Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Process, Tools, and Costs Behind the Video:
Step 1: Music – $10
The music was created using http://www.udio.com.
I wanted a gothic/haunting vibe, so I went through a lot of keyword iterations and reordering to get as close as possible to what I envisioned. It took around 100 attempts to land on the final piece.
Step 2: Style Inspiration – $0
I put together a Pinterest board with reference images that matched the aesthetic I wanted for the video. This style inspiration played a crucial role in the next steps.
Step 3: Image Generation – $30
Next, I generated images in midjourney.com using various images from the Pinterest moodboard as style references (--sref)
From here, I created a moodboard in Midjourney, adding all the generated images so I could easily append the moodboard style code to prompts.
Here is the Midjourney moodboard code below used in the video if you want to try it out (add it to the end of your prompts)
--profile e1rafq6
Step 4: Scene Ideas – $20
Next, I used morphr.ai to help generate prompt ideas for scenes. This tool is helpful if you are stuck for ideas - it has a great ability to drill down into really nuanced creative ideas you may not have thought of.
Step 5: Upscaling Images – $0
I used ComfyUI to upscale images 2x. Midjourney’s built-in upscaler tends to smooth out details too much, so I created a basic ComfyUI workflow that not only upscales but also adds new details during the process.
This saved a bit on costs - there are also good paid upscalers:
- upsampler.com
- magnific.ai
- krea.ai
Step 6: Photoshop Clean-up – $12
Each image went through some basic retouching in Photoshop:
✔ Removing AI artifacts
✔ Color correction
✔ Sharpening
✔ Adding extra scene details where needed
Step 7: Animating Scenes – $26
I animated all the scenes using http://www.klingai.com.
The prompts were kept simple (e.g., "the figure is dancing in slow motion as the camera slowly zooms out"). Since Kling burns through credits quickly, I only attempted each scene 1-3 times before selecting my favourites and moving onto the next.
Step 8: Composing the Video – $0
Finally, I brought everything together in DaVinci Resolve, syncing the animated clips with the music before rendering the final video.
Summary
🕒 Time Taken: ~1 week
💰 Total Cost: ~$96
The Process, Tools, and Costs Behind the Video:
Step 1: Music – $10
The music was created using http://www.udio.com.
I wanted a gothic/haunting vibe, so I went through a lot of keyword iterations and reordering to get as close as possible to what I envisioned. It took around 100 attempts to land on the final piece.
Step 2: Style Inspiration – $0
I put together a Pinterest board with reference images that matched the aesthetic I wanted for the video. This style inspiration played a crucial role in the next steps.
Step 3: Image Generation – $30
Next, I generated images in midjourney.com using various images from the Pinterest moodboard as style references (--sref)
From here, I created a moodboard in Midjourney, adding all the generated images so I could easily append the moodboard style code to prompts.
Here is the Midjourney moodboard code below used in the video if you want to try it out (add it to the end of your prompts)
--profile e1rafq6
Step 4: Scene Ideas – $20
Next, I used morphr.ai to help generate prompt ideas for scenes. This tool is helpful if you are stuck for ideas - it has a great ability to drill down into really nuanced creative ideas you may not have thought of.
Step 5: Upscaling Images – $0
I used ComfyUI to upscale images 2x. Midjourney’s built-in upscaler tends to smooth out details too much, so I created a basic ComfyUI workflow that not only upscales but also adds new details during the process.
This saved a bit on costs - there are also good paid upscalers:
- upsampler.com
- magnific.ai
- krea.ai
Step 6: Photoshop Clean-up – $12
Each image went through some basic retouching in Photoshop:
✔ Removing AI artifacts
✔ Color correction
✔ Sharpening
✔ Adding extra scene details where needed
Step 7: Animating Scenes – $26
I animated all the scenes using http://www.klingai.com.
The prompts were kept simple (e.g., "the figure is dancing in slow motion as the camera slowly zooms out"). Since Kling burns through credits quickly, I only attempted each scene 1-3 times before selecting my favourites and moving onto the next.
Step 8: Composing the Video – $0
Finally, I brought everything together in DaVinci Resolve, syncing the animated clips with the music before rendering the final video.
Summary
🕒 Time Taken: ~1 week
💰 Total Cost: ~$96
