Runway is a US company that was a pioneer of AI video and also played a part in building the original Stable Diffusion. Its main product is an online studio that brings together video generation from text and images, editing existing video with text commands, transferring an actor's motion and facial expression to a character, removing and replacing objects, and editing tools. Alongside its own models, it also offers video models from other companies. Its main difference from rivals is the focus on professional work and editing, not just producing clips.

What is Runway good for?#

  • Editing recorded video with text: an editor turns a daytime sky into night or changes an actor's clothing in a real shot, without reshooting.
  • Character animation from an actor's performance: a creator records their own face and body performance and transfers it onto a cartoon character.
  • Making supplementary shots: an independent filmmaker creates costly shots such as aerial views or imaginary scenes.
  • Ads and short motion pieces: an agency quickly generates and compares several versions of an idea for a brand campaign.
  • Removing objects and backgrounds: erase a distracting passerby or an unwanted logo from a video.
  • API for developers: build automatic video generation into your own service or app.

Strengths and weaknesses#

Strengths:

  • Tools for editing existing video, not just generating from scratch
  • High-quality transfer of an actor's performance to a character
  • Access to its own models and other companies' models in one environment
  • Focus on filmmakers' needs and work with professional studios

Weaknesses:

  • The free credit is limited and does not renew
  • Cost is high for heavy use
  • In text-to-video quality rankings, rivals such as Kling and Veo are sometimes ahead
  • The interface is a bit busy for beginners

Free plan and pricing#

Runway is freemium, but the free plan only gives an initial amount of credit that does not renew and is mostly useful for getting acquainted. Paid plans give monthly credits, higher output quality, watermark removal and access to more models, and there are enterprise plans too. The API is billed separately by usage. Check the official site for current prices.

Prompts and language#

Runway works best with English prompts, and text or speech inside generated video is not rendered reliably. The practical approach: write a precise English prompt describing the shot, camera movement and lighting, and add subtitles or voiceover in your editing software.

Getting started in three steps#

  1. Sign up and use the free credit to turn a still image into video.
  2. Write a short, specific motion prompt: what the subject does and how the camera moves.
  3. Finish the output in Runway's own editing tools or in your editing software.

Runway alternatives#

  • Kling: very high generation quality and a periodic free allowance.
  • Google Veo: realism and synchronized sound in the Google ecosystem.
  • Luma Dream Machine: simpler for quick ideation.
  • Pika: cheaper and suited to creative, fun social media clips.

For realistic expectations, read making and editing video with AI: what is possible and what is not, and before commercial use, see copyright and commercial use of AI-generated images.