Runway Gen-4: turn a single image into video with strong, coherent motion and consistency—ideal for animating keyframes and stills.
This model gets stronger as the shot becomes more explicit. Give it a subject, a move, a frame, and a mood so the output feels directed instead of guessed.
Best results start with a directed prompt or a strong first frame.
Runway Gen-4 Image to Video on Pixio turns a single image into video with strong, coherent motion and temporal consistency. You upload a keyframe or still, describe how the scene should move in a prompt, and Gen-4 animates from that frame—ideal for storyboards, animating concept art, and keyframe-driven sequences.
Runway Gen-4 Image to Video on Pixio turns a single image into video with strong, coherent motion and temporal consistency. You upload a keyframe or still, describe how the scene should move in a prompt, and Gen-4 animates from that frame—ideal for storyboards, animating concept art, and keyframe-driven sequences.
| Mode | Input | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Image to Video | One image + prompt | Animating a single keyframe; prompt describes motion, not the look (image defines that) |
Gen-4 also supports other Runway modes (e.g. turbo, extend, video-to-video) elsewhere in Pixio; this page focuses on image-to-video.
| Option | Values | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 5s, 10s | Start with 5s for drafts; 10s for finals |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9, 9:16 (and others) | Match your deliverable; check Pixio for full list |
| Quality | Standard, Turbo | Turbo is faster and lower cost per second; Standard for best motion and consistency |
| Duration | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5s | Standard / Turbo | Standard ~12 credits/sec; Turbo ~5/sec (check Pixio) |
| 10s | Standard / Turbo | Turbo costs less per second; use for drafts |
Credits scale by duration and quality tier. Check the model card in Pixio for your plan's current rates.
Gen-4 Image to Video is built around one image as truth: the model preserves your keyframe’s look, lighting, and composition and adds motion from the prompt. A strong keyframe—clear subject, good composition, even lighting—gives the model a solid anchor and reduces artifacts. Use a still from an image model (e.g. Runway Gen-4 text-to-image or references-to-image) or your own art; then describe only how the scene moves.
Describe motion, not the scene. The image already defines the look; the prompt should answer: What moves, and how?
[Subject action] + [Camera movement] + [Environment / scene motion]
Example: "Camera slowly pushes in. Leaves rustle in the wind. Woman turns her head slightly toward camera."
Keep it to one clear motion direction; avoid contradicting cues (e.g. "camera pushes in and pulls out").
Product demo:
"A sleek smartphone sits on a white marble surface. Camera slowly orbits around it, revealing the design from multiple angles. Soft studio lighting highlights the edges and glass back. The product stays still; only the camera moves. Minimalist, high-end product photography style."
Portrait:
"Man in a dark suit, slight smile, neutral expression. Very slow push-in on his face. Background softly out of focus with no movement. Subtle, professional, shallow depth of field."
Environment:
"Wide shot of a forest path in autumn. Gentle camera dolly forward along the path. Light wind moves branches and leaves; a few leaves drift down. Golden hour, peaceful, cinematic."
Action / character:
"Runner in athletic wear takes two steps forward and accelerates into a sprint. Camera tracks alongside at shoulder height, slight handheld shake. Urban street, overcast morning, natural lighting, no dialogue."
| Scenario | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Animating a keyframe with Runway quality | Gen-4 Image to Video |
| Multi-shot consistency from one reference | Seedance 2 Pro (Image to Video) |
| Quick draft, lower cost | Kling or Gen-4 Turbo |
| Video-to-video restyle or heavy stylization | Gen-4 Aleph or Grok Imagine |
| Talking head / lip-sync | Fabric, Character 3, or OmniHuman |
| 4K upscale | Gen-4 Upscale |
Start with a strong first frame when consistency matters more than surprise.
Keep each prompt focused on one primary motion direction.
Use shorter runs for iteration, then scale up for finals.
For narratives, structure the idea as Shot 1 / Shot 2 / Shot 3 instead of one flat blob.
A strong video prompt gives the scene a subject, a move, camera behavior, and a mood to hold onto.
Start from language and push for camera intent, pacing, atmosphere, and shot design in one move.
Start from a frame or reference when consistency matters more than improvisation.
Continue or refine the clip without throwing away the visual language you already established.
Gen-4 (Image to Video) works well when the prompt needs motion, framing, and visual direction, not just subject matter.
Use it for sequences that need a strong first frame, continuity, or a clearly controlled camera idea.
Treat each generation like a shot brief instead of a loose caption to get more cinematic outputs.
Start with either a directed text brief or a strong frame, depending on how locked the look already is.
Write the motion like a director: subject, action, camera behavior, environment, lighting, and tone.
Iterate fast on shorter runs, then move to stronger finals once the rhythm feels right.
Use it to build a stronger first frame, then hand that frame to the video model for motion and continuity.
Pair it with frame extraction, merge tools, or image prep so the motion workflow stays clean end to end.
