Events have a genuine structural problem that most categories do not: before the event happens, there is no footage of it. You are selling something that does not exist yet, which makes generated imagery legitimately useful rather than a shortcut around filming.
The line is whether anyone could mistake it for documentation of an event that already happened.
TL;DR
- Pre-event generation is legitimate when it is clearly illustrative rather than documentary
- Never imply a generated scene is footage of a previous event. That is fabricated proof
- Never generate speakers, attendees or your venue. Attendees arrive and compare
- Shoot the event itself. That footage sells next year's edition
- A pre-event campaign: roughly 600 credits, about $6
Why pre-event is different
For a restaurant, generated food misrepresents the dish. For a first-year conference, there is no dish yet. A stylised visual conveying the feel of an event that has not occurred is not misrepresenting anything, provided nobody reads it as a photograph of last year.
What keeps it honest:
- Clearly illustrative treatment. Stylised, graphic, obviously designed rather than photographed.
- No implied provenance. Do not caption a generated scene in a way that suggests it is from a previous edition.
- Real venue photographs for the venue, because attendees arrive there.
- Real speaker photographs for speakers, because they are real people who did not consent to a synthetic likeness.
What to generate
Campaign identity. Headers, social cards, ticket-tier graphics, countdown visuals. Seedream 5 at 6 credits per direction, so twenty for 120.
Abstract motion behind text. Light, particles, gradient movement under announcements. Wan 3.0 at 480p, 24 credits per 5 seconds.
Session and schedule graphics. Nano Banana Pro at 21 credits when the text inside the image must be exactly right, which for a schedule it must.
Promo clips with sound. Veo 3.1 Lite at 54 credits for 8 seconds with audio.
Atmospheric mood pieces, stylised enough that they read as design.
What to photograph instead
The venue. Attendees arrive there. A generated room sets an expectation the door cannot meet.
Speakers. Real headshots, which they supplied. Generating a speaker's likeness without documented consent is not acceptable regardless of how flattering it is.
The event itself, on the day. This is the asset that matters most and it is routinely under-captured. Real footage of a real audience is what sells the next edition, and no generated imagery substitutes.
The costs
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate:
| Item | Route | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 25 campaign and social cards | Seedream 5 at 6 | 150 |
| 8 schedule and session graphics with text | Nano Banana Pro at 21 | 168 |
| 6 background plates | Wan 3.0 at 480p | 144 |
| 2 promo clips with audio | Veo 3.1 Lite at 54 | 108 |
| Music bed, 30s looped | Lyria 2 | 13 |
| Clean 5 real venue photos | background removal at 12 | 60 |
| Total | ~643 credits, about $6.43 |
Inside a $19 Starter plan.
The on-the-day checklist
Because this is where the real value is and it gets forgotten in the rush:
- The full room, from the back, so the scale is visible
- Speakers actually speaking, not posed
- Attendees talking to each other in breaks, which is what people buy tickets for
- The queue, if there is one
- Short vox pops. "Why did you come." Thirty seconds each, phone camera
- The venue at its best hour
Two hours of capture on the day funds a year of honest promotion.
FAQ
Can I use generated imagery to promote an event? Yes, for pre-event campaign material that is clearly illustrative. Not as implied footage of a previous edition.
Can I generate the venue? No. Attendees arrive there.
Can I generate a speaker? No. They are a real person and their likeness needs their consent.
What is the most valuable thing to do? Capture the event properly on the day. That footage sells the next one.
Generate the campaign, photograph the venue, film the day. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited, and generation is paid from $19/month.