't show other sides" in the brief |
| Failed without a clear reason | A temporary problem upstream | Try again in a few minutes. Your credits are already back |
| Stuck for a long time | A busy queue | Leave the page; the video keeps rendering and appears in Project History |

### Still stuck?

[Contact us](https://advideolab.com/contact) with the video's ID from Project History and we'll look into it.

Last updated 2026-09-30

### More in Better results

- [Writing a good brief What to put in a brief, how Write with AI works, the character limits and how to test three angles.](https://advideolab.com/help/writing-prompts)
- [Brand voice Paste your website, let the AI draft your brand profile, correct it, and every brief sounds like you.](https://advideolab.com/help/brand-voice)
- [Personas Save the on-camera creators you like, so every creator video uses a consistent kind of person.](https://advideolab.com/help/personas)

Didn’t find the answer? A person reads every message.

[Contact us](https://advideolab.com/contact)

Keep exploring

### Product videos from photos

Packshots, before and after reveals and multi-photo scenes.

#### Related pages

- [Product video generator](https://advideolab.com/product-video-generator)
- [Image to video ads](https://advideolab.com/image-to-video-ads)
- [Before/after video ads](https://advideolab.com/before-after-video-ads)
- [Examples](https://advideolab.com/examples)

#### Guides on this topic

- [Guides Product Photo Checklist for AI Video: 12 Points](https://advideolab.com/blog/product-photo-checklist-for-ai-video)
- [Creative One Product, Three Kinds of Video: A Walkthrough](https://advideolab.com/blog/one-product-three-modes)
- [Guides Choosing an Image-to-Video Model for Product Ads: What Actually Matters](https://advideolab.com/blog/choosing-an-image-to-video-model-for-product-ads)

#### How it works

- [Product videos (single image)](https://advideolab.com/help/single-mode)
- [Before and after videos (transition)](https://advideolab.com/help/transition-mode)
- [Glossary of video ad terms](https://advideolab.com/glossary)