Runway Gen-4
Best for: Image-to-video & creative production
Some links are affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Runway's controllable video generation model for image-guided cinematic clips and creative production.
Key features
- ✓Image-to-video
- ✓Controlled motion
- ✓Visual consistency
- ✓Gen-4 Turbo
- ✓Creative production
- ✓Short cinematic clips
Overview
Runway Gen-4 generates short video clips from an input image and text prompt. It is designed around controllable motion and visual consistency and is commonly used for creative production.
How Runway Gen-4 works
Runway Gen-4 is image-driven: it takes an input image and a text prompt and animates it into a 5 or 10 second clip. The image anchors the look, and the prompt describes the motion.
That design gives creators strong consistency, because the starting frame defines characters and setting. Gen-4 Turbo is a cheaper, faster variant for drafts, while the standard model is used for final results.
Getting started with Runway Gen-4
- Prepare a high-quality still image that matches the shot you want.
- Write a short prompt describing only the motion and camera movement.
- Draft with Gen-4 Turbo to save credits, then render the keeper with Gen-4.
- Use the API if you need to automate generation inside an app.
Is Runway Gen-4 the right choice?
Gen-4 fits teams that already have key art or storyboards to animate. If you need to start from text alone, look at Gen-4.5.
Who should use Runway Gen-4
Creators, designers and filmmakers who want to animate still images with controlled motion and cinematic direction.
Try Runway Gen-4
Ready to try it? Visit the Runway Gen-4 official website to review current access, usage limits and pricing, then run a few test prompts of your own before committing to a plan.
Pros & cons
- +Strong image-to-video
- +Visual consistency
- +Controlled motion
- +Turbo version for faster iteration
- −Primarily image-guided
- −Credit-based pricing
- −Short generated clips
Pricing
Standard
- ✓Credits
- ✓Gen-4 access
- ✓Video generation
Gen-4
- ✓Image-to-video
- ✓5–10 second clips
Gen-4 Turbo
- ✓Faster generation
- ✓Lower credit cost
What does Runway Gen-4 cost for longer videos?
Usage-based pricing is charged per second of generated video, so cost grows with length. Costs below are a single clean pass at list price (reviewed October 2026). Most clips need 2 to 4 attempts, so multiply by your expected retakes for a realistic budget.
| Model · route | Per second | 10 sec | 30 sec | 1 min | 5 min | 30 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runway Gen-4Runway API (12 credits/s) · 720p | $0.12 | $1.20 | $3.60 | $7.20 | $36.00 | $216.00 |
| Runway Gen-4 TurboRunway API (5 credits/s) · 720p | $0.050 | $0.50 | $1.50 | $3.00 | $15.00 | $90.00 |
- Runway Gen-4: Image-to-video only. 5 or 10 second clips.
- Runway Gen-4 Turbo: The budget Runway model, good for drafts before a Gen-4 render.
Specifications
| Developer | Runway |
|---|---|
| Text-to-Video | No, Gen-4 requires image input |
| Image-to-Video | Yes |
| Duration | 5 or 10 seconds |
| Gen-4 Cost | 12 credits/sec |
| Turbo Cost | 5 credits/sec |
| API | Yes |