If there are two things in the world that seasoned filmmakers and video editors love to talk about, it is most certainly smartphone filmmaking and AI editing. Because nothing threatens traditional digital videography and video editing more than these two new futures.
But, let’s face it. AI is here and it’s most likely going to stay. Smartphone video is also here and getting more realistic with every new iPhone and innovative new app.
So, to the chagrin of filmmakers and video editors everywhere, let’s check out the new Runway ML app and explore how this generative AI technology is going to change film and video forever. Buckle up, folks!
Reintroducing the Runway ML App
As we covered in our initial write-up on the Runway ML and how it’s changing the world of video editing, an app version of this popular AI program is finally here and is fast becoming one of the most popular AI tools by creators and hobbyists alike.
For a quick refresher though, Runway AI was launched all the way back in 2018 and has already made some major inroads in the creative and video editing world having been used on the likes of Oscar-winning films likeEverything Everywhere All at Once as a go-to tool for the film’s visual effects team.
The program itself is a browser-based video editor of sorts which allows creators to use a host of generative AI magic tools and other AI-powered editing features including your basic image-to-image or text-to-image generations or more advanced or specific tools like text-to-3D texture or background remix.
The Runway AI Smartphone App
Now, this new Runway ML smartphone app is the inevitable next step for this leading next-generation creative suite that offers many of its most popular tools to creators on the go with a smartphone app. To be honest, even just utilizing Runway’s Gen-1 technology (not it's even more impressive Gen-2 tech yet) feels quite insane just in terms of the generative AI-powered now harnessed at your fingertips.
The Runway app is easy to download and get started with as all you need is an account and a capable smartphone. From there it’s an easy setup and you can realistically be signed in and make your first AI-powered compositions within minutes.
It is worth noting that while Runway ML is free to download and try out, the main way it works (and makes money) is off of credits that are required to create your compositions and renders. Right now, Runway charges 14 credits per second of video work. So, if you’d like to seriously use this app in any professional capacity, be prepared to sign up and pay with a credit card.
Different Runway App Features
Once you’re set up though the app is pretty straightforward and you can shoot images or video directly in-app or you can choose clips from your smartphone library. From there, once you’ve selected a clip, you can browse through many of the different style settings. These are your basic AI-powered effects which include stylistic options like claymation, watercolor, paper origami, pen, ink, and more.
You can also toggle some basic functions like style strength (similar to Instagram’s effect strength controls) or even designate your own seed number if you want to be a little more exact.
That’s basically it in this version of the Runway app. Once you’ve made your selection (and paid your credits for your video time) you can begin your generate command and let the AI do its work as your video is generated and rendered. And, as a nice feature, you don’t have to sit on the render page—you can keep browsing or even start other renders as well.
You can of course share your compositions and impress your friends for now.
However, while this app might be a fun AI program to check out and mess around with, it’s most certainly only the precursor to a huge amount of innovation and technology which I can see being added to this app (and others) in the next months and years.
How do you feel about this new Runway ML app though? Any thoughts on this smartphone AI future?
Let us know your comments below.
