AI startup Runway has introduced a new series of models for video generation, Gen-4. These models are capable of maintaining scene integrity and character appearance across multiple frames.
Today we’re introducing Gen-4, our new series of state-of-the-art AI models for media generation and world consistency. Gen-4 is a significant step forward for fidelity, dynamic motion and controllability in generative media.
Gen-4 Image-to-Video is rolling out today to all paid… pic.twitter.com/VKnY5pWC8X
— Runway (@runwayml) March 31, 2025
“Gen-4 sets a new standard for video creation and shows significant improvements over Gen-3 Alpha. It excels in generating highly dynamic clips with realistic movements, consistency in plots, objects, and styles, excellent timing, and best-in-class world understanding,” the announcement states.
As an example, the company showcased several works, including The Lonely Little Flame.
Using visual references, combined with instructions, Gen-4 allows you to create new images and videos with consistent styles, subjects, locations and more. Allowing for continuity and control within your stories.
To test the model’s narrative capabilities, we have put together… pic.twitter.com/IYz2BaeW2U
— Runway (@runwayml) March 31, 2025
“With Gen-4, you can accurately generate characters, locations, and objects in different scenes. Simply specify the appearance, and the model will maintain world environment integrity while preserving the unique style, mood, and cinematic elements of each frame. Then create these objects from different angles and positions within the scene,” the company asserts.
One example presented is a video where a woman’s appearance is maintained across different frames, contexts, and lighting conditions.
Another example is the short film The Herd, where a man is chased at night through a field of cows.
The Herd is a short film following a young man being chased through a field of cows at night. It was created using Gen-4 and just a few image references to build out each of the shots of the characters and the misty field of cows. It was then combined with Act-One to bring the… pic.twitter.com/DM1KPWRzMf
— Runway (@runwayml) March 31, 2025
The new model is available to users with paid and corporate subscriptions.
Back in June 2024, Runway introduced the alpha version of Gen-3 for generating videos from prompts and static images.