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To make an AI video in Runway, choose Text to Video to generate from a written scene or Image to Video to animate a still, enter a prompt that describes the right kind of motion for that input, then generate and refine the clip. Runway’s current Gen-4.5 guide supports both modes, requires Standard or higher, and lists a cost of 12 credits per second for clips 2–10 seconds long. Your plan choice therefore depends on whether Gen-4.5 is available to you, how many versions you expect to create, and how its credit and rollover rules fit your workflow.
Choose text-to-video or image-to-video
Runway’s current getting-started guide identifies Gen-4.5 as its most advanced video model and documents two ways to create: text-to-video and image-to-video. These are Runway’s descriptions, not an independent performance ranking. The Gen-4.5 guide says the model requires Standard or higher. Check Runway’s Getting Started with Generative Video and Gen-4.5 creation guide for current availability and requirements.
| Mode | What you provide | Best starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Text to Video | A text prompt | Describe the scene and its essential movement when you do not have a starting image. |
| Image to Video | A text prompt and an image | Use a still image as the opening composition, then describe what should move or happen next. |
Make a first clip, then refine it
- Pick the mode. Choose Text to Video for a scene built from words, or Image to Video when you want to animate a still.
- Write a focused prompt. For text-to-video, include the subject, setting, and key action. For image-to-video, concentrate on movement, camera behavior, and timing; the image already establishes much of the initial appearance.
- Set the duration and estimate credits. Runway lists Gen-4.5 at 12 credits per second for durations from 2 to 10 seconds. At that stated rate, a 5-second clip is 60 credits and a 10-second clip is 120 credits. These totals are arithmetic from Runway’s published rate, not independent tests.
- Generate a simple first version. Review what the clip actually does. If it misses the goal, change one or two prompt elements at a time so you can see which changes matter.
- Check the plan balance before continuing. Repeated versions consume credits too; compare the remaining balance with the length and number of clips you still need.
Write prompts for the input you chose
Text-to-video prompts describe the scene and motion
Runway recommends combining visual details with movement. Useful visual details include the subject, environment, lighting, composition, and style; motion details can specify the action, movement in the surroundings, camera motion, direction, speed, or timing. Put the essential elements first and add detail only when it improves the result. Runway’s Text-to-Video Prompting Guide recommends natural-language descriptions.
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For example: “A red bicycle rolls slowly down a rain-wet city street at dusk. The camera tracks beside it; reflections shimmer in the pavement. Naturalistic film lighting.” This example illustrates the kinds of details Runway recommends; it is not a reported test result.
Image-to-video prompts describe what happens next
The source image supplies the starting subject, composition, lighting, and style. Rather than repeating every visible detail, say how the scene should change. A simple pattern is: “The camera [movement] as the subject [action].” Replace each bracketed phrase with the movement or action you want. Start with a clear, high-quality image without visual artifacts. See Runway’s Image-to-Video Prompting Guide.
Use direct, positive instructions
Runway advises starting simply, phrasing instructions positively, and iterating. Its Gen-4 prompting guidance warns that negative phrasing can produce unpredictable or opposite results. For example, describe a “locked camera” rather than asking the model to avoid all camera movement. The guidance is in Runway’s Introduction to Prompting and Gen-4 Video Prompting Guide.
Compare plans by usable video, not just monthly credits
The figures below are Runway-published credit allocations in official documentation accessed October 7, 2026. They are not subscription prices. Runway’s current monetary prices and billing cadence can vary by region and were not established in the cited plan documentation, so check its live pricing page before subscribing. Credit amounts and model availability can also change.
| Plan | Runway-documented credits | Credit expiry or rollover | Practical consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 125 credits as a one-time deposit | Do not expire or refresh | Official Free-plan documentation lists 5 GB of asset storage and says videos have a Runway watermark. Available models may change. |
| Standard | 625 per month | Monthly credits expire on the billing date | Gen-4.5 is documented as requiring Standard or higher. Runway’s Standard guidance suggests shorter durations and Turbo video models as ways to manage a limited balance. |
| Pro | 2,250 per month | Monthly credits do not roll over; separately purchased credits do not expire | Consider expected generation and retry volume rather than assuming the allocation equals a fixed number of finished videos. |
| Max | 9,500 per month | Up to one month of unused credits can roll over | More monthly credits can accommodate heavier iteration, subject to model cost and current availability. |
| Team | 6,900 per seat per month, pooled across the workspace | Up to one month of unused pooled credits can roll over | Evaluate the shared pool across the team’s work, not as a separate private allowance for each person. |
Credit and plan details come from Runway’s credit guide, Free plan details, Standard plan details, and Max plan details. Separately purchased credits do not expire, according to the credit guide.
Estimate whether a plan covers your workflow
Divide the available credit balance by the model’s per-second rate, then account for multiple attempts. At Gen-4.5’s documented 12 credits per second, 625 credits would cover 52 whole seconds of generation before retries (52 × 12 = 624); 2,250 credits would cover 187 whole seconds (187 × 12 = 2,244); and 9,500 credits would cover 791 whole seconds (791 × 12 = 9,492). These are arithmetic examples using Runway’s published rate and allocations, not promises about finished usable footage. A 10-second generation uses 120 credits, so several attempts at that length use a balance quickly.
Before choosing, check these factors together:
- Model access: Gen-4.5 is documented as requiring Standard or higher; verify that the model you want is currently available on the plan you are considering.
- Clip duration: Longer generations use more credits at a per-second rate.
- Iteration: Budget for alternate prompts and reruns, not only the version you hope to keep.
- Unused-credit rules: Standard and Pro monthly credits expire on the billing date; Max and Team allow up to one month of rollover; Free credits do not expire.
- Storage and collaboration: Include the documented storage or pooled-workspace arrangement if those affect your work.
- Price and billing cadence: Confirm the amount and renewal terms shown for your region on Runway’s live pricing page rather than inferring a dollar value from credits.
When an older model may make sense
Runway’s getting-started material describes Gen-4 and Gen-4 Turbo as older models that generate faster and cost fewer credits than Gen-4.5. That is Runway’s own comparative guidance, not an independent benchmark. If lower credit use or speed matters more than using the newest documented model, check current availability and credit costs in Runway before selecting one; the figures in this article apply to Gen-4.5 only.
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