Text-to-video lets you generate video clips from written descriptions alone.

Writing Effective Video Prompts

Video prompts differ from image prompts — you need to describe motion, timing, and camera movement:

Structure: [Scene description] + [Subject action] + [Camera movement] + [Style/mood]

Examples:

"A golden retriever running through a field of wildflowers in slow motion, sun flares in the background, cinematic shallow depth of field, dolly forward"

"Close-up of a coffee cup on a wooden table, steam rising gently, warm morning light coming through a window, camera slowly rotating around the cup"

"Aerial drone shot of a modern city skyline at sunset, cars flowing on highways below, golden hour lighting, slight zoom out to reveal the full cityscape"

Prompt Tips for Video

• Describe motion explicitly — "walking slowly", "clouds drifting left to right"
• Specify camera movement — "pan left", "zoom in slowly", "static shot"
• Include temporal details — "starting close then pulling back", "gradually changing from day to night"
• Set the mood — "cinematic", "documentary style", "dreamy and ethereal"
• Keep it focused — Don't describe too many simultaneous actions

Camera Control Presets

Runway offers built-in camera movements:

• Static — No camera movement
• Pan Left/Right — Horizontal camera sweep
• Tilt Up/Down — Vertical camera sweep
• Zoom In/Out — Move closer or further
• Dolly — Camera physically moves through the scene
• Custom — Combine movements for complex shots

Generation Settings

• Duration — 4 or 10 seconds
• Aspect Ratio — 16:9 (landscape), 9:16 (portrait), 1:1 (square)
• Resolution — 720p or 1080p
• Seed — Use for reproducible results