Methodology: how the seven criteria are scored
We score the ability to deliver a vertical short-drama series, not the look of a single clip. Seven criteria, 1–5 each, averaged into an overall score; any criterion without enough information is left blank (shown as —) rather than guessed.
| Criterion | 5 | 3 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Script & novel parsing | Whole novel auto-split; reproducible appearance; scenes, props, hooks | Script → storyboard, no splitting | No parsing; single prompts |
| Character consistency | Cast library + references injected per segment + continuity rules | Reference images / multi-subject reference, manual | No reference mechanism |
| Storyboard & shot control | Auto storyboard, per-shot editing, timing and cut control | Canvas / manual arrangement | No storyboard layer |
| Video generation quality | Frontier model; stable motion, physics, faces | Usable with occasional artifacts | Clearly behind |
| Voice & audio | Controllable character voices with correct lip-sync attribution | Native audio, not controllable | No audio |
| Episode compositing | One-click episode assembly | Timeline / canvas chaining | Export segments, assemble by hand |
| Cost & free tier | Low per-second price with a usable free tier | Mid-range | Expensive or no free tier |
Derived figures: stage coverage and engine strength
Stage coverage: of six production stages (parsing, reference art/consistency, storyboard, video, audio, compositing), a stage counts as covered when its criterion scores 3 or higher, giving 0–6. It measures how much of book → series a tool does without manual work; it is a mechanical roll-up of the scores, not a new judgment. Engine strength: the mean of video generation quality and voice & audio — how good each generated segment is. The positioning map on the home page uses exactly these two figures; every mean carries an "n/7 scored" badge and unscored criteria are excluded.
Sources
Facts come only from official pages (URLs and last-checked dates are listed at the end of every tool page). The basis for each score is written in the tool page's "Basis" column and open to challenge.
What we don't do
- No second-hand prices, no invented numbers for undisclosed facts.
- No absolute "X is better" verdicts: comparison pages say "pick A if… / pick B if…".
- No reviews of products in closed beta without a public entry point.