> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.9pic.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Photo Processing Costs
> What 1 credit pays for, and the settings that change the math
## Why This Matters
Pay As You Go is a metered plan. Two minutes spent understanding what consumes credits — and what doesn't — saves more money over a year than any other operator skill on this plan. This page is the canonical credit-cost cheatsheet.
## The One-Sentence Rule
**1 credit = 1 photo processed with AI search enabled.** Everything else on this page is a refinement of that.
## Full Credit-Cost Table
| Action | Credit cost | Notes |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Create event | **0** | Free. |
| Configure / brand event | **0** | Free. |
| Upload photo (via 9Pic Uplink or drag & drop) | **0** | Photos sit in Pending state and don't draw credits until you process them. |
| Process photo with **BIB Search** or **Selfie Search** enabled | **1 credit per photo** | The AI indexing is what costs credits. |
| Process photo with **both AI search options off** | **0** | Pure watermark + gallery sync, no AI indexing. Best for internal galleries. |
| Re-run **Sync Images** on the same event | **0** | Sync only ingests *new* photos. Already-processed photos are skipped. |
| Re-process watermark on already-processed photos | **10% of the processed-photo count** | Re-processing 5,000 photos costs 500 credits. AI data is preserved. |
| Store originals (when **Store Original Memories** is on) | **Adds to usage** | Originals are kept in storage and count toward usage. Off by default. |
| Search-side queries (attendees searching by face / BIB) | **0** | Costs are at *processing* time. Public search by attendees is free. |
| Go-Live | **0** | Free. |
| Team invite, account settings, plan changes | **0** | Free. |
## What Drives Most of Your Bill
Almost every PAYG bill is dominated by two numbers:
1. **Total photos processed with AI on.** This is your base cost.
2. **Re-processing watermarks.** This is the most common surprise expense.
Optimise these two and your monthly credit spend is predictable.
## Per-Credit Cost in Dollars
The exact per-credit cost is shown on **Credits → Available Credits → Show** (toggle the eye icon). The dashboard pulls the rate from your account configuration. For most accounts on USD pricing, it's a couple of cents per credit — multiply by your photo count for an estimate.
Don't memorise a number — check the dashboard. If pricing ever changes, the dashboard reflects it before your invoice does.
## Worked Example: A 5,000-Photo Race
A typical race photographer running a 5,000-photo event with **BibTrack on** (BIB search) and **FaceFind on** (selfie search):
| Step | Photos | Credit cost |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------- |
| Create event, configure AI on | — | 0 |
| Upload 5,000 photos | 5,000 | 0 |
| Process 5,000 photos | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Re-process watermark (the photographer realised their logo was wrong) | 5,000 already-processed | 500 |
| **Total** | | **5,500 credits** |
If they had checked the watermark on a 100-photo Custom Batch first, they would have spent **5,100 credits** instead — a 7% saving on that one event.
## Worked Example: An Internal Team Photo Booth
A company photo booth at a town hall, 1,200 photos, no AI search needed (internal use only, attendees know which photos are theirs):
| Step | Photos | Credit cost |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ------ | ------------- |
| Create event, **AI search off** for both options | — | 0 |
| Upload 1,200 photos | 1,200 | 0 |
| Process 1,200 photos with AI off | 1,200 | **0** |
| Brand & share | — | 0 |
| **Total** | | **0 credits** |
Yes — an internal-only gallery on Pay As You Go can cost 0 credits to run, beyond the time of your operator. This is a legitimate use case.
## How to Estimate Before You Sync
| Event size | AI on (1 credit/photo) | AI off | If you might re-process watermark | Recommended top-up |
| ------------- | ---------------------- | ------ | --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 500 photos | 500 credits | 0 | +50 | 1,000 credits |
| 1,000 photos | 1,000 | 0 | +100 | 1,500 |
| 3,000 photos | 3,000 | 0 | +300 | 3,500 |
| 5,000 photos | 5,000 | 0 | +500 | 6,000 |
| 10,000 photos | 10,000 | 0 | +1,000 | 12,000 |
| 25,000 photos | 25,000 | 0 | +2,500 | 28,000 (and consider Pro — see [When to Upgrade](/pay-as-you-go-guide/when-to-upgrade)) |
The "+10% buffer" rows assume one watermark re-process. If you've tested on a Custom Batch first (recommended), you can drop the buffer to \~5%.
## What If You Don't Have Enough Credits?
The **Process Photos** dialog blocks you with an error message before any credits are spent: "*You have N credits available, but need M credits for this processing job.*"
You have three options:
1. **Top up to cover the batch.** Open **Credits → Purchase Credits** (minimum 1,000 credits per purchase).
2. **Process a smaller batch.** Use the **Custom Batch** option and enter a number that fits in your balance. Then top up and run the rest.
3. **Disable AI search for this event.** If you don't actually need face search or BIB search, turn both off in event Configuration. Processing will then cost 0 credits.
## Common Questions
Per **processed photo**, at processing time. Search by attendees on the public gallery is free for you.
No. Sync Images only ingests *new* photos. Photos already in the database are skipped. Sync as often as you like during a live event.
Re-watermarking re-renders the watermark layer over already-processed photos but skips the AI indexing (the expensive part). 10% reflects that smaller compute cost. The dashboard tells you the exact credit number before you confirm.
No. If **either** AI option is on, processing costs 1 credit per photo. To get to 0 credits per photo, both must be off.
Use **Custom Batch** with **100 photos** as your first run. That's 100 credits worst case. Verify the watermark, gallery look, and a couple of test searches. Then run the rest.
No. Pay As You Go credits stay in your balance until you spend them, with no expiry date.
## Next Steps
The 5 mistakes that quietly burn the most credits.
The top-up walkthrough.
Track your balance and monthly usage.
When per-credit math flips toward the Pro subscription.