In its new Gen-3 Alpha Turbo model, as well as the older Gen-2 model, Runway now offers a range of advanced AI camera movement tools and features. This allows users to enjoy even more precise and detailed control over how the camera acts as their videos progress from frame to frame. It's great for making cinematic-style shots, once you know how to use it.
This guide will teach you how it's done.
What Is Runway AI Camera Movement?
Before we get into the step-by-step of how to use Runway's AI camera movement, let's first focus on what these new features actually are.
Basically, the camera control feature allows you to enjoy precise control over how the camera moves during your AI video creations. You get adjustable individual sliders for horizontal and vertical movement, as well as pan, zoom, tilt, and roll. You can drag the sliders around or type in specific values to each form of movement to feel like you're truly in charge of the camera.
This feature is part of Runway’s Gen-3 Alpha Turbo and Gen-2, but not the Gen-3 Alpha version, at this time.
Runway AI Camera Movement Options
Next, let's take a closer look at the key features included in the Runway camera movement settings:
- Horizontal: This lets you move the camera left or right across a flat horizontal axis. It's good for panoramic-style shots.
- Vertical: This is for moving the camera up and down along the vertical or Y-axis. It's good if you want to showcase multiple levels or floors of a scene.
- Pan: Pan involves rotating the camera horizontally, like a cameraman standing in one place and slowly turning to the side.
- Tilt: Tilt is the vertical equivalent of pan. It's as if a cameraman tilted their camera up or down to look at the sky or the floor, respectively.
- Zoom: This setting allows you to zoom into one part of a scene or zoom out for a bigger picture of what's going on.
- Roll: Lastly, roll rotates the camera around its own axis, creating a kind of twisting, turning effect, good for action shots or immersing the audience.
| Direction | Text Prompt | Example Output |
| Horizontal | Camera glides right |
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| Vertical | Camera slightly glides up |
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| Pan | Camera pans to position directly in front of the woman |
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| Tilt | Camera tilts to an upwards angle |
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| Zoom | Camera zooms out |
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| Roll | Camera rotates to the right while maintaining focus on the subject |
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There’s also a Static Mode button you can toggle on which basically keeps the camera as still as possible while the scene unfolds.
| Text Prompt | Example Output |
| None |
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| The woman dynamically swings back and forth. she gently kicks out her legs and swings towards and away from the camera. dynamic motion. |
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How to Use AI Camera Control in Runway
Now you know what you can do with AI camera control in Runway Gen 2 and Gen-3 Alpha Turbo, let's see exactly how to use it. Below, we'll provide simple-to-follow step-by-step instructions, complete with screenshots so you can easily follow along and try these camera controls for yourself.
Step 1. Start a New Session
The first step is simple: log into Runway and then click to "Start a new session" on the dashboard.
Step 2. Select the Right Model
As explained earlier on, the new AI camera movement controls in Runway are only available in the Gen 2 and Gen-3 Alpha Turbo version at the moment. So, click on the pop-up model selection menu and make sure you choose the right model.
Step 3. Add Your Image
Next, you need an image to use as the foundation for your new AI video. So, you can either drag and drop one onto the window, click to upload from your device, or select an asset that you've already uploaded or used on Runway in the past with the "Select asset" button.
Step 4. Adjust the Camera Movement
Next, you get to control the camera. Click the "Camera Control" button in the sidebar on the left to open up the camera movement options. You'll see a bunch of sliders, with each one labeled to let you know what type of movement it refers to – pan, tilt, roll, etc.
You can click and drag the sliders to adjust them. The further you move the slider, the faster it'll go. If you move it to the right, the movement will also be to the right, clockwise, or upwards, depending on the specific setting. Move it to the left if you want the camera to turn or rotate left, anti-clockwise, or downwards.
You can also type in specific values for each setting instead of using the sliders, in the little boxes provided. Alternatively, you could click the "Static mode" button if you want the camera to stay as still as possible, but note that Static Mode is only in Gen-3 Alpha Turbo, not Gen-2.
Step 5. Input a Prompt
You also need a prompt before making your new video. And it helps to mention the camera movement you want to see in the prompt, as well, to let the AI know how quickly you want it or at one stage of the video you want the camera to begin moving.
