How to Use Runway Gen-3: Beginner's Guide

Learning how to use Runway Gen-3 Alpha puts industry-leading AI video generation at your fingertips. This beginner’s guide covers everything you need to create stunning AI videos, from basic prompts to advanced features.

Getting Started with Runway

Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Visit runwayml.com
2. Click “Get Started” or “Sign Up”
3. Create account with email or Google/Apple
4. Choose your subscription tier (free trial or paid)

Step 2: Navigate the Interface

Runway’s interface includes:

• Dashboard: Overview of projects and recent work
• Assets: Your uploaded images and generated content
• Gen-3 Alpha: The video generation tool
• Tools: Additional AI capabilities

Step 3: Understanding Credits

Runway uses a credit system:

• Credits consumed per generation
• Quality and duration affect credit cost
• Monitor your balance in the account menu
• Credits refresh monthly with subscription

Text-to-Video Basics

Writing Your First Prompt

Start simple and add detail:

Basic structure: [Subject] + [Action] + [Setting] + [Style]

Example: “A golden retriever running through a meadow of wildflowers, sunny day, cinematic slow motion”

Prompt Best Practices

Be specific:

• Not: “A city”
• Better: “Downtown Tokyo at night, neon signs reflecting on wet pavement”

Include camera direction:

• “Camera slowly pulls back”
• “First-person POV walking forward”
• “Static wide shot”

Specify style:

• “Cinematic 35mm film look”
• “Documentary handheld”
• “Commercial quality, well-lit”

Example Prompts That Work

Landscape: “Aerial view of ocean waves crashing against rocky coastline, golden sunset, dramatic clouds, cinematic drone shot, slow movement”

Character: “Portrait of an elderly man with wise eyes sitting by a window, soft natural light, contemplative mood, cinema verité style”

Action: “Motorcycle speeding through desert highway, dust trail behind, camera tracking alongside, action movie aesthetic”

Image-to-Video

Preparing Images

For best results:

• High resolution (1920x1080 or higher)
• Good lighting in source image
• Clear subject
• Appropriate aspect ratio

Image-to-Video Process

1. Upload your image to Assets
2. Select it in Gen-3
3. Describe the desired motion
4. Generate

Motion Description Tips

Tell Runway exactly what should move:

“The woman slowly turns her head to look at the camera, her hair gently moving as if in a light breeze, subtle smile appearing”

Advanced Features

Motion Brush

Motion Brush lets you paint motion onto specific areas:

1. Upload your starting image
2. Select Motion Brush tool
3. Paint areas you want to move
4. Define the direction and intensity
5. Generate

Use cases:

• Animate just the water in a landscape
• Make only a character’s eyes move
• Add subtle movement to specific elements

Camera Controls

Gen-3 offers camera movement options:

• Pan: Left/right movement
• Tilt: Up/down movement
• Zoom: In/out
• Roll: Rotation
• Dolly: Forward/backward

Combine with prompts: “Camera slowly dollies forward while slightly tilting up”

Style References

Use existing videos or images as style guides:

1. Upload a reference
2. Describe what style elements to match
3. Gen-3 incorporates the aesthetic

Extend Video

Gen-3 can extend existing clips:

1. Generate initial video
2. Select “Extend”
3. Describe what happens next
4. Generate continuation

Generation Settings

Duration Options

• 4 seconds (fewer credits)
• 10 seconds
• 16 seconds (maximum, more credits)

Quality Settings

• Standard: Faster, fewer credits
• High: Better detail and consistency

Aspect Ratios

• 16:9 (landscape, default)
• 9:16 (portrait, social media)
• 1:1 (square)

Common Issues and Fixes

Problem: Morphing faces

Solutions:

• Use image-to-video with clear face
• Add “consistent face, no morphing” to prompt
• Reduce motion complexity

Problem: Weird motion

Solutions:

• Describe motion more explicitly
• Use shorter duration
• Try Motion Brush for control

Problem: Doesn’t match prompt

Solutions:

• Simplify your prompt
• Be more specific about key elements
• Try different wording

Problem: Low quality

Solutions:

• Use High quality setting
• Start with higher resolution images
• Reduce scene complexity

Runway Workflow Tips

Iteration Process

1. Start with simple prompt
2. Generate at standard quality
3. Refine prompt based on results
4. Generate at high quality when satisfied

Credit Conservation

• Test ideas at standard quality
• Only use high quality for finals
• Plan generations before starting
• Save successful prompts

Organization

• Name projects clearly
• Use folders for different work
• Download important generations
• Keep prompt notes

Beyond Runway: Complete Creative Works

Runway generates excellent video clips. But clips aren’t complete creative works.

What Runway provides:

• Industry-leading video quality
• Professional generation tools
• Motion control features

What Runway lacks:

• Story structure
• Interactive elements
• Publishing platform
• Narrative continuity

Multic Completes the Picture

For creators building stories, Multic offers:

• AI Images: Consistent character and scene creation
• AI Video: Motion integrated into narratives
• Comics/Webtoons: Panel-based storytelling
• Visual Novels: Interactive character experiences
• Branching Stories: Reader-driven outcomes
• Real-time Collaboration: Team creation
• Publishing: Direct audience access

Generate key moments in Runway. Build complete stories in Multic.

Practical Workflows

For Social Media

1. Generate attention-grabbing clips
2. Download highest quality
3. Edit if needed
4. Post with appropriate formatting

For Storytelling

1. Plan your narrative in Multic
2. Identify moments needing video
3. Generate those clips in Runway
4. Integrate into Multic story
5. Publish complete experience

For Concept Work

1. Use quick low-quality generations
2. Explore different directions
3. Refine promising concepts
4. Finalize with high quality

Best Practices Summary

1. Write specific prompts: Detail matters
2. Include camera direction: Guide the motion
3. Use style keywords: Define the aesthetic
4. Start simple: Build complexity gradually
5. Iterate thoughtfully: Learn from each generation
6. Manage credits: Plan your workflow
7. Think complete works: Clips serve larger stories

Verdict

Runway Gen-3 Alpha provides the most powerful AI video generation available to consumers. Master prompting, explore advanced features, and manage credits wisely to get the most from this remarkable tool.

For creating complete works audiences engage with, pair Runway with Multic. Generate your hero shots in Runway, build full interactive narratives in Multic.

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Ready to build complete stories around your Runway clips? Start on Multic and create narratives that engage audiences.

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Related: Runway Gen-3 vs Gen-2, Runway Review, and Best AI Video Generators 2026