How to Use Runway AI (Video Generation)

If you want to learn how to use Runway AI for video generation, you're looking at one of the most capable platforms available. While other AI video tools generate clips and hope for the best, Runway gives you tools to direct the output: Motion Brush to control how specific elements move, camera guidance for precise framing, and keyframing for shot-by-shot planning. It's the tool video professionals are adopting fastest, and for good reason.

If you've read our Sora AI guide and want a comparison, Runway is the other side of the coin: less raw photorealism, more creative precision.

What Runway AI Offers

Runway started as an AI video editing tool and has evolved into a full generation platform. Today it supports:

• Text-to-video: Describe a scene and generate a video clip
• Image-to-video: Upload a still image and animate it
• Video-to-video: Transform existing footage with AI-powered style transfer
• Motion Brush: Paint motion directions onto specific areas of an image
• Camera Controls: Specify camera movements (pan, tilt, zoom, dolly)
• Generative Audio: Add AI-generated sound effects and ambience
• Upscaling: Enhance generated video up to 4K resolution

Getting Started

Step 1Create Your Account

Go to runwayml.com and sign up. The free tier includes 125 credits per month, enough for a handful of short video generations to test the platform.

Step 2Choose Your Generation Mode

From the dashboard, select your workflow:

• Text to Video: Start with a text prompt. Best for generating scenes from scratch.
• Image to Video: Upload a starting frame and describe how you want it to move. This produces more consistent results than text-only because the model has a visual reference.
• Motion Brush: Upload an image and paint motion directions directly onto it. This is Runway's signature feature.

Step 3Generate and Iterate

Write your prompt or set up your Motion Brush directions, then click Generate. Runway renders videos at 1280x768 (landscape) or 768x1280 (vertical) at 24 fps, with optional upscaling to 4K.

If you want to build professional-level AI video skills systematically, the AI Academy walks you through the entire creative pipeline, from image generation to video production.

Credit usage depends on the model:

• Gen-3 Alpha: 10 credits per second of video
• Gen-3 Alpha Turbo: 5 credits per second (faster, slightly lower quality)
• Gen-4/Gen-4.5: Higher credit costs for more advanced capabilities

The Models: Gen-3, Gen-4, and Gen-4.5

Runway offers multiple model generations, each with different strengths:

Gen-3 Alpha

The workhorse model. Good balance of quality, speed, and credit cost. Produces reliable results for most standard video generation tasks. The Turbo variant generates at half the credit cost with only a modest quality tradeoff.

Gen-4

Released in mid-2025, Gen-4 introduced significant improvements in subject consistency, prompt adherence, and physics understanding. Objects carry realistic weight and momentum. Camera movements are more predictable and precise.

Gen-4.5

Runway's latest model (December 2025) pushes physical accuracy and visual fidelity further. Motion looks more natural, prompt adherence is stronger, and the model handles complex multi-subject scenes better than previous versions. This is the model to use when quality matters most.

Motion Brush: Runway's Signature Feature

Motion Brush is what makes Runway genuinely different from Sora, Pika, and other video generators. Instead of describing motion in text and hoping the model interprets it correctly, you paint it directly.

How It Works

1. Upload an image or use a generated frame
2. Select the Motion Brush tool
3. Paint over elements you want to move
4. Set the direction and speed for each brushed area
5. Add a text prompt that aligns with your motion directions

Multi-Motion Brush

You can create up to five independent motion zones, each with its own direction and speed. For example: clouds moving left, a river flowing right, a bird flying upward, and leaves drifting downward, all in the same frame, each moving independently.

Tips for Better Motion Brush Results

• Align your text prompt with your brush directions. If you brush a figure walking left, your prompt should describe movement to the left. Conflicting instructions produce artifacts.
• Start with low brush strength. It's easier to add motion than to fix overcorrection. Begin at 30-40% strength and increase if needed.
• Add "crisp motion" to your prompt if you're seeing motion blur artifacts. This simple addition noticeably sharpens the output.

Mastering tools like Motion Brush takes practice and structured learning. Our AI Academy includes hands-on video generation lessons that help you move past the basics quickly.

Camera Controls

Runway's camera guidance lets you specify exactly how the camera should move:

• Pan: Horizontal camera movement (left/right)
• Tilt: Vertical camera movement (up/down)
• Zoom: Move closer or farther
• Roll: Rotate the camera
• Dolly/Truck: Physical camera movement through the scene

In testing, Runway is the most reliable platform for achieving specific camera movements. When you request a slow dolly in, you consistently get a slow dolly in, not a zoom, not a random push. This predictability matters for professional work.

Practical Runway AI Workflows

Product Videos

Upload a product photo and use Image-to-Video to animate it. Add subtle motion (rotating the product, zooming into details, or animating a background) for e-commerce listings, social ads, and product pages. Pair this with the marketing techniques in our ChatGPT for marketing guide for a complete product content workflow.

Social Media Content

Generate 3-5 second clips for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. Runway's fast Turbo model keeps credit costs low for high-volume social production. For platform-specific strategies, see our AI for Instagram guide.

Storyboarding and Previsualization

Generate rough motion tests before committing to a full production. Motion Brush lets you test exactly how elements should move in a scene, giving directors and clients a tangible preview.

Style Transfer

Use Video-to-Video to apply artistic styles to existing footage. Transform a phone camera clip into something that looks like a Wes Anderson film, an anime sequence, or a vintage 8mm home movie.

Runway Pricing

Credits cost approximately $0.01 each when purchased separately. A 5-second Gen-3 Alpha clip costs 50 credits ($0.50); the same clip on Gen-3 Turbo costs 25 credits ($0.25).

The Standard plan at $12/month is a reasonable entry point for regular use. Pro at $28/month makes sense if you're generating video weekly. Unlimited is for production teams using Runway daily.

Runway vs. Sora: Which Should You Choose?

Choose Runway when:

• You need precise control over camera and motion
• You want to animate existing images or footage
• Consistency across multiple clips matters
• Budget is a concern (lower entry price)
• You need video editing tools, not just generation

Choose Sora when:

• Raw photorealism is the priority
• You want synchronized audio generation
• You're already paying for ChatGPT Pro
• You need longer clips (up to 20 seconds)

Choose both when: You're doing serious video production. Most professional creators use Runway for controlled, deliberate shots and Sora for cinematic establishing shots and photorealistic sequences.

Getting Better at Runway AI

The learning curve with Runway is steeper than Sora or Pika, but the control you gain is worth the investment. Here's a practical progression path:

Week 1: Image-to-Video basics. Start with still images and simple animations. Upload a photo and add minimal motion. This is more predictable than text-to-video because the model has a visual reference.

Week 2: Motion Brush on simple scenes. Practice painting motion onto single elements: flowing water, moving clouds, a turning head. Master single-zone motion before attempting multi-zone compositions.

Week 3: Camera controls and text-to-video. Combine camera movements with scene descriptions. Learn which camera terms produce which results on Runway specifically, since each platform interprets them slightly differently.

Week 4: Complex compositions. Attempt multi-motion scenes, style transfers, and video-to-video workflows. Study the Runway showcase gallery to see what experienced users achieve and reverse-engineer their techniques.

The single best habit: generate, evaluate, adjust one variable, and regenerate. Changing multiple settings at once makes it impossible to learn which changes improve results. If you're building broader content creation skills, Runway fits naturally alongside writing and image tools in a complete production pipeline.

That kind of deliberate, iterative improvement is exactly what the AI Academy is built around -- structured practice with real creative projects so you actually retain what you learn.

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