What it's used for

Runway is a leading AI creative platform specializing in video generation and visual effects. It pioneered many AI video capabilities — from text-to-video and image-to-video to motion brush and inpainting — making professional-grade video production accessible to creators who previously couldn't afford VFX software or studio time.

Gen-3 Alpha — generate high-quality video clips from text prompts or still images with cinematic motion and coherence
Motion Brush — paint motion onto specific areas of an image to control how different elements move
Inpainting & outpainting — remove objects from video, extend frames, and fill in missing content
Green Screen — AI-powered background removal from video without a physical green screen
Image-to-video — bring still photos, illustrations, and AI-generated images to life with realistic motion
Style transfer & super-resolution — apply artistic styles to footage and upscale video resolution

Filmmakers, content creators, music video directors, advertisers, and VFX artists use Runway to produce video content that previously required expensive software, large teams, and lengthy render times. The platform was co-created by researchers behind the Stable Diffusion model.

Runway won a Technical Emmy Award for its contributions to AI in media, and its tools have been used in major film and television productions. Everything runs in the browser — no software installation required.

Getting started

Sign up for free at runwayml.com with email or Google account.
Pricing (credit-based system):
- Free: 125 credits (enough for a few generations to test)
- Standard ($12/mo): 625 credits/mo, Gen-3 access, 720p export
- Pro ($28/mo): 2,250 credits/mo, upscaled resolution, unlimited projects, watermark-free
- Unlimited ($76/mo): Unlimited Gen-3 generations, maximum resolution, priority processing
Generate your first video:
- Click Generate Video from the dashboard
- Choose a mode: Text to Video, Image to Video, or Video to Video
- Enter your prompt or upload a source image, set duration (5s or 10s), and click Generate
For editing: Use the Video Editor for green screen removal, inpainting, slow motion, and compositing. Upload existing footage and apply AI tools from the toolbar.

Tip: For the best Gen-3 results, use image-to-video with a Midjourney or DALL-E generated still as the starting frame. This gives you control over the look while letting Runway handle the motion. Add camera movement instructions to your prompt like “slow dolly forward” or “orbiting camera.”

Case studies

Real Runway projects

Submitted by verified specialists

Clio Award, $8k vs $120k Consumer / Retail

Clio Award-Winning Brand Film — Zero Film Crew

DTC consumer brand, Q4 campaign

› Challenge

A consumer brand needed a cinematic 90-second brand film for their Q4 campaign. Traditional production was quoted at $120k and 6 weeks. Budget was $8k and timeline was 10 days.

› Solution

Produced the entire film using Runway Gen-3 with a detailed shot list, consistent style prompts, and frame-by-frame direction. Combined with Adobe Firefly for static assets and ElevenLabs for voiceover.

› Results

90-second film delivered in 10 days for $8k total. Won a Clio Award in the 'AI-Assisted' category. Campaign drove a 28% increase in branded search and was featured in AdAge.

Tools

Runway ElevenLabs Adobe Firefly Midjourney

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Runway

What it's used for

Getting started

Commonly paired with

Guides using Runway

Creative production

Real Runway projects

Clio Award-Winning Brand Film — Zero Film Crew

Runway specialists

Julie Wieland

David Ondrej

Kay Samuel

Oluwapelumi Adeyemi

Matthew Adebayo

Itiolu Emmanuel

Karen X. Cheng

Caleb Ward

AI leaders using Runway

Matt Wolfe

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