⚡
Fast
5-10x faster than local
💻
No Hardware
Works on any computer
🏆
Premium Quality
Latest, most capable models
🔑
Simple Setup
Just paste your API key
Trade-offs
- Costs money per request (~$0.01-0.50 per video)
- Requires internet connection
- Your content is sent to external servers
Option 1: OpenAI (GPT-4o)
OpenAI offers the most popular and capable models. GPT-4o-mini is the best value for content generation.
Step 1: Create an OpenAI Account
- Go to platform.openai.com
- Click Sign Up (or Log In if you have an account)
- Verify your email address
Step 2: Add Funds to Your Account
Important: OpenAI requires prepaid credits. Your API key won't work without funds!
- Go to Billing Settings
- Click Add payment method and enter your card details
- Click Add to credit balance
- Add at least $5-10 to start (this will process hundreds of videos)
Step 3: Generate an API Key
- Go to API Keys
- Click Create new secret key
- Give it a name like "Loki Studio"
- Copy the key immediately - you won't be able to see it again!
The key looks like: sk-proj-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Step 4: Configure Loki Studio
- Open Loki Studio
- Go to Application Settings
- Set AI Provider to
OpenAI
- Paste your API key in the OpenAI API Key field
- Select model: gpt-4o-mini (recommended) or gpt-4o (premium)
- Click Save Settings
OpenAI Pricing
| Model |
Quality |
Speed |
Cost per Video |
| gpt-4o-mini |
Excellent |
Fast |
~$0.01-0.05 |
| gpt-4o |
Premium |
Medium |
~$0.10-0.50 |
Recommendation: Start with gpt-4o-mini. It's excellent for content generation and very affordable.
Option 2: Anthropic (Claude)
Anthropic's Claude models are known for excellent writing quality and nuanced content.
Step 1: Create an Anthropic Account
- Go to console.anthropic.com
- Click Sign Up
- Verify your email address
Step 2: Add Funds to Your Account
- Go to Billing Settings
- Click Add Payment Method
- Enter your card details
- Add credits (minimum $5)
Step 3: Generate an API Key
- Go to API Keys
- Click Create Key
- Give it a name like "Loki Studio"
- Copy the key immediately
The key looks like: sk-ant-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Step 4: Configure Loki Studio
- Open Loki Studio
- Go to Application Settings
- Set AI Provider to
Anthropic
- Paste your API key in the Anthropic API Key field
- Select model: claude-3-haiku (fast) or claude-3-sonnet (quality)
- Click Save Settings
Anthropic Pricing
| Model |
Quality |
Speed |
Cost per Video |
| claude-3-haiku |
Good |
Very Fast |
~$0.01-0.03 |
| claude-3-sonnet |
Excellent |
Medium |
~$0.05-0.15 |
| claude-3-opus |
Premium |
Slower |
~$0.25-0.75 |
Which Should You Choose?
| Factor |
OpenAI |
Anthropic |
| Speed |
Faster |
Moderate |
| Writing Style |
Concise |
More detailed |
| Pricing |
Lower for mini |
Lower for haiku |
| Reliability |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Our recommendation: Start with OpenAI GPT-4o-mini. It's the most cost-effective option with excellent quality. Switch to Anthropic if you prefer Claude's writing style.
Troubleshooting
"Invalid API key" or "Authentication failed"
- Double-check you copied the entire key (no spaces at start/end)
- Make sure you're using the right provider's key in the right field
- Generate a new key if the old one was compromised
"Insufficient funds" or "Rate limit exceeded"
- Add more credits to your account
- Check your usage dashboard to see spending
- Wait a few minutes if you hit rate limits
Cost Management Tips
- Start with mini/haiku models - They're 10-20x cheaper and usually good enough
- Monitor your usage - Check the usage dashboards regularly
- Set billing limits - Both providers let you set monthly spending caps
- Use local LLMs for bulk - Process urgent videos with cloud, batch process overnight with local
See also: Local LLM Setup for free, offline AI options