Runway

One of the first AI video companies: its own Gen-4.5 and Aleph models, Act-Two performance capture, Agent and Studio, plus partner models. A free mini-course from basics to camera moves.

What it nails

• Own Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0 video models
• Act-Two animates characters from your acting
• Plugins for Premiere, After Effects and Resolve

Watch out for

• Standard and Pro credits reset every month

Runway (now at runway.com) is one of the original AI video companies. It builds its own models, most recently Gen-4.5 (December 2025), which Runway calls "the world's best video model", and Aleph 2.0 (May 2026) for editing real footage. Around them sits a full studio: Act-Two, Apps, Workflows, an Agent, a timeline editor and plugins for Premiere Pro, After Effects and DaVinci Resolve.

The Lab runs Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0 too, so every Gen-4.5 prompt below has a button that opens it in our Video studio.

Start here: the basics

1. Text to video: "prompts should describe both the visual elements and motion of the scene."
2. Image to video: "prompts should focus on describing the motion of the scene." Use "a high-quality input image, free of visual artifacts".
3. Start simple: "Don't underestimate the power of simplicity in your text prompt." Then add, in order: subject motion, camera motion, scene motion, style.
4. Refer to people generally, like "the subject", and use positive phrasing.

Lesson 1: say what you want, not what you don't

No camera movement. The camera doesn't move. NO MOVEMENT

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Runway's own "don't" example.

Locked camera. The camera remains still.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · The version Runway recommends.

Lesson 2: describe the scene, don't chat

can you please add my dog to the image?

Example by Runway · source ↗

A dog excitedly runs into the scene from off-camera

Example by Runway · source ↗

Learn the camera: Runway's own shot library

Runway's help center has "a reference library of camera terminology with corresponding Text to Video prompts and their Gen-4.5 outputs". Its advice: "Combining terms is encouraged, especially for cinematic sequences."

A close-up isolates an elder elephant's face, where white paint patterns resembling ancient script are painted across its leathery surface under a pallid light.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

Medium shot of a cowboy perched on a horse in a dusty environment. The horse rears violently, its body twisting, causing the cowboy to lose his seat and begin to fall off to the left. Backlit, western epic, cinematic, high contrast, golden hour, dusty, warm amber, deep orange, rich brown, atmospheric, dramatic backlighting, rim light, silhouette, soft glow, high contrast shadows.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

A wide shot captures a lone figure standing atop a vast, windswept mesa, their silhouette sharply defined against a dramatic sunset, emphasizing their smallness within the expansive landscape.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

An aerial shot looks directly down onto a small, weathered fishing boat, its deck visible and pitching violently as it navigates through towering, frothing waves during a fierce storm, the boat appearing precariously small against the immense power of the ocean.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

POV from the perspective of a bear approaching a hollowed out tree filled with honeycomb. The bear paws reach out from the bottom of the frame and grab a handful of honey. Handheld documentary film style. Natural camera shake. Raw indie film aesthetic. Natural lighting. Unpolished, authentic look. Low budget realism. Observational feel.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

A rack focus shot transitions from a close-up on a chef's hand meticulously garnishing a plate of haute cuisine, with individual herbs sharply defined, to the delighted expression of a diner across the table, their smile becoming crystal clear as the chef's hand gently blurs into the background.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

A medium shot shows a chameleon slowly traversing a moss-covered branch, its body perfectly camouflaged, then a sudden crash zoom closely frames its face, and the independent movement of its pupils as it scans its surroundings.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

A rapid whip pan dramatically connects two distinct claymation characters, starting from a bewildered detective's exaggerated expression, then snapping to a mischievous antagonist's sly grin, capturing their dynamic, expressive claymation movements in a cinematic style.

Example by Runway · source ↗ · Made with Gen-4.5, text to video. The Lab runs Gen-4.5 too: this button opens it in our Video studio.

Power moves

1. Aleph 2.0: edit real footage

Aleph can "perform a wide range of edits on an input video such as adding, removing, and transforming objects, generating any angle of a scene, and modifying style and lighting". With Aleph 2.0 you "edit a frame the way you want, and Aleph 2.0 edits the rest". The Lab's Video studio runs Aleph 2.0 as Edit Video.

2. Act-Two: your performance, any character

"Act-Two allows you to animate characters using driving performance videos": up to 30 seconds, 5 credits per second, Standard plan and up.

3. References, Apps and Workflows

Gen-4 References keep characters and locations consistent. Apps are "use-case specific workflows" such as Remove, Relight, Weather, Time of Day or Product Shot. Workflows chain models into your own node graph.

4. Agent and Studio

Runway Agent (May 2026) is "an AI creative partner to develop and produce a finished video"; the Studio timeline lets you "Trim, stitch, reorder and export a final video".

Plans and how credits work

• Gen-4.5 costs 12 credits per second: "a 5-second generation costs 60 credits".
• "On the Standard and Pro plans, monthly credits don't roll over"; purchased credits "never expire".
• "Credits are only automatically returned when a generation ends in a generation error." A finished clip you do not like is not refunded.
• The old Unlimited plan with Explore Mode is being replaced by Max.

Try Gen-4.5 without a plan

FAQ

Sources: Runway changelog · Introducing Gen-4.5 · Runway pricing · How credits work · Gen-4 prompting guide · Camera terms and examples