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Runway

The Runway integration connects ACT3 AI to Runway ML's generative video models. Runway is the best choice for stylized, experimental, and artistic video output — content that needs to look different from realistic footage.

What Runway Does​

Runway converts your shot prompts into video clips using models optimized for stylized output, creative effects, and motion quality. It supports text-to-video generation, multiple model variants, frame interpolation, and masking for targeted edits.

Key Capabilities​

  • Text-to-Video — Generate clips from shot prompts or scene descriptions
  • Multiple Model Variants — Access models optimized for cinematic realism, animation, stylized effects, and abstract visuals
  • Frame Interpolation — Smooth motion between generated frames for more natural movement
  • Masking and Inpainting — Replace or enhance specific regions in a shot while keeping the rest unchanged
  • Style and Texture Control — Fine-grained control over visual style, texture, and color treatment

How to Use​

  1. In the Editor, select a scene or shot and click AI → Runway
  2. Review and edit the shot prompt — add style descriptors, action tags, and camera instructions
  3. Select your Runway model variant
  4. Set resolution and frame rate
  5. Click Generate — the clip appears in the Preview pane
  6. Accept, refine, or regenerate — approved clips go to the Timeline or Render Queue

Choosing a Runway Model​

Runway offers multiple generation models with different strengths:

  • Cinematic Realism — Closer to photorealistic output, suitable for drama and narrative
  • Animation — Stylized movement with a cleaner, less-realistic feel
  • Abstract and Effects — Experimental visuals, particle effects, surreal aesthetics
  • Motion Brush — Apply specific directional movement to elements in a scene

Select the model that matches your project's visual language.

Masking and Inpainting​

If a generated clip is nearly right but has one problem area:

  1. Open the clip in the Runway masking tool
  2. Paint a mask over the region you want to replace
  3. Write a prompt describing what should replace that region
  4. Runway regenerates only the masked area while keeping everything else intact

This is far more efficient than regenerating a full clip for a small issue.

Prompt Tips for Runway​

  • Keep prompts under 120 words for faster generation and better coherence
  • For complex visual effects, break requests into multiple short prompts
  • Runway responds well to artistic and stylistic language (e.g., "oil painting style," "cyberpunk aesthetic," "dreamlike and surreal")
  • Combine with Google Veo 3.1 for hybrid projects — Veo 3.1 for realism, Runway for artistic overlay effects

Credit Usage​

Runway generations are billed based on clip length, resolution, and the model variant used:

  • Advanced features like masking and frame interpolation may incur additional credit cost
  • Actual rates are shown in the credit estimate before confirming generation

Best Use Cases​

  • Stylized title sequences and cinematic intros
  • Artistic short films and experimental narrative
  • Music videos with visual effects
  • Social media content requiring distinct visual styles
  • Any project where "cinematic but not photorealistic" is the goal

When to Use Other Engines​

  • Use Google Veo 3.1 for photorealistic, grounded narrative content
  • Use Wan 2.1 for fast collaborative previews
  • Use Flux for smooth motion-focused animation sequences
  • Use ComfyUI for advanced multi-model compositing pipelines

Troubleshooting​

Output style is not matching — Add explicit style descriptors to your prompt (e.g., "painted, stylized, cinematic animation") and reduce conflicting realism descriptors.

Motion looks choppy — Enable frame interpolation in the Runway settings panel.

Specific area of clip looks wrong — Use the masking tool to regenerate only that region.