Generate Your First AI Video with Runway
You'll open Runway, set up your workspace, and generate a short video straight from a text prompt using Gen-2. Then you'll bring a photo to life, animating it with Motion Brush so only the parts you choose start moving. Along the way you'll adjust motion, consistency, and resolution settings so your result looks intentional instead of accidental. By the end you'll have a finished AI generated video clip, downloaded and ready to share.
Who this is for: Anyone who wants to turn a text idea or a single photo into a short, moving AI generated video without any editing experience.
By the end, you'll have:
- A Runway workspace set up with your Assets folder ready to use
- A short AI video generated from a text prompt with Gen-2
- A photo animated with Motion Brush, with motion added to only the parts you chose
- A finished clip with adjusted motion and resolution settings
- A downloaded video file saved to your computer
What you'll learn:
- How to write a simple, effective prompt for text-to-video generation
- The difference between generating from text, from an image, or from both together
- How Motion Brush targets movement to specific parts of a photo
- How credits work and how to avoid burning through them on repeated generations
- How to adjust motion and resolution settings before your final export
The journey
3 objectives. One real outcome.
Objective 1
Set Up Your Workspace and Generate From Text
Create your Runway account, get familiar with your workspace, then generate your first video from a written prompt using Gen-2.
Objective 2
Animate a Photo with Motion Brush
Upload a reference photo into Gen-2 and use Motion Brush to add movement to exactly the parts you choose.
Objective 3
Fine-Tune Settings and Export Your Video
Adjust motion and camera settings, upscale the resolution if you want, and download your finished video.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid Runway plan to do this?
No. The free plan gives you enough one-time credits to generate and download a video, though free downloads include a watermark.
How long does each video generation take?
Usually under a minute, but it depends on how busy Runway's servers are and how long your clip is.
What if I don't have a photo to use?
You can skip straight to text-to-video and generate everything from a written prompt instead.
Will I run out of credits doing this mission?
You start with 525 one-time credits on the free plan, which is enough for a handful of generations if you keep clips short.
Can I use the video I make commercially?
Yes, videos you generate on Runway fall under a royalty-free license that allows commercial use.