Runway Cheat Sheet
Last updated: April 2026
Quick Facts
Pricing
Freemium model with a free tier offering limited credits, plus paid Standard ($15) and Pro ($35) monthly subscriptions. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Free Plan
Yes, includes 125 credits, 3 projects, 720p exports, and access to core AI tools like Gen-1 and basic video editing.
Rating
4.3/5
Best For
Video creators and editors who need a powerful, all-in-one AI suite for generating and manipulating footage without deep technical expertise.
Key Features
- ✓Gen-3 Alpha (Text-to-Video)
I tested this daily. It generates 10-second video clips from text prompts. The quality is impressive, with good motion coherence and temporal consistency, though prompt engineering is crucial.
- ✓Gen-1 (Image-to-Video)
In my experience, this is a workhorse. Upload an image, apply a style or text prompt, and it animates it. Great for creating consistent visual loops and stylized intros.
- ✓Infinite Image
What surprised me was its ability to extend any image's canvas seamlessly using AI. It's perfect for fixing poorly framed shots or creating widescreen backgrounds from portraits.
- ✓Motion Tracking
This is incredibly intuitive. I track an object in seconds and can then attach text, graphics, or visual effects that stick perfectly to the moving element.
- ✓Green Screen
Runway's AI rotoscoping is a game-changer. It removes backgrounds from video far faster than manual masking, though it struggles with fine details like hair on complex shots.
- ✓Frame Interpolation
I use this to create super slow-motion from standard footage. It generates new frames smoothly, but expect longer render times for high-resolution clips.
- ✓Inpainting/Outpainting
Erase objects or people from video frames or expand the scene. It's powerful but can leave artifacts if the area to fill is too large or central.
- ✓Color Match
A lifesaver for matching colors between different video clips or AI-generated segments. It applies the color grade from one clip to another with a single click.
- ✓AI Training
You can train a custom model on your own images or style. I found it niche but powerful for creating branded, consistent character or product visuals.
- ✓Audio-to-Lip Sync
Upload a video of a face and an audio file; it syncs the mouth movements. The results are hit-or-miss but can be convincing with the right source footage.
- ✓Storyboard Generator
Input a script, and it generates a sequence of keyframe images. In my tests, it's a fantastic tool for rapid pre-visualization and pitching ideas.
- ✓Unified Timeline Editor
The non-linear editor is where it all comes together. It's basic compared to DaVinci Resolve but perfect for assembling and lightly editing AI-generated clips.
Tips & Tricks
For Gen-3, use detailed, cinematic prompts like 'cinematic wide shot of a spaceship landing at dusk, volumetric fog' instead of simple nouns.
Always generate at a slightly longer duration than you need and trim later, as the first and last seconds can be weakest.
Use the 'Image Prompt' strength slider in Gen-2 heavily. Lower values (30-50%) give the AI more freedom to interpret your text prompt.
Chain tools: Generate a background with Gen-2, then use Green Screen to composite a subject into it for full control.
Export individual clips as ProRes 4444 if doing further color grading in another editor to preserve maximum quality.
Limitations
- -The 10-18 second generation limit per clip feels restrictive for narrative work, forcing heavy editing to stitch scenes.
- -Credit system is expensive; complex projects burn through your monthly allowance in minutes, making cost unpredictable.
- -While coherent, AI-generated human movement can still be subtly unnatural, especially in complex actions like hand gestures.
- -The platform's performance is entirely dependent on their servers; you can't run models locally for offline or faster work.