How to use Runway: current guide for creators

Runway changes quickly. This guide uses Runway’s current documentation checked September 13, 2026; older tutorials built around Gen-2, Green Screen or a “Video Projects” dashboard no longer describe the main starting workflow.

1. Choose Tools, Apps, Agent or Workflows

Runway’s current getting-started guide describes four generation modes. Choose Tools when you need explicit model and setting control; Apps for a named use case; Agent when you want the system to plan and generate through conversation; or Workflows for a repeatable node-based pipeline.

For a first test, use Tools. It makes the source, model, prompt and settings easiest to record and compare.

2. Choose text-to-video or image-to-video

• Text-to-video: describe the visible subject, action, setting, camera and treatment.

• Image-to-video: upload a permitted starting image and focus the prompt on desired motion.

• Existing-footage edit: use Edit Studio when the job is to change a supplied clip rather than generate a new one.

3. Select the exact current model

Runway’s Gen-4.5 guide documents text-to-video and image-to-video controls, supported durations, aspect ratios, frame rates and credit use. Availability and limits depend on the selected model and plan, so read the model card shown in the interface instead of carrying settings from an older model.

4. Write one filmable shot

Keep the first prompt to one shot. For text-to-video, define what appears and how it moves. For image-to-video, let the image establish appearance and describe the motion. Avoid multiple scene changes or instructions that cannot fit the selected duration.

5. Review settings and credit use

Confirm aspect ratio, duration, frame rate, resolution, output format and the estimate before generating. Use the current Runway pricing page for plans, then rely on the interface estimate for the exact model and settings. A historical monthly price table cannot represent every current mode.

6. Generate and inspect the complete clip

Review subject identity, anatomy, object and product geometry, text, camera behavior, scene continuity, motion and audio where applicable. A convincing thumbnail or first frame does not prove the full clip is usable.

7. Iterate from the largest mismatch

Change one meaningful input at a time: source image, action, camera, setting, treatment or hard setting. Keep the original output and record what changed. This makes the next result informative even when it is not accepted.

How to edit existing footage in Runway

Runway’s current Edit Studio guide describes an Aleph 2.0 workflow for prompted changes to uploaded or generated footage. Upload a supported clip, select a representative keyframe, describe the change, preview the keyframe edit and then apply it to the video or a selected range.

Inspect the result beyond the edited region. Product swaps, character changes, backgrounds, relighting and restyles can affect edges, identity, geometry or surrounding details. Preserve the source and every accepted version.

A practical first project

• Write the brief. One subject, one action, one setting and one camera instruction.

• Define pass/fail checks. Name required identity, product, text, motion and output properties.

• Generate a short proof. Use the lowest practical duration and quality that still exposes the hard part.

• Review and revise once. Change the largest mismatch and keep both versions.

• Finish only after acceptance. Upscale, extend or edit the selected result, then review the final downloaded file.

When to compare Runway with another platform

Compare alternatives when the required model, input type, output, cost or connected workflow is unavailable or inefficient for the job. Our AI video generator comparison separates platforms from underlying models and lists current decision criteria.

Magic Hour’s AI Video Generator is another browser workflow for testing current video models and connected image, video and audio tools. Run the same permitted brief and compare accepted output rather than vendor claims.