You could, for example, set the camera controls to zoom in. Then write "The camera zooms slowly in on a [subject] in a [scene]."
Step 6. Generate Your Video
Once you've configured all the various settings, all that's left to do is click the Generate button and see your video come to life.
Combining Motion Brush and Camera Control
The Camera Control feature, combined with the Motion Brush (which allows you to set motion pathways for different subjects and objects in your AI videos) bring a lot of cool benefits to the table:
- You can use them to create more authentically cinematic clips in the styles of real films and TV shows.
- You can feel empowered, with a greater level of control over every element of your AI videos, rather than leaving it to the AI to make decisions alone.
- You won’t have to worry about rewriting prompts and regenerating videos many times to get the results you want.
Camera Control Values
To get the most out of the camera controls, you have to understand how the numerical values from 0 to 10 on each slider actually work and what they represent. As a general rule, the higher the value, the more movement you’ll get. Here’s a quick rundown.
- 0.1 - 1: Minimal movement, like just a slight zoom or pan.
- 2-3: Subtle movement.
- 4-6: Moderate movement.
- 7-10: The most intense movement.
| Value | Camera Speed | Example Value | Example Prompt | Output |
| 0.1-1 | Minimal | Zoom: 0.1 | Camera slightly zooms. Natural motion. |
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| 7-10 | Intense | Zoom: 10.0 | Camera soars at hyperspeed as it zooms into the monument. |
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How Camera Controls Interact with Your Input Image
It’s also important to understand that camera controls will have different effects depending on the image you’re working with. If your subject is closer to the camera, for example, the camera will move in different ways than if the subject was further away.
As a general rule, the closer your subject is to the camera, the less severe the movement will be. So, if you want more movement in videos where the subject is close, use higher values. And vice versa – lower values in wider shots where the subject is further back.
| Direction | Value | Text Prompt | Portrait |
| Horizontal | -5.0 | camera glides to the left |
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| Zoom | -5.0 | camera zooms out |
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The Benefits of Using Text Prompts
You don’t have to use text prompts in conjunction with your camera controls to tell the camera how to behave. You can just set the camera controls and use your prompt to describe what happens in the video.
However, it’s recommended by the Runway team itself for you to use your prompts to fine-tune your camera controls. This’ll give you even more influence over the camera’s movement and help you get the precise output you’re looking for.
This is especially true for situations where you want to zoom or pan to something specific. Like if you want to zoom into a face or an element of the background, you should use your prompt to tell the AI what to do, or it might just do a more general zoom into the middle of the image.
Using text prompts is also good for letting the AI know when to start each piece of camera movement. You could do a prompt like “The woman walks along the hall, the camera pans to follow her path and finally zooms in for a closeup of her facial expression.”
| Direction, Value | Text Prompt | Output |
| Zoom: -10 | (none) |
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| Zoom: -10 | The camera zooms out. the subject stands in a clearing surrounded by a tall population of matured cacti. |
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Best Practices for Using Camera Control in Runway AI
You can make some quite impressive content using the Camera Control of Runway AI. But, to make the most of those tools, there are certain best practices and recommended rules to follow:
- Describe your scene in as much detail as you can.
- Include subject actions in your prompts, like talking about their movement or expressions.
- Include sensory information about lighting, time, weather, atmosphere, etc.
- Use directional inputs in your prompts like left, right, away, and downward to instruct the AI about how to position the camera.
- Experiment with different slider values to see what they do and get a feel for the controls.
- Combine camera movements, like pans and zooms, to get cinematic effects.
Try AI Camera Movement in Runway AI via Pollo AI
You can use Runway's AI camera controls to create rich, detailed, and visually impressive scenes in your desired styles and manners, and Runway is completely available and free to try with Pollo AI.
Pollo AI is a leading AI video generator with lots of features and advantages, and it also lets you use a range of popular AI video models, like Runway's Gen 2, Gen 3 Alpha and Turbo, Kling AI, Luma AI, and Hailuo AI, all in one place.
All these models are free to try through Pollo AI, so test Runway out today and see how the Runway AI camera control features can help you create the most cinematic and engaging videos with ease.