How much faster is AI creative production compared to a traditional process? Roughly twice as fast. In our projects images are delivered in 5-10 working days against 2-4 weeks for a shoot, and videos in 2-3 weeks against 4-8 for a conventional production. But time isn't saved everywhere: briefs and approvals take as long as before. Here's where you gain and where you don't, stage by stage.
AI vs traditional production timelines: the numbers
| Project | Traditional production | AI production (DigitalX) |
|---|---|---|
| Product or campaign images | 2-4 weeks | 5-10 working days |
| 15-40 second video | 4-8 weeks | 2-3 weeks |
| Estimate | Often after scouting and casting | Within 1 working day |
| Revisions | A major change can mean rebuilding the set | 1 full round included, on files already produced |
The saving doesn't come from AI making a single image "faster". It comes from a whole block of logistics disappearing: casting, locations, permits, shipping samples, set days, travel. The rest of the process takes about the same time.
Stage by stage: where the time goes
| Stage | Traditional | With AI | Effect on timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brief | Creative brief and goals | Same | No change |
| Concept and storyboard | Moodboard, storyboard, sign-off | Same, with faster visual previews | Slightly faster |
| Pre-production | Casting, location scouting, permits, rentals, crew and talent calendars | No set: models, places and light are defined digitally | The biggest saving |
| Production | Set days, dependent on weather and on people and places being available | Generation with several AI models, chosen per shot | Much faster |
| Product check | The product is physically on set | Shape, colour, logo, label and fabric checked against the real product | Adds time, and it's necessary |
| Post-production | Retouching, editing, colour, sound | Fixes by hand or in CGI, editing in DaVinci Resolve, colour, sound | Similar |
| Revisions | Reshoot if a set element changes | The scene is edited without rebuilding a set | Faster |
| Formats | Crops and adaptations | Master and crops for every format | Similar |
"AI shortens the set, not the decisions. Those are still yours."
What doesn't get faster
- The brief. If goals, audience and message aren't clear, no tool clarifies them for you. A vague brief stretches everything else: see how to write a creative brief.
- Internal approvals. If a concept has to go through marketing, product, legal and management, the waiting days stay the same. They're often the longest part of a project.
- The product accuracy check. Every image has to be compared with the real product. It's a stage a traditional production barely has, because the product is on set.
- Source material. If product photos are needed and don't exist, they have to be made. Starting from the client's existing photos cuts time a lot.
- Legal checks. Rights, trademarks and AI labelling need checking as in any campaign.
Where the saving is biggest
The advantage grows when a traditional production would be complicated to organise: distant or hard-to-get locations, a season other than the current one, many product variants, several markets with different models, scenes that would need special effects on set. In these cases the weeks of pre-production are what AI removes almost entirely.
The advantage shrinks when the shoot is already simple: one product, one studio, a trusted photographer, one day. There the time difference narrows, and sometimes staying on set makes sense. We say so on our AI video for brands page too: it isn't always the right choice.
Time and cost go together
Fewer set days also means lower costs: no crew for several days, no rentals, no travel. The line-by-line comparison is in AI campaign vs photo shoot costs. For reference, AI product images start from €20 per image and a standard 30-40 second AI video from €850; details on AI e-commerce images and AI campaign packages.
To see real timings on your own product, the simplest way is a test: our AI Product Video Test is free.
Frequently asked questions
How much faster is AI creative work compared to a traditional production process?
About twice as fast. In our projects images take 5-10 working days against 2-4 weeks, and videos 2-3 weeks against 4-8.
Which stage saves the most time?
Pre-production and production: casting, locations, permits, rentals and set days aren't needed. Briefs, approvals and post-production take about as long as before.
What doesn't get faster with AI?
The brief, internal approvals, legal checks and the product accuracy check. The last one is actually an extra stage, needed for quality.
How long does a full AI campaign take?
It depends on how many images and videos you need. As a reference: 5-10 working days for images and 2-3 weeks for video, with one full revision round included. The estimate arrives within 1 working day.
Are revisions faster with AI?
Usually, because the scene can be edited without rebuilding a set. One full revision round is included; each extra revision on a video costs €100.