Runway AI is a generative AI platform for creating and editing videos and other creative content from text, images, and AI-powered tools.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1 — Open Runway AI
Go to the official Runway website or directly open the Runway web app.
Click Sign Up if you are creating a new account, or Log In if you already have one.
Step 2 — Create Your Runway Account
On the registration page, enter your email address and continue.
Runway currently supports account creation using email, Google, or Apple. For email registration, Runway asks for an email, username, password, and name.
Tip: Using Google can make registration quicker.
Step 3 — Verify Your Email
If you register with email, Runway sends a verification code to the email address you provided. Enter that code on the verification screen. Runway says the code must be retrieved within one hour.
After verification, your Runway account will be ready.
Step 4 — Log In to Runway AI
If you already have an account, open the Runway app and select Sign In / Log In.
Enter your account details or choose Google/Apple if you originally registered that way.
After successful login, you’ll arrive at the Runway Home page. The current Home page provides access to Agent, Apps, recent work, and other creative options.
Step 5 — Open a Video Generation Tool
From the Runway interface, you can use Tools for more direct control or Apps for specific creative tasks.
For this guide, choose a video-generation option.
Runway’s official getting-started guide describes Tools, Apps, Agent, and Workflows as the main generation modes.
Step 6 — Select Gen-4.5
For the current Runway video workflow, select Gen-4.5 when available.
Gen-4.5 supports Text to Video and Image to Video. You can access it through Apps or through the model selector in Tool Mode.
Step 7 — Write Your AI Video Prompt
Enter a detailed description of the video you want to create.
Example prompt:
A cinematic shot of a futuristic city at night, glowing neon lights, rain falling on the streets, a person walking slowly through the scene, smooth camera movement, realistic lighting.
For Text to Video, describe both the visual elements and the motion. For Image to Video, focus primarily on the movement and camera action because the image already provides much of the visual information
Step 8 — Upload an Image or Adjust Settings
For Image to Video, upload your image into the generation window.
You can also adjust available settings such as:
- Aspect ratio
- Duration
- FPS
- Other generation options
Gen-4.5 currently supports several aspect ratios, including 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, and 21:9, with 2–10 second generation durations documented by Runway.
Step 9 — Click Generate
Once your prompt, image, and settings are ready, click Generate.
Runway will process your request and create the video.
Your generations appear in the current session, where you can continue creating variations.
Step 10 — Review, Improve & Download
After your video is generated, review the result.
You can:
- Generate another version
- Modify the prompt
- Continue working with the result
- Favorite the result
- Upscale when available
- Download the generated video
Runway’s current Gen-4.5 documentation specifically notes controls for continuing to work with, favorite, upscale, or download completed generations.
Quick 10-Step Summary
- Open Runway AI
- Click Sign Up
- Verify your email
- Log in
- Open Tools or Apps
- Select Gen-4.5
- Write your video prompt
- Upload an image and adjust settings
- Click Generate
- Review, improve and download your video
Example beginner workflow
Idea → Prompt → Gen-4.5 → Generate → Review → Improve → Download