Regulars judge a new frame the way they judge anything at a counter: quickly, by habit, against what they ordered. Five checks, in the same order every time, against the counter card — under a minute a frame.
The five checks
1. Likeness. Is she the character on the card, or a near relative? Judge against the card, not the previous frame.
2. Hands. Hands, joints, anything the pose bends.
3. Light. One source, consistent across skin, fabric and background — golden hour included; warm light is still one light.
4. Edges. Hair against the blinds, lace against skin, fingers against the cup.
5. Purpose. Does the frame do the one job it was briefed for?
The threshold that saves money
Score each check out of two. Eight of ten earns finishing spend — an edit at 21 credits, a swap at 26, an upscale at 61. Below eight, the frame returns to the generator at 6 credits, where correction is cheapest.