AI model by Runway
Runway Gen-4.5 for business
Runway's video models: Gen-4.5 for text-to-video and image-to-video, and Aleph 2.0 for editing existing video, with a developer API.
- Reviewed on September 24, 2026
- Runway
Capability tiersRelative, not benchmarks
Key facts about Runway Gen-4.5
- Model ID at review
- Gen-4.5, Aleph 2.0
- Provider
- Runway
- Main category
- Image and video
- Open weights
- No, available as a hosted service
- Last reviewed
- September 24, 2026
Fit
Where it fits and where it does not
Good at
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Text-to-video and image-to-video.
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Keyframes and video-to-video.
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Editing existing clips with Aleph 2.0.
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Developer API with Python and Node SDKs.
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Access to several third-party models through one API.
Not the right choice for
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Long-form video without editing.
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Final content without review.
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Realistic video of real people without consent.
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Tight budgets at high volume.
Use cases
Business use cases we would use it for
Ad variations
Video edits
Concept previews
Our notes
When we would choose it
Gen-4.5, released in December 2025, is Runway's newest in-house video generation model at the time of review. It replaced Gen-4 and Gen-4 Turbo and supports text-to-video, image-to-video, keyframes and video-to-video. In May 2026, Runway announced Aleph 2.0, a model for editing existing video, which reached the API in June. It edits clips of up to 30 seconds at 1080p and can match a reference frame.
Runway offers a developer API with Python and Node SDKs. The API also gives access to several third-party models, such as Google Veo 3.1 and ElevenLabs Eleven v3, alongside Runway's own. That can simplify a workflow that needs several media models.
Editing is often more useful to businesses than generating from scratch. Changing the background, style or details of existing footage keeps real products and people in the shot while saving a reshoot. Aleph 2.0 is aimed at exactly that.
We could not verify Gen-4.5 duration and resolution limits or usage rights at review time, so check them before planning a campaign. For comparison, see Google Veo 3.1.
As with every generative media tool, we build in a review step and keep a record of prompts, sources and approvals. See content generation and AI workflows.
Before you commit
Things to check before you commit
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Cost
Video generation is premium priced. Estimate per clip.
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Rights
We did not verify usage rights at review time. Read Runway terms.
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Limits
Check current duration and resolution limits for Gen-4.5.
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Review
Approve every clip before it reaches customers.
Alternatives
Models to compare it with
Veo 3.1
Google's video generation model, creating short video with native audio from text and images. Available as a preview, with fast and lite versions.
FLUX.2
Black Forest Labs' FLUX.2 image models: API-only Pro, Flex and Max versions, plus open-weight Dev and Klein versions under different licenses.
Nano Banana (Gemini image)
Google's Gemini-native image generation and editing models, known as Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro, which replace Imagen in the Gemini API.
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Industries
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View all mcp serversGlossary terms
View all glossary terms- Multimodal model A multimodal model is an AI model that can take in more than one kind of input, such as text with images, audio or video.
- Prompt engineering Prompt engineering is the practice of designing, testing and improving prompts so AI models produce reliable results for a specific task.
- Large language model A large language model, or LLM, is an AI model trained on vast amounts of text that can understand and generate language, and often images and code.
- Prompt A prompt is the instruction and context you give an AI model to get the output you want.
FAQ
Questions people ask us
Have a question that is not here? Ask us directly.
Yes, with Python and Node SDKs.
A model for editing existing video, announced in May 2026 and available in the API since June 2026.
At review time, Gen-4.5 was Runway's newest in-house video generation model.