Generative video

How to use
Runway.

Developing image-to-video and text-to-video shots, iterating motion and camera direction, and organizing generative video work into creative sessions.

Open Runway ↗ Official download ↗
What it isgenerative video and creative production platform Workflows2 UpdatedJuly 2026

Runway is a generative video and creative production platform. Developing image-to-video and text-to-video shots, iterating motion and camera direction, and organizing generative video work into creative sessions. This guide covers the whole path in one place: official access, a first session that produces something reviewable, the checks that make output trustworthy, and the permissions worth limiting before you connect real work.

Troiana principle

AI should make the work easier to inspect. If the workflow removes the source, the owner, or the review step, redesign the workflow.

01

Access & setup

Find, install, and sign in to Runway

Get into the official Runway experience with the right account and a setup you understand.

  1. 01

    Start at https://app.runwayml.com/ and confirm the domain before entering account or payment information.

  2. 02

    Availability: Web application optimized for Chrome, plus official iPhone and Android mobile apps.

  3. 03

    Runway recommends its web application in Chrome for the full experience. The mobile app is available for iPhone and Android; Runway recommends desktop or laptop access rather than iPad for the complete toolset.

  4. 04

    Sign in with the account you intend to keep using, then review plan, data, notification, and permission settings.

  5. 05

    Run one low-risk test task before connecting sensitive files, repositories, or workspace data.

  • Use official download pages.
  • Review permissions during setup.
  • Keep installers and applications updated.
02

First session

Your first useful Runway session

Learn the interaction loop using a small task with a clear outcome.

  1. 01

    Open Runway in Chrome, sign in, and create a session for one shot or creative direction.

  2. 02

    Choose the generation mode and model that match the input, quality target, speed, and credit budget.

  3. 03

    For image-to-video, use a clean input frame and describe motion rather than repeating what is already visible.

  4. 04

    Generate short variations, compare motion and continuity, then refine one variable at a time.

  • State the outcome before the background.
  • Provide the real source material.
  • Review the result before expanding the task.
03

Quality control

Check the quality of Runway output

Turn a promising generation into an asset you can legally and safely ship.

  1. 01

    Restate the brief, the deliverable format, and where the asset will appear before judging any output.

  2. 02

    Inspect at full resolution: generated media hides its errors at thumbnail size.

  3. 03

    Check the details these systems reliably get wrong — hands, text, logos, reflections, symmetry, and edge artefacts.

  4. 04

    Confirm the licence and commercial-use terms for your plan, and check the output does not reproduce a recognisable style, mark, or likeness you have no right to use.

  5. 05

    Review for accessibility and delivery: alt text, contrast, colour profile, file size, and the exact export format.

  • Inspect at full resolution before approving anything.
  • Confirm commercial-use rights before an asset reaches a client.
  • Keep the prompt and settings with the asset so it can be reproduced.
04

Privacy & permissions

Use Runway safely

Use the platform without surrendering rights, likenesses, or client material you do not control.

  1. 01

    Confirm you hold the rights to every reference image, voice, or clip before uploading it.

  2. 02

    Check whether your plan trains on submitted content, and opt out before uploading client work.

  3. 03

    Never upload a real person's likeness or voice without their explicit, documented consent.

  4. 04

    Review the output for marks, styles, or likenesses you have no licence to reproduce.

  5. 05

    Label synthetic media where your client, platform, or jurisdiction requires disclosure.

  • Generative video can amplify visual artifacts and consume credits quickly. Review current model availability and usage terms, keep source rights clear, and inspect every frame before publishing.
  • Follow your organisation's approved-use policy.
  • Never treat fluent output as authorization to act.
05

Core workflows

Step-by-step ways to use Runway for the work it does best.

Each workflow is a separate guide with its own steps and review checkpoints.

01 WorkflowCreate a controlled image-to-video shot

Use a strong source frame and motion-focused prompting to produce a short shot that preserves the intended composition.

 02 WorkflowPlan and iterate a Runway video sequence

Break a concept into individual shots, control credit use, and assemble a sequence with consistent visual direction.

06

Official references

Check the current product documentation.

Features, plan limits, availability, and data controls change. These official pages are the starting points used for this guide.

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