Runway Gen-4.5 is the latest from Runway's flagship video line — cinematic motion, strong camera language understanding, six aspect ratios from cinematic 21:9 to vertical 9:16, and 5 or 10 second clips at 3 credits per second.
Runway Gen-4.5 is the latest in Runway's flagship video model line. It produces consistently cinematic output with strong understanding of camera moves, lighting language, and atmospheric scenes. Think of it as the model to reach for when you want the result to look directed.
Two clip durations (5 or 10 seconds), six aspect ratios spanning cinematic 21:9 through vertical 9:16, and both text-to-video and image-to-video modes. Pricing is 3 credits per second — 15 credits for 5s, 30 credits for 10s — same across modes and aspects.
5 · 10s
Clip durations
6
Aspect ratios
3 cr/s
Flat pricing
Runway Gen-4.5 produces cinematic results from sparse prompts — natural composition, smooth motion arcs, atmospheric lighting. Other models often need explicit cinematography language to hit this look; Gen-4.5 hits it by default.
Name the camera move — "slow drone push", "low tracking shot", "handheld follow", "static locked-off wide" — and Gen-4.5 executes it. Picks up specific filmmaking vocabulary (anamorphic, shallow DOF, golden hour) more cleanly than most consumer video models.
Pass a starting image and Gen-4.5 writes motion onto it. The source frame anchors composition, character identity, and color palette while your prompt describes the action and camera move. Great for animating illustrations, product stills, and storyboard frames.
From cinematic 21:9 widescreen through square 1:1 social spot to vertical 9:16 reels — every common output frame covered in a single model. Pick the ratio for your downstream channel without upscale/crop loss.
Each example shows the exact prompt that produced the result. Copy any prompt with one click.
16:9 · 5s · 15 credits
A slow drone push over a misty Pacific Northwest forest at dawn, dense Douglas firs piercing low fog, soft golden sunlight breaking through the canopy, painterly cinematic, no camera shake
"Slow drone push" is one of Runway's strongest camera moves — Gen-4.5 holds steady altitude and smooth forward motion. Add "no camera shake" or "stabilized" to lock down handheld jitter if the model defaults to it.
16:9 · 5s · 15 credits
A young woman in a wool coat walks slowly down a rain-soaked Tokyo backstreet at night, neon reflections in puddles, anamorphic lens flare, shallow depth of field, the camera tracks alongside her at hip height
Tracking shots at "hip height" or "shoulder height" land beautifully. Pair the subject's motion (walks slowly) with the camera's motion (tracks alongside) so Gen-4.5 knows how the two relate. Anamorphic flare is a particular strength.
16:9 · 5s · 15 credits
Macro slow-motion of a single ice cube splashing into a crystal tumbler of amber whiskey on a polished bar, droplets suspended mid-air, warm spotlight catching the glass facets, deep blacks, premium beverage commercial aesthetic
Macro slow-motion product shots reward Runway's strong physics — droplet motion, glass refraction, suspended particles. "Premium beverage commercial" is a useful aesthetic anchor that nudges the model toward studio lighting and clean negative space.
9:16 · 5s · 15 credits
A surfer rides a glassy turquoise wave at sunrise, vertical handheld follow shot, water spray catching golden light, fluid camera motion, cinematic color grade
9:16 vertical reads naturally on Runway. Name the camera type explicitly ("handheld follow shot") — vertical handheld is what social-native footage looks like. "Cinematic color grade" elevates raw documentary to polished content.
"Slow drone push", "low tracking shot", "static wide", "handheld follow at hip height" — pick ONE and commit. Runway executes a single move beautifully; combining two or three usually produces compromised motion.
5-second clips ($15) are ideal for single-beat moments — one action, one camera move, one mood. Pay for 10 seconds only when you genuinely need a multi-beat sequence or a longer atmospheric hold.
"Anamorphic lens flare", "shallow depth of field", "golden hour", "Kodak Portra", "ARRI Alexa". Runway reads these as literal aesthetic targets. Most useful in shorter prompts where vibe matters more than action.
Runway's text-to-video mode rejects 1:1 (square) — only 16:9 and 9:16 are supported for T2V. For square output, attach a starting image and use image-to-video mode. The error is unambiguous if you forget.
21:9 for cinematic, hero, widescreen edits. 16:9 for standard YouTube / horizontal social. 9:16 for Reels / TikTok / Shorts. 1:1 for square social (I2V only). 4:3 and 3:4 for traditional/retro feel.
When you need a specific character or product to stay consistent, attach a starting image. Gen-4.5 anchors composition and identity to the source frame, then writes the prompted motion onto it.
| Setting | Values | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Text-to-video · Image-to-video | I2V requires a starting frame. T2V composes from text alone but excludes the 1:1 aspect. |
| Duration | 5s · 10s | Flat 3 credits per second — 15 cr for 5s, 30 cr for 10s. |
| Aspect ratio | 21:9 · 16:9 · 4:3 · 1:1 · 3:4 · 9:16 | 1:1 requires image-to-video mode. |
| Seed | Integer (optional) | Pin for reproducibility. Omit for varied output across re-runs. |
| Pricing | 3 credits per second | Same across modes and aspects. No premium tier for I2V. |
| Source for I2V | Pass image as starting frame | Anchors composition, identity, and palette. Prompt then describes motion. |
Runway leads on cinematic feel out of the box and reads cinematography vocabulary literally — best when you want a 'directed' look from sparse prompts. Veo 3 is stronger on native audio and dialogue. Kling 2.6 Pro has audio + more aspect range. WAN 2.7 is the most cost-efficient. Pick by what matters most for your shot.