Runway
Generated B-roll that survives a real edit.
A year ago generated video was a party trick. Runway is the tool that pushed it into usable territory. For establishing shots, textures, abstract motion and B-roll, it now produces clips that hold up inside a real edit rather than only inside a demo reel.
It is built like an editing tool, not a toy, with a timeline and image-to-video so you can anchor a shot to a frame you already have. The limits show up on anything the eye scrutinises: faces, hands and hero shots still read as generated, and keeping a consistent look across a sequence takes patience.
Priced from $15 it is easy to try, though credits vanish fast once you push resolution and length. For motion design and supporting footage it is a solid buy. For your lead shot, keep the camera.
What we liked
- Generated footage is finally good enough for real B-roll
- Proper timeline editing built around the generation
- Image-to-video gives you a usable starting frame
- Fast iteration once you learn how to prompt it
What we did not
- Hero shots and faces still betray the source
- Credits disappear quickly at higher resolutions
- Consistency across shots takes real effort