Models / Runway / Text to video
Runway text to video prompting guide
Last checked 2026-10-11Runway Gen-4.5 / Gen-4 Turbo · Gen-4.5 (t2v,i2v), Gen-4 Turbo (i2v), Aleph 2.0 (v2v), Act-Two (performance), Characters gwm1_avatars (talking avatar)
How to prompt Runway in text-to-video mode. Every point links its source; community tips are marked. Your agent gets the same guide through the Atlas MCP (get_guide).
Prompt structure
camera→subject→action→environment→supporting
- T2V: '[Camera] shot of [subject] [action] in [environment]. [Supporting descriptions]'. Structure matters less than removing ambiguity. source ↗
Camera vocabulary
- For still shots: 'The locked-off camera remains perfectly still.' source ↗
Responds well to
- Sequential prompting: 'X, then Y. Finally, Z.' or '[00:01] X. [00:03] Y.' source ↗
Duration and limits
- Chain longer sequences: last frame of one generation as the next image input. source ↗
Avoid and failure modes
- Positive, concrete phrasing; no conflicting instructions; very long multi-paragraph prompts over-constrain. source ↗
- Unwanted cuts = duration too short; add 'Continuous, seamless shot'. source ↗
Negative prompt
Supported via .
Real prompts, credited
Turn this into a 4-shot AI video plan for Runway, 16:9.
"A courier hesitates outside a Republican-era Shanghai apartment door
before knocking, then slips an envelope under it and walks away."A frosted-glass serum bottle stands on wet black slate, half-buried in low-rolling cold fog, a single cool key light raking from camera-left. 0-2s: extreme macro push-in across the condensation field, beads trembling and sliding, dewy texture razor-sharp at f2.8 with creamy fall-off. 2-4s: the mist thins on a slow exhale, the glass pipette lifts and one amber drop releases in slow motion, surface tension holding a perfect bead before it lands. 4-6s: a 30-degree clockwise orbit wraps a warm rim light around the [brand] label, the glass throwing a faint prismatic edge. Bottle holds constant shap
[Shot size + Angle], [Subject + appearance], [Specific action], [Setting + weather], [Lighting], [Camera movement], [Style + color], [Mood], [Technical]
